What does Professional Ballroom dancing entail in both the competing and non-competing aspects?

Question

I am 25 years old and have been taking lessons at a local Arthur Murray Studio for over a year now. I have a background in both music and tae kwon do, but I feel this is where my true talent lies. many people have told me that I am a really quick-learner, great leader, good dancer and have even been asked to participate in a salsa routine. I feel great about my dancing now after one year of training and I feel that I have been forged for this "sport/art" through my music and tae kwon do training and have thus been considering professional ballroom competition.

My questions are what is professional dancing, what are the requirements to become a professional vs. amateur, what are the major competitions, what are the dance styles in competition... etc... where should I start???

Whatever information anyone has about the world of professional dancing, be it from personal experience or literature, I would greatly appreciate your input.

Thanks!

Answer 1

Start competing as an amateur as soon as possible. If you can't find an amateur partner - compete pro/am. This will teach you a lot more than all of us on Y!A put together. After a year of lessons, you should be able to comete and do well in beginner competitive levels. If that's not the case - maybe reconsider your training routine and habits, possibly look for stronger teachers.

There are 4 major dance styles in the US. International Standard, International Latin, American Smooth and American Rhythm. Chances are, you've been learning smooth and rhythm so far (because you said Arthur Murray studio). Each of them includes 5 dances except smooth.
The dances are
Standard: Waltz, Tango, Vienneze Waltz, Slowfox and Quickstep
Latin: Cha-Cha-Cha, Samba, Paso Doble, Rumba and Jive
Smooth: Waltz, Tango, Foxtrot and Vienneze Waltz
Rhythm: Cha-Cha-Cha, Mambo, Rumba, Bolero and East Coast Swing

In the US, there are no requirement to become a ballroom professional. If you claim to be a pro - you're a pro. But naturally, you don't want to look ridiculous next to other competitors out there if you chose to compete, so you should be of comparable level to other professionals.

Roughly speaking, there are two kinds of profesionals. One kind is social dance teachers. They usually don't compete or never competed. In this case, ISTD syllabus exams and sertifications would be a big plus (they are not hard) in terms of possible employment. The other kind of professionals competes or at least used to compete at professional level. If they are actively competing, they didn't touch the ISTD exams cause neither they have the time for it nor the need. Their competitive record is good enough of a credential. These people usually practice their professional dancing in the morning and teach in the evening.
Blackpool Dance Festival (UK) is probably the most famous competitoin in the world.
You can find major US competitions on http://www.accessdance.com
USA Dance National Championships
Ohio Star Ball
and many more.
Also check http://www.usabda.org for amateur competitions near you.
You don't need major competitions if you're just starting out. Find a local competition, it's a lot cheaper to attend, and a lot easier to dance. I traveled to competition and competed locally - there is no comparison just how much harder it is to do well after you traveled across the country, spent a night in a hotel, spent your morning trying to locatea the competitoin venue and your dear partner who will always dissaper on you in this case, and in general getting your act together.
Good luck with all that.

Answer 2

Hey! The main difference between amateur comps and pro comps is that to compete in pro comps you must have your teaching qualifications (thats the rule here in NZ but not sure about other countries).
Most dancers compete in amateur and get to the top in amatuer before turing pro and competing in pro comps.
Major comps include Blackpool, world champs, world masters, UK open and many others.

If I were you id get into competing as an amatuer and make a big name for yourself before turning pro, most of the pro's have been dancing for over 15 years or more (there are a few exceptions) and have been competing most of their lives.
My latin teacher used to do tae kwon do too (he was black belt) and he reckons a lot of his flexibitly he uses in his dancing was because of how flexible tae kwon do made him

Good luck!!!! :o)

Answer 3

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