7th Annual
West Coast Latin Dance Championships
And Dancers Night Social

October 28, 2023
7PM – 1:30AM

At JUST BALLROOM
2500 Embarcadero
Oakland, CA

6:30PM – Competitors Check in
7PM – Competitors call time
7PM – Doors Open
7:30PM – Competition Starts
9:30pm- 1:30am Social Dance
Social dance one of Bay Area & out of town guest DJ’s

Note: competitors you can warm up in the competition floor only 6:30-7PM.

Join us at the West Coast Latin Dance Championships for an exciting weekend of competition and social dancing after! Invite your family and friends to come watch you dance your heart out!

Prizes, Cash money, Trophies and passes

$15 Pre-Sale til October 25th
$20 at the door | Space is limited!

COVID policy

• Masks are optional 😷

General Entrance Fee: Only $20
(Pay at the Door)
Sangria or wine

Competition Information

For all divisions, trophies will be awarded for first place with medals being awarded for second place and third place. For professional couple and pro-am couple divisions, first place will also be awarded a cash prize.

**Please Register and turn in music by 10/26, send music to wcldmusic@gmail.com | If you don’t you can’t compete on Saturday.

Competitors need to check in by 6:30pm on 10/28. Competition starts at 7:30PM.

Registration
Competitors must register (forms and payment) by 10/26.

Submit your completed registration form. Submit payment to John and Liz Productions via PayPal or Venmo.
Show up

PRICES:

Children/Juniors/Couple/Duo/Divisions – $85
Soloist Divisions – $60
Children/Juniors/Amateur Team Divisions – $40 per person
Professional Team Divisions – $40 per person

Registration can be completed online via PayPal (johnandlizpayments@yahoo.com) or Venmo (@johnandlizproductions-10).

Please note: PayPal registration includes a small service fee or send to family or friend not charge a fee.

*Note: A team must be composed of 2 or more couples.

Prizes

For all divisions, trophies will be awarded for first place with medals being awarded for second place and third place.

For professional couple and pro-am couple divisions, first place will also be awarded a cash prize.

Note: If we don’t have 3 or more competitors in the same division we will combine with the other division. For a division with a cash prize, it will only be awarded if there is a minimum of five (5) entries in the division.

Divisions
Amateur Divisions:
Amateur Salsa Couple
Amateur Bachata Couple
Amateur Bachata Cabaret Couple
Amateur Soloist
Salsa / Bachata Amateur Duo
Amateur Team (minimum of 2 couples)
Amateur Ladies Team
Amateur Men’s Team

Pro-Am Divisions:
Pro-Am Salsa Couple
Pro-Am Bachata Couple
Pro-Am Salsa Cabaret Couple
Pro-Am Bachata Cabaret Couple
Pro-Am Duo
Pro-Am Small Team (minimum 2-3 couples or more)
Pro-Am Large Team (minimum 4 couples or more)

Age Restricted Divisions:
Pro-Am Over 75 Salsa Couple (combination of ages)
Over 75 Salsa Couple (combination of ages)
Over 50 Soloist

Children’s Divisions (3-11 years old):
Children Pro/Am Couple
Children Salsa/Bachata Couple
Children Salsa/Bachata Soloist
Children Duo
Children Team (minimum of 2 couples)

Juniors Divisions (12-17 years old)
Juniors Pro/Am Couple
Juniors Salsa/Bachata Couple
Juniors Salsa/Bachata Soloist
Juniors Duo
Juniors Team (minimum of 2 couples)

Professional Divisions:

Professional Salsa Couple
Professional Bachata Couple
Professional Soloist
Professional Duo
Professional Small Team
(2-3 couples or more)
Professional Large Team
(4 couples or more)
Professional Ladies Team
Professional Men’s Team

General Rules
Competitors are limited to one entry per division.
An exception to this rule exists for the pro-am couple divisions: professional dancers are allowed up to five entries in the pro-am couple divisions.

Choreography

All choreographed routines must consist of 70% recognizable Salsa (or Bachata as specified by division) dancing and music; any other dance style is permitted for the remaining 30% of the routine. If a non-Salsa (or Bachata) style is incorporated into a competitor’s routine, the music will need to be pre-approved by John and Liz Productions (before October 26, 2023) to ensure this limit is not exceeded.

Competitors must maintain their chosen Salsa or Bachata) rhythm (e.g., On 1,
On 2) throughout their routine. Competitors can choose to break forward or backward as long as this is consistent throughout the routine.

The term “trick” is taken to include any lift, dip, drop, flare or other leverage move. A trick is defined as any movement that requires the support of the other partner to maintain it. This is regardless of whether the dancer’s feet remain on the floor or not. A maximum of five tricks are permitted in a routine. No more than two of these tricks may be lifts with the remaining three tricks requiring that both competitors maintain at least one foot on the floor at all times.

Competitors violating this rule will receive a 5 point deduction from their total score.
(All Divisions are allowed 5 tricks, only two lifts and three tricks with one foot on the floor)

Music
The music used by competitors for the couple and team divisions must be between 1:45 minutes and 2:00 minutes in length. The music used by competitors for the soloist and duo divisions must be between 1:15 minutes and 2:00 minutes in length. These music length limits include any optional entrance and/or exit music. Competitors need to send an MP3 file to wcldmusic@gmail.com by 10/26, exact time limit of your division. The DJ will not slow down or speed up music for any competitor.

Disclaimer
John and Liz Productions reserves the right for any photography or filming during the competition/event.
John and Liz Productions will not accept responsibility for loss or injury to persons or possessions in relation to this event.

Scoring Criteria
The following scoring criteria will be used for all divisions:
Timing: 30%
Presentation, Choreography, Musicality: 25%
Difficulty & Technique: 25%
Connection & Synchronization: 20%

Timing: Competitors can choose to break On 1 or On 2, but must maintain consistency for the duration of the routine. The direction of the break step can be either to the front or the back as long as the timing of the break is consistently maintained (i.e. either 1 and 5, or 2 and 6). The routine should show recognizable Salsa timing. Similarly, for Bachata divisions, the routine should show recognizable Bachata timing.
Presentation: You Will Be Judged By Your Overall Presentation. This includes costuming, showmanship, and also good sportsmanship.

Musicality: Dancers will demonstrate their ability to creatively work with the timing of their individual ways, including patterns, footwork, “hits”, tricks, etc.

Difficulty:
This is reflected by the difficulty of patterns and turns, the intricacy of shine movements, and the level of tricks. For example, how many turns were done (on one foot)? How intricate were the shines? What was the difficulty of the lift work? How many jumps, kicks, extensions were performed? Were there any movements requiring exceptional balance, flexibility or strength? In order to get credit for any of these things, the movement must be successfully executed.

Technique: This is reflected through balance, placement and line. This also refers to general technique for partner dance where the movement is “grounded” and there is clarity of proper weight change from foot to foot. Technique and/or body styling should be specific to Salsa (or Bachata) dance. Movement should appear to be both clear and effortless.

Choreography:
The interpretation of the music by the dancers. Good choreography should contain clever turn patterns and shines. All choreography should be musical, and dancers should show a good usage of the space itself. Originality is a factor here.

Connection: Connection is reflected in the lead/follow aspect of the dance. Coordination of movements between partners.

Synchronization: Synchronization refers to coordinated movements and timing among members of a team and couples during shines.

For more information, contact us or call 510-928-8535. Thanks and we hope to see you there!