JHU Ballroom Student Guide · Stage 2 of 6
Practice & preparation
Building Routines & Practicing for Your First Competition
Preparing for your first competition gives you and your partner a chance to put what you have been learning into practice. We can help you choose material, build a routine that works for both of you, and make the most of your practice time.
Start with the material you know
Talk with Amanda & Corey about the dances you have entered and the figures you have been learning in class. We can help you choose a manageable sequence and check that the material fits your competition’s syllabus.
Choose figures that you both feel comfortable practicing. Familiar steps give you room to work on timing, balance, and connection as you become more confident dancing together. If a transition keeps causing trouble, bring it to us so we can help you work through it or find another option.
Agree on how you will begin each dance, including your starting position and first figure. Practice getting into position together and finding the music before you start.
International routines & videos from Dan Calloway
Dan Calloway’s website offers Bronze, Silver, and Gold routine PDFs for International Standard and Latin, along with class and demonstration videos. You and your partner can use these as your routines or as starting points for your next competition.
Choreography by Dan Calloway. The links below take you to the original resources on Dan’s website. We have obtained permission from Dan to list these as a resource on our website and allow our students to use this choreography.
View Dan’s International routines & demonstration videosWatch Dan’s class videos Visit Dan’s website
Ask Amanda & Corey which material fits your entries and what to focus on as you practice. Check the figures against your competition’s syllabus before using a routine.
We plan to add American Smooth and Rhythm routines choreographed by Amanda & Corey as they become available.
Make a practice plan that works for both of you
Talk about when you can realistically meet and what each of you hopes to work on. Classes, exams, and other commitments will affect your availability, so choose a plan you can both follow and adjust it when needed.
You can also use time on your own to review your steps, timing, and balance. Then, when you meet, you can spend more of your practice working on how the dance feels together.
Use the JHU class recap videos to refresh material between lessons. If a video leaves you unsure about a detail, make a note to ask us at the next class.
Give yourselves one or two things to work on
Begin with a warm-up, then choose a small focus for that practice. You might work on staying with the music, completing your weight changes, keeping a comfortable frame, or making one transition feel smoother.
Try the section slowly, then dance it to music. Leave some time to dance the whole sequence without stopping so you can feel how the pieces fit together.
You do not need to solve every issue in one session. Finish by talking about something that improved and what you would like to work on next.
Practice being good partners
Ask each other what feels clear and where you need help. Be specific and kind: “Can we try that transition again? I’m losing my balance there” gives you something useful to work on together.
Agree on when to pause for feedback and when to save comments until the end of a dance. Give each other time to try an adjustment, and bring us questions when you are unsure what is causing a problem.
Take a short break if you are getting frustrated. Learning to communicate and work through challenges together is part of preparing for competition, too.
Know how to keep going
A forgotten step or an unexpected interruption can happen. Choose a basic figure you both know well and practice returning to it when you lose your place. Try beginning from different parts of your routine so you become comfortable picking it up again.
For dances that travel around the floor, ask us how to adapt when another couple is in your path. Practice paying attention to the space around you while staying connected to your partner.
Try a practice round
When the material is becoming familiar, practice the experience of dancing a round. Warm up, wait off the floor, get into position, and dance to music without stopping. Finish together and leave the floor as you would at the competition.
Use different suitable songs so you get used to finding the timing in music you have not been practicing to. Try dancing several of your entered dances with short breaks to see how that feels.
If you record a round, watch it together and choose a small number of things to work on. Notice what is going well, too. You can bring the video to us if you would like help deciding what to focus on.
Bring us your questions
If something keeps feeling awkward, you are unsure whether a figure is allowed, or you do not know what to practice next, ask Amanda & Corey. We can help you make adjustments and choose useful priorities.
As the competition gets closer, look for progress in how you start together, stay with the music, and recover when a step goes wrong. Those are skills you can keep building in class, at socials, and at future competitions.