MIT Ballroom Dance Team

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About Ballroom

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There are nineteen competitive ballroom dances.  The dances are divided between the International style and the American style.  Among the International dances, there is a further subdivision into Latin dances and Standard dances.  The American style is also subdivided, but into the Smooth dances and the Rhythm dances.  Below is a list of all nineteen dances in their appropriate categories.

International Standard
International Waltz
International Tango
International Viennese Waltz
International Foxtrot
International Quickstep
International Latin
International Cha Cha
International Samba
International Rumba
International Paso Doble
International Jive
American Smooth
American Waltz
American Tango
American Foxtrot
American Viennese Waltz
American Rhythm
American Cha Cha
American Rumba
American Swing
American Bolero
American Mambo

Couples compete against other couples with similar training experience.  In a competition, these divisions are made with the following proficiency levels:

  • Pre-Bronze (sometimes called “Newcomer”)
  • Bronze (sometimes called “Beginner”)
  • Silver (sometimes called “Intermediate”)
  • Gold (sometimes called “Advanced”)
  • Pre-Championship
  • Championship

Newcomer through Gold are considered to be syllabus levels where permitted figures are restricted to those specified in certain official syllabi (usually those sanctioned by the ISTD).  Other syllabi include those taught by commercial institutions, such as Arthur Murray or Fred Astaire Dance Studios.  Pre-Champ and Champ levels are considered to be Open levels (sometimes termed simply as “Open”) and do not have any syllabus restrictions.

Level restrictions in competitions may be determined by length of time dancing or previous achievement.  The latter is usually determined based on how many times a couple may place in the finals of events.  Most collegiate competitions use the YCN rules.  Other competitions tend to use criteria set by the USABDA or the NDCA, depending on the competition.

Collegiate competitions are Amateur competitions, meaning both people in the partnership are amateurs.  This is in contrast with Pro-Am competitions (a student dances with his professional teacher) and Professional competitions (both members of the partnership are professionals).

Collegiate competitions are amongst the most competitive of the amateur competitions, especially for the syllabus levels, as they tend to host extremely large fields of dancers.  For instance, as an extreme case, the 2007 MIT Open had 187 couples competing against one another for Beginner International Rumba.  This is in stark contrast to many other competitions where there are often as few as two or three couples competing in an event.  There is also an increasing number of non-student adult and junior dancers taking part in collegiate competitions.

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2023 MIT Open Announced

To be held April 29 and 30, 2023.

March Social Dance – Canceled!

Next dance will be April 1.

April Social Dance

Saturday April 1 in Sala.



News

MIT at Tufts 2022

November 15th, 2022

MIT had a strong showing at Tufts 2022.

MIT at Brown Competition 2022

November 5th, 2022

MIT had a strong showing at the Brown competition, held on October 30, 2022 in the Rhodes on the Pawtuxet.  Results are below. Rhythm Newcomer Cha Cha (6 couple final, 3 MIT couples, 44 registered couples) 3. Sophie Logsdon/Tatiana Estrina 5. Daniel Stein/Nerine Uyanik Swing (7 couple final, 3 MIT couples, 46 registered couples) 3. […]

MIT goes to Harvard Beginners

October 18th, 2022

October 16, 2022 Malkin Athletic Center, Harvard MITBDT had a great showing at the first competition of the semester.  The team showed good depth through all of the levels.  Special congratulations to Daniel Stein and Nerine Uyanik for sweeping rookie-level events, Madison Leone and Lauralyn Lin for claiming first in Silver Latin, and Hamid Doost […]

Spooky Swing October Social Dance!

October 9th, 2022

Who: Open to the public, however, all participants without access to MIT Covid Pass need to get a Tim Ticket – https://tim-tickets.atlas-apps.mit.edu/LuXHMXn5Qgou4fvE7 When: Saturday, 10/22/2022 6:00PM Beginner Lesson – Swing Beginners welcome! No experience or partner necessary! 7:00PM General Dancing 10:50PM Last Dance Where: Sala de Puerto Rico, 2nd floor of Stratton Student Center Tickets: Free for MIT/Wellesley students […]

2023 MIT Open Announced

July 7th, 2022

To be held April 29 and 30, 2023.

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