Competition Corral

 
 

Competition Corral
Rules & FAQ

Last updated 8.21.24 at 15:05 PST

Dance for Charity.

Win Prizes.

Have fun.

 

We know not everyone enjoys competing, and that’s valid, but would you be willing to spend a little extra cash to dance and help raise money for charity? If so, we invite you to sign up for any or all of the dance competitions that we’re hosting in conjunction with the IAGLCWDC*. What’s a few extra songs when it’s for a good cause?

*does not include Choreo Corral

This year we’re raising money for True Colors United and the IAGLCWDC.

True Colors United

TrueColorsUnited.org

True Colors United implements innovative solutions to youth homelessness by focusing on the experiences of those most impacted —LGBTQ+ and BIPOC youth. LGBTQ+ youth are 120% more likely to face homelessness than their peers, while Black youth are 83% and Latine youth are 33% more likely. True Colors United is guided by two core beliefs: those who’ve experienced an issue first-hand hold the keys to the solution, and improving outcomes for the most impacted communities benefits everyone.

IAGLCWDC

IAGLCWDC.org

The purpose of the International Association of Gay & Lesbian Country Western Dance Clubs (IAGLCWDC) is to promote the culture of and provide education in country western dancing, activities and music to all persons without regard to age, sex, gender or gender identity, religion, national or cultural origin, sexual orientation, disability or HIV status, to provide opportunities to its individual members for education in country western dancing as well as to provide a forum for the exchange of ideas among the member clubs, and to support and encourage the growth of its membership and improve communication among the member clubs.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 

IAGLCWDC
Overall Champion

Dancers competing in Partner and Line dance have a chance to earn an Overall title.

  • To be eligible, dancers are required to compete in all three of the following categories:

    • Country Two Step

    • West Coast Swing

    • Line Dance (Novice or Open)

  • The ‘Choreo Corral’ line dance choreography competition will not be included in and is not required for Overall.

  • Placements from each division will be used to rank a dancer’s overall placement. For example, suppose a dancer places 9th in West Coast Swing, 5th in Line Dance, and 4th in Country Two Step, and that no other dancer who competed in all three categories made it into the top ten. This dancer would take 1st in the overall because they had the highest ranking placements over all three.

  • The top three overall individual placements will receive trophies.

  • Each placement will receive a trophy.

  • 1st place will receive a WWLA 2025 Weekend Pass

 
 

  • This competition is eligible to all dancers who have a Weekend, Day, or Evening Pass.

  • Dancers may only sign up as a Lead or Follow.

  • Dancers must be in the ballroom and ready to compete at the scheduled time of the competitions.

  • Partnerships will be randomized. Dancers will be called to the floor with Leads in one line and Follows in another. A random number will be chosen and the Follows will be rotated to a new Lead. This will be the Partnership for the entirety of the division.

  • The number of Heats will be based on the number of competitors signed up to compete. Each Heat will dance a minimum of two songs for up to two minutes each.

  • If needed, a number of Partnerships will be asked to return for a Finals round. Finals will be danced in the same time slot as the Prelims.

  • The top three placements will receive trophies.

  • Judges are Samantha Buckwalter, Rosemary Whitson, and Matt Richey.

NOVICE
Imelda’s Way: Step Sheet

Learn the Dance: Friday, August 23rd
8:00p • The 101 Ballroom

Competition: Saturday, August 24th
1:00p • Route 66 Ballroom

Enter Now

 
OPEN
Chill Factor: Step Sheet

Learn the Dance:Friday, August 23rd
7:15p • P.C.H. Ballroom

Competition: Saturday, August 24th
1:00p • Route 66 Ballroom

Enter Now

 

  • This competition is eligible to all dancers who have a Weekend, Day, or Evening Pass.

  • Dancers must be in the ballroom and ready to compete at the scheduled time of the competition.

  • Dancers may only compete in Novice or Open, not both.

    • Novice: Newer dancers who are comfortable with Beginner and/or Improver level line dances.

    • Open: Experienced dancers comfortable with Intermediate and/or Advanced level line dances.

  • The number of Heats will be based on the number of competitors signed up to compete. If necessary, the judges may ask for any Heat to dance a second time until the song ends or as needed.

  • If necessary, a number of Line Dancers will be asked to return for a Finals round. Finals will be danced the same night as their Prelims.

  • The top three placements will receive trophies.

  • Judges are Rick Dominguez, Annemarie Dunn, and Cindi Massengale.

  • This competition is eligible to all dancers who have a Weekend, Day, or Evening Pass.

  • Dancers may only sign up as a Lead or Follow.

  • Progressive and San Francisco styles will compete as one division however, Progressive style Leads will be partnered with Progressive style Follows, and San Francisco style Leads with San Francisco style Follows. Progressive is defined as QQSS. San Francisco is defined as SSQQ. If you’re not sure, please connect with WWLA Staff before signing up and we will assist you.

  • Dancers must be in the ballroom and ready to compete at the scheduled time of the competitions.

  • Partnerships will be randomized. Dancers will be called to the floor with Leads in one line and Follows in another. A random number will be chosen and the Follows will be rotated to a new Lead. This will be the Partnership for the entirety of the division.

  • The number of Heats will be based on the number of competitors signed up to compete. Each Heat will dance a minimum of two songs for up to two minutes each.

  • If needed, a number of Partnerships will be asked to return for a Finals round. Finals will be danced in the same time slot as the Prelims.

  • The top three placements will receive trophies.

  • Judges are Lee Fox, Candy Sherwin, Jeremy Box, Kelsey Lewis, and Rob Ollander-Krane.

Who Can Compete?
The 2024 WWLA Line Dance Choreography Competition is open to all competitors who have purchased a Weekend Pass.

When Is the Competition?
The competition is tentatively scheduled for 11:00a on Saturday morning, August 24th. Please be in the competition area, ready to compete, 10-15 minutes before the competition begins. Competitors will need to check in with the competition coordinator.

How much does it cost to compete?
*All competitors must have a Weekend Pass*
$20 entry fee per dance. Entries are non-refundable.

How do I enter?
Add competition entries to your cart from the registration page. When you select the appropriate division, you will be prompted to fill out a form about your dance before the entry can be found in your cart.

Will I need to submit anything else?
In addition to filling out the form(s) during registration, you will need to send your step sheet and music to info@thelawranglers.org no later than August 16th.
On-site entries will be required to bring their music on a flash drive and six (6) printed copies of their step sheet(s).

Which divisions are available?
There will be three divisions available:
Corral A will be non-phrased Beginner and Improver level dances.
Corral B will be non-phrased Intermediate and Advanced level dances.
Corral C will be phrased dances of any level.
Detailed division definitions are further down this page.

Does my dance have to be recently choreographed?
For 2024, there is no limit on the age of the dance being entered.

Can I enter more than one dance?
For 2024, there is no limit to the number of dances you may enter. We will accept entries until all slots are full.

How will the competition be run?
·Competitors will arrive at the competition area 10-15 minutes prior to the start time.
·Competitors will need to check in with the competition coordinator.
·The competition will begin with Corral A, then Corral B, then Corral C.
·Competitors will be called to the floor by name, entry number, and dance title.
·Corral A and Corral B will demo four (4) walls of their dances.
·Corral C will demo until they’ve shown all phrases of their dance.

Can I have someone else demo for me?
The short answer is no, all competitors must demo their own dance unless previously cleared with WWLA. Competitors however may bring friends and co-choreographers onto the floor to demo the dance with them. While competitors must have a Weekend Pass to compete, any additional dancers demoing are only required to have a Saturday All-Day pass.

Who will be judging?
There will be any non-even number of judges with the minimum being five (5). The judges panel will consist of WWLA Instructors or experienced dance professionals who are invited by WWLA.
This year's panel will tentatively consist of Darren Bailey, Amy Glass, Joey Warren, Ronnie DeBenedetta, and Michael Metzger.

How will the competition be scored?
Relative Placement scoring will be used.

What will the judging criteria be?
Musicality: Correctly identifying the rhythms in the music and using step sequences that reflect them. Choreography that may hit more than just the beat; correctly identifying rhythms, accents, etc.
Originality & Flow: Original step sequences, arm motions, interpretation of music, with each sequence comfortably transitioning from one to the next.
Step Sheet: Being able to correctly identify and communicate step descriptions, level of difficulty, and sequences (tags, restarts, phrasing) of the dance.

What placements and awards are available?
1st place in each corral will receive a trophy and a WWLA merchandise certificate.
2nd place in each corral will receive a trophy.

One of the three first place dances will be selected as the overall winner and, in addition to the prizes above, will receive a WWLA 2025 Weekend Pass and their dance will be taught on Sunday, August 25th, 2024 by one of our WWLA Instructors.

Music
Music should be free of inappropriate language. If it’s not something you could potentially play on the radio, you’ll likely need to find a clean version.

Dress Code
There are no requirements for what to wear however, clothing should be presentable and appropriate. No costumes or props. It is recommended that dance shoes (of any style) be worn. Any shoe that can damage the dance floors will not be allowed. Inappropriate clothing or shoes can result in disqualification. If an outfit or article of clothing is called into question, the judges and/or representatives of WWLA will have final say.

Choreo Corral
Divisions

Choreographers should use their best judgement when categorizing their dances and these definitions should be used as guidelines. Ultimately it is the job of the choreographer to correctly define the level of their dance(s). WWLA reserves the right to move any dance between categories if we feel that it is entered in the wrong category. A representative of WWLA will connect with the choreographer before changing categories.

 

Corral A
Beginner/Improver

Beginner dances should be appropriate for first-time, newer, or limited mobility dancers. Generally, beginner dances are defined as not having syncopations, too many turns, turns greater than 1/4 to 1/2, and tempos that are not too quick. For this competition we will allow one restart or one simple tag for Beginner/High Beginner levels. High Beginner and Improver dances should be those that introduce faster tempos, easier syncopations, greater amounts of turns, etc. These levels are the stepping stones between Beginner and Intermediate.

 

Corral B
Intermediate/Advanced

Any dance that is greater in difficulty than the Improver level and does not meet the criteria of a Phrased dance.

 

Corral C
Phrased

For WWLA, a phrased dance is any dance that uses more than one section of choreography to phrase with the music. This includes, but is not limited to dances that contain more than two (2) tags over 16 counts or one (1) tag over 24 counts.

Enter Now

 

Country Two Step
Lead / Follow

$10 + $1 Processing Fee

 
 

West Coast Swing
Lead / Follow

$10 + $1 Processing Fee

 
 

Line Dance
Novice / Open

$10 + $1 Processing Fee

 
 

Corral A Entry
Beginner / Improver

$20

 
 

Corral B Entry
Intermediate / Advanced

$20

 
 

Corral C Entry
Phrased

$20