Competitions

Prizes

Each division awards 1 or 2 tickets (full festival passes) to partner Latin dance festivals across Asia. Expand 'Where this sends you' on any placement for more information about the destinations, host cities, and travel dates.

Festival passes are non-transferable and do not include flights or accommodation unless stated otherwise.

Format

Partners are drawn at random (Jack & Jill). Enter on your own and register as a Leader or a Follower — you do not bring a partner, and you cannot choose one.

The emcee draws the pairings at random. Everyone dances with at least two or three different partners in the preliminaries, roughly 60–90 seconds per rotation, cut by the DJ.

Judging follows West Coast Swing (Jack & Jill) standards applied to Bachata. Leads and Follows are scored separately in every heat, never as a couple.

Divisions

Open Level — Different Gender: partners are randomly rotated between Leads and Follows.

Open Level — Same Gender: register as a Leader or a Follower regardless of gender, and partners are randomly rotated within your role. Both divisions are open level, with no restriction by years dancing.

Schedule

Preliminary — Different Gender: Fri 6 Nov, 17:30–18:30

Preliminary — Same Gender: Sat 7 Nov, 17:30–18:30

Final — Different Gender: Sun 8 Nov, 17:30–18:00

Final — Same Gender: Sun 8 Nov, 18:00–18:30

Results, both divisions: Sun 8 Nov, 21:30

Who can enter

You must not be a complete beginner. This is strictly enforced for safety on a wet pool deck. Everything else is open level, with no restriction by years dancing.

This one is for social dancers. You can enter if you social dance Bachata regularly and are not contracted to teach Bachata workshops at the festival for payment — teaching locally is fine.

Paid festival artists and performers, and the organisers, staff and judges of this competition, cannot enter.

One entry per person, per division. You confirm your eligibility by signed declaration at sign-up, and the organisers may decline, reassign or disqualify an entry that does not meet these criteria.

How you are judged

Four criteria: Connection, Timing & Musicality, Technique, and Entertainment with Safe & Fun — floorcraft, natural styling, and no forcing complex patterns, dips or aerials on someone you have just met.

Relative placement, not points. In each heat every judge ranks all Leads best to last, and ranks all Follows separately.

Roughly the top half of Leads and the top half of Follows advance to the finals, on combined judge rankings across all prelim heats rather than a single song. Finalists are re-paired with two or three different partners under the same random rotation.

Ties are broken on Technique first, then Connection; if still tied, the judges re-rank the tied dancers directly. A popular vote may be added in the finals only, to settle close placements.

Dress code and footwear

This is danced on a pool deck, so grip matters more than style. Barefoot is fine, as are flat non-marking water shoes or sandals with a secure strap. No flip-flops — they come off in turns.

Suede and leather-soled dance shoes are not allowed: they lose all grip on a wet deck. Clean, non-marking rubber or foam soles are fine. Heels are strongly discouraged, and if worn need secure ankle straps and rubber tips.

Swimwear, cover-ups and quick-dry activewear are all welcome. this is a pool party, not a ballroom. Avoid loose flowing fabric, long fringe or trailing skirts that soak up water or catch on a partner. Tie your hair back and take off dangling jewellery and watches.

Rub sunscreen in fully and let it dry before you dance — greasy hands and arms wreck the connection. Organisers may ask you to change footwear or adjust costume before a heat if it is unsafe on the deck; that is a safety call and does not affect your score. No costume change is needed between prelims and finals.

On the day

Check in at the competition desk at least 30 minutes before the published start time. Late arrivals may be moved to a later heat or withdrawn.

You need a valid multi-day pass to compete, in addition to your entry — day passes do not qualify.

Photography and video are permitted throughout. By entering you agree to appear in event coverage.