TULSA SPRING SWING ‘10 RULES  
Rule Changes from 2009 are indicated in purple.  Updated March 17, 2010.
All changes made after January are indicated in blue.

Qualification for Classes

The Tulsa Spring Swing (TSS) dance event is an invitational event, open to all eligible contestants.  If you feel the rules do not accurately define your level of dancing due to extraordinary circumstance, you may petition to the Event Director or Head Judge to change your classification.

STRICTLY SWING CONTESTS

Dancing UP (or having danced up) a level in Strictly Swing does NOT penalize a dancer for Jack and Jill qualification.  Dancers may dance only ONE level above their Jack & Jill entry.  Dancers may NOT compete in a Strictly Swing contest below the level of their Jack & Jill entry.

Dancers may only enter one level of Strictly Swing.  Regarding age-defined contests, Masters and Juniors dancers may also dance in another division for which they are qualified.
Dancers may not dance with the same partner in a Strictly Swing and the Rising Star Classic contest.

    · Contestants: For Strictly Swing Divisions, all contestants must be at least 12 years old by April 1, 2010,  Dancers may one compete in only ONE (1) Strictly Swing  contest and must meet the requirements for the entered class (See below)  Exception:  Dancers may also compete in one Pro-Am Strictly Swing.
·  Swing Content: 85% traditional Swing Content.
·  Restrictions: No Lifts or Aerials allowed (weight-supported moves ARE allowed).
·  Format: All prelims will be run in Heats.  Finals may be Heated or Spotlight.
·  Costumes: Costumes are not allowed, but matching colors and complimentary attire are encouraged.
·  Choreography: Spontaneous choreography is expected. Pre-arranged choreography will be penalized at the discretion of the judges.
·  Time/Music: Dancers will dance approximately to music provided by TSS, which will be approximately 105-120 bpm. Finalists will dance to 2 different songs provided by TSS—one slow and one fast, which will be approximately 90-110 and 116-130 bpm. The music will be selected at random and the couples will have no prior music information.

Newcomer – You must have never danced above the lowest division offered at any Invitational Swing Dance contest—Jack & Jills are NOT excluded. You may not have danced at more than 4 events as a newcomer in any couples contest, in any style of dance.  You must have never placed 1st in any Newcomer contest at any Invitational Swing Dance Contest more than 2 times.  You may have never made finals in any Novice contest at any Invitational Swing Dance Contest.  You must not teach any style of partner dance on a regular basis for money.

Juniors - All dancers must be between the ages of 8 and 18 years of age.  You may NOT dance Juniors if you qualify as Intermediate or higher.  

Novice - You must have never danced Intermediate, Advanced (or the equivalent of either), or any higher class level at any Invitational Swing Dance contest.   (Jack & Jills are NOT excluded.)  You must not teach any style of partner dancing as your primary source of income.

Intermediate - You must have never danced Advanced, Open (or higher Class), in NASDE  Classic, NASDE Showcase, NASDE Strictly Swing/Just Dance style or equivalent categories, or as a Pro in a Pro-Am, in any style of dance.  (Jack & Jills are NOT excluded.)   (Dancers who have danced as a Pro in a Pro-Am at an invitational Swing event and have not placed in the top half in more than 7 years, OR have danced as a Pro in the beginner levels of a country Pro-Am  may request an exception to dance in this contest.)

Masters - All dancers must be a minimum age of 50 years by April 9, 2009.

open -  All contestants may dance in this Class.

NEW!! TANDEM STRICTLY SWING - 3 partners…
...1 Novice Required, 1 Advanced Max
........4 Possible Combinations: (3 Novice),(2 Nov-1 Adv),(1 Nov-2 Int),(1 Nov-1 Int-1 Adv)
...At least 1 Female Required, at least 1 Male Required
...Traditional & Recognizable Lead/Follow Swing Content Required! Costumes ARE allowed.
...Tricks ARE allowed--NO LIFTS.
...Heated or Spotlight format may be used, at event director discretion.

PRO-AM STRICTLY SWING

8 Contests:
Female Pro Follow-Male Leader (Nov & Int)      
Female Pro Lead- Female Follower (Nov & Int) 
Male Pro Lead-Female Follower (Nov & Int)
Male Pro Follow- Male Leader (Nov & Int)

For Pro-Am Strictly Swing, all competitors must be at least 12 years old by April 1, 2010. 

Ams may dance with a both a male and female pro. Males may lead both a Female and Male pro.  Females may follow both a Male and Female pro. The judging emphasis is placed on the Am’s execution of the judges’ criteria.   The contests are limited to those below.

Pros may dance as a leader and/or follower, and are limited to 4 Ams per contest, not to exceed a total of 12 Ams for all contests.  (Pros may dance with the same am in both the Mixed Pro-Am and Pro-Am Strictly Swing Contest.) 

2nd win limit - If a Pro-Am Couple has placed first 2 times at Tulsa Spring Swing, the am may enter the contest, however must dance with a different pro.
· Pro - A Pro is considered to be an Advanced or Professional level dancer.
· Am - An “Am” in the Pro-Am contests must qualify in the Newcomer, Novice or Intermediate class.

JACK & JILL CONTESTS

For Jack & Jill Divisions, all contestants must be at least 12 years old by April 1, 2010.  Dancers may only enter one level of Jack & Jill.  Regarding age-defined contests, Masters and Juniors dancers may also dance in another division for which they are qualified.

·   All contestants must meet the World Swing Dance Council minimum points and wins requirement for the contest they enter.  Dancing UP (or having danced up) a level in Strictly Swing does NOT qualify a dancer to compete at that same level in Jack & Jill--the WSDC guidelines and the additional TSS ceiling restrictions will be used for Jack & Jill qualification.  (See WSDC Points Registry at: http://www.swingdancecouncil.com) 

·  The WSDC points registry will be used for all point verifications, and will be available at the event.  Dancers may petition to the  Head Judge to dance up or down a level prior to the competitor’s meeting.  Registration in the inappropriate class could result in not dancing in any contest.
·  Swing Content: 85% traditional Swing Dance.
·  Restrictions: No Lifts or Aerials allowed (weight-supported moves ARE allowed).
·  Format: All prelims will be run in Heats.  Finals may be Heated or Spotlight.
·  Choreography: Spontaneous choreography is expected. Pre-arranged choreography will be penalized at the discretion of the judges.
·  Time/Music: Dancers will dance approximately to music provided by TSS, which will be approximately 105-120 bpm. Finalists will dance to 2 different songs provided by TSS—one slow and one fast, which will be approximately 90-110 and 116-130 bpm. The music will be selected at random and the couples will have no prior music information.

Newcomer - Dancers who have not competed above the lowest division offered at an invitational event are qualified for the Newcomer level--Strictly Swings ARE excluded.  You may NOT dance Newcomer if you have competed at more than 4 events in any couples contest, in any style of dance. You may NOT dance Newcomer if you have: 1 or more Novice points; more than 20 newcomer points; or have placed 1st two or more times in any Jack & Jill, regardless of level or division.

Novice - You may NOT dance Novice if you:
1.   Have earned more than 35 Novice points within the last 5 years with any 1st place wins.
2.   Have earned more than 45 Novice points, regardless of wins.
3.   Have placed 1st in two or more Novice Jack & Jill contests within the last 5 years, regardless of points.
4.   Have earned more than 25 Novice points within the last 5 years and placed 1st place in any NADSE-sanctioned event Jack & Jill.

Masters - All dancers must be a minimum age of 50 years by April 1, 2010. Masters dancers may also dance in another division for which they are qualified.

Juniors - All dancers must be between 8 and 18 years of age by April 1, 2010.  You may NOT dance Juniors if you qualify as Intermediate or higher. Juniors dancers may also dance in another division for which they are qualified.

Intermediate - You must have earned at least 20 Novice points.   You may NOT dance Intermediate if you:
1.   Have earned more than 40 Intermediate points within the last 5 years with any 1st place wins.
2.   Have earned more than 50 Intermediate points, regardless of wins.
3.   Have placed 1st in two or more Intermediate Jack & Jill contests within the last 5 years, regardless of points.
4.   Have earned more than 30 Intermediate points within the last 5 years and won 1st place in any NADSE-sanctioned event Jack & Jill.

OPEN -  You must have earned at least 25 Intermediate points or qualify as an Advanced or Higher dancer.

MIXED PRO-AM ROUTINE

    ·  Contestants: Ams must meet the requirements for a Newcomer, Novice or Intermediate dancer. (See Qualification for Strictly Swing Contests)  Pros may dance with a maximum of 3 ams in this contest (only the highest placement points will count toward "Top Pro").  (Pros may dance with the same am in both the Mixed Pro-Am and Pro-Am Strictly Swing Contest.) 
· 2nd win limit - If a Pro-Am Couple has placed first 2 times at Tulsa Spring Swing, the am may enter the contest, however must dance with a different pro.
·  Swing Content: 65% traditional Swing Content.
·  Restrictions: A maximum of 5 partner weight support moves (lifts and/or drops) is allowed, but not require.  No Aerials allowed.
·  Costumes:  Costumes are strongly encouraged, as a portion of the "showmanship" score.
·  Choreography: Pre-Choreographed routines are required.
·  Format: All couples will dance Spotlight and will draw for order at the dancer's meeting.
·  Time/Music: Contestants will dance 2 to 3 minutes and must provide their own music on a CD, preferably with a single track.  Time (and judging) begins with first choreographed movement (with or without music) and ends when movement ends (with or without music).
·  Judging: The judging emphasis is placed on the Am’s execution of the judges’ criteria.

RISING STAR ROUTINE

    ·  Contestants: Dancers may not dance with the same partner in a Strictly Swing and the Rising Star Classic contest.  You must have never danced in NASDE Classic, NASDE Showcase, NASDE Strictly Swing, or as a Pro in a Pro-Am, in any style of dance. You may have never made finals or placed in All-Star, Pro or Champion WSDC Jack & Jill.
·  Swing Content: 65% traditional Swing Content.
·  Restrictions: A maximum of 5 partner weight support moves (lifts and/or drops) is allowed, but not require.  No Aerials allowed. 
·  Costumes:  Costumes are strongly encouraged, as a portion of the "showmanship" score.
·  Choreography: Pre-Choreographed routines are required.
·  Format: All couples will dance Spotlight and will draw for order at the dancer's meeting.
·  Time/Music: Contestants will dance 2 to 3 minutes and must provide their own music on a CD, preferably with a single track.  Time (and judging) begins with first choreographed movement (with or without music) and ends when movement ends (with or without music).

gENERAL Information

Weekend Pass: All Contestants must purchase a Weekend Pass with the entry form, or provide verification of previous purchase.
NO Refunds:  NO REFUNDS on Weekend, Day Passes, Dances or Contest Fees. 
Weekend Passes may be transferred upon request made prior to 4 days before the event begins.
Entry Deadline:  You may pre-register by mail or sign up at the Event Registration desk.  You must sign up no later than the posted cut-off time. Each entry must be accompanied by the entry fee. 
EArly Bird Discount Entries: Discounted entries must be submitted and postmarked no later than the appropriate “early bird” date to:  TSS Registration, 6308 South Birch Ave, Broken Arrow, OK 74011. Entrants that have not paid the appropriate amount will be held for full payment.
Competitors Meetings: POSTED Competitors Meetings are MANDATORY. At least one (1) contestant from each entry must attend the Competitors Meeting.  See the Final contest schedule for the assigned meeting times. NO PROXIES ALLOWED. 
Music: The Mixed Pro-Am contestants must turn in their music (on a standard music CD) at the Competitors Meeting.
Contest Limits: There is no limit to the number of entries to any contest with the exception of deadline regulations.  If there are fewer than three (3) couples in any division, TSS reserves the right to combine or cancel that division.  TSS reserves the right to run any or all preliminary or final contests in a heated or spotlight format.
Partners: All contestants will be traditional (male/female, lead/follow) couples (Exception: see "Pro-Am Strictly Swing.") Dancers may compete in multiple swing contests, during the weekend, however may not enter with the same partner in more than one contest.  (Exception: An Am may dance with the same Pro in both the Strictly Swing and Routine contests.)
Sportsmanlike Conduct:  A supportive and positive attitude toward competitors and all officials is expected of all dancers, but especially from competitors.  Unsportsmanlike conduct or harassment of other individuals may be cause for disqualification or event suspension.

Definitions

Drop:  A partner weight support move where one partner supports partial weight of the other, with the head below the waist.
Lift:  A partner weight support move where one partner supports the weight of the other, with both feet off the ground.
Aerial:  Any lift where partners break connection in the air.
Costumes: Attire that is specifically designed or created for a couple’s dance contest and would not generally be worn on the social dance floor.
Swing Content: The portion of dancing comprised of recognizable swing moves or patterns. Apart dancing, lifts, drops, aerials, and other non-swing moves, even if originated from Swing moves, are not considered swing content.  This is a Swing Dance Competition and all recognized swing styles are allowed, including Whip, Push, West Coast Swing, Shag, Lindy Hop, Imperial, Swingout, Jitterbug, Steppers and others.

For questions or clarification on rules, email Jeanne.DeGeyter@cox.net
www.TulsaSpringSwing.com