Big Apple Contest

This competition is FREE to enter and goes straight to finals

• You will dance with your partner in a big circle with all the other competitors, facing inwards.
• The caller will call moves from the original Big Apple Contest repertoire and you must perform them with your partner until the caller calls another move
• You will do this for two rounds – depending on number of competitors you may be tapped out after the first round
• You will be judged as a couple, with consensus formed from the judges (no judging sheets)
• There is only one winning couple who will be announced on the spot!

Longest Heel Slide Contest

This competition is FREE to enter and goes straight to finals

• Competitors take it in turns to run up and slide across the floor on their heels
• The slide length is measured from a fixed Start Line until the last moment that you were sliding on your heels
• If you slide or roll over on the floor your slide is only measured until the last part you were sliding on your heels
• If you pass over the Start Line during your run up you will have to take a slide again. This is a fault
• If you make too many faults you may be disqualified!
• Every competitor has at least two slide attempts in the first round
• The crowd and the MC will decide who the longest slide competitors will be to go to the final rounds
• There is only one winner who will be announced on the spot!

Jedi Mix & Match

SHOWCASES

Prelims:

All competitors will take part in the preliminary round.

Heats 1 and 2:

• Wait for your showcase name to be called for your heat
• You will dance your entire 60 second routine
• You can dance any vintage style – solo jazz, lindy hop, Charleston, Collegiate/St Louis Shag, Balboa, Blues…

We will post the results on Facebook and on the front desk as soon as we have the information ready and processed from the judges.

Finals:

• You will dance your entire 60 second routine
• Winners will be announced the same night as the competition at the end of the night

SOLO

Prelims:

All competitors will take part in the preliminary round.

Heats 1 and 2:

• Wait for your name to be called for your heat
• You will dance for approximately a minute and a half to three different songs of increasing tempo.
• You will be judged as an individual dancer

We will post the results on Facebook and on the front desk as soon as we have the information ready and processed from the judges.

Finals:

• You will dance in two spotlights – 16x8s the first time and 8x8s the second time straight into all skate
• Each spotlight will have one person dancing at a time
• There will be no warm up song
• You will be judged as an individual dancer
• Winners will be announced the same night as the competition at the end of the night

Up & Comers Strictly Lindy

This competition goes straight to finals

• You will dance for one or two songs with your partner in an all skate format – everyone on the dance floor at the same time
• You will be judged as a couple
• Winners will be announced the same night as the competition at the end of the night

Rising Star Strictly and All Star Strictly

Prelims:

All competitors will take part in the preliminary round.

Heats 1 and 2:

• Wait for your names to be called for your heat
• You will dance for approximately a minute and a half to three different songs of increasing tempo.
• You will be judged as a couple

We will post the results on Facebook and on the front desk as soon as we have the information ready and processed from the judges.

Finals:

Between 5 and 7 couples will be invited to the finals depending on number of entries and at the judges’ discretion.

• You will dance with your partner in two spotlights – 16x8s the first time, 8x8s the second time
• There will be a final all skate
• Each spotlight will have one couple dancing at a time
• There will be no warm up song
• You will be judged as a couple
• Winners will be announced the same night as the competition at the end of the night

Invitational Strictly

This competition is straight to finals

• Every couple will dance to a short song (no spotlights)
• Every individual competitor will judge every other couple excluding themselves (no collaborating with your partner for opinions!)
• There will be a final all skate at fast tempo for everyone to swing out! Competitors are not expected to judge this 🙂
• Winners will be announced the same night as the competition at the end of the night

Balboa Strictly

This competition is straight to finals

• You will dance with your partner in two spotlights – 16x8s the first time, 8x8s the second time straight into all skate
• Each spotlight will have one couple dancing at a time
• There will be no warm up song
• You will be judged as a couple
• Winners will be announced the same night as the competition at the end of the night

Shag Strictly

This competition is straight to finals

• You will dance with your partner in two spotlights – 16x8s the first time, 8x8s the second time straight into all skate
• Each spotlight will have one couple dancing at a time
• There will be no warm up song
• You will be judged as a couple
• Winners will be announced the same night as the competition at the end of the night

Blues Strictly

This competition is straight to finals

• You will dance with your partner in two spotlights – 6 x 8 in both rounds with an all skate at the end of the second song
• Each spotlight will have one couple dancing at a time
• There will be no warm up song
• You will be judged as a couple
• Winners will be announced the same night as the competition at the end of the night

Fast & Furious

Prelims:

All competitors will take part in the preliminary round.

Heats 1 and 2:

• Wait for your names to be called for your heat
• You will dance for approximately a minute to three different songs of increasing tempo.
• You will be judged as a couple
• You can dance any vintage style – lindy hop, Charleston, Collegiate/St Louis Shag, Balboa… as long as you dance with your partner

We will post the results on Facebook and on the front desk as soon as we have the information ready and processed from the judges.

Finals:

• You will dance with your partner in two spotlights – 16x8s the first time, 8x8s the second time straight into all skate
• Each spotlight will have one couple dancing at a time
• There will be no warm up song
• You will be judged as a couple
• Winners will be announced the same night as the competition at the end of the night

The Big Apple was a dance craze originating in South Carolina that was popular in Harlem and throughout the United States in the late 1930s. It was a called social dance that was done with a partner, with regional variations of moves as well as fun and silly moves that came in from popular culture.

The Big Apple starts with everyone standing in a circle holding hands. Tap your right foot in the middle three times on the 1 3 5 and everyone shouts ‘Swing Out’ on the 7!

The caller then calls moves for the dancers to dance with their partner, with all moves being fairly simple and inclusive to all levels. Some moves are similar to Charleston, Shag and are danced in solo jazz and Lindy Hop.

In some Big Apple dances the caller can invite couples into the centre for a ‘shine’ – this is a moment for the couple to do a solo, either something they’ve prepared or made up on the spot. Couples who dance together a lot might have prepared something quite elaborate! During the shines the other dancers will do a simple step and keep time round the outside of the circle.

The traditional ending to the Big Apple is a move called ‘Praise Allah’ or ‘Hallelujah’ – everyone runs into the centre and throws their hands in the air shouting ‘hallelujah!’.

You can find out more about the origins and history of the Big Apple dance on a variety of sites, with a few great notes about moves and clips for inspiration!

Teachers at Rock That Swing Festival 2013 do the Big Apple with steps called by the MC!

The Big Apple Routine danced today was made famous by the film Keep Punchin’ from 1939 and was choreographed by Frankie Manning. He hadn’t seen the Big Apple dance craze and simply designed the routine based on a telegram! Although many of the moves from this routine are danced in the Big Apple dance, they would have been danced to songs of a slower tempo which make it easier for everyone to join in as well as easier to hear the call and respond with a move.

Join us on the Friday night before the party for a free lesson on some classic moves from the Big Apple! We’ll be holding the Big Apple Contest that same night and it’s free to enter. Simply find a partner and jump in!

The All Important RULES!

1. You must have entry to the parties in order to be able to compete. This means that you will need to purchase either a Ballroom pass or a Party pass for the night the comp you are entering to be able to compete.
2. To enter the Up and Comers Strictly you must have started dancing swing from 1st August 2018 or 12 months in total.
3. You can enter the Rising Star Showcase if you have never placed in a competition of any kind before.
4. If you are entering a solo routine in the Showcase but you have placed in a Lindy Hop competition you will need to enter the All Star Showcase and vise versa.
5. You can choose Rising Star if you have never placed in a partnered Lindy Hop competition before, including Strictly, Mix and Match or a partnered couple or team Showcase. You can enter this division if you placed in Up & Comers in 2018.
6. You have to choose the All Star division if you placed 1st, 2nd or 3rd in the Rising Star Strictly or Mix and Match the previous year.
7. If you’ve placed in any Strictly, Mix and Match Lindy Hop or partnered couple or team Showcase competition you need to compete in All Star (or invitational as appropriate)
8. If you’ve placed in any Solo or Solo Showcase competition you can compete in whichever level partnered division you prefer if none of the above rules apply to you
9. If you are a teacher of Lindy Hop or are a Troupe member who has never placed in any competition as per the above rules as an individual or as a team member you can compete in whichever level partnered lindy hop division you prefer.
10. You are invited into invitational if you are a judge, invited by the organisers, if you placed in All Star Strictly or Mix and Match previous year or Fast and Furious 1st place.
11. If you don’t place in invitational this year you can compete in all star following year, unless you’re invited again.
12. Invitational contestants will judge each other.
13. Judges can compete in any invitational competitions as well as in the following competitions: All Star 60s Showcase, Heel Slide, Trio Challenge. They can also compete in Shag, Blues, Balboa depending on their background and specialism
14. The criteria for ‘placing in a competition’ includes any regional, international or semi-informal lindy hop competition.