Tabbed View
Jack & Jill Competitions

    Entry Fee: $15.00 per competitor

    Jack & Jill competitions are designed to showcase a competitor's skills in spontaneous swing dancing and their ability to dance well with a variety of partners. Competitors enter individually and are randomly assigned to several partners.

    • All dancing in Jack & Jill competitions is to be lead/follow.
    • Partner selection is luck of the draw.
    • During the preliminaries, couples will be judged in heats and will rotate partners as many times as deemed necessary by the judges.
    • Should there be an imbalance in the number of leaders and followers entered in the contest, some contestants may be required to dance twice.
    • If semi-finals are required, an announcement will be made regarding the time and number of dancers chosen to advance. Couples will be judged in heats and will rotate partners as many times as deemed necessary by the judges.
    • In the finals, dancers will be randomly paired with one partner. The dancers will not rotate and will be judged as a couple. All finals will be judged in heats.
    • Contest music and the order in which it is played will be selected by the Head DJ's.

    West Coast Swing:
    • No routines, lifts, aerials, planned entrances or exits are allowed.
    • Breakaways and drops are permitted.
    • There are five levels:
      • Newcomer
      • Novice
      • Intermediate
      • Advanced
      • All-Star

    Lindy Hop:
    • No routines, planned exits or entrances are allowed.
    • Lifts, drops and aerials are allowed (Advanced Division Only).
    • Breakaways are permitted, but not required.
    • There are three levels:
      • Novice
      • Intermediate
      • Advanced

    Balboa:
    • No routines, planned exits or entrances are allowed.
    • Lifts, drops and aerials are allowed.
    • Breakaways are permitted, but not required.
    • There is one open level.
Jack & Jill Levels
West Coast Swing
To assist competitors in registering for the appropriate level, the Jack & Jill Points Registry will be used. The registry provides the points resulting from participation in national swing dance competitions. Regardless of points earned, a competitor may option to remain in a lower division until he/she has taken a first place win.
Lindy Hop
Competitors are allowed to place themselves in the level of Jack & Jill that would be most appropriate for their level of competition dance ability.
  • Novice
    This division is intended for beginner dancers or those with no previous competition experience.
  • Intermediate
    This division is intended for intermediate dancers with some previous competition experience.
  • Advanced
    This division is intended for advanced dancers with significant competition experience.
Balboa
There is one open division for the Balboa Jack & Jill.
Strictly Swing Competitions

    The Stricty Swing Competitions are designed to showcase a competitor's social dance skills with a chosen partner.

    • Competitors enter as a couple.
    • All dancing in the Strictly Swing competitions is to be lead/follow.
    • Contest music and the order in which it is played will be selected by the Head DJ's.
    • Costumes are prohibited, though coordinating attire is permissible.
    • An announcement will be made at the competitors meeting as to whether a finals round will be required.
    • All rounds will be danced in heats.

    West Coast Swing: $30.00 per couple
    • No routines, lifts, aerials, planned entrances or exits are allowed.
    • Breakaways and drops are permitted.

    Lindy Hop: $30.00 per couple
    • No routines, planned exits or entrances are allowed.
    • Lifts, aerials, drops and breakaways are permitted, but not required.

    Balboa: $30.00 per couple
    • No routines, planned exits or entrances are allowed.
    • Lifts, aerials, drops and breakaways are permitted, but not required.
Eligibility
  • Competitors must purchase a full weekend pass.
  • Competitors must register for each competition by the entry deadline.
  • Competitors may enter only one level of a Jack & Jill competition.
  • Competitors may compete in West Coast Swing, Lindy Hop and Balboa.
  • Competitors must pay the required entry fees.
  • Competitors must sign the appropriate waivers before competing.
  • Competitors must attend all competitors meetings related to their event.
  • Competitors must wear assigned numbers on their backs during all competitions. During the Strictly Swing contests and Jack & Jill finals, only leaders are required to wear numbers.
  • There is no age restriction on the competitions.
  • Competitors under eighteen years of age must have a parent or guardian sign a permission waiver and any other event forms that may be required.
Competitor's Responsibilities
  • Competitors must demonstrate good sportsmanship, both on and off the competition floor.
  • Competitors should read the competiton rules prior to attending the competitors meetings. Competitors are responsible for adhering to these rules, regardless of whether they have read them or not.
  • Competitors must attend all competitors meetings related to their event. Any contestant who does not attend the meetings for a specific event will not be permitted to compete in the event.
  • At any meeting, a couple may choose to be represented by one member. However, both members are fully responsible for all matters, as if they had both attended.
  • Each competitor must sign the appropriate waiver before competing. No competitor will be permitted to compete without a signed waiver.
  • Competitors should be in the ballroom at least 10 minutes prior to the start of a competition.
  • Competitors may attend a scoring review after the awards ceremony to examine their scores and discuss the event with the Contest Coordinator.
Organizer's Responsibilities
  • The organizer will select a panel of judges.
  • The organizer will appoint a Contest Coordinator as the official representative of the organizer.
  • The Contest Coordinator will resolve all waiver requests and clarify any competition-related questions that arise during the event.
  • The organizer will clearly post the time and location for all competitors meetings.
  • Results will be posted after the awards ceremony.
  • Should any significant changes in the schedule be required, these changes will be announced and clearly posted.
  • The organizer will award all trophies and prizes for each of the competitions.
  • The organizer may, at its discretion, cancel any competition for which it feels insufficient entries have been received.
Judging Criteria
  • Teamwork - Swing is a connected, partner dance. The demonstration of this connection and the appearance of lead/follow between the partners is an expected part of any competition dance. One partner ignoring or out-dancing the other, or jeopardizing the safety of the other, indicates poor teamwork.
  • Timing - Swing is danced beginning on the downbeat. Timing extends to much finer distinctions than a single beat. It includes whether a competitor is fractionally ahead or behind the beat as well as matching the syncopated "swing" of the music.
  • Technique - How well the competitors execute the movements comprising their dance constitutes technique. This includes control of balance and weight, foot placement, body lines, and spins.
  • Presentation - Creating an atmosphere of excitement by inviting and generating interest in a performance is the desired effect of good presentation. While showmanship is one aspect of presentation, it is not a substitute for good dancing.
  • Error - An apparently unintentional breach of the rules. Each error shall be penalized at the discretion of the judge observing the error. An example of an error might be a brief, unintended loss of contact between the partners.
  • Violation - An apparently intentional breach of the rules. Each violation shall be penalized by a drop of one or more positions in the final placement of the competition or disqualification from the event. Each violation shall be penalized at the discretion of the judge observing the violation. Examples of violations include, but are not limited to, a lift during a West Coast Swing Jack & Jill competition, the use of an apparent routine during the Strictly Swing competition, or breach of good sportsmanship.
Definitions
  • Aerials - An aerial is any move where one partner is lifted with the assistance of the other partner and the head and torso of the lifted partner is in a position higher than the waist of the supporting partner.
  • Breakaway - A breakaway is a set of symmetric or complementary movements or footwork executed by a couple who intentionally break contact (except for spins and turns), which is not a clearly leadable derivative of a recognizable swing pattern.
  • Costumes - Attire which, in the opinion of the judges, is specifically designed or selected for couples competition and would not generally be worn for social dancing is considered a costume.
  • Entrance - An an entrance is the initial, pre-choreographed segment of a performance, where competitors formally enter the floor and prepare to dance. Acknowledging your partner, the judges, or the audience is not considered an entrance.
  • Exit - An exit is the final, pre-choreographed segment of a performance, where competitors leave the floor. Acknowledging your partner, the judges, or the audience is not considered an exit.
  • Lifts - A lift is any move lasting longer than a full beat of music where the feet of one partner are clearly off the floor and the other partner supports the lifted partner's weight.
  • Routine - Any segment which, in the opinion of the judges, consists of prearranged choreography (to include symmetric or complementary movements or footwork) is considered a routine.