Salsa Competition 2010 Rules & Regulations

1. Each couple must consist of one male and one female person, both of whom must be older than 21 years.
2. The number of contestants at each of the preliminary rounds is strictly limited. Spots will be allocated on a first-come first-served basis.
3. After the preliminary rounds, contestants eligible for the final round must not change partners.
4. The judges will appreciate the diversity of salsa dancing. Therefore, any style of salsa will be permitted, e.g. Cuban, LA, New York, On1/On2, etc.
5. Contestants must show proper etiquette during all stages of the contest, by refraining from distracting behavior while other contestants are dancing.
6. Men must be fully clothed and women must wear dance shoes with high heels (no jazz shoes).
7. The judges' decisions are final.
8. The organizer reserves the right to permit the taking of photos or filming on the day of the final round.
9. The contest will be recorded through film and photography. These records may only be used for promotional purposes by Kottulinsky - Pluto Barbetrieb Gmbh and Life2dance & Tanzschule Nebel.
10. The organizer will not accept responsibility for injury or loss in relation to this contest.The organizer reserves the right to change the contest if necessary without consultation
11. The contest is held at the Kottulinsky Bar, Beethovenstrasse 9, 8010 Graz, Austria.

Panel of Judges

The judges must be aware of all judging criteria. They must not use the competition to promote themselves in any way. Only sponsors and the organization will decide on matters of publicity.

What the judges look for

1. Timing & Rhythm: On1/On2; musicality and consistency with the beat; strict tempo
2. Lead & Follow: unity/synchronization between partners
3. Dancing Ability & Music Interpretation: style, control and execution of the dance/choreography
4. Appearance/Stage Presence: costumes, confidence and presentation

Preliminary, Semi-Final and Final Rounds

• Each contestant must sign up in person and present a photo ID. For each of the rounds, contestants will be asked to register at the venue at a specific time (time slots will be disclosed closer to the date of the contest).
• Depending on the number of applicants, preliminary rounds will be held. These will take place in the bar Kottulinsky, Beethovenstrasse 9, 8010 Graz, Austria, on Tuesdays and/or Thursdays.
• Each preliminary round will present four couples, who will first dance to a track chosen by the DJ, then to the music* they have chosen themselves. The winning couple will advance to the semi-final round.
• The contestants cannot take part in more than one preliminary round.
• The number of couples selected by the judges at each of the preliminary rounds will depend on the number of applicants.
• Contestants may not speak to each other, sing or address the public or judges during their performances.
• Couples do not necessarily have to choreograph their routine; they can freestyle to their chosen track if they wish to do so.
• For the final round, each couple must dance to the music* they have chosen.

* The music must be provided on a readable CD no later than 8 p.m. on the day of the contest; no minidisk or USB stick will be accepted. The chosen track must be between 2 and 2 ½ minutes in length; any contestants who do not comply with this limitation will automatically have their music stopped at 2 ½ minutes.