Competition dancing can take many forms. It can be anything from high school or college dance organizations competing with others from around the country or even around the world to professional competitions such as those featured on shows like “Dancing with the Stars” or “So You Think You Can Dance,” just to name a couple to even Olympic events.
High schools and colleges often participate in competition dancing by sending the students that make up their dance lines, which perform routines set to musical selections being played by the school or university marching band to different venues to compete with other schools. These things are as much fun to watch as they are to participate in. The performers have a ball meeting other students with the same interests as they have, and the parents get as excited as if they were at a major athletic event.
The parents will often “reserve” a particular section of the venue where the competition is being held and decorate it with signs, banners, and other things. When their team takes the stage, they whoop, yell, and cheer, all the while waving homemade signs with their particular dancer’s name and picture on them.
One form of competition dancing is an Olympic event. This is “ice dancing” where ice skaters perform dance maneuvers and routines on ice skates. This is usually one of the most popular competitions in winter Olympic events, and it is thrilling to watch the performers twirl and jump, sometimes with their blades just inches away from their partner’s face, head, or body.
Competition dancing such as that performed on TV shows requires participants to learn new dance routines in a very short amount of time. Their performances are then critiqued by judges, but the television audience actually picks the winner(s). It’s fun to watch people who you may never have imagined dancing kick up their heels.