Standing out in the early rounds...

[elisedance]

I think they just tend to pick familiar faces off the crowds first then look around and see who else is left.

At the end we still made the finals but we might as well get dropped in the first round.

It was that close !

I've seen competitions where they have a 'last chance' round.  I think its a great idea.  They pick most of the quarterfinalists then the couples that did NOT make it get another round and they pick the rest.  That way if someone was missed they can get pulled out of the crowd.

[Rugby]

Interesting idea.

[Dora-Satya Veda]

Alright here we go with insight to dancing the first rounds at the British Open.

1. Dance really simple steps: It is important that you keep yourself looking good all the time. If you dance difficult steps then you have higher changes of it falling apart. It is really important to be consistent. I would even say just dance syllabus steps as you would feel they are easy to do and you have done them for a long time.

2. Be ready to change your choreography: There will be between 15 to 20 couples on the floor in the first rounds. If you are able to maneuver between the other couples and keep dancing you will have a bigger chance of being seen. This goes back to point one of keeping simple steps.

3. Stay away from the center of the floor as much as possible: Avoid doing line steps in the first couple of rounds. When you are standing still you could get run over by couples busy moving. Most couples are so panicked with moving that they don’t see other couples. They will run you over if you are in the way of their choreography.

4. Walk off the floor last: Each judge has to pick up a certain number of couples for each round. There are always judges that didn’t get all the numbers down on the score sheet that they were supposed to mark down. When the music stops you should walk to the corner furthest away from you opposite the stage. This will give judges a change to mark numbers down that are missing on their score sheet. If you happen to not be marked down this could be your change to pick up a couple of marks.

5. Dance the first long side opposite the stage: It is easier for the judge to see the couples and judge them when they are far away from them. You want to make it easy for the judges to mark you and mark you as early as possible in the dance. Most of the judges are standing by the stage. This makes the opposite side of the stage the best place to dance as early as possible in the dance. Most couples dance better the first 20 bars of music so you want to show those 20 bars to as many judges as possible. If you dance early in the music opposite the stage you give most of the judges a change to mark you early. 

Hope this helps you and good luck dancing at the British Open. It is an experience that is worth every moment.

DSV

[elisedance]

that is fantasitic DSV.  Just what we need - two comps from now there will be 150 couples at least...

[standarddancer]

Thank you DSV !!! These tips are gold!!!

[SwingWaltz]

Fantastic DSV!