Competitions

A brief overview of competing with BBDT

There are five parts to ballroom dancing: lessons, practicing, social dancing, showcases and competitions.

As a team, BBDT travels to 2-3 competitions in a semester to participate in collegiate ballroom competitions on university campuses including Michigan, Purdue, and Notre Dame.

Traveling to competitions is optional, but many members have found that preparing for competitions keeps them excited about practicing. Our lessons teach the technique for competitive ballroom dancing.

At each competition you are competing against your own skill level. This means that if you are new to ballroom dancing you will be competing against others that are also new to dancing. You and a partner can compete in up to 16 different events, and your teammates are there to cheer you on.

While at these competitions, you will also get to meet other collegiate dancers who share your passion for ballroom dancing.

Competitions are broken down into different levels, dances, rounds, and flights. In each flight, dozens of couples will dance simultaneously to the same song, and the judges will rank the dancers individually against others at the same level. A percentage of the dancers in each flight will be called back to the next round until it is down to the final six couples who will then be ranked 1-6.

Competing is about more than just winning. It is also about the practicing leading up to the competition, cheering on your friends and teammates, dancing against others at your level and having FUN!