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Browse: Home / Statutes & Rules / Schedule B: Rules Governing Competitions of DanceSport in British Columbia

Schedule B: Rules Governing Competitions of DanceSport in British Columbia

  1. Definitions
    1. Amateur: One who participates in competitive DanceSport without
      monetary gain. Refer to Bylaw 24.
    2. Dance: One of the standard dances for international style
      DanceSport competition, Standard or Latin: Standard: Slow Foxtrot, Tango,
      Quickstep, Waltz, Viennese Waltz Latin: Cha-Cha, Rumba, Samba, Paso Doble,
      Jive.
    3. Event: A contest between amateur DanceSport competitor couples
      to discover the best all-round couple in the dance or dances specified
      for that event.
    4. Competition: A group of events (a ball).
    5. Open Event: Standard, Latin or combined event, open to all
      amateur competitors.
    6. Closed Event: Standard, Latin or combined event, open only
      to amateur DanceSport competitors residing within a specified geographical
      area.
    7. Club Event: Open only to members of a specified club.
    8. Combined Event: Events with equal number of standard and Latin dances.
    9. Special Event: An event which complies only with Section 3 & 4 of these rules, except for rising star.
    10. Win: For the purpose of classifying competitors, a “win” refers to placing first in an event with a minimum of three couples.
    11. Invitational Event: An event that is open only to couples who have been officially invited to attend by the organizers or their representative.
  2. Jurisdiction of RulesThese rules shall apply to all competitions sanctioned by DanceSport BC,
    except those events run according to the rules of CADA or IDSF.
  3. Registration of Amateur Competitors
    1. All amateur competitors must be registered with a recognized association,
      except as provided for in paragraph (e).
    2. Residents of British Columbia must be registered with DanceSport BC
      (DSBC), which will affirm that they are amateurs as defined by DanceSport
      BC, and will abide by rules governing competitions laid down by DanceSport
      BC, the Canadian Amateur DanceSport Association and the International
      DanceSport Federation.
    3. Proof of membership in a recognized DanceSport association for non-DSBC
      members must be made available for inspection before the competition.
    4. Acceptability of registration shall be determined by the DanceSport
      BC Board.
    5. Amateurs competing for the first time shall not be required to make
      application for registration prior to their first competition, but must
      be registered prior to dancing in a second competition.
  4. Classification of Competitors
    1. Classification will be by title as follows:
      Newcomer Gold
      Pre-Bronze Pre-Championship
      Bronze Championship
      Silver

      Status will be applied separately to standard and Latin events, and in
      the case of combined events, status of higher classification will govern
      for entrance eligibility. Placings in combined or special events do not
      affect status. Newcomer, Bronze, Silver and Gold events are restricted
      to the appropriate Syllabus figures as published by the Association,
      provided always that competitors shall be classified by age-groups as
      follows:

      Juvenile I: a competitor who has reached or will reach his or
      her 9th birthday or less during the calendar year in which the subject
      competition is held.

      Juvenile II: a competitor who has reached or will reach his
      or her 10th or 11th birthday during the calendar year in which the subject
      competition is held.

      Junior I: a competitor who has reached or will reach his or
      her 12th or 13th birthday during the calendar year in which the subject
      competition is held.

      Junior II: a competitor who has reached or will reach his or
      her 14th or 15th birthday during the calendar year in which the subject
      competition is held.

      Youth: a competitor who has reached or will reach his or her
      16th, 17th or 18th birthday during the calendar year in which the subject
      competition is held.

      Adult: a competitor who has reached or will reach his 19th birthday
      during the calendar year in which the subject competition is held.

      Adult II: a competitor who has reached or will reach his 35th
      birthday during the calendar year in which the subject competition is
      held.

      Adult III: a competitor who has reached or will reach his 45th
      birthday during the calendar year in which the subject competition is
      held.

      Adult IV: a competitor who has reached or will reach his 55th birthday during the calendar year in which the subject competition is held.

      1. In order to compete in a given age group, at least one member of
        the partnership must qualify for that group according to the above
        age definitions. The other member of the partnership may be younger.
        In Adult II, Adult III and Adult IV, both members of the partnership must qualify
        for the given age group according to the above definitions.
      2. Juvenile I and II age groups may be combined together into one
        event. Similarly, Junior I and II age groups may be combined together
        into one event. In either of these cases, any couple who qualifies
        for either one of the two age groups being combined together will
        be considered as qualifying for the event. It is recommended that
        this combination occur only if there are less than 5 couples registered
        in one of the events.
      3. Juvenile I, Juvenile II, Junior I, Junior II, or youth events of
        the same level may be run on the floor concurrently, but judged separately,
        provided always that no more than two different age groups are combined,
        and provided always that the number of couples from each age group
        does not exceed four.
      4. Individuals may only compete in the age group(s) for which they meet eligibility criteria as defined in these rules, with the exception that any couple who qualifies for the Youth age group may also compete in Adult events.
      5. An individual may compete in up to two different age groups with
        different partners, provided always that they qualify for those age
        groups as described by these rules.
      6. Note of clarification: For competitions held outside of the jurisdiction
        of DanceSport BC, competitors are advised to consult the governing
        rules, age definitions and restrictions of the jurisdictions holding
        such competitions.
      7. Any exceptions to the above must be brought to the Board for consideration
        before they are allowed.
    2. Points shall be awarded to competitors placing in Adult and Senior
      events as follows

      1st place finish or tie in an event with 3 couples 2 points
      2nd place finish or tie in an event with 3 couples 1 point
      1st place finish or tie in an event with more than 3 couples 3 points
      2nd place finish or tie in an event with more than 3 couples 2 points
      3rd place finish or tie in an event with more than 3 couples 1 point

      For events with a quarter-final round, points shall be awarded as follows:

      1st place finish or tie 4 points
      2nd place finish or tie 3 points
      3rd place finish or tie 2 points
      4th place finish or tie 1 point

      A competitor shall be elevated to the next highest category upon earning
      an aggregate of points (whether in events in one or more categories)
      as follows:

      Newcomer 1 win
      Pre-Bronze through Pre-Championship 12 points

      provided always that:

      1. Newcomer category dancers in each division (i.e. Standard or Latin)
        are automatically promoted to Pre-Bronze after their second competition
        (whether in Newcomer or higher category) in that division; and
      2. Points will count towards the level at which the competitor was rated at the time the points were earned, with the exception of points earned in Championship events (see (iv) below; and
      3. Points earned in Championship will automatically promote the dancer to Pre-Championship with zero points unless such dancer is already rated at Pre-Championship or higher, in which case points earned will be added to the dancer’s then current rating. A separate set of Championship points will be awarded and maintained for purposes of Appendix 3.
      4. Points earned during the events of a competition will be tallied and promotions from one level to the next will take place only after the competition has concluded.
      5. Points earned in Adult II, Adult III and Adult IV events will be tallied together as a group, and will be kept separate from points earned in Adult events. Points earned in Adult II, Adult III and Adult IV events will not affect an individual’s Adult rating.
      1. Competitors may not compete in events rated lower than the level at which they are currently ranked, with the exception that a competitor with zero points at their current level may compete one level lower (i.e. a competitor ranked at S0 or Silver zero may compete in Bronze).
    4. The minimum number of dances in each category
      Newcomer 1 dance
      Bronze 2 dances
      Silver 2 dances
      Gold 3 dances
      Pre-Championship 3 dances (recommend 4)
      Championship 4 dances (recommend 5 for final)
    5. Each individual competitor will only be allowed to dance at two consecutive
      levels in each division in a DanceSport competition sanctioned by DSBC
      with the exception that competitors may also compete in Championship
      events held at the same DanceSport competition but sanctioned by another
      jurisdiction, namely CADA or IDSF.
    6. Partnership changes: A member who wishes to compete with a lower rated
      partner may apply in writing to the Board to request a drop of one level,
      provided that:

      1. The applicant has not been granted such a drop by the Association
        or any other recognized Association during the five (5) years prior
        to the application; and
      2. The applicant has not competed in an event held according to the
        Association’s rules (or those of any other recognized Association)
        during the twelve (12) months prior to the application; and
      3. No member may as a result of such a drop be rated below the Silver
        category (ie. a Silver-rated member may only drop to Silver with
        no points). The Board shall consider and rule upon any such application
        at the first regular Board meeting after the application is received
        by the Secretary.
    7. A competitor who has not competed anywhere for a minimum of four (4)
      years may apply in writing to the Board for a demotion to a lower category.
    8. No points will be awarded for participation in Club Events or Invitational Events. Club and Invitational Events are required to comply only with Sections 3 and 4 of these rules.
  5. Penalties and Disqualification:In the categories which are restricted to syllabus figures, competitors who
    dance figures which are from a higher level, or which are not included
    in the syllabus may be penalized and/or disqualified as follows:

    1. One adjudicator must act as an invigilator, watching only for syllabus
      infractions, and not being responsible for calling back couples or placing
      them in order of merit.
    2. An invigilator must be appointed for any competition. The invigilator
      must have the same qualifications as an adjudicator.
    3. Adjudicators (including the invigilator and non-voting chairperson)
      observing any infractions must mark a “D” against that couple’s number.
      All “D’s must be transferred to the scrutineer’s sheet and pointed out
      to the Chairperson of Adjudicators, who must warn the couple of their
      infraction and inform the other adjudicators and the invigilator before
      the next round.
    4. For a first infraction in a semi-final or earlier round, the couple
      must receive a warning, but if the infraction is repeated in a subsequent
      semi-final or lower round, the couple must not be called back in that
      dance.
    5. Adjudicators observing any infringement in the final round must place
      the couple last in that dance and mark “D” beside their number. If a
      couple receives more than one “D” in any dance, they must be demoted
      to last overall in that dance. If this occurs in more than one dance,
      the couple must be disqualified from the event, and receive no placing.
      This rule applies during the final round regardless of whether or not
      there have been previous rounds of competition.
    6. In the case of a tie, the couple with the least infractions shall be
      placed higher.
    7. If any competitor dances in an event he/she is not eligible to compete
      in,

      1. the couple of which the said competitor is part, shall be disqualified
        from that event, and will lose all ratings, rights and benefits,
        including championship titles, of their placing in that event..
      2. all couples in the final round placing lower than the disqualified
        couple shall be elevated accordingly in the standings, and shall
        be entitled to all ratings, rights and benefits, including championship
        titles, of that elevated placing..
      3. the Association’s records shall be corrected to reflect the revised
        ratings, rankings, and championship titles.
    8. Each couple must compete in all dances scheduled for a particular event
      in which the couple has entered. Provided always that in the event of
      a question regarding this rule, the decision of the Presiding President
      and/or Senior representative of DSBC shall be final.
  6. Dress Regulations
    1. Please download the DSBC Dress Code here.
  7. Callbacks and Finals
    1. Events involving seven or less couples may be run as a final or include
      a semi-final at the discretion of the Promoter.
    2. Events involving eight or more couples must have a semi-final.
    3. In any event which has a semi-final, a maximum of eight couples may
      be called back for the final round.
    4. The chairperson of judges, in consultation with the organizer, shall
      determine the number of couples who should be elevated to the next round
      provided always that at least fifty percent (50%) of the competing couples
      taking part be so elevated.
  8. Adjudicators
    1. Adjudicators must be qualified by examination in the type of dance,
      standard or latin, that they are judging.
      Qualified by examination shall mean:

      1. Qualification in a recognized association or
      2. An amateur that has been recognized by the IDSF as being qualified
        to judge.
    2. Where these rules are inconsistent with IDSF rules, IDSF rules will
      prevail.
    3. A recognized association is any society affiliated to the World Dance
      and DanceSport Council (WD&DSC).
    4. Names of adjudicators will not be available before the date of the
      competition. A minimum of five adjudicators will be required for each
      classification of competition, except by other specific agreement between
      the promoter of the competition and DSBC.
    5. The Chairperson of the adjudication panel shall also hold a valid scrutineering
      certificate. This requirement may be waived by application to the Board.
    6. Amateur judging should be permitted under the rules of the IDSF, that
      is, DanceSport BC amateurs should be permitted and encouraged to qualify
      as IDSF-licensed adjudicators if they wish to. Any other initiative regarding
      amateur judging should be given a lower priority than amateur teaching
      initiatives because amateur teaching initiatives hold the greatest promise
      for increasing the number of dancers in B.C.
  9. Scrutineer
    1. The Skating System, as set out by IDSF, shall be used.
    2. All scrutineering sheets shall either be written in ink or printed.
    3. All alterations shall be initialled by the scrutineer and Chairperson
      of Adjudicators.
    4. No one may scrutineer at an Event in which a competitor to whom that
      person is related by blood or marriage, or with whom that person cohabits,
      competes or proposes to compete, unless that person and such competitor
      both obtain prior authorization in writing from the organizer and DanceSport
      BC. For the purpose of this Rule a blood relation is a member of a person’s
      immediate family, a grandparent, or a grandchild.
    5. When DanceSport competitors are divided into two or more heats at the
      Championship level, the heats must be randomized for each dance.
  10. Special Events
    1. Special events shall not exceed the number of recognized amateur events
      in any competition.
    2. If a promoter holds more than one event in any given category, i.e.
      Bronze Latin, they will both be considered special events and the results
      will not count.
  11. Music Tempi and Time Allowance
    The tempi and the required duration for each dance shall be those as set
    forth in the International DanceSport Federation’s (IDSF) regulations.
    The IDSF music tempi and time allowance regulations can be found at the
    IDSF website at http://www.idsf.net
  12. Amateur ConductAny person competing in a competition run under the jurisdiction of any recognized
    amateur DanceSport association will refrain from fraternizing with any
    judge, scrutineer, invigilator, or other official of that event from the
    beginning of the event until the conclusion of the final awards ceremony.
    A “competition” is the aggregate of a series of individual events. “Fraternize” means
    to associate in a close way that exceeds behaviour consistent with the
    performance of one’s duty, good manners or common courtesy; to engage in
    substantial communication.