The typical heat of dancers (final round excluded), depending on the size of the ballroom, might have as many as 12 couples on at a time! During competitions, they will usually play about 30-40 seconds of music for each heat. This means the judges have to pick out the best 5-6 couples from each heat in about 30 seconds of judging everyone! (Incidentally, that's what they write down on the boards - the number of the couple who they choose to advance.)
Here's primarily what they look at:
1) Posture/frame: latin vs. standard; tall, big, upright; consistent throughout the dance; looks comfortable/natural
**This is the first thing anyone sees when they look at a couple dancing. This can make or break a dance.
2) Footwork: correct steps for the level; heel vs. toe leads
3) Timing: do the steps match the beat of the music?
4) Intangibles
- BIG smile
- Enthusiasm - is the couple walking around or are they dancing?
- Flare and craft - specific to each dance; is it flowing and graceful (ie. waltz, foxtrot) or is it energetic and stoccato (ie. jive, samba)?
5) Floorcraft - can the couple maneuver around the dance floor without crashing into others?
- Often: can the couple manipulate their routine to adjust for people in their way, or are they stuck to a single choreography?
Those aren't necessarily listed in any particular order. Posture is easily the most important since it's easiest to notice right away if it's good or not. Same goes for timing, but it's much easier to get correct.
No comments:
Post a Comment