Dance Competition Websites

Dance Competition Websites

Dance competition websites have helped fuel the growing popularity of ballroom dance worldwide. No longer limited to local audiences, people from all countries can learn about dance competition rules, see past and present dancers, and discuss anything at all with other enthusiasts.

Finding Dance Competition Websites

There are a few different ways to locate these resources. Pretty much every dance competition has a website, so the question becomes: which one is right for you?

  • Ask Your Teacher - If you take ballroom dance or some other type of movement lessons, your teacher will probably be aware of what dance competitions would offer the best experience for you. Most of the websites have sample videos of past participants, as well as guidelines for competing, and you and your teacher can work out together what is the best strategy for you.
  • Ask Your Friends - Your fellow dancers, both in person and found online through blogs and forums, are a good network of information about dance competitions, probably through personal experience. Aside from the dance competition websites, they will probably have other resources on the web that helped them, and might even have put up videos of their performances on YouTube.
  • Just Google It - While it's not the most efficient method to find really good websites (too many commercial interests have put up their own websites to sell dance gear and other items), googling your form of dance plus "dance competition" will certainly yield a huge variety of websites. In the process of sifting through them, it's entirely possible to find dance-related websites that you also find interesting. Also, clicking on the "video" option will show you videos of dancers from all levels.

The best thing about the internet in general is that so many people are only an email away from contact - sometimes even closer. And dance competition websites have many features that help bring people together.

The Tools of Competition

So what goes into a typical dance competition website? Like anything else on the web, some sites are better designed and easier to use than others. Here are some of the factors that you should look for in a useful competition website:

  • Schedule and Location - This is probably the most important piece of information to have. Some sites like Starquest have it right on their front page, easy to read. Others have interior links that take you deeper into the site, but the way to find the schedule should be very clear.
  • Type of Dance - If your passion is Latin Dances, a hip-hop competition is not going to be the one for you. This is only going to be an issue if you do a general "dance competition" web search, but not all dance websites are entirely clear on what type of dance is being showcased. Tremaine is incredibly well known in the jazz dance community, but if you wanted to compete in ballroom, it wouldn't be much help to you.
  • Level of Dance - More than just the genre of dance competition, the site should also clearly let you know what levels of competition are available. Most dance competitions want to attract more people, not less, and make money off of the entrance fees (usually both a general fee and a per-dance charge) so they will have many different levels available.
  • Requirements for Competition - Nextstar, a talent competition website, does a good job of having a "rules" button right at the top of every page. Application deadlines, the judging process, all the aspects of the competition are easily and clearly spelled out. This can both give the aspiring competitor a good idea of what to expect from the competition and also help them decide if they are ready to make that kind of commitment.

Nextstar's navigation bar is a good example of all of these elements done well: HOME - SCHEDULE - ABOUT US - REGISTER - RULES - RESULTS - CONTACT US. At the top of every page, it is easy to understand, visually compelling, and very useful to its participants. With a little searching, you'll be able to find the dance competition websites that fit your kind of dance perfectly.