I have an issue that I think many amateur competitors share. It is the high cost of competitions. It's expensive enough with the costumes (ballroom running around $1600 and rhythm/latin running about $1300). This is way too high. Only someone with an income of $100,000+ plus could ever be able to afford these dresss and to do several competitions a year. But what is truly unfair is that amateur competitors are expected to pay for everything involved in the competition. First, they pay the sponsors for each dance they plan on competing in, then they pay their teacher for each dance they do with them. And also, competitors are expected to pay for tickets just to get into the ballroom! The competitors should be able to get in free since they pay for the entire competition setup. Spectators should be charged for tickets but not amateur mpetitors. Plus students are expected to pay their teacher's expenses, hotel stay, airfare, meals, etc. That should not happen. It's just a racket to make a buck. And now sponsors are starting to see the impact of this greed. The turnout for a lot of competitions is declining simply due to the high cost of entering competitions. It's going to ruin a beautiful sport and that's the biggest crime of all.

I would definitely have to agree with you on all of those points. The cost of competing as an amateur in the Pro-Am division is quite horendous (from $2,000 on up). However there is an easy cure for this that will help you out tremendously. All you need to do is find an amatuer partner and start competing with him. I am an amatuer competitor, and my expenses for competing in the amatuer division at the same competitions is considerably less, usualy around $500 including airfare from Phoenix to San Francisco/LA/Utah. You still have to pay $25-45 just to get into the ballroom, then around $25 per entry. The biggest bonus are the entry fees. If you are competing in the novice, pre-champ, or championship levels, the $25 cost is for the whole division. i.e. $25 for Pre champ Latin (Cha, Samba, and rumba) or Championship standard(W,T,VW,F,Q). And this is all without paying a professional a per dance fee or his expenses. Plus, if your partner is a good freind, you can also split costs of the hotel room, and many other things also.

I strongly feel that if you are competing in a competition and have there paid to enter you shouldn't have to pay to enter the ballroom as well. After all in a sense you are providing the show for the spectators there. Many of you may have competed at "La Classique" in Montreal and this is one of the few competitions that doesn't charge the competitors to enter the ballroom. When will other competitions in the USA follow suit.

I can't agree with all of you more! I have discussed this with many organizers and I feel like Caroline does, you are providing the entertainment that people are paying to watch. So why should you pay? At my first competition, I couldn't believe it but I went with the flow and paid.

By the way, it's an important source of revenue that they(organizers) have gotten used to and it's very difficult for them to give it up. If you think this is bad, some organizers(not all) charge the Pros to compete and enter the Ballroom.

The other problem is that the majority of spectators are the competitors. There are few competitions that truly have an audience of non-competitors. This is because they would need to market their events to attract an outside audience. Most competition do not have the ballroom size to make it financially viable (even if they got a good response) and the ticket prices are way too high for what they are offering. Enough said!

While I agree with Janice that the cost of competitions are out of control, particularly for pro-am competitors, I believe there are some areas that are negotiable for cost-cutting and some that are not. To ask a teacher to compete with students for free and foot the bill for their own expenses isn't exactly fair. I don't personally object to paying for those services--most of the time, I am splitting the cost with other students. However, I would like to see more flexibility given to students who travel with teachers who plan to compete with their own professional partners at a particular location. Likewise, that we must pay to enter the ballroom to compete, and pay for our teachers entrance ticket is completely rediculous. And while we're on the subject, the scholarship prizes should be higher for pro-am.

I feel pro-ams are the financial backbone of Dancesport in the United States. Where else in the world do Dancesport Professionals (and one doesn't need to be a "top" professional either) earn six-figure incomes and have their professional careers sponsored almost entirely by pro-am dollars? Pro-ams are responsible for a majority of the entries at competitions, and we are squeezed for every dollar. I don't mean to sound to harsh, because I love the sport, but if it weren't for pro-ams we would probably be having our competitions at local gymnasiums. My point is: As such an important element of the sport, Pro-ams deserve to get a little something back once in a while...either a price break, a higher scholarship amount, or a little something to make us feel appreciated.

And what is wrong with having a competition in a local gymnasium? The floor will probably be better than those horrific port-a-floors that turn up in hotels because nowadays hotels don't build real ballrooms in their ballrooms.

The truth is that low-level Pro/Am competition is pretty boring to anyone except the people doing it. The Pro/Am events start as early as 8am and drag on and on through the day. Many events in my area are uncontested because there are so many divisions. If there were a way to make low-level Pro/Am less expensive and more interesting that would help bring in more people. I don't know how to make it more interesting, but it could be made less expensive by having single-day low-level comps in places other than big hotels. I just attended such an event, held at a very pretty community center, and the cost per entry was about 1/2 of what is charged at the hotel-based competitions in my area. All four divisions were held in a single morning and afternoon. I was pleasantly suprised at how well attended it was compared to what I ually see in the mornings at the larger comps.

Another thing that would help would be if teachers stopped telling their low-level students that they need costumes. I see no reason why Bronze and Silver level students should have to shell out $1500 for a ballgown. At these levels it shouldn't matter what you wear, all that should matter is your dancing. If a lady could get away with buying a $200 ball skirt (and these are very popular these days as evening wear) and a $100 beaded top, she'd still have $1200 left over to spend on more lessons -- which will make a bigger difference in her dancing than buying a gown. In amateur dancing the syllabus and pre-novice levels prohibit costumes, there's no reason why the same prohibition can't be made (and enforced) in low-level pro-am.

You all have a good point. I've been dancing for 11 years, both Pro/Am and Am/Am. Now just Am/Am. It does and can get rather expensive to compete/spectate at a "Pro/Am" organized comp. The organizers' expenses are very high, and need to be met, so, I personally don't blame them. The studio organizers also needs to meet their expenses, and by all means, should make some kind of profit. I feel that Pro/Am competitors should get a discount for sessions they are dancing in and/or for number of entries ( ex. 1-10 entries for $40 ea. 11-20 entries for $35 ea., etc.) Our studio used to promote in that fashion. Am/Am competitors should be charged a nominal entrance fee with unlimited entries (See below). I strongly believe that spectator fees should be decreased to get more people in the door (family members, other hotel guests, etc.)-- after all "less is more". Brian came close by finding an amateur partner, but he/you can go one step further-- go to "amateur only" competitions. There are many in the country (collegiate, regional, and national, to name a few), very inexpensive (usually, just a nominal entrance fee with unlimited entries), more competitive entries and less uncontested entries, housing/rooms are usually discounted, and many other perks. For more information, contact your local USABDA Chapter, college, or through the internet. Kudos to the ISTD Comps in New Jersey. They offer a great Am/Am, unlimited entries package, unfortunately, the attendance is low. My wife and I do about 10 competitions a year, majority of them are "amateur only" comps. We compete nationally, but mainly in the northeast area. Dancing may be expensive, but we all must remember all the benefits that this sport/art form has.

There is no doubt the pro/am category is very expensive. I know someone who budgets $100,000/year for it. There is much too little attention given to the amateurs who finance the comps, that is sure. However, as with any imbalance in nature, there a correction is inevitable. The longer it goes without correction, the bigger and more shocking the correction. With the changes in the air due to possible inclusion of dance in the Olympics,things will change drastically and the comp organizers who don't change with it will go the way of the old LP albums and slide rules. Nothing is really fair in life so you have to find a way to deal with it that fits you. The suggestion to go to amateur events is a good one.

You have to remember their is very little pro/am anywhere but in the USA and unlike other countries, the distances involved in the USA are a large part of the problem. In England you can drive to a comp every weekend without much strain. If more of us supported USABDA comps locally, even if they are less glamorous, things might change. But it's like the mass transit issue. If you won't use it until it's convenient, there is no money coming in to improve it. Of course another issue is ourselves. I find most do not have the skills to maintain a partnership. Ironic is it not?

Janice,

You have gotten some good advice here. Almost every amateur knows someone who is looking for a partner. There is a young man at our studio who has been looking for about four months. It is not easy to find a good female dancer. The pro-am ones are looking for one who is at their teacher's level. Most, if not all are not that good themselves that they can be that picky. What I am getting at is for you to find a partner who has potential and work with him.

I have been competing for over four years on a regular schedule of 10-12 comps a year. I worked up to Prechamp and then had to change partners. I chose a beginner with good potential, moving back to Gold Syllabus (couldn't go lower legally). It has been hard for her to take the lower scores, knowing that I scored much higher with the previous partner. We are improving and I know the higher finishes will be worth the effort. This is what you have to look forward to if you decide to go amateur. I hope you do.

Good luck. David

Hi, And I thought dancing was expensive in New Zealand! The most we pay is USD100 for the 2 of us to enter the Nationals - which is 3 sessions over 2 days. We don't have ProAm in this part of the world. Most local comps cost USD5 to enter or to watch - you don't pay extra to dance. We generally dance in local sports halls, gyms etc - nothing flash - but who cares! The 1st 2 grades here you don't have to wear costumes - though many do! There is however a large market of pre-loved clothing - most people wouldnt spend more than USD100 for there 1st 1 or 2 dresses. Cheers Liz