Unique dance contest in city

The 2nd Maharashtra Open DanceSport Championship 2010 will be held in the city this Sunday. The sport, a form of competitive dancing, is still relatively new. It was included as a medal event in the Asian Games only recently, and still awaits inclusion in the Olympics.

The 2nd Maharashtra Open DanceSport Championship 2010 will be held in the city this Sunday. The sport, a form of competitive dancing, is still relatively new. It was included as a medal event in the Asian Games only recently, and still awaits inclusion in the Olympics.

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Shannon Benjamin, co-founder of DanceSport India says, “This year, we will see participation from over 50 couples from all age groups, compared to 30 that competed last year.” Couples will represent the districts they hail from. The winners will get opportunities to participate in similar events at the national and international level.

The competition will compromise of mainly Latin American and Ballroom dance forms. Contestants can choose from rumba, cha cha, samba, jive and waltz, among other forms of dance. Each category is also characterized by three grades of difficulty — beginners, pre-novice and novice.

Performances last 1.5 minutes, but jive performances last one minute. A panel of five judges score the performances and focus on floor craft, balance, strength, presentation and execution of each figure, musicality and rhythm.

“Our aim is to give participants exposure through this championship. They shouldn’t be content with competing at state and national level. Being a new sport, they can even win medals at the international level,” says co-founder Priti Gupta.