Class Levels

General Note On Levels

Use the guide to the right to choose the level which is best for you.

You are welcome to sit and watch levels which are more advanced than your level, as long as you do not disrupt the members of the class, or distract the instructor. You are also strongly encouraged to attend the levels below your level, in order to review your fundamentals, and to set a good example for the newer members.

If you attend levels other than your own, please stay to the back, and save your questions for your own level.

More About the Competition Team

Goal

The goal of the team is to teach specific techniques used in the sport of ballroom dancing. The primary focus is to prepare individuals/couples for competitive dancing.

Social Dancing

Comp team members social dance as well, they just spend a little more energy worrying about whether they are doing it the "right" way. In class we cover a lot of dance techniques and principles that apply to all partner dances, especially those things that make one dancer look better than another dancer. So when we do social dance, we look good doing it.

Partners

We encourage changing partners frequently in the Pre-Bronze and early in the Bronze Levels, but eventually people try to find partners for upcoming events. As a team, we attend competitions at nearby colleges, where members compete against others with similar amounts of experience.

Road Trips

Our big annual comp road trips are for the collegiate nationals at the Ohio Star Ball in the Fall, and the Arnold Dancesport Classic in the Spring.

At the Ohio Star Ball, the Pros come to establish their position for the year. This comp is also where they film the America's Ballroom Challenge for PBS each year. If you know where to look, our team members can be seen in the audience, and our alumni have appeared in short dancing segments.

At the Arnold competition the ballroom world competes next door to the cheer leading competitions, as well as body building, martial arts, and other fitness events. The nations top Junior ballroom dancers come to compete. Sometimes Arnold Schwarzenegger, the organizer, makes a very brief appearance..

Practice Space

Practices are held in the Stewart Center, or the Purdue Memorial Union South Tower, according to the calendar. The South Tower is hidden in the Memorial Union all the way upstairs from the Entry Lobby (where the model of Purdue is encased).

Lesson times are given on the "Joining the Team" Page and the front page calendar.

Joining the Team

Click here for more about our coaches...

Click here for dress code info and more ...

Levels of Classes

Starting Monday, January 25

Pre-Bronze Class, An Intro to Ballroom Basics
Mon and Wed 9 PM to 10 PM (practice space and help available afterwards)

The goal of the new class is to help our newest team members make the transition from crawling to dancing. If you have never danced before, if you want to learn to dance just for fun, or if you have two left feet, then this is the place for you to get started and to find out what dancing is all about.
In this class, we encourage you to change dance partners frequently, if you like, so you can learn lead and follow skills, and so that you can meet people and eventually find a partner to practice with.

Bronze Class:
Mon and Wed 8 PM to 9 PM, (stay after for pre-bronze if there is space)
This class builds on the fundamentals learned in the Pre-Bronze class, covering the remaining steps of the Bronze International Style syllabus. You will learn the techniques necessary to enter your first competitions. If you decide to compete, you will compete against other dancers who are also competing for the first time.
Pre-requisites:
Before attending this class you are expected to have a working knowledge of the International Style Pre-Bronze steps in both Standard and Latin. These include Natural Turn, Change Step, Reverse Turn for Standard, and New Yorker, Hand to Hand, and Alemana for Latin.

Silver Class:
This class goes into more depth on the Bronze steps you already know, and also begins the journey into the Silver International syllabus. You will learn the techniques that make you a Bronze finalist, and that prepare you for competing at the Silver level. The Silver steps you will learn in this level are not allowed to be used in Newcomer or Bronze levels of competition.
Pre-requisites:
Before attending this class you are expected to have been competing for a while at the Bronze level. You should be interested in competing or preparing to compete at the Silver level.

Gold Class:
This class is the most challenging group class we offer. Here we go into extreme detail on the finer points of the Bronze and Silver steps you already know, as well as introducing the steps of the Gold syllabus. Many of the members of this class have been with the team for many years. Therefore, the expectations are high. The Gold steps you will learn in this level are not allowed to be used in Newcomer, Bronze, or Silver levels of competition.
Pre-requisites:
Before attending this class you are expected to have been competing for a while at the Silver level. You should be interested in competing or preparing to compete at the Gold and open levels.

USADance Syllabus Steplist

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