Collegiate
Finally, we come to collegiate dancing. We’ve talked about college teams before, but rarely about their competitions. Many college ballroom dance teams host their own competitions, including UPenn, Princeton, and (my personal favorite), the University of Maryland’s upcoming DC Dancesport Inferno. Collegiate competitions tend to be run very much on cheap side, often using a student union or gymnasium. They are, however, the lowest cost to enter, usually $35-$50 depending on student status, and include unlimited entries at no extra charge.
Because there is no over-arching organization, each team organizes their own competition differently, but are usually similar. Most, for example, follow USA Dance’s guidelines regarding syllabus and infractions (providing warnings, then disqualifying repeat offenders). Most prohibit costumes in newcomer and bronze but allow them at silver and above. Most allow three dances in newcomer, three or four in bronze, and four in silver and gold, often with an all-syllabus event for the fifth dance (Viennese waltz, paso doble, or bolero. I keep working on UPenn, trying to get them to add a syllabus Peabody event but no luck so far. I’M TALKING TO YOU MELISSA!).
All of this makes collegiate competitions very appealing to amateur dancers, especially since they are not limited to college students. There is, however, one catch: collegiate competitions almost never run different age divisions. A couple in their fifties will have to dance against couples in their late teens or early twenties.