Ballroom dancing
As a fun way to test your ballroom dancing skills, you can join a competition! These competitions are always split between Standard dances (waltz, tango, quickstep) and Latin dances (Chacha, Rumba, Jive). For each competition, you can choose if you want to do both Standard and Latin, or just one style. Listed below you can find the different types of competitions:
*Twice every year the ETDS (European Tournaments of Dancing Students) takes place in a European country (usually Germany, the Netherlands, or the Czech Republic). There are 2 days of competitions at which you can show your dancing skills, within the evenings 3 awesome dancing parties! Over 600 students usually participate in these events. Fun is most important for this event! If your dance partner is unable to join – no problem! At the event itself, you can go blind-dating, during which you can find a dance partner for the event, and socialize with other dancing students! Even beginners can join, as there is a separate class for people with < 1 year of dancing experience. The event takes place every year at Pentecost and on the 2nd weekend of October.
A little bit closer to home is the NTDS, the version organized by and for Dutch student dance associations. The setup is comparable to the ETDS, only the event is a bit smaller (~ 300 participants). The NTDS usually takes place at the end of February – the beginning of March. We prepare for these competitions with a one evening preparation workshop given by experienced dancers. Usually, we go to these events with a group of 10-20 people and we come back as a group of friends 😊
* If you want to join more official competitions, you can join the BRADO or NADB competitions. Joining the BRADO competitions is an accessible way of joining more official competitions, yet still fun! These competitions take place monthly on Sundays and take place in the Brabant region. In these competitions, you compete against other people from your own level for ‘promotion points’. If you have enough points, you can continue in a higher level in the next competitions. In order to participate, you should subscribe with a dance partner with whom you will join.
You can participate in the following classes:
- Brado 3 – level beginners/bronze/silver
- Brado 2 – level silver/silverstar/gold
- Brado 1 – level gold/topclass
In addition, you can participate in the regular NADB classes:
- Debutants Startclass à in this class you usually start
- Debutants 3
- Debutants 2
- Debutants 1
- Open Class
More info can be found on www.bradodansen.com
The BRADO competitions are organized for dancers connected to a dance school in Brabant, while everybody in the Netherlands can compete in the NADB competitions. The NADB also organizes the Dutch National Championships every year, if you want to test your skills in your ranking level on a national level. More info can be found on www.nadb.nl
If you are interested in joining or want to have more information you can contact us by mailing competition@esdvfootloose.nl.