I need some advice and as quickly as possible. On a whim, I decided that, having abandoned my dance partner of 2 years in Los Angeles for the summer, I would like to compete this summer while I'm in the Bay Area.

The studio where I volunteer is offering me one of their teachers for a Pro/Am Gold one dance events at the International Grand Ball. My LA partner and I do shows and exhibitions, but neither of us like to compete, so this would certainly be my first. And I would only have one month to prepare (apparently one month equals five practice sessions at my studio, and in any case I wouldn't be able to afford any more than that). Also I haven't done very much dancing with the gentleman in question, and we aren't very used to one another, even though I pick up on other peoples' style and on choreography very, very quickly.

I guess what I want to know is...is one month enough to prepare for your first Pro/Am competition? And is paying all that money going to land me in the drink unprepared and absolutely ready for embarrassment?

Thanks for your help!

Excellent question. If you feel you have a good handle on your nerves and performance anxiety, then it seems to me that you don't need to worry about that aspect of competing. After all, you've been doing shows and exhibitions.

If you only have five lessons to prepare, that could be very tricky. I don't really think that's enough time to set up and learn routines, unless your Pro already has something cooked up and written down that he can give you so you can practice and memorize it on your own.

The better alternative would be to just dance everything lead-and-follow, and to spend your five lessons just getting the feel for him. If you can pick up on his style and his usual way of putting things together, then why not do it?

Although, truth be told, if I were told I only had five lessons to prepare for a competition with someone who I've barely danced with, I wouldn't do it. But that's just me.

I agree with Laura. Depending on the person, getting ready for a competition in a month could work out. But, if it were me, I wouldn't risk the time or the money. But that's just my opinion. If you learn things very quickly and have an awesome memory and stuff, you might be able to pull it off. Whatever you do, Good Luck and I hope you have fun!

Since I always compete using lead & follow, I've sometimes gone ahead and done an amateur competition with someone I have only maybe 4 or so total hours of dance experience with, and I'd even consider less if they had comparable skills. However these were inexpensive comps, so there was practically nothing at risk.

I think you should be able to tell in the first hour of preparation if it's going to work on that timeframe... so why not propose doing just one or two lessons aimed at the comp, and then decide if it's practical before you commit to the full cost of perparation and entry fees.

I agree with Sarcastic Smoothie. The late fee for IGB is $50, and it's worth it to enter late (the deadline is June 30) if you decide it's going to work out rather than spending all the time and money and then either bailing at the last minute or going and having an awful time.

By the way, I've danced in the IGB every year (except for last) since 1998. I like this competition a lot.

I probably wouldn't do it either, especially at your level. The higher up the food chain, the better the performance expected, IMO.

On the same lines, do you think 6-8 weeks is enough time to learn latin (after knowing rythym for several years) and compete at a low level? Same teacher as before.