Help! My first competition. I'm such a baby. I'm competing as a newcomer. I'm a nervous wreck. Any advise on how to relax and really wow the judges would be greatly appreciated. I'm keeping in a couple of Latin dances, cha cha, salsa and a couple of smooth Foxtrot, & Waltz. I am also going to compete in West Coast. What kind of dress should I wear for West Coast? I know what to wear for Latin & Smooth. My instructor said I could get away with the same dress for Latin & WCS. Any advise please help me!

Yolanda,

My competition is this wknd! I'm a nervous wreck! From what I hear the judge is a big footwork watcher. I have one more private lesson before the competition. I watched Dance with me to get me psyched but I almost felt like "oh my God why did I agree to do this!" I think I should watch Rocky instead to get me fired up as the under dog! I let you know how I did. Say a prayer for me!
Gracie

Gracie --
I'm interested in knowing how you liked your first competition. Did you enjoy?
Are you looking forward to your next comp.?

Gracie -
I'm interested in hearing what you thought of your first comp. Are you more relaxed about going to your next competition? I'm sure the dress was great.

Yolanda & Sri

Thanks for the tips. I'm going to use your advice. I'm going to try to just get into the music and relax! I ended up finding a great dress. It's black with criss-cross straps in the back w/rhinestones. It's a flirty fullish skirt with a lot of movement and a halter style front. Kind of like Marilyn Monroe's famous white dress but black. (and only cost $17.50!)

Gracie,
Have you ever done the WCS to the song "I'm just a baby in this business of Dance(sport)"..

Well, I will talk from my experience. I am used to the limelight from an early age and I love to feel the love of the audience and the judges. So I felt the same sort of nervousness, inspite of having been in front of judges many times before. But once I was on the floor, my instincts took over. I was seeing the light that people with near-death experiences talk about . My retina turned into a fish-eye lense and I was in the zone, to use another sport term.. In other words, you will be just fine once you are on the floor. Like Yolanda mentioned earlier, enjoy the music and dance WITH your partner. Remember the choreography, but wait for his leads and if he changes the lead (say in the smooth/standard dances owing to traffic), be ready to respond to it. A good leader will help you through this, and a good partnership should complement each other on the floor to be able to cover the initial nervousness and the consequent tendency to make rookie-mistakes. The judges do NOT see everything being more human than us sometimes (since they don't need to get into a zone, I mean), so rest easy. If you make a mistake, move on and act like it was planned. That confidence will carry you through..

Regarding what to wear for a WCS, a latin costume should be fine. The dance (as you must know) is a sleek, sexy, slinky, seductive slot-dance and a latin costume will go great with that motif.

Good luck, and dare I ask, where are you competing?

Sri.

Gracie:

I am a full bronze dancer and have been to 5 or 6 comps. so I'm no expert, but maybe I can help. I say just enjoy. It's natural to be nervous and everyone is - even the most experienced dancers.

Why do you dance? If like me, you love it. Use that on the dance floor. The judges like to see people who are having a good time. Yes, the dancing is judged, but no judge sees every little bobble. And your instructor, if he is worth his weight, will help you and lead you through any mistakes. It's really all about enjoying yourself and getting experience at your first comp. (or any comp.) The more you go to comps the more relaxed you will be - it's always scary when we do things for the first time.

As far as costumes, it sounds as if you have planned well. Your instructor will not let you go to comp unprepared. He knows what the dancers wear and you should show him what you plan to take and wear. Usually, the dance heats go pretty fast and there's not alot of time to change latin dresses between the different dances. I usually wear the same latin dress from start to finish if all dances are same day without many breaks.

I know most people don't think the wc swing is in the same catagory as maybe the chacha, but I have seen it danced to be very sexy and playful. I'm sure your choice of latin dress is good for all latin dances. Again - I think your instructor will know best.

I'm going to a comp next weekend, with a new instructor, and I'm also alittle shakey - but comps are what I like to do best. I love to dance, but I love to watch the other dancers too. I get great ideas. I discuss with my instructor and friends. Everyone there is very supportive. No one there wants to see other dancers have a bad dance. (At least at our levels.) I'm sure you will have a wonderful time and can't stop talking about it for days- As long as you go with the mind to enjoy every minute.

Good Luck!