COMPETITIONS - RULES AND GUIDELINES

GENERAL RULES

  1. Your conduct must demonstrate good sportsmanship both on and off the competition floor. This includes treating your partners, other competitors, competition officials, spectators, event staff and volunteers, and the event itself with respect. Demonstrating a poor attitude by behaving in ways deemed inappropriate or disrespectful may result in a violation, penalty, or disqualification.
  2. Competitors must have a full weekend pass, pay any required entry fee, and sign a legal waiver – if you are under 18, your parent or guardian must sign for you and submit a consent form. You must wear your assigned BIB number for all competitions unless you are informed otherwise.
  3. By the end of the event weekend, you must be at least 16 years of age for Jack and Jill competitions. For all other competitions, you must be 13 years of age or older.
  4. All competitors must read and understand the Rules and Code of Conduct in place by CTO.
  5. Teaching and judging staff may compete in levelled competitions; however, they may not enter age-based competitions. 
  6. To be a valid contest, all WSDC contests must have a minimum of five (5) unique leaders and five (5) unique followers. For non-WSDC contests, the Chief Judge will decide to combine or cancel divisions.
  7. You may dance as a leader or a follower, regardless of gender. 
  8. If you are eligible to dance two levels in one role for not yet earning points in the higher level, you must compete at just one level for that role during the entire event. (i.e. you may not dance Pro-Am Strictly as an Intermediate Leader, and Jack and Jill as a Novice Leader)
  9. Entering a contest indicates consent to unrestricted use of your name and likeness in photos and videos for CTO Open use. You may submit a request for us not to use media that feature your image. 
  10. No street shoes, slippers, socks, or bare feet. Please ensure that your clothes have no holes, printed obscene words/gestures, or political statements.

All-Star dancers must compete as a pro in the Krazy Canucks Challenge Prelims to receive the discounted All-Star pass.

Competition Procedure

  1. There will be no contestant meetings; however, if you have any questions regarding the competition, you may ask the Chief Judge.
  2. You may petition to dance down a skill level through an offered petition form. The Chief Judge must receive the petition before the start of the first competition.
  3. Please submit your form at least 15 days before the event weekend as per the instructions included with the petition form. For WCS, use the WSDC petition form. For CTS, use the CTST petition and include recent video examples with your CTST petition form.
  4. When your division is announced in the main ballroom, you must line up and check in with the contest coordinators in the designated locations.
  5. If you are not in line and checked in by the time the contest is ready to begin, you will be scratched, and your entry fee will be forfeited.

West Coast Swing Petitions

  1. You may petition to dance at a different level from your WSDC points in your Primary role only. You may dance as your primary role in the division you qualify for, and up to two levels down in your secondary role. If you have points in both roles in the same division, you must choose one role for that contest. Competitors must maintain their role, either as a Leader or a Follower, throughout the contest.

  2. Petitions Up: Petitions must be received via this link, worldsdc.com/level-up-petition, to the WSDC Chief Judges Committee at least 15 days before the event, along with 2 videos of the competitor’s dancing. Petitions up are good for 6 months and are transferable to other events. If points are obtained in the higher level, the competitor must stay in that level.

  3. Petitions Down: The Petition form must be submitted to the Chief judge, who may ask to see a video of the competitor dancing. If approved, the petition is only valid for this event and may not be transferred to another event.

WSDC Standing

  1. The (WSDC) World Swing Dance Council Points Registry defines a dancer’s Jack and Jill skill level. Competitors are responsible for providing their correct WSDC number and signing up for comps per their WSDC ranking. 
  2. If you do not have a WSDC number, one will be assigned as you are awarded your first point. You will use this number for all competitions in the future.

Posting of Results

  1. The results of all the competitions will be posted after the final awards are announced.

The results of all the competitions will be posted on the CTO dance Facebook page as soon as possible.

WSDC Jack and Jill Competitions

  1. In Jack and Jill Competitions, you enter as either a leader or a follower. In prelims and semis, you will be judged individually.  In finals, you will be judged as a partnership. You will be randomly paired with a partner and rotated as often as the Chief Judge requires. DJs are responsible for the competition’s music
  2. Divisions are Newcomer, Novice, Intermediate, Sophisticated, Masters, Advanced, and All-Star. Divisions may be combined if there are not enough entries, and WSDC will award points to the lower level.
  3. Newcomer/Novice Divisions: No props, dips, leans, drops, or lifts. All other divisions: No props, lifts, or drops where the supported person’s head drops below their partner’s knee. 
  4. There may be Preliminaries, Semi-finals, and Finals as needed, depending on the number of dance entries. Finals will be danced in heats and/or spotlight format at the Event Director’s discretion.
  5. You may dance as your primary role in the division you qualify for, and up to two levels down in your secondary role. If you have points in both roles in the same division, you must choose one role for that contest. Competitors must maintain their role, either as a Leader or a Follower, throughout the contest.
  6. There will be a minimum of four (4) judges per role in prelims. Contests are scored by relative placements utilizing a tablet-based scoring system when available.

Strictly Swing Divisions

  1. In Strictly Swing contests, you will choose your partner and enter as a couple. If you are dancing with someone at a different level (according to WSDC), you must enter at the higher level.
  2. Divisions are Newcomer/Novice, Intermediate, Open, Masters, and Pro. Divisions may be combined if there are not enough entries. Finals will be danced in heats and/or spotlight at the Event Director’s discretion.
  3. Newcomer/Novice Divisions: No props, dips, leans, drops, or lifts. All other divisions: No props, lifts, or drops where the supported person’s head drops below their partner’s knee. 
  4. There may be Preliminaries, Semi-finals, and Finals as needed, depending on the number of dance entries. Finals may be danced in heats and/or spotlight format at the Event Director’s discretion.
  5. Costumes are not allowed. However, matching or complementary outfits suitable for social dancing are acceptable. Must be a lead and follow dance – no choreography.
  6. You may dance as your primary role in the division you qualify for, and up to two levels down in your secondary role. If you have points in both roles in the same division, you must choose one role for that contest. Competitors must maintain their role, either as a Leader or a Follower, throughout the contest.
  7. If you are dancing in 2 divisions, you may not have the same partner for both divisions (Example: If Tim leads Pauline in Intermediate, Tim may not follow Pauline in Novice; Tim must choose another partner.)

Pro-Am Routine Division

  1. In Pro-Am Routine divisions, you will choose your professional partner and enter as a couple. Competitors must maintain their role, either as a Leader or a Follower, throughout the contest.
  2. Routines may be solely West Coast Swing, Country Two Step, or Country Swing.
  3. Amateurs must not have any All-Star points (WSDC/CTST) or compete in Country Swing All-Star in the role of the dance style they are dancing for the routine.
  4. The dance order will be drawn and posted before the start of the contest.
  5. Couples must complete a floor trial at the posted time and location.
  6. The routine music should be submitted to the DJ one week before the event or emailed to operations@CTOdance.ca two weeks before the event. A late submission that is corrupted may result in the routine being scratched.
  7. Costumes are encouraged but not required.
  8. Time and judging will start at the first movement of the performance, with or without music and will end when the music stops.

  9. The choreographed routine must be a minimum of 2 minutes and a maximum of 3 minutes.

  10. Lifts, drops, tricks, and stunts are allowed but not required.
  11. No props are allowed.
  12. The division may be separated into leads/follows or by level, based on entries and the discretion of the chief judge and event director.
  13. Dancers should complete a floor trial at the posted time and location.
  14. Each pro is limited to five (5) Pro-Am Spotlight Routines.

Definition of an amateur

Amateur status: An amateur is someone in recent history who has not self-proclaimed Pro status while having a main profession other than teaching, coaching, or choreographing dance. An amateur may receive money from competitions or teaching if annual revenue is under 20% of the amateur’s income. An amateur is a person who has never competed as a Pro in a Pro-Am. An Amateur must not be an All-Star or Champion-level dancer.



Country Two Step Jack and Jill Competition

  1. Levels offered are Newcomer, Novice and Intermediate. Divisions must be entered as outlined in the CTST rules, found HERE.
  2. Petitions must be submitted to the Chief Judge before the contest cutoff.  Forms can be found HERE.
  3. There may be Preliminaries, Semi-finals, and Finals as needed, depending on the number of dance entries. Finals will be danced in heats and/or spotlight format at the Event Director’s discretion.
  4. No props, lifts where one partner’s hips rise above the other partner’s shoulders, or dips/drops where the supported person’s head drops below their partner’s knee.
  5. You may dance as your primary role in the division you qualify for, and one level down in your secondary role. If you have points in both roles in the same division, you must choose one role for that contest. Competitors must maintain their role, either as a Leader or a Follower, throughout the contest.
  6. There will be a minimum of three (3) judges. Contests are scored by relative placements utilizing a tablet-based scoring system when available.

Country Swing Jack and Jill Competition

  1. The levels offered are Novice and Open.
  2. No props, lifts where one partner’s hips rise above the other partner’s shoulders, or dips/drops where the supported person’s head drops below their partner’s knee
  3. There may be Preliminaries, Semi-finals, and Finals as needed, depending on the number of dance entries. Finals will be danced in heats and/or spotlight format at the Event Director’s discretion.
  4. You may dance as your primary role in the higher division, and one level down in your secondary role.
  5. There will be a minimum of three (3) judges. Contests are scored by relative placements utilizing a tablet-based scoring system when available.

TEAM ROUTINE DIVISION

  1. In Team Routine division, a  team is three or more dancers at any skill level. Competitors may change their role, either as a Leader, Follower, or solo throughout the contest.
  2. Routines may be solely West Coast Swing, Country Two Step, Country Swing, Night Club two Step, or Line Dance.
  3. The dance order will be drawn and posted before the start of the contest.
  4. Teams should complete a floor trial at the posted time and location.
  5. The routine music must be submitted to the DJ one week before the event or emailed to operations@CTOdance.ca two weeks before the event.
  6. Costumes are encouraged but not required.
  7. Time and judging will start at the first movement of the performance, with or without music and will end when the music stops.
  8. The choreographed routine must be a minimum of 2  minutes and a maximum of 3 minutes in length.
  9. Lifts, drops, tricks, and stunts are allowed but not required.
  10. No props are allowed.