Competitions

What is a competition?
In a nutshell, competitions are where both professional and amateur dancers compete in a variety of styles, categories and levels often for cash, scholarships or other awards. Competitions can range from one day to full week affairs, often in resort locations.

There are professional couples, amateur couples, and pro-am couples where one is a professional teacher and the other is an amateur student.

Couples register to compete in specific styles (e.g. International Standard and Latin; American Smooth and Rhythm) at specific levels (bronze, silver and gold for amateurs). The pool of competitors is then narrowed down after the initial heats to semi-finals and finals until the winners are selected.

Why Compete?
Once a person has made the commitment to compete with a deadline to perform the entire experience of learning, and practice changes. I should say there is a difference between commitment and decision. Each and every time you get on the floor from that point forward, your experiences are different. At a club or party, you see how close you can come to extending yourself and stay in bounds. You can learn that time is of the essence, and practice becomes (if planned) more productive, whether that practice is on your own, in a class, or with an instructor.

The competitive experience is not just about winning. It is about pushing yourself to achieve more. This achievement is not measured in how many Gold's, Silvers, and Bronzes, or "Glad you came Awards" you receive. It is about how many of the other skills you have improved that will lead to happier, more productive, and yes, for some, even better results in the future. Those results can include your dancing or competitive experience, bust most likely will also include social confidence, business acumen, personal relationships, and so much more. After all, if all your sport or hobby, you haven't gained much when and if it is all over. Make sure you understand, going up and picking up that 1st Place is certainly a bonus we all enjoy, and strive for. Without that we wouldn't try as hard or accomplish as much. that is what makes the competitive experience so valuable in achieving goals.

Preparing for a Competition
Preparation begins well in advance when, with the guidance of your teacher and the studio manager, you select the competition that best fits your needs and schedule. Lessons may continue as normal with an increase of training hours as the competition date draws near. Two weeks before many students come into the studio daily for up to 3 hours of lessons and coaching sessions to polish every detail of their technique.

Men and women pay careful attention to the costuming for the event. Wilson’s DanceSport has a close relationship with the renowned costume designer Maria McGill whose designs have been worn exclusively by all the dancers on ABC’s Dancing with the Stars. You can visit Maria’s Tampa studio to select a design or have one custom made.

The day of the competition begins early with time scheduled for hair styling, make-up and careful warm-up exercises to ensure that you are both glamorous and fit for your exciting day of competitive performance.

Competition Schedule - Coming Soon

Blackpool - Check out what we saw "on the road"

Our Students in Competition - Mini Match June 7, 2007 (photos below)