For those of our members who are interested in the competitive side of ballroom, we organize trips to competitions held by other East Coast colleges. Sometimes we even travel to national-level qualifiers and advance to the finals! The club usually participates in three competitions per semester and coordinates travel, housing, and other resources (such as apparel) for our members.

Note: These benefits are only accessible to members of the club who have paid dues. They will also only be made available to those who adhere to our club policies regarding registration, travel, housing, and apparel.

How do competitions work?

Competitions are just dancing! You and your partner, sharing the floor with other couples, dance a certain dance (e.g. Waltz) for 1 minute and 30 seconds while the judges watch. If the judges like your dancing, they call you back to the next round. In the final round, the judges place the remaining couples from first to last, and that’s how a winner is determined!

Competitions are a great way to improve your dancing quickly and are also a great way to bond with other club members on the trips to and from each competition.

What if I am new to ballroom?

Don’t worry! Competitions are divided into levels based on skill, and you can choose the skill level at which you’re comfortable competing.

Every competition has the Newcomer level, which is restricted to beginner dancers (people who started ballroom dancing no more than 6 months ago). That means that even if you’re brand new to ballroom, you’ll be competing against people who also just started!

Above Newcomer, the levels in ascending order are Bronze, Silver, Gold, Novice, Pre-Champ, and Championship. Novice, Pre-Champ, and Championship constitute the “Open” levels, where choreography is almost unrestricted. In the “Syllabus” levels (Newcomer to Gold), choreography is restricted to figures outlined in the nationally-recognized “syllabus,” or list of available figures, for that level and below. See the About Ballroom Dance section for more info on the syllabus.

Why should I compete?

Most of our members will tell you that some of their best ballroom memories were made at competitions. Competitions are a great way to improve your dancing quickly, bond with other CU Ballroom members, and meet collegiate dancers from other schools! At competition, CU Ballroom prides itself on being a club whose members loudly cheer each other on, so whenever you’re dancing on the floor, you’ll definitely feel our support! Lastly, you also get to watch and admire other skilled dancers and cheer on your friends as well!

Competing doesn’t have to be expensive either – since you’ve paid membership dues, the club covers your registration fee ($50-$60 per competition) and half of travel ($20-$30 per competition) each time. So what are you waiting for? Come and compete with us!