2008 USA Dance Southwest Regional DanceSport Championships General Information PLEASE NOTE The California State DanceSport Championships is NOT a qualifying event for the 2009 USA Dance National DanceSport Championships.  It was mistakenly included on a list of NQEs that was published in the USA Dance magazine, American Dancer.  The Southwest DanceSport Championships, to be held in San Jose on February 7th, is the only NQE that the NorCal Chapter will be hosting. TRANSPORTATION and PARKING Oakland Airport is the closest airport, approximately 15 minutes away by car.  There is free parking at Just Dance Ballroom. SPECTATOR TICKETS USA Dance/NorCal welcomes the general public to our events.  Tickets will also be available at the door the day of the event; only cash or check will be accepted.  Please see the Ticket Order Form page for details. GROUP RATE Collegiate teams, youth programs, social groups, and seniors!  Groups of 20 or more can take advantage of special discounted group spectator and competitor rates.  Please contact Laura La Gassa at secretary @ usabda-norcal . org for more information.  The larger the group, the greater the per-person discount. RULES AND GUIDELINES The rules and guidelines listed in this packet are not a complete description of all applicable USA Dance DanceSport rules.  Competitors are expected to know and abide by all current USA DanceSport rules, even if they are not mentioned on this web page.  The current rulebook, in effect for 2008-2009, is available on the National USA Dance web site at http://usadance.org/dancesport/ (scroll down to see the Rulebook link).  All Athletes are expected to follow all rules, including the dress code. ENTRIES Each couple must fill out an entry form, including both partners' names and signatures.  A parent or legal guardian must sign for competitors under age 18.  Competitors dancing with more than one partner should fill out a separate form for each partnership.  Competitors need to purchase tickets when registering for the competitive events.  All competitors must be current "DanceSport Athlete" members of USA Dance in good standing.  New competitors will be able to join at the event; memberships are $60 for adults, $20 for full-time students under the age of 35, and $15 for under-18.  Only cash or check will be accepted at the event. The Organizers reserve the right to combine or cancel events when there are fewer than three couples registered.  Please note that syllabus events will be run in three age groupings: Pre-Teen, Junior/Youth combined, and Adult.  The Nightclub events will each be run as a single Youth-and-Up combined event. Entry Deadline is October 11, 2008.  Late entries are subject to the Registrar's approval, please contact Laura La Gassa at registrar@usabda-norcal.org or call (415) - 810 - 5345.  Only entries that do not affect the number of heats or rounds will be accepted.  A late fee of $25 per couple will be assessed for approved entries postmarked after October 11 and received before the day of the event.  We will accept couples for new walk-in registrations on the day of the event, subject to the Registrar's approval.  There will be a $50 per couple late fee for walk-in registrations, only cash or check will be accepted. All competitors certify by entering this competition that they are eligible under USA DanceSport rules to compete in the events and age groups they have marked on the entry form, and that they will comply with all age group, dress code and syllabus rules applicable to the events they have entered. CHECK IN All competitors must report to the Registration Table and hold a valid USA Dance "DanceSport Athlete" membership in order to pick up their numbers.  Competitors should be in the ballroom, ready to dance, 30 minutes prior to the scheduled time for their events, as we may run up to 30 minutes earlier than published times.  A full schedule of events and times will be published on our web site in the week before the competition.  Note that the "on deck" system will be used for all events.  Competitors must also check in with the Deck Captain before their event or when instructed by the Master of Ceremonies.  Any competitor who does not take the floor when called will face disqualification from that event. PROFICIENCY LEVELS Competitors may enter any proficiency level for which both partners are eligible to dance in, as well as the next higher level.  Please note that under current USA Dance rules, Bronze and Silver Syllabus dancers may no longer add Novice as a third event.  Gold Syllabus dancers may of course still dance up one level into Novice.  Be aware that the Bronze, Silver, and Gold levels are restricted to syllabus steps.  Competitors may not compete in a level below the minimum proficiency level for which they are eligible.  In this competition, Newcomer is for couples where at least one partner is participating in their first USA DanceSport competition. AGE CATEGORIES Couples may compete in any age category for which they are both eligible.  Age is determined by birth year, regardless of when the birthday occurs.  For example, a competitor who was born December 14, 1992 would be considered to be 16 years old for this competition.  He or she would be eligible for Youth but not Junior events, even though his or her 16th birthday has not yet taken place. Age Category Birth Years Notes Pre-Teen 1997 or later   Junior 1993 through 1996 Pre-Teens may dance up Youth 1990 through 1992 Juniors may dance up Adult 1989 or earlier Youths may dance up Senior I 1973 or earlier Both partners must meet age requirement Senior II 1963 or earlier Both partners must meet age requirement Senior III 1953 or earlier Both partners must meet age requirement SYLLABUS RESTRICTIONS Syllabus steps may be from the USA Dance, NDCA, or ISTD syllabus or another published syllabus such as DVIDA, Fred Astaire, or Arthur Murray.  Couples dancing steps above their entered syllabus level will be warned, continued violation could result in disqualification.  If you are not sure what syllabus level your routines match, please have your coach check them against one of the published syllabi, or enter the Novice level since it does not have any restrictions.  Costumes are not allowed in any syllabus category at this competition, regardless of age group.  COSTUME RESTRICTIONS Please note that some of the USA Dance dress code rules are quite restrictive.  For instance, no makeup or hair glitter is allowed on Pre-Teen dancers, and only certain neckline and sleeve styles are allowed.  Syllabus dancers are also subject to a strict dress code, for example men must wear long sleeved shirts in Latin and Rhythm events.  It is impractical for us to enumerate all the rules here; competitors, coaches, team captains, and parents must be responsible for ensuring that dancers are in compliance with the dress code.  If you are unsure about an outfit, bring something very plain and simple, like practice wear, as a back-up.  Competitors who fail to comply with the dress code will be allowed to dance, but their back numbers will be removed and they will not be judged.  A complete description of the dress code, including diagrams of acceptable dance wear, may be found in section 3.10 of the USA Dance 2008-2009 DanceSport Rulebook. VIDEO TAPING AND PHOTOGRAPHY USA Dance allows personal videotaping and photography at this event.  We ask that all camera operators respect other spectators' viewing space.  Camera operators are not allowed on the competition floor and must not interfere with the judges or other officials in any way. Questions?  Problems?  Contact the NorCal Registrar at registrar@usabda-norcal.org.