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Dance Rules for National Smooth
Dancers, Inc.
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Dance Rules Approved in 2004
Recognizing
that NSD is a social organization dedicated to promoting friendliness and
goodwill within its
membership through greater interest in ballroom dancing, it is deemed
prudent to create a set of dance rules
that will apply to NSD dance competitions.
This document covers the rules to be followed for officially approved NSD
competitions. Itspurpose is to
promote a level of high quality dance contests and guarantee that every
effort has been made to establish
fairness and equity in NSD competitions.
I. OFFICIAL APPROVAL
A. In order to
obtain NSD approval for Convention and inter-chapter NSD only events the
Contest
Chair of the hosting chapter must submit to the Dance Rules Committee in
the person of its Chair a statement
setting forth the contests for which Official approval is desired and the
details thereof, confirming
conformance to the rules contained hereinafter. International Latin may be
excluded from the competitions
offered at Convention without jeopardizing Official Approval.
1.
The
only events for which Official Approval is required are those held at the
annual State
Convention. All others (Coronation Balls, Board of Directors Ball, weekend
competitions, etc.) may seek
Official Approval if they so desire.
B. Said Statement of Conformance
must state style(s), dance(s), tempi, dress, judges, and contestant
eligibility for each contest for which Official Approval is desired.
C. This Statement must be
submitted a minimum of 45 days prior to the event. The Dance Rules Chair
must respond within 14 days of receipt of the Statement.
D. The
Chair is instructed to review Statements in the name of the Committee and
issue written
approval or denial within the stated 14-day period, and is responsible
solely to the Committee in case of claim
of error. The Chair may delegate this task at his/her discretion but
retains fall responsibility for its execution.
E. The original contest results,
pre-registration forms and judges' marks shall be forwarded to the Dance
Rules Committee Chair as specified in the written statement granting
Official Approval. Any challenge to
scoring in a Convention competition must be presented to the State Chair
in writing postmarked within 30
days of the event for consideration. No action will be taken on any
challenge brought after the 30-day period.
F. Files containing the
Statement of Conformance, the Statement of Official Approval, and the
contest
results shall be available at the official bi-annual meetings of the State
Dance Rules Committee and shall be
kept for a period of three years following the date of the event. With
this file shall be kept a current roster of
NSD amateur dancers ineligibility as described below.
II. ELIGIBILITY/INELIGIBILITY
A. An NSD amateur dancer is a
paid up member of NSD in good standing for at least 90 days, for
whom
ballroom dancing is strictly a hobby or a recreational activity. Each
chapter's current membership roster,
exchanged during the State Board meeting, will be the official eligibility
list for any amateur allowed to enter
sanctioned competitions during the subsequent NSD State Convention. If a
chapter does not present a
current membership roster at the State Board meeting, the chapter's
membership roster that was distributed
during the previous State Convention will become that chapter's official
eligibility roster.
No professional may compete in NSD competitions. A Professional is defined
as anyone who falls into any or
all of the following categories.
1. Operates a dance studio
(defined as a business enterprise that charges a fee for dance lessons).
2. Receives remuneration (money
or other benefits) as a fee for teaching dance lessons.
3. Receives remuneration (money
or other benefits) as a prearranged fee for dance performances other
than actual expenses (travel, room and board)
B. The Dance Rules Chair shall
maintain a current roster of NSD amateur competitive dancers who are
ineligible for certain competitive levels. The roster shall include date
and place of the win(s) which make them
ineligible. A current copy of this roster will be made available to each
chapter chair no later than 90 days after
a convention.
C. There must be at least three
couples entered in a contest to hold that competition. If the hosting
chapter requires pre-registration as a condition for holding a competition
(minimum of three couples
registered) the hosting chapter must specify in writing a registration
deadline date. The pre-registration must
be in written form to the hosting chapter. If a competition is not
canceled, any eligible competitor may elect in
writing to enter said competition after the registration deadline.
D. If there are nine or
more couples entered in a contest, an additional round (semi-final) will
be held,
instructing each judge to select six couples to return for a
"final". If a hosting chapter has stated in writing that
no additional rounds would be scheduled, then the hosting chapter has the
right to refuse to allow late
registration to any couple whose registration would force the scheduling
of additional rounds.
III. COMPETITIVE DIVISIONS
A. Competitive Divisions shall
be defined as International Standard, International Latin, American
Smooth, American Rhythm, and Novelty. These divisions shall be considered
separately in determining a
particular dancer's level classification. Thus, an advanced dancer in one
division may yet be a beginner in a
different division.
1. International Standard
Division
The recognized contest dances shall be Waltz, Tango, Foxtrot, and
Quickstep
2. International Latin
Division
The recognized contest dances shall be Cha Cha, Samba, and Rumba
3. American Smooth Division
The recognized contest dances shall be Waltz, Tango, Foxtrot, and Viennese
Waltz
4. American Rhythm Division
The recognized contest dances shall be Cha Cha, Bolero, and Swing
5. Novelty Division
The recognized contest dances shall be Disco (in any form). Country
Western
(in any form), Paso Doble, and Mambo. Other dance forms, such as Cabaret,
may be referred to the Dance Rules Committee for consideration at its
normal
bi-annual meetings.
IV. AMATEUR COMPETITIVE LEVELS
A These level classifications
apply independently within each of the first four
competitive divisions described above and a specific level standing within
one division shall not affect a
dancer's eligibility in any other division.
B. There shall be three (3)
recognized levels within each of the International Latin Division and the
American Rhythm Division.
1. One Star
Any NSD amateur dancer shall be classified One Star in the International
Latin or American Rhythm Division until winning first place in a
Sanctioned
One Star or higher level competition of that Division comprising five or
more
couples. Contests at this level shall consist of one dance as follows:
International Latin - Rumba
American Rhythm - Cha Cha
2. Two Star
Any NSD amateur dancer shall be classified Two Star in the International
Latin or American Rhythm Division until winning first place in a
Sanctioned
Two Star or higher level competition of that Division comprising five or
more
couples. Contests at this level shall consist of two dances as follows:
International Latin - Cha Cha, Rumba
American Rhythm - Cha Cha, Bolero
3. Three Star
Any NSD amateur dancer shall be classified Three Star in International
Latin
Division or American Rhythm Division upon winning first place in a
Sanctioned Two Star competition of that Division comprising five or more
couples. This Level is to be considered the Championship Level of
Sanctioned events in International Latin and American Rhythm. Contests at
this Level shall consist of three dances as follows:
International Latin - Cha Cha, Samba, Rumba
American Rhythm - Cha Cha, Bolero, Swing
C. There shall be four (4)
recognized levels within each of the International Standard
Division and the American Smooth Division.
1. One Star
Any NSD amateur dancer shall be classified One Star in the International'
Standard or American Smooth Division until winning first place in a
Sanctioned One Star or higher level competition of that Division
comprising
five or more couples. Contests at this level shall consist of one dance as
follows:
International Standard - Waltz
American Smooth — Waltz
2. Two Star
Any NSD amateur dancer shall be classified Two Star in the International
Standard or American Smooth Division until winning first place in a
Sanctioned Two Star or higher level competition of that Division
comprising
five or more couples. Contests at this level shall consist of two dances
as
follows:
International Standard - Waltz, Foxtrot
American Smooth - Waltz, Foxtrot
3. Three Star
Any NSD amateur dancer shall be classified Three Star in International
Standard or American Smooth until winning first place in a Sanctioned
Three
Star or higher level competition of that Division comprising five or more
couples. Contests at this Level shall consist of three dances as follows:
International Standard - Waltz, Tango, Foxtrot
American Smooth - Waltz, Tango, Foxtrot
4. Four Star
Any NSD amateur dancer shall be classified Four Star in the International
Standard Division and the American Smooth Division upon winning first
place
in a Sanctioned Three Star competition of that Division comprising five or
more couples. This Level is to be considered the Championship Level of
Sanctioned events. Contests at this Level shall consist of four dances as
follows:
International Standard - Waltz, Tango, Foxtrot, Quickstep
American Smooth - Waltz, Tango, Foxtrot, Viennese Waltz
D. Novelty & Titled
Competitions
1. Novelty Competitions. Novelty
Competitions may be open to any or all levels of dancers at the
discretion of the organizer. Because of the wide latitude of this
Division, each competition placing must be
considered as a wholly separate entity and shall not effect any Level
standing within or without this Division.
2. Titled Competition. A Titled
Competition is one which is opened to dancers of all Levels within its
Division and may consist of any or all of the recognized dances selected
from the various Divisions, but
maintaining conformance in Style (e.g.. International Waltz/Tango, both
Standard dances, or American
Foxtrot/Cha Cha, both American Style). As this, like the Novelty Division,
is a wholly separate section. Level
standings in Titled Competitions shall be at the discretion of the
organizer, and a win in any specific Title
Competition shall not be reflected in any other Level standings within the
system.
E. The Level classification of a
partnership, in case of discrepancies, shall be the higher of the
classification of the partners.
1. A partnership may compete at
the next lower Level than currently classified if it has not won first
place
in a Sanctioned competition at its currently classified Level involving
five or more couples in the last
immediate five years.
2. A partnership may compete at
its current classified Level and at the next higher Level. Winning first
place in a Sanctioned competition at any Level in which there are five or
more couples shall serve to classify
a couple into the next higher Level.
V. OPEN AND CLOSED CATEGORIES
A. A Closed competition is one,
which is open to qualified NSD amateur dancers only.
B. An Open competition is one,
which is open to all qualified amateur dancers, regardless of NSD
membership.
1. Determination of the Level of a non-NSD
partnership or dancer is to be the
responsibility of the hosting chapter's Competition Chair.
VI. TEMPO OF MUSIC
A. The tempo of music shall be
in accordance with that suggested by recognized amateur societies; it
shall be defined in terms of measures per minute.
Intl. Style
Dance
Amer.
Style
28
Waltz
30
-1 & 2 Star
28
Waltz
28
- 3 & 4 Star
28
Foxtrot
30
32
Tango
30
50
Quickstep
N/A
N/A
Viennese
Waltz
54
50-52
Samba
N/A
26-28
Rumba
N/A
30
Cha
Cha
30
N/A
Bolero
24-25
N/A
Cuban
Rumba
32
N/A
Competition
Swing
32-34
B. In the Novelty Division, the
tempo of each dance shall be at the discretion of the hosting chapter.
C. The duration of any single
dance within a Sanctioned competition shall be limited to 90 seconds. If
any
judge has not completed marking the dancers within that time, an
additional 30 seconds may be run at his or
her request.
D. All multiple dance events
shall be danced in the following order:
International Standard - W/T/F/Q
International Latin - CC/S/R
American Smooth - W/T/F/VW
American Rhythm - CC/B/SW
VII. ATTIRE
A. Dress for all approved
competitions, preliminaries, semi-finals and finals shall be of the
appropriate
formal mode for the Division.
1. International Standard
Divisions
One-Star - Semi-formal attire suggested; costumes optional
Two Star - Ball gown or formal gown for ladies; tuxedo or tails for
gentlemen
Three Star - Ball gowns for ladies; tuxedo or tails for gentlemen
Four Star - Ball gowns for ladies; tails for gentlemen
2. International Latin/American
Rhythm Division One Star - Semi-formal attire suggested; costumes
optional Two Star/Three Star - Appropriate Latin attire
3. American Smooth Division
One Star - Semi-formal attire suggested: costumes optional
Two Star - Ball gown or formal gown for ladies: tuxedo, tails or elegant
coordinated competition attire for gentlemen
Three/Four Star - Ball gown for ladies: tuxedo, tails or elegant
coordinated
competition attire for gentlemen.
B. Attire for Novelty Division
contests shall be at the discretion of the hosting chapter.
VIII. JUDGING AND SCORING
A. Qualification of Judges —
Judges should be qualified pertinent to the Division(s) they are to judge.
Normally, they would be from a society such as NDCA. If approval of NDCA
members is not available, other
similarly qualified judges may be obtained at the discretion of the
hosting chapter's Competition Chair and
approved by the Dance Rules Executive Committee.
B. Number of Judges - A minimum
of three judges is required for Two Star, Titled, and Novelty events. A
minimum of three judges is required for Three Star and Four Star events;
five is recommended.
C. Scoring - All scoring shall
be by the Skating System as defined by the publication The Skating System
by Arthur Dawson, published in 1963, Imperial Society of Teachers of
Dancing. If there is a tie after Rule 11 is
applied, the tie shall be broken by weighting the dances in the order in
which they are performed with the first
dance getting the most weight.
1. The results of all contests
shall be signed by the Scrutineer, the Chair of judges, and the Contest
Chair of the event.
2. Scrutineer's forms shall be
displayed at or immediately after the presentation of awards. Photocopies
of all scrutineer forms and contest results shall be mailed to the Dance
Rules Chair of each chapter within 30
days of the event. It is then that person's responsibility to make them
available to interested parties on
request for a reasonable reproduction fee. Originals shall be placed on
file with the State Dance Rules
Committee for a period of three years following the event.
D. Infractions - Infractions of
any and all regulations shall be identified and corrected by the Contest
Chair of the event in cooperation with a State Dance Rules Committee
Observer, if present. No judge shall
score a couple taking the floor in direct violation of any regulation.
Couples and judges shall be informed of
the violation by the Contest Chair. A written report of the violation and
its resolution shall be attached to the
scrutineer's forms and forwarded to the Dance Rules Committee.
1. Subsequent complaints shall
be referred to the Dance Rules Committee in the person of its Chair for
review at the next bi-annual meeting.
IX. IRREGULARITIES
No rules can cover all situations. Therefore, any questions, unusual
circumstances, or requests for
waivers of any part of the rules that may arise between the bi-annual
State Dance Rules Committee
meetings shall be directed to the Inter-chapter Dance Rules Executive
Committee under the direction of
the State Dance Rules Committee Chair
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