USA Dance Competitor Handbook:
Guide & Proficiency System
Competitive ballroom dancing, or “Dance Sport” in the USA takes place under the Rules of USA Dance, DanceSport Division and the Dance Sport Council. USA Dance is the member body of the WDSF.
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Dancers are grouped by skill levels (proficiency), age and dance style to compete on a “level playing field”. As skills and proficiency improve, they advance and move up to the next higher level to compete against dancers at the higher proficiency level.
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To ensure a fair and even playing field, USA Dance has recently developed a Proficiency Point System.
Be sure you understand the new USA Dance Proficiency Point System, including how it affects qualifying for Nationals.
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USA Dance competitors are held to the USA Dance Dress Code, which can be read here at the USA Dance National website.
Look up your proficiency points here!
Learn more about the competitors dress code here.
USA Dance Competitive Dance System
Read more about
Syllabus (fixed dance figures)
Each dance has a list of recognized steps associated with it. This list of steps is known as the “Syllabus”. (and yes, International Waltz and American Waltz have two, separate, distinct syllabi). The syllabus for each dance is broken into three parts – the bronze steps, silver steps, and gold steps.
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Generally, the steps of a given level are grouped together because of the level of difficulty. For example, the bronze level steps are fairly basic and provide a good grounding and understanding of the nature of each individual dance. The silver level comprises all of the bronze steps plus additional more advanced steps. Predictably, the gold level incorporates all of the bronze and all of the silver steps, with the addition of more advanced steps. At all levels, attention to technique will always aid in the execution.
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Pre-Bronze - N class
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Bronze - N class
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Silver - E class
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Gold - D class
Some competitions have events for beginners or newcomers who have never competed before. Whether these categories are offered is dependent on the event organizer.
Open Levels (no fixed figures – increasing difficulty)
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Novice - Open C class
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Pre-Championship - B class
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Championship - S class*
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Rising Star - A class**
*S class level competitors can't dance A class.
**A class events cannot qualify competitors for Nationals.
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​Dance Styles and Competitive Events
Competitive events take place in the following dance categories, most of which are “group” events, i.e. multiple couples dance and are judged simultaneously. Here are the dances per dance style:
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International Standard
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Waltz
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Tango
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Viennese Waltz
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Foxtrot
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Quickstep
American Smooth
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Waltz
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Tango
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Foxtrot
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Viennese Waltz
International Latin
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Samba
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ChaCha
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Rumba
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Paso Doble
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Jive
American Rhythm
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ChaCha
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Rumba
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Swing
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Bolero
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Mambo
​International 10-Dance
All 10 International Standard and Latin dances, judged as one event.
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American 9-Dance
All 9 American Smooth and Rhythm dances, judged as one event
​​​​​Show Dance
A solo competitive event 75% of which is comprised of a combination of dances from the selected dance discipline (Latin, Rhythm, Smooth, Standard) and may include lifts but no props.
And more…
Some competitions add additional events in other dances, hold a team match, or feature a "Jack and Jill" competition.
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A team match is an event where multiple couples each dance one dance and the winning team is based on the combined score of all couples on each team.
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A “Jack and Jill” competition features randomly-paired leads and follows (so that each is dancing with someone other than their regular partner) who dance without preplanned choreography to challenge their lead and follow skills.​
Proficiency Level
As you participate in competitions, you earn proficiency points. When you accumulate sufficient points at a given level you are precluded from dancing at that level and must move up ("pointing out"). You can dance at any higher level, but you cannot dance down once you point out. The Proficiency Point system is defined in the USA Dance rulebook and appendices. For example, if you and your partner accumulate sufficient points that you are at Gold level, you may no longer dance Silver and below.
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New Competitors
As a new competitor, you can choose to declare your current proficiency or start from the bottom (bronze) and work up. Once you declare, i.e. that you are a Silver Syllabus dancer, you may not dance Bronze. In summary, you do not need to earn your way to dance at higher levels, but as you move up in proficiency, you are no longer eligible to enter a lower level.
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Syllabus Levels: Bronze, Silver, Gold​
From Bronze through Gold level the competitors are limited to dance figures out of a strict syllabus, though how those figures are strung together choreographically can, of course, vary. Novice, Pre-Championship, and Championship levels allow “open” choreography. For most dance styles there is a no lift rule.
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The ability levels are further defined by the number of different dances in an event — Bronze typically has only two dances at a time, Silver or Novice three, Gold or Pre-Championship four, and Championship five. This means less skilled dancers can prepare fewer dances to compete: for example, in the Latin dances at the Bronze level, they only have to prepare a ChaCha and a Rumba, but in Pre-Championship they are required to have ChaCha, Rumba, and Jive prepared. These two, three, four, or five dances are danced as one “event.”​​
Not sure how many proficiency points you may have? Look up your points here!
Age Classifications
​Age classifications also assure a level competitive field and cover Preteen, Junior, Youth, Adult, Senior I, Senior II and Senior III. The age classifications are defined in the rulebook. Age is determined by the year a dancer was born, not his/her actual birth date within that year. Senior competitors may dance down with a younger age classification, but not up to higher age classification. For example, as Senior II, you may dance in Senior I but not dance in a Senior III event until you meet the appropriate age. Senior competitors may not dance lower than Adult age classification. Dancers are allowed to dance up to two consecutive ability levels (i.e. Bronze and Silver, or Novice and Pre-Championship), and can dance in any age group for which they qualify.​​