Rules for “SO you think you can TANGO?” Category

  1. The “So you think you can tango?” category is open to social (amateur) dancers only.
  2. Competitors who compete in the Official Categories as well as professional tango dancers cannot compete in this category.
  3. Dancers of any nationality are eligible to participate in this category. There are no residence restrictions.
  4. There will be one unique round with no elimination (no semi-final or final rounds) on Saturday July 9, 2022.
  5. Men and women must register individuallyRegistration is on a first come, first served basis with a limit of 20 men as leaders and 20 women as followers. If at the end of the registration process there are uneven numbers of leaders and followers, the extra participants registered in any of the two roles will not be able to take part in the competition and therefore their fees will be refunded.
  6. If there are more than 10 leaders and 10 followers registered, the total amount of dancers participating will be divided in two groups of equal numbers of leaders and followers for an optimum evaluation process.
  7. Dancing couples will be the result of a random matching of leaders and followers that will take place straight at the dance floor. They will compete in groups and dance a round of three to four songs previously selected by the Committee.
  8.  Dancers will change partners through a draw system for each of the three songs.

DANCE RULES

  1. Dancers cannot break the embrace. It is understood that, in certain figures, the embrace can be flexible (open and close according to the figure); but not throughout the entire piece of music.
  2. Couples may perform any commonly used figures of “social” tango, including “barridas” (sweeps), “sacadas al piso” (drawn to the floor),“enrosques” (twists), “ganchos” (hooks), boleos, etc, as well as embellishments always within their own space, without standing in the way of couples dancing around them.
  3. “Saltos” (jumps), “trepadas” (climbs) and any other possibilities typically used in stage tango where both feet lose contact with the floor are completely excluded.
  4. Dancers may not lift his/her legs beyond the line of the knees. Embellishments are allowed within this limit.
  5. It is not allowed to overtake.
  6. Costumes will not be considered as a specific evaluation point in this category.

EVALUATION CRITERIA 

  1. All dancers will be evaluated individually by the Jury Panel who will determine a unique winner for each role.
  2. Posture, elegance, technique, connection to the partner and walking style will be the main points of evaluation for all dancers.
  3. For the leader’s role, the Judges will give special relevance to musicality, improvisation and navigation (take into account that leaders should avoid more than two musical phrases on the same spot, making it difficult for the round to circulate; they should constantly move counterclockwise without going backwards although it is allowed to perform one or two back steps if the movement requires it).
  4. For the follower’s role, the Judges will give special relevance to the skill of following (anticipation or back leading will be penalized), and the footwork technique.