All US competing Professionals and Amateurs must be currently registered with the National Dance Council of America (NDCA). Proof of registration will be required. Registration forms will be available at the competition or may be requested by mail or go to www.ndca.org to register online.
All individuals attending this event, whether as spectators, competitors, officials or guests of the organizers, shall be bound by the NDCA and Desert Classic rules, and by participating in this event automatically become obliged to adhere to them.
No responsibility for loss or theft of articles left in changing rooms, ballrooms, or hotel rooms can be accepted by the Organizers, or by the NDCA and neither can they be held liable for injury sustained by persons attending this event. Everyone attending does so at his/her own risk.
No private photography, videotaping or filming of Desert Classic Dancesport Championships (“Desert Classic”) events is permitted without the specific written consent of the organizers. A professional videographer and photographer will be on hand to record your dancing. Video recordings and photos of events will be made available for purchase.
A $25 video pass is available for youth events during the Sunday Matinee only
The Desert Classic will not be held liable for any personal charges made at the hotel. All participants must pay their own personal charges, room service, etc.
The Chairman of Judges shall be the sole arbitrator on decisions concerning ties, or any problem in scoring. The decision of the Chairman of Judges shall be final. No judge shall be harassed or questioned by the competitors about the reasons for the markings.
Any judge, competitor or official who acts in an unsportsmanlike manner that reflects poorly on the sport/art of dancing is subject to disciplinary action by the NDCA.
THERE IS NO SMOKING ALLOWED IN THE BALLROOM OR CHANGING ROOMS.
All event time schedules are approximate and are subject to change. For student events, professionals, their students and music (if applicable) are required to be in the ballroom and ready to perform at least 30 minutes prior to any published time schedules.
n all competitive events, where there are less than 3 entries in a category, the organizers reserve the right to eliminate Age and Sex divisions and combine categories. The organizer also reserves the right to cancel any Scholarship events where there are less than 3 entries.
Dress Code:
Pre-Teen: The NDCA changed the regulations regarding costuming for pre-teen competitors effective January 1, 2008. Please visit http://www.ndca.org/rules-and-results/ndca-rule-book and click on Rules & Policies for more information. Dress and/or costuming for Junior, Youth & Adult. You must adhere to NDCA costuming requirements. Inappropriate costuming will be grounds for disqualification. For rules and regulations, you may visit the NDCA at www.ndca.org.
Spectator Attire: Please help us maintain an elegant atmosphere in the ballroom. With competitors in beautiful gowns and suits, we request you maintain the spirit of our event when considering your attire. (1) Daytime: Dressy casual and resort wear. No shorts please. Shirt required. (2) Evening: Formal, semi-formal or cocktail attire for both men and women.
Dance Categories:
[table]Newcomer |Pre Bronze |Pre Silver |Pre Gold |Advanced
|Int. Bronze |Int. Silver |Int. Gold|
|Full Bronze |Full Silver |Full Gold|
|Rising Star Bronze |Rising Star Silver |Rising Star Gold|
|Open Int. Bronze |Open Int. Silver |Open Int Gold|
|Open Full Bronze |Open Full Silver |Open Full Gold|
|Open Rising Star Bronze |Open Rising Star Silver |Open Rising Star Gold|[/table]
Students may enter at any level of dance and THREE higher in any one style of dance. Students may enter in completely different dance levels in the American style between Smooth and Rhythm and in the International Style between Ballroom and Latin.
Age Divisions:
The age of the Amateur or Student is the only consideration. Pre-Teen, Junior and Youth competitors may dance up one age classification.
Pro/Am One-Dance Age Classifications:
[table]7 & under |PT1 (9 & under) |JR1 (12-13) |A (16-30) |B1 (51-60) |C1 (71-80)
Youth (16-18) |PT2 (10-11) |JR2 (14-15) |A1 (31-40) |B2 (61-70) |C2 (81+)
|||A2 (41-50)||[/table]
Pro/Am Scholarships:
[table]Closed Scholarships: |A (16+) |B (46+) |C (51-60)|
Open Scholarships: |A (16-35) |B (36-50) |C (51-60) |S (61+)[/table]
Pro/Am Scholarship Events:
To qualify for the scholarship events, a student must be entered in a minimum of five (5) Single Dance, Solo, or Pro/Am One- Dance competitions PER SCHOLARSHIP EVENT ENTERED.
Scholarships are unisex competitions for Pro/Am adults only.
Please note that Multi-Dance categories do not fulfill the 5-dance requirement noted above. Closed Scholarship candidates must stay within the Bronze & Silver Syllabus. Open Scholarship candidates may dance open figures. A panel of invigilators will be used for all restricted categories (closed divisions). The categories will be strictly supervised and competitors committing infractions may be disqualified.
Solo Exhibitions:
No Solo Exhibition is to exceed two minutes and forty-five seconds (2:45). Music must be on individual CD and must be submitted at least 30 minutes prior to dancing the solo event. Critique/Score Sheets will be given on Solo Exhibitions only.
Cancellation/Refund Policy:
The deadline for all requests for changes or cancellations must be made in writing on or before 15 days prior to the date the competition commences after which there will be no refunds. Refunds will be made 30 days following the completion of the competition. Any such refund is subject to a $50 processing fee due to processing costs incurred by the organizers. In addition, any direct costs incurred by the Organizers from third parties (e.g. hotel and meal) will be deducted from any refund given. For all cancellations received after the deadline, at the Organizers sole discretion, credit may be given toward the following year’s event. ALL ADMISSION TICKET SALES ARE FINAL, NON-EXCHANGEABLE AND NON-REFUNDABLE.
No substitutions will be allowed for entry cancellations at the event. Entries received after the date published on entry forms, if accepted, are subject to a $5 (each entry) late fee.
Payment:
Payment can be made either by personal check, cashier’s check, money order, cash or credit card. Personal checks will only be accepted up to the entry deadline published on entry forms. FUNDS MUST ACCOMPANY ENTRY FORM. DEADLINE FOR ENTRIES: June 10, 2025.
Entries received after the deadline, if accepted, are subject to a $5 (each entry) late fee.
Top Teacher Qualifications:
Must have a minimum of 40 Pro/Am entries
For 1st, 2nd and 3rd places, the teacher must have a minimum of 200, 150 & 125 Pro/Am entries respectively.
All dances must be danced to qualify for top teacher points which include qualification for Pro/Am DanceSport Series entries.
Calculation of Entries: Each single dance counts as 1 entry. Multi-dance events count as 2 entries. Closed scholarship events count as 2 entries. Open scholarship events count as 3 entries.
Placement Points to Teachers for each Pro/Am or Student/Student Entry: **
| Entries | Adult Single, 2 or 3 Dance Entry | Pro/Am Multi 4 or 5 Dance |
| For each 1st Place | 8 points | 16 points |
| For each 2nd Place | 7 points | 14 points |
| For each 3rd Place | 6 points | 12 points |
| For each 4th Place | 5 points | 10 points |
| For each 5th Place | 4 points | 8 points |
| For each 6th Place | 3 points | 6 points |
| For each 7th Place | 2 points | 4 points |
| For each 8th Place | 1 point | 2 points |
| For each and every recall from preliminary rounds | 3 points | 5 points |
| Each entry | 1 point | 3 points |
**If a placement is in an uncontested division, the points remain the same. Pre-teen, junior and youth entries receive entry points only, no placement points.