COMPETITion INFORMATION

Click here to view the preliminary schedule of events. For any questions about the schedule, reach out to us via the contact page or message us at main@macnyusadance.org

• ALL ATTENDEES & PARTICIPANTS

  • All persons attending this competition as spectators, competitors, officials, or guests shall be bound by USA Dance rules and by their participation become obliged to adhere to them. The organizers of this event shall have no responsibility for loss or theft of personal articles. USA Dance or the event facilities cannot be held liable for any injury sustained while in attendance at this event. Persons attending do so at their own risk. All Athletes may be subject to drug testing by the WDSF or USA Dance.

• COACHES. Please see our Coaching Pass Policy page for passes.

• MEMBERSHIP QUALIFICATIONS

  • COMPETITION OPEN ONLY TO USA Dance, WDSF Members & WDSF Affiliate member organizations. A current valid USA Dance / WDSF / Affiliate number is required to register. Remember, all USA Dance Athlete memberships expire on Dec. 31, 2019. You will need to renew your membership at least 2 weeks prior to the MAC. Please go to USA Dance website and click on membership to renew or to register.

  • Membership in USA Dance is a requirement for participation in the MAC except for dancing in pro-am events, but the amateur student must be a USA Dance member.

• EVENTS

  • An event is considered a set of dances grouped by style (Standard, Latin, Smooth and Rhythm), level (e.g.., Pre-Bronze, Bronze, Silver) and age category (Adult, Senior I, Senior II). For example, all three dances of Standard Silver, Adult age category, constitute ONE event. The four dances of Pre-Championship Latin, Adult age category, constitute ONE event. The two dances of Pre-Bronze American Smooth, Adult age category, constitute ONE event.

• LEVEL QUALIFICATIONS

  • Competitors may enter the level they are qualified to dance or higher levels but never below their proficiency level. In other words, for example, competitors may dance in Bronze and Silver, Adult age category, but not Bronze, Silver and Gold. The MAC is a National Qualifying Event, and as such, participating Athletes are eligible to earn proficiency points in accordance with section 4.7.2 of the USA Dance Rulebook. USA Dance Rulebook, section 4.7.4, regarding Age Classifications shall apply.

  • FOR COLLEGE COMPETITORS: If you have never danced in a USA Dance competition or if you have never gained sufficient proficiency points from dancing in a USA Dance competition, you may enter MAC at any level, consistent with applicable provisions of the USA Dance Rulebook and the rules and regulations on this page. Please note, though, that Pre-Bronze is a newcomer category and open only to dancers (i) who began dancing no earlier than August 2019 and (ii) who have not placed first (after dancing more than a final round) at more than two previous competitions. Newcomers, we trust that you will follow the honors system when registering for Pre-Bronze, according to the foregoing conditions. For all others, we encourage you to dance at your appropriate level. This means that if you are a Silver or Gold level dancer at collegiate competitions and you have consistently placed in the top three, you should not dance Bronze at MAC. We count on all collegiate dancers to do the right thing at the MAC.

• COMPETITOR DRESS CODE

  • A USA Dance official will be at the event to address all questions or issues that may arise with regard to dress code violations.

  • All competitors are required to adhere to the dress code set forth in the USA Dance Rulebook. Violations of the dress code may lead to a mark down of placement, expulsion or disqualification.

• STUDENT/TEACHER (S/T)

  • You cannot be the judged partner in a S/T couple, and also be entered as part of a regular Amateur couple with that same person.

• MAC Welcomes Gender Neutral Dancers

  Last October USA Dance announced that the Gender Neutral Committee (GNC) has been formed within the DanceSport Council to help implement USA Dance’s gender neutral policy, with the stated goal of making all USA Dance sanctioned competitions gender neutral during the 2020-21 season. We understand that the GNC is hard at work reviewing and revising the existing competition rules to facilitate the transition into a fully integrated DanceSport world that embraces and includes all dancers. 

  The MAC Organizing Committee welcomes this change and applauds the GNC for undertaking the important task of making USA Dance’s gender neutral policy a reality. In anticipation of the changes to come, MAC invites and encourages participation by all gender neutral dancers to enter at all levels and age categories at the 30th annual MAC.

  Although the rules are still being formed, we will be guided by the October 11 announcement as follows:

  • Gender neutral couples will dance on the same floor as traditional couples and not in a separate “same sex” event.

  • Gender neutral couples in syllabus events will maintain consistency in their lead-follow roles for the entirety of an event. If the event contains more than one dance, for example, Waltz and Quickstep, the leader will wear the number and keep the leader role from earlier rounds and into finals. If the couple is dancing in a different division, the leader can change role to follower, and must keep that role through all rounds.

  • Gender neutral couples dancing in open levels may switch roles in the course of the choreography, but only one member of the partnership will wear a number on their back.

  • Gender neutral couples shall abide by costume rules that apply to syllabus and open level dancers and can wear costumes that suit their gender identification and expression, consistent with the good taste rule. The competitor number shall be worn by the individual identified as the leader of the gender neutral couple.

  • A gender neutral changing room will be made available for anyone who wishes to use it. Competitors who are more comfortable changing only in front of other competitors of the same gender will have separate men’s and women’s dressing rooms available. 

  We understand that full implementation of gender neutral dancing at USA Dance sanctioned competitions will occur during the 2020-21 season, after the April 2020 Nationals. Therefore, gender neutral couples who compete at MAC will not be able to qualify for the 2020 Nationals. However, MAC welcomes all gender neutral couples to compete on the same floor at the same time as traditional couples and help us usher in the new DanceSport world that is emerging. At the start of a New Year and New Decade, join MAC in blazing the trail to make DanceSport gender neutral, integrated and inclusive.

• MASTERS OF SYLLABUS COMPETITORS

  • Competitors in Masters of Syllabus events must adhere to syllabus figures, and as with all syllabus events, they will be strictly invigilated. Masters of Syllabus is open to competitors who compete at J2 or older in all proficiency levels. All 5 dances in Standard, Latin & Rhythm will be danced. Smooth will consist of all 4 dances.

• ALL SYLLABUS EVENTS WILL BE STRICTLY INVIGILATED.

  • Only approved syllabus (ISTD & WDSF) figures will be permitted in syllabus events for International and American styles. The Invigilator shall be responsible for all decisions, determinations, rulings and judgments concerning syllabus infractions. The Invigilator's decision shall be final.

  • The Chair of Judges shall be responsible for decisions made with reference to problems in marking, ties or adjudication decisions. The Chairperson's decision shall be final.

• Flagrant disregard of any rules and regulations will result in a mark down of placement or disqualification, where necessary or appropriate in accordance with section 4.9.4.

• REGISTRATION & FEES

  • All categories and events are subject to registration and time availability and the organizers reserve the right to combine or cancel them where necessary.

  • College Students shall be defined as full-time Community College, 4-yr College or University students between the ages of 18 & 35. All College students paying the college student price must show a valid college ID at the time of picking up their competition package.

  • REFUND POLICY. Competitors will not be allowed a refund of their registration fees unless a refund request is received in writing by no later than January 11, 2020. Requests received after that date will be considered solely at the discretion of the organizers. If these criteria are met refunds will be honored less a 10% processing fee.

• COMPETITOR TICKET POLICY 

  • Competitor Entries include General Admission access to all sessions during the course of the weekend.

  • All competitor tickets will be issued at check-in. Lost tickets will be charged at the full spectator rate for the respective session.

• QUALIFYING FOR 2020 USA DANCE NATIONALS. To be eligible for Nationals you must:

  • Have competed in a minimum of one USA Dance National Qualifying Event (NQE) competition since the end of the last USA Dance National DanceSport Championships.

  • Have competed in the same partnership and in the same event (style/age/proficiency level) in the aforementioned NQE that you intend to enter in the USA Dance National DanceSport Championships and placed in the top 75% of Eligible Athlete Couples in that event. (This means: Pre-Bronze, Masters of Syllabus, Student/Teacher, Pro/Am, and Team Match events do NOT qualify for Nationals.), OR

  • Couples participating in more than one NQE, will automatically be qualified in any event (same proficiency level, same age category) that they have danced in more than one NQE, regardless of placement.

The USA Dance Rulebook can be found online here.

If you have any further questions, do not hesitate to contact us via email at main@macnyusadance.org.

Enter your team into the MAC 2020 GRAND SLAM TEAM MATCH!

For more information, send an email to registrar@macnyusadance.org.