General rules for all competitions

General rules for all competitions

Eligibility requirements

To compete at our event, you must:

• Have a full weekend pass eligible for competitions (day passes are excluded from competing)
• Register for each competition by the official entry deadline. (See the weekend schedule.)
• Pay any required entry fees.
• Meet all other specific entry requirements outlined in these rules.

Multiple registrations

Multiple registrations are allowed. You may choose to enter any competitions for which you meet the specific entry requirements. However, if you enter more than one couples competition (Strictly Swing, Routine divisions), you must dance with a different partner each time, Except Open Strictly where you may choose the same partner as Novice or Intermediate Strictly, but not your Routine partner. 

For WSDC Jack & Jill competitions, it is possible to compete in 2 skill level division under some circumstances. Please refer to the official WSDC rules for details.

Dancing in a non-traditional role

You are allowed to enter any competition in any role that you qualify for. Your primary role is determined as the role in which you have the highest qualification in. 

You may compete in both roles provided you do not compete in the same division as your primary role.  Secondary role may be 1 level down from your primary role. You can dance different competitions in different roles. You cannot dance the same competition in both roles.

If you do not have points in either Lead or follow roles , and you wish to enter either Newcomer or Novice, you must choose a singular role to compete in.

If you have less than 16 novice points in your primary role, you may also enter the newcomer division in your secondary role. However, we do ask that you consider we try to reserve newcomer for our very newest of dancers, to provide a positive and encouraging competition experience.

Dancing in your secondary role

• Role Determination: Your secondary role is the one in which you have points at a lower skill level or fewer points at your highest skill division compared to your primary role.
• Competition Level: You must compete one level down from the highest level you are allowed to complete at in your primary role. Dancing two levels down from your primary role is only permitted if:
  • Competitors with points in both their primary and secondary roles at the same skill level must select only one (1) role to compete in (either their primary or secondary role for that events skill level and J&J contest.
  • When a competitor has a choice of primary role levels, the highest level the competitor qualifies to compete sets the allowable level for their secondary role, i.e. the division a competitor chooses for their primary role at the Event does not affect what level they may compete at for their secondary role.
  • Competitors may dance two (2) levels down from their primary level (their highest competitive level), regardless of whether they choose to compete in the primary level for the Event. If they reach the “may” move up level on the WSDC Skill Level Jack & Jill Advancement Chart (Chart 3), based on their points in their secondary role, at which point they must dance only one level down from their highest allowed primary role. See Secondary Role
• Advancement Restrictions: If you reach the “may move up” point threshold in your secondary role, you are then restricted to dancing only one level down from your primary role.

Participation Rules

• Maximum Contests: You may compete in a maximum of two skill-level Jack and Jill competitions at a single event: once in your primary role and once in your secondary role.
• Role Choice: If you have points in both roles at the same skill level, you must choose only one role (either primary or secondary) to compete in for that specific event’s skill-level contest.
• Other Contests: You are permitted to use either your primary or secondary role when entering non-skill-level contests (such as age-based or “other” contests).

Newcomer Division Eligibility

You may compete in the Newcomer division in your secondary role only if:

• You have fewer than 16 Novice points in your primary role.
• You have no points at any level in your secondary role.
• Note: If you are qualified to dance in the Intermediate division or higher in your primary role, you are prohibited from dancing in Newcomer in your secondary role.

Petitions and Points

• Petitions: You may only submit petitions to move up in your secondary role; “petitions down” are not allowed for secondary roles.
• Point Tracking: Points earned in your secondary role are tracked separately from your primary role points. Your eligibility to move levels is based on the points in that specific role, not combined totals.

Submitting a petition

Level Up Petition – Petitions must be submitted 15 working days prior to the event, in 2026 which means 31st March (accounting for the easter holidays) at the latest. Follow this link to WSDC form, https://www.worldsdc.com/wsdc-forms/

You must submit 2 videos of your dancing for consideration.

Petitions will be approved for six (6) months and are transferable to other events.

Level Down Petition – Will be handled on-site as usual by our Competition Director/Cheif Judge. Petitions should be submitted directly to Ekaterina. Wolf by email at

[email protected]

Subject : Detonation Dance 2026 petition (insert name and WSDC number), or by completing the form at our Competition registration desk.

Our Competition director/Chief judge will review your petition and approve or deny your request. Our competition staff will notify you as soon as possible of the decision. If you are requesting to change divisions, you should be prepared to compete in the original division if your petition is denied.

Please note, petitions down for secondary roles are not permitted.

Our verification of your eligibility

We will verify that you are eligible for the competitions you enter by checking the World Swing Dance Council (WSDC) Points Registry and other sources of information, if applicable. In some cases (for example, if you submit a petition or do not have the required WSDC points), we may reassign you to a different division. (See swingdancecouncil.com for details about points.) If you have concerns that other contestants are entered in an incorrect division or are ineligible, please inform our chief judge privately, as soon as possible. We will investigate and take appropriate action, if necessary.

If we determine before or during a competition that you have registered for the wrong division or are not eligible, we will reassign you to the correct division (if possible) or allow you to withdraw. If we discover your error after the finals, we may drop you (and your partner) out of awards. If we made the error and assigned you incorrectly, no penalty will be applied.

Our responsibilities as the organizer

• Selecting the competition officials. We will select a panel of judges, chief judge, scorer, referee judge, review panel, MCs, and competition DJs. We will provide the names of these officials prior to the event on our website. Our MC will announce the judges for each competition at the start of the competition. There will be a minimum of 5 judges for all competitions.
• Determining the rules and schedule. We will determine the rules for our competitions and post them in advance on our website. We will also post a full weekend schedule listing the times for all meetings, competitions, and awards. We will follow our posted schedule as much as possible. If we need to make any last-minute changes, we will announce them at the event.
• Registering contestants and verifying eligibility. We will collect entries from eligible competitors in advance and at the event. We will verify that you are eligible for each competition you enter. We will assign bib numbers to Strictly Swing leaders and Jack & Jill leaders and followers.
• Holding all competitions, or modifying them if necessary. We will do everything we can to hold all competitions as planned. If necessary, we may extend the registration deadline or change the eligibility requirements (for example, by combining divisions) if we receive insufficient entries. If we must cancel a competition, we will refund your entry fee, and we may invite you to perform an exhibition instead.
• Scoring the results. We will select a qualified scorer. We will use callbacks for all preliminary and semifinal heats, and relative placement for all finals.
• Announcing the results and presenting awards. We will announce the results of all competitions at our awards ceremony. Our scorer will post scores for public examination for approximately 1 hour after the announcement of the results and presentation of awards. Competition results will then be posted on the website for public examination for a minimum of 30 days.

Your responsibilities as a competitor

• Planning ahead. You may register for competitions in advance or at the event (during times listed on the schedule). If you register in advance, you should plan to pick up your bib number(s) at the event. Be sure to check for any last-minute changes to the schedule.
• Knowing the rules. You should read the rules carefully prior to the competition. You are responsible for following the rules whether or not you have read them. If you have any questions, you should ask them at the contestant meeting or contact our chief judge ahead of time.
• Attending the competitors meeting. We will hold a brief meeting for the following competitions: Open Routine, Strictly Swing, Jack & Jill Attendance at this meeting is optional. At the meeting, a representative of each couple will draw for dance order. If you and your partner both miss the meeting, we will ask someone else to draw for you.
• Being prepared to compete. You should be in the ballroom at least 15 minutes before your competition. During the competitions, we use marshalling to prepare the following heats prior dancing. Check which heat you are dancing in before the competition starts and follow the call for marshalling immediately. For Strictly Swing and Jack & Jill competitions, remember to bring your bib number. If you miss the competition (or withdraw after the registration deadline), you will forfeit your entry fee.
• Demonstrating good sporting conduct at all times. You must demonstrate good sporting conduct at all times, both on and off the competition floor. This includes treating your partners, other competitors, competition officials, spectators, and the event itself with respect. Demonstrating a poor attitude by behaving in ways that our chief judge, judging panel, or other competition officials deem inappropriate or disrespectful may result in a violation penalty or disqualification.
• Using appropriate channels to communicate your concerns. If you have questions or concerns about our competitions, you should use appropriate channels to share your concerns, such as at the contestant meeting or in private discussion with our chief judge. You are not allowed to confront, pressure, challenge, or argue with individual judges. If you harass or verbally abuse a judge or other competition official, we may disqualify you and may also ban you from competing at our events in the future.
• Reviewing your scores. You may review this information to see how you did. If you are unable to review your scores at the event, you also may contact our competition director after the event.

Dance requirements for competitions

The following dance requirements apply to all our competitions. If our judges determine that you have failed to meet one or more of these requirements, they may assign a violation penalty.

• Minimum swing content guidelines. This is a swing dance event. Therefore, our judges will expect to see recognizable swing content from both partners. Guidelines about swing content are provided under the format for each competition. Our judges will determine whether or not you have met our swing content requirement. If you fail to meet this requirement, you may earn a violation penalty.
• Social dance skills emphasis. Our Jack & Jill and Strictly Swing competitions are designed to showcase good social dance skills in spontaneous swing dancing. All dancing in these competitions should consist of lead/follow moves. Prearranged choreography is allowed only in routines performed in Open Routine.
• Connection: Swing is a connected partner dance. You must maintain physical contact with your partner throughout the dance, except for spins, turns, short breakaways, and recoveries. (Open Routine you may also break contact for acrobatic maneuvers.)
• Tricks: Partner weight support moves (“tricks”). 
  • Like other patterns, these moves will be judged according to the standard criteria of timing, teamwork, and technique. Any moves that our judges deem unsafe may earn a violation penalty. When in doubt, leave it out. 
  • We distinguish between two types of partner weight support moves: 
    • “In the air” support moves: In these moves, both feet of one partner are clearly off the floor. Lifts, aerials, and some acrobatic maneuvers are examples. “In the air” support moves are allowed only in Open Routine (where such moves are optional). 
    • “On the ground” support moves: In these moves, you and your partner both maintain physical contact with the floor. Drops, leans, circular movements, leveraged slides, and splits are examples. “On the ground” support moves are allowed in all competitions. However, any moves that our judges deem unsafe may earn a violation penalty. When in doubt, leave it out.
• Appropriate behavior and attire. It is our desire to encourage expressive and exciting dance performances without sacrificing quality of dancing and good taste. To maintain this balance, we encourage you to put on a good show (including humor where appropriate) but within the context of presenting solid dance fundamentals.

Keep in mind that all ages (including young dancers) will be present at our event, and that your performance might be streamed live online and recorded. Any action that our judges believe would make them uncomfortable in social dancing (such as inappropriate touching or simulating sexual behavior) may earn a violation penalty.

Check with our chief judge in advance if you have any questions regarding the acceptability of your choreography or competition attire.

Requesting a restart

This only applies to routine division or spotlighted dances. You may request a restart only in certain cases, such as:

• You break a shoe or lose a vital piece of clothing.
• The DJ plays the wrong music for your routine.
• The sound system fails during your dance. You may not request a restart simply because you are dissatisfied with your performance, partner, or music, or because you fail to remember part of your routine. You must request a restart prior to your departure from the floor, and our chief judge must approve your request. Our chief judge may also call for a restart at any time.

Competition music

• Music for our Jack & Jill and Strictly Swing competitions. Our competition DJ will select all music for our Jack & Jill and Strictly Swing competitions. Music for finals spotlight dances will be approximately the same length of time for each couple. The exact time of fade out is left to the DJ’s discretion to maximize the effectiveness of the music. If our judges need more time to determine callbacks or final placements, our chief judge may ask our competition DJ to play additional music.
• Music for Routines. You must provide your own music for your routine. You must submit your music to our competition DJ at least 3 hours prior to your competition. If possible, please bring your music to floor trials (see the weekend schedule). Please supply your music to the DJ on a USB flash drive. You may also want to bring a backup copy on a CD (marked with your name and the competition you are entering). You are responsible for retaining additional practice copies. You may reclaim your music from our competition DJ after the competition. Any music not reclaimed by the conclusion of the weekend will be discarded.

Our judging criteria

You will be judged on the following criteria:

• Timing. Swing is danced beginning on the downbeat. Good timing includes not only dancing on the correct beat but finer distinctions such as whether you are dancing to the syncopated “swing” of the music. Your syncopations and footwork also need to be on time.
• Teamwork. Swing is a connected partner dance. Demonstrating this connection through lead/follow or action/reaction with your partner is an expected part of any swing dance competition. A balanced performance of give-and-take with your partner should be your goal. Ignoring, disrespecting, or jeopardizing the safety of your partner indicates poor teamwork. Compensating and adjusting for your partner is an expected part of good teamwork.
• Technique. How well you execute the movements in your dance constitutes technique. Good technique includes clean execution and completion of dance elements such as control of balance and weight, foot placement, body lines, and spins and turns.
• Choreography. Choreography is the selection and order of movements and transitions during your dance. Such choreography may be spontaneous (for example, in a Jack & Jill) or prearranged in a routine (for example, in Open Routine). Good choreography demonstrates an intimate connection with the music and the ability to match patterns and syncopations to the phrasing of the music. It also includes identifiable swing patterns in order to provide variety and contrast.
• Musical interpretation. Good musical interpretation consists of adjusting the flow of your dance to fit the style, tempo, mood, and rhythm variations in the music. You should strive to demonstrate the ability to hear and interpret nuances in the music throughout your dance.
• Presentation. Creating an atmosphere of excitement by inviting interest in your performance is the desired effect of good presentation. Good presentation begins with your selection of appropriate attire. While providing a good show is one aspect of presentation, it cannot substitute for good dancing. You should aim primarily for demonstrating positive chemistry as a couple. Gratuitous mugging to the audience or the judges may result in a lower score. Good sporting conduct before, during, and after your dance is also an expected element of good presentation.

Competition attire

For all competitions, appropriate attire is required. ‘Appropriate’ includes:

• Smart clothing that will not restrict movement for you or your partner
• Dance shoes must be worn – for safety
• Please consider not to wear Jeans.
• Please consider clothing that is not at risk of coming undone/ risk failing during the dance compettition

Jack & Jill

Jack & Jill competitions are designed to highlight skills in spontaneous West Coast Swing dancing with a variety of partners and music. A bit of “luck of the draw” comes into play as well. Competitors enter as individuals, are randomly assigned partners, and dance to music selected by our competition DJ.

Eligibility

To enter, you must be at least 13 years old. If you are under 18, you must have the consent of your parent or guardian to compete, and you should be comfortable social dancing with adults on a regular basis. We are offering skill and age divisions. There is no limit on the total number of entries in each division. You may choose to enter as either a “leader” or “follower.” There are no gender restrictions for your chosen role as long as you meet the following criteria:

• You may enter only one Jack & Jill skill level division (Newcomer, Novice, Intermediate, Advanced, All-Stars, Champions) per role. You must remain in that same role throughout the competition (prelims, semifinals, and finals).
• You may enter only Jack & Jill age division (Juniors – under 18, Sophisticated – 35 year and older, Masters – 50 years and older) you qualify for by your age at the time of the competition. You must choose which role you dance and you must remain in that same role throughout the competition (prelims, semifinals, and finals).
• In most cases, you should enter the highest division for which you qualify in your chosen role.
  • If you want to enter a division for which you do not meet the entry requirements, or want to change divisions, or believe you qualify for a higher division, you should submit a petition. For example, if previous placements are not recorded in the WSDC Points Registry, list them in your petition.
  • If you are unclear about which division is right for you, check with our chief judge before you register.

Jack & Jill divisions

WSDC Jack & Jill follow the official WSDC rules. If event rules and WSDC rules should be incompatible, WSDC rules superseded the event rules.

Skill level divisions

• Newcomer: 0 WSDC points.
• Novice: Up to 30 Novice points.
• Intermediate: 16+ Novice points / Up to 45 Intermediate points.
• Advanced: 30+ Intermediate points / Up to 60 Advanced points.
• All-Star: 60+ Advanced points.
• Champions: 100+ All-Star points, at least 1 Champions point or a successful petition to compete at this level

Age Divisions

• Juniors: younger than 18 years at the time of the competition
• Sophisticated: older than35years at the time of the competition
• Masters: older than 50 years at the time of the competition

Format

• Structure: All dancing in our Jack & Jill and Strictly competitions should be lead/follow. Pre-choreographed routines are not allowed.
• Content: Our judges will expect to see at least 90 percent recognizable swing content. For our Jack & Jill divisions, a majority of the swing content must be West Coast Swing.
• Contact: You and your partner must maintain physical contact except for spins, turns, short breakaways, and recoveries.
• Lifts: “In the air” partner weight support moves (lifts, aerials) and acrobatic maneuvers are not allowed. (Exception: For the champions division, lifts below the shoulder are acceptable)
• Dips/ drops: 
  • “On the ground” support moves (such as drops) are allowed. However, you and your partner must both maintain physical contact with the floor during support moves. (Exception: For the champions divisions, the maintenance of physical contact with the floor is not required.)
  • Support moves must be lead/follow social dance patterns that take the safety of your partner and other couples into consideration. Any moves that our judges deem unsafe may earn a violation penalty. When in doubt, leave it out.
• Costumes: Costumes are not allowed. However, competition outfits suitable for social dancing are acceptable. Appropriate attire is required.
• Prelims: 
  • For the Novice (Tier 3 competitions), we plan to hold 3 rounds: preliminaries, semifinals, and finals. For the other divisions, we plan to hold 2 rounds: semifinals and finals. However, we may add or omit a preliminary or semifinal round in any division, depending on the number of entries.
  • During the preliminary and semifinal rounds, you will dance in heats with several partners selected randomly. Although you will be judged individually on a callback basis, you must demonstrate good teamwork with all your partners to advance to the next round.
• Balancing competitions: 
  • If there is an imbalance in the number of leaders and followers, some contestants will dance twice. However, even if your name is not called, you should remain in the ballroom throughout the competition, in case any additional competitors are needed at the last minute to dance again.
  • Our chief judge will determine the exact number of finalists after our scorer has tallied the results of the callbacks.
• Finals: 
  • In the finals, we will use a random drawing (or some other random method) to determine your partner. No redraws will be permitted for any reason – it’s luck of the draw. Finalists will be judged as couples.
  • For our Jack & Jill divisions, finals will be held in the following format:
    • Newcomer, Novice, Juniors, Sophisticated: All-Skate
    • Intermediate: Jam
    • Advanced, All-Stars, Champions: Spotlight
  • It lies in the discretion of the chief judge to change the format of the final if necessary.
  • Additional all-skate dances in finals can be requested by the judges.
  • Eligible finalists in all divisions will earn WSDC points according to current WSDC policies. (See https://www.worldsdc.com for details.)

Strictly Swing

Our Strictly Swing competitions are designed to highlight skills in spontaneous swing dancing (any recognized style) with a chosen partner. Competitors enter as couples and dance to music selected by our competition DJ.

Eligibility

Entry requirements:

• You and your partner must both be at least 13 years old If you are under 18, you must have the consent of your parent or guardian to compete. 
• We are offering 3 divisions. There is no limit on the total number of entries in each division. 
• You may choose to enter Strictly Swing as either a “leader” or “follower.” There are no gender restrictions for your chosen role as long as you meet the following criteria:
  • You can enter any division that matches the highest Jack & Jill division you are eligible for in your chosen role.
  • You must enter the division of the highest-ranked partner. 
  • If you enter more than one Strictly Swing division (or other couples competitions such as Routine divisions), you must dance with a different partner each time. This also applies if you dance in a different role. Except for the Open Strictly Swing where you may choose same partner as Novice, Intermediate but not your Routine partner.
  • You can choose a different role for each division you enter.
  • You cannot dance the same Strictly Swing division in both roles, nor with multiple partners.

Strictly Swing divisions

• Novice: both partners have to be eligible to dance in either novice or newcomer in their chosen role
• Intermediate: the eligible division of the higher level dancer is intermediate
• Open: any 2 dancers of any skill level. Should be different partner from other division.

Format

As stated above for Jack& Jill competitions, with the only differences being:

• • Costumes: Costumes are not allowed. However, matching or complementary competition outfits suitable for social dancing are acceptable. Appropriate attire is required.
  • Semi Finals: 
    • We may hold semifinal and final rounds, or finals only, depending on the number of entries.
    • During the semifinals, couples will be judged on a callback basis during heats.

• Finals: 

• • Our chief judge will determine the exact number of finalists after our scorer has tallied the results of the callbacks.
  • For our Strictly Swing divisions, finals will be hold in the following format:
    • Novice, Intermediate: All-Skate
    • Open: Spotlight
  • Additional all-skate dances in finals can be requested by the judges.

Routine Divisions

Rising Star

Our Rising Star competition is intended for adult (18 years or older) couples that are relatively new to performing a choreographed routine. Competitors enter as couples, supply their own music, and perform a swing dance routine (any recognized style) prepared in advance. 

Routines have to follow the rules of the Rising Star Tour (http://www.risingstartour.com/rules.html)

Classic/Showcase divisions 

Our Routine competitions are intended for adult couples that are not eligible to dance in the Rising Star tour.

Classic/Showcase divisions will follow the NASDE rules, (http://nasde.com/rules.php).

Eligibility

To enter Routine, both partners must be at least 18 years old (or petition for an exception). You may choose to enter as either a “leader” or “follower.” There are no gender restrictions for your chosen role. If you enter another couples competition (such as Strictly Swing), you must dance with a different partner each time. We reserve the right to limit our routine divisions to the first 10 couples that enter.

Awards

We award the three highest placed couples in all competitions at the event. Additionally, we award event passes to other international events. Unless stated otherwise for individual passes, the placing competitors can choose between event passes in order of their placement (i.e. 1st place chooses first, then 2nd, and so on).

In addition, we award prize money for the following divisions:

• Rising Star
• Open Strictly Swing

Disclaimer and copyright notice

We will make every effort to conduct all competitions in accordance with these rules. However, we reserve the right to make any changes that we deem necessary for any competition. If we need to make any changes to our competitions or to these rules, we will post them on our website (if possible) or announce them at the event.