Rules & Regulations
The Golden Star Dancesport Championships is conducted under the Rules and Regulations Governing Competitions and Championships recognized by the National Dance Council of America, Inc. (NDCA).
The following rules shall also apply:
1. No entry will be accepted without payment in full. For studio entries, include only one payment with the entry forms. Payment at the competition must be made by cash, bank check, money order, or credit card. Payments in advance may be paid with personal checks, studio checks, or credit card. Credit Card transactions will be subject to a 4% admin fee. Entries received after the final deadline of January 19th will be charged a $100 late fee.
2. Dancers who submit cancellations due to injury or illness in writing up to two weeks prior to the competition shall receive a full refund no later than 30 days after the event. Dancers who submit cancellations in writing up to one week prior to the competition shall receive a full credit towards next year’s Golden Star Dancesport Championships. Entries canceled on or after within one week of the competition are non-refundable and may not be substituted for other entries. All general admission and reserved tickets are non-refundable.
3. The Golden Star Dancesport Championships, their affiliate corporations, the organizers, Mark Nocera, Aigars Stolcers, their employees, personal representatives, affiliates, associates, assigns, heirs, and next of kin, the National Dance Council of America Inc. (NDCA), and the World Dance Council (WDC) will accept no responsibility for loss or theft of articles left in changing rooms, performance areas or seating areas. They will also not be held liable for injuries including but not limited to COVID-19 sustained by persons attending this event. Everyone attending does so at their own risk.
4. All persons attending this event, whether as spectators, competitors, officials or guests of the organizers, shall be bound by the National Dance Council of America’s Rules and Regulations, and by participating in this event, they automatically become obliged to adhere to them. The Organizers reserve the right to refuse admittance into the ballroom and/or entry in a competitive event to those who do not comply.
5. The video taping of any event at the Golden Star Dancesport Championships is prohibited except for the official video company as designated by the Organizers.
6. Entrants consent to the use and release of their names and likenesses to be used in photographs, video streaming, television filming, and recording of the event for television broadcast or promotion of the event in any manner and by any means, now or in the future.
7. All competitors must be registered with the NDCA or their country’s WDC affiliated national organization.
8. The Organizers reserve the right to combine, cancel or halve the prize money for any Professional, Amateur, or Pro/Am event with 3 couples or less. In the event of a cancellation, competitors will be duly notified in advance of such cancellation.
9. Registration into Pro/Am Scholarships requires a minimum of one round of Single Dances equivalent to the number of dances in each Scholarship entered. For example, registration into two 5-Dance Scholarships requires a minimum of ten Single Dances. Registration into Pro/Am Multi-Dances & Championships requires a minimum of one round of Single Dances regardless of how many Multi-Dances and Championships are entered. For example, one round of Single Dances is required to enter one, two, three etc. Multi-Dances or Championships.
10. Pro/Am and Mixed Amateur Single Dances are divided into Leaders’ and Followers’ events. All Pro/Am & Mixed Amateur Multi-Dances, Championships, Scholarship Championships, and World Dancesport Series events are combined leader and follower events except for the additional Gentlemen’s Only Championships.
11. Student/Student competitors are Pro/Am competitors who dance as a couple during the Pro/Am Single Dance sessions.
12. Mixed Amateur events are also known as Teacher/Student events in which the Teacher is a registered Amateur competitor. Only the Student will be judged during these events.
13. Pro/Am dancers registered in Proficiency events shall receive a composite judges’ score. They will not be judged against other couples.
14. No couple is exempt from competing in any round of any event. Any couple that fails to appear for the first round of an event will be disqualified.
15. Solo Exhibitions are limited to 3 minutes in length. Dancers must submit their music in advance via email, download, or USB flash drive.
16. Competitors dancing in Syllabus events may only dance Bronze, Silver or Gold syllabus figures from the official NDCA syllabus or the approved syllabi of NDCA member organizations.
17. Should any point arise which is not covered in the Rules and Regulations Governing Competitions and Championships recognized by the NDCA or in these additional rules, the Dance Rules Committee and/or the Organizers shall have the final say.
PROFESSIONAL DIVISIONS
All professionals must be registered with the NDCA. Overseas professional dancers must be registered with their country’s WDC affiliated professional organization. Please contact the NDCA directly for more information regarding professional registration.
AMATEUR DIVISIONS
Youth Amateur Age Divisions:
Teddy Bear: Competitors who are 7 years old and younger. May dance up one age classification to the “Pre-Teen 1” category.
Pre-Teen 1: Competitors who are 9 years old and younger. May dance up one age classification to the “Pre-Teen 2” category.
Pre-Teen 2: Competitors who are 10 or 11 years old. May dance up one age classification to the “Junior 1” category.
Junior 1: Competitors who are 12 or 13 years old. May dance up one age classification to the “Junior 2” category.
Junior 2: Competitors who are 14 or 15 years old. May dance up one age classification to the “Youth” category.
Youth: Competitors who are 16, 17 or 18 years old. Youth competitors may concurrently dance up one age classification to the Adult category, or in the case of a Championship level Ballroom, Latin, or Smooth event, the Under 21 category.
Under 21: On the day of the competition, at least one of the partners has reached their 16th birthday, and neither member of the partnership has reached their 21st birthday. The only Under 21 events offered are Championship Level Ballroom, Latin, and Smooth.
Amateur Adult Age Divisions:
Adult A: Competitors who are 19 years and older.
Senior I - One partner must have reached his or her 35th birthday or greater and the other partner must have reached his or her 30th birthday or greater.
Senior II - One partner must have reached his or her 45th birthday or greater and the other partner must have reached his or her 40th birthday or greater.
Senior III: One partner must have reached his or her 55th birthday or greater and the other partner must have reached his or her 50th birthday or greater.
Senior IV: One partner must have reached his or her 65th birthday or greater and the other partner must have reached his or her 60th birthday or greater.
Rules for dress and/or costuming for Pre-Teen, Junior, Youth & Adult competitors must be followed as outlined in the NDCA rulebook.