Hi all. Yeah, I know my Nikon (and a lot of other models on the market) can tape video. And I do have the memory sticks and extra batteries to tape the whole damn event if I so chose. And I did for a second consider doing just that, out of spite, and posting the tapes on some private site and letting everyone know about that. See what they'll do about THAT!!
But really, it's not my intention to hurt anyone. I was just disgusted with the whole attitude towards the attendees.
Dancescape is very cleverly asking me to put my money where my mouth is, so to speak, and make suggestions about how to deal with the video issue. I have some ideas, but am pressed for time (I am at a public library and there's a time limit on how long I can stay at this station). I'll post some thoughts later, in the spirit of making comps a happier experience for all, guests and organizers alike.

To comment on the other thread, the Latin event was no surprise (i.e. the absence of the top three couples, Slavyk/Karina, Micheal/Beata, and Paul/Alexandra -- even though Paul Green was there dancing pro-am). Slavyk is stuck overseas and can't get into the US because of some issue with legal papers, Michael is reportedly ill, and Alexandra's mother is reportedly severely ill (I hope the latter story is not true and I wish them all the best). The alternative rumor is that Paul/Alexandra did not dance because the "fix" was in to have a certain couple chosen as US pro champs, in the absence of the top two couples. I won't name the alleged "chosen" couple, but if there was a "fix" it didn't materialize, for whatever reason (and again the rumors are rife about that).

Gotta run, now.

Dancing Jools,
I'm very sorry to hear that you had such a bad time. However, you and the others who have commented about the video policy should be aware that the vendor has nothing to do with it. It is an NDCA rule that no private videotaping may occur while there are professional dancers on the floor. As I understand it, this is to protect the work product of the professional dancers. Of course the manner of enforcement is left up to the organizers (Again, not the video company)

Chel

Dang it, I typed out my response and accidentally closed the window, so now I'm twice as grumpy! Here we go again:

Jools, I'm sorry you paid so much money to have a lousy time. However, I have been on the other side of this issue and I'm going to give the counter-argument.

1. Video, no video: You know you weren't videoing. We assume you weren't videoing. But, look at this from their viewpoint: lady has a camcorder. Lady points camcorder at dancers for several seconds at a time. If it looks like a duck and walks like a duck, chances are pretty good that it might be a duck. So, they approach you. You explain that you were taking pictures and take a picture to prove it. Ok, you just proved that you have the ability to take a picture, not that that's all you were doing. However, they let it go. The three other people have no idea that you've already been approached by this.

2. Standing on the chair: no matter how graceful you are or how safe you're conducting yourself, the insurance company sees you as a liability. If someone bumps you and you fall, you can sue them and win. You know that you're probably not going to fall and that you wouldn't sue if you did. The insurance company can't take that chance.

3. Staff attitudes: Ok, I don't know about this comp, but at many of them (such as the very large swing convention my local club puts on every year) are staffed by volunteers. These people put up with hours of hard work and abuse, missing a lot of the exciting events, for a measly $30 or $50 or $100 or whatever ticket. In a day they probably have to ask 100 people to get off the chairs and stop videoing. The majority of those 100 give them a hard time about doing their job. They probably resent having to tell you not to do something they feel you should know not to do. Yes, they should still be polite. How polite are you when you tell someone for the umpteenth time not to cut in a line you've been waiting in for hours, or that you're saving this seat for your friend (when your purse is on it), or not to steal your car?

So, that's the other side. You don't have to like it, but just try to understand it. Write them a calm, reasonable letter about what was unacceptable about the conditions in the ballroom and what they should do to improve it, or you won't be back.

Rant over. Flame at will.

Um, volunteer or not, it's not MY PROBLEM if these people get crap for doing a job they either volunteered to do or applied for, they know the requirments and it gives no excuse to be rude and cold. It's not like they're doing community service, you applied for it- do it right. And I would think it's in the best interest of the comp organizer to have this corrected- for a better turn out next year. Basicly people pay a great deal of money to watch these shows, and the employees or volunteers are all a part of this- I can't enjoy a show if im being harassed every 10 minutes.

quote:

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Originally posted by ANON:
I can't enjoy a show if im being harassed every 10 minutes.

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Then dont do something that encourages harassment. I get the impression that people just want to be able to do whatever they want.

However on the other hand in Jool's case

Once the first weanie had established that you were not videotaping ( though you were holding a camcorder ) they should have hd the politeness to tell the other weanie to leave you the h alone. Of course you probably shouldn't have been standing on a chair however the organizers should have provided you with a seat from which you could see sitting down. as a short person theres nothing worse than not being able to see above someones head. I've seriously felt like hitting ppl on the head with my handbag while trying to see around them and their head keeps on moving.

What would I do in this situation. I would ask for my money back on the admission at the very least as you did not get to "see" the event as promised so the terms of the contract when you purchased the ticker were not met

Regardless of what you should and should not have done in your situation I would have been p*ssed as s...

U.S. Open Under 21 Latin American Dance Championship (CC/S/R/PD/J)


Results:
Heat 112 [09/07/2004 16:51]
1 Mark Ballas with Yulia Musikhina
2 Igor Drobyazko with Anna Tovbin
3 Artem Okhrimenko with Aleksandra Nelyubina
4 Stanislav Savich with Faina Savich
5 Vladimir Filippov with Polina Kazachenko
6 Ferdinando Iannaccone with Aleysa Leschenko
QUARTERFINAL Andrey Pinchuk with Nicole Volynets
QUARTERFINAL Sergey Onik with Michelle Glazarov
QUARTERFINAL Brent Borbon with Melissa Blanco
QUARTERFINAL Pavel Volynsky with Natali Tayts
QUARTERFINAL Louis-Philippe Deslauriers with Masha Sidnjova
QUARTERFINAL Alex Samusevich with Irina Osipovich
ROUND 1 Jared Murillo with Lacey Schwimmer
ROUND 1 Natan Rositsan with Andra Vaidilaite
ROUND 1 Vartan Zakhariants with Irene Kin
ROUND 1 Anton Belyayev with Karolina Daliwoda
ROUND 1 Egor Novikov with Lilia Fesko
ROUND 1 Inaki Albiol with Maria Carbonell
ROUND 1 Bernie Goldenberg with Masha Shulman
ROUND 1 Raimondo Todaro with Malin Johansson
ROUND 1 Gaetano Iavarone with Emanuela Napolitano
ROUND 1 Sergiu Rusu with Mirona Gliga
ROUND 1 Jesse Valvasori with Katya Truaina
ROUND 1 Italo Elgueta with Afton Del Grosso
SEMIFINAL Sarunas Greblikas with Isabella Babot
SEMIFINAL Pasha Pashkov with Inna Brayer
SEMIFINAL Nikolai Elizariev with karina Akhmadulina
SEMIFINAL Ruben Rodriguez with Raquel Recasens
SEMIFINAL Nikolai Pilipenchuk with Natasha Skorikova
SEMIFINAL Alex Zaika with Sharen Pyateskya

-----------------------------------------------


U.S. Open Under 21 Standard Dance Championship (W/T/VW/F/QS)

Results:
Heat 215 [09/08/2004 20:50]
1 Cosimo Caramia with Antonella DeCarolis
2 Aleksander Makarov with Katrin End
3 Andrei Chabarev with Julia Saikina
4 Marco Bevilacqua with Allesandra Ippolito
5 Gaetano Iavarone with Emanuela Napolitano
6 Alexander Shindila with Katie Gleeson
7 Nikita Novikov with Snejana Petrova
QUARTERFINAL Ryan Wilson with Olesja Kosick
QUARTERFINAL Nikolai Elizariev with Karina Akhmadulina
QUARTERFINAL Pasha Pashkov with Inna Brayer
SEMIFINAL Ronen Zinshtein with Marta Baranowska
SEMIFINAL Vladimir Filippov with Polina Kazachenko
SEMIFINAL Anton Domansky with Claudia Balestra
SEMIFINAL Radek Krysztofiak with Paulina Malinowska
SEMIFINAL Inaki Albiol with Maria Carbonell

U.S. Open Professional Standard Dance Championship (W/T/VW/F/QS)

Results:
Heat 386 [09/11/2004 14:15]
1 Jonathan Wilkins with Katusha Demidova
2 Mirko Gozzoli with Alessia Betti
3 Gianpiero Giannico with Ieva Pauksena
4 Victor Fung with Anna Mikhed
5 Roberto Villa with Morena Colagreco
6 Seiji Tanido with Emi Hayano
QUARTERFINAL Daisuke Okada with Junko Hishida
QUARTERFINAL Eiji Ono with Yukie Ono
QUARTERFINAL Gherman Mustuc with Yvetta Lukosuite
QUARTERFINAL Oleg Suvorov with Tatiana Pavlova
QUARTERFINAL Gianfranco Glaeone with Loredana Manigrasso
QUARTERFINAL Roberto Regnoli with Tania Berto
QUARTERFINAL Ichiro Suzuki with Ayumi Suzuki
QUARTERFINAL Fabio Bosco with Marina Ferrari
QUARTERFINAL Roberto Giuliato with Serena Picco
QUARTERFINAL Slaveyko Baylov with Irena Kaklamanova
QUARTERFINAL Garry Gekhman with Rita Gekhman
QUARTERFINAL Fabrizio Cravero with Lorena Cravero
QUARTERFINAL Michele Bosci with Barbara Grifoni
ROUND 1 Alexandre Foraponov with Irina Shalygvina
ROUND 1 Holger Buczylowski with Olga Vasilkova
ROUND 1 Christopher Hawkins with Hazel Newberry
ROUND 1 Karen Khurshudyan with Marina Sarukhanyan
ROUND 1 Vladimir Kosarev with Maryana Kuchersky
ROUND 1 Alexey Galchun with Tatiana Demina
ROUND 1 Mirko Selli with Marika Selli
ROUND 1 Peter Bosveld with Euvgenia Parakhina
ROUND 1 Tomas Atkocevicius with Aira Bubnelyte
ROUND 1 Ruslan Meshkov with Nataliya Malmihina
ROUND 1 Alex Young with Pamela Preczewski
ROUND 1 Sean Buck with Susie Buck
ROUND 1 Yuriy Kravets with Elena Frolova
ROUND 1 Katsuya Tateishi with Hiromi Tateishi
ROUND 2 Peter Minkov with Yulia Kornilova
ROUND 2 Jean-Francois Messier with Marie Bolduc
ROUND 2 Vitaliy Vdovichenko with Lyudmila Borodulina
ROUND 2 Yasufumi Tsubouchi with Miwa Tsubouchi
ROUND 2 Sergei Bezrodnov with Olga Bezrodnov
ROUND 2 Danny Quilliam with Lynn Jolicoeur
ROUND 2 Eamon McGrath with Anita McGrath
ROUND 2 Tibor Kysel with Eva Kempf
ROUND 2 Slava Sergiev with Katya Sergiev
ROUND 2 Giacomo Agrello with Alexandra Hawkins
ROUND 2 Vitaliy Kozhev with Irina Lobanova
SEMIFINAL Erminio Stefano with Liene Apale
SEMIFINAL Sergei Mikheev with Anastasia Sidhoran
SEMIFINAL Igor Litvinov with Julia Ivleva
SEMIFINAL Luca Tonello with Ekaterina Baroulina
SEMIFINAL Stanislav Bekmametov with Natalia Urban
SEMIFINAL Thomas Papkala with Frantziska Yordanova

ROUND 1 Christopher Hawkins with Hazel Newberry

?????

I don't think they even danced. Why did their names show up on the results?

People who get scratched don't get dropped from the results, they just get left in the first round. Perhaps the guy who does the Comp Manager software can change this if someone asks him to.

Does anyone have results for Open Amateur Standard 'A' catagory?