I recently went to a competition and asked one of the judges about the marks he had given us and he was a bit rude about the situation. I tried to ask as politely as possible why he marked us the way he did, but he made me feel like I was challenging his opionion.
Is it ok to ask judges about the marks they have given you, or are you just expected to keep quiet?

Juding at a comp is a business decision by the judge - he's there to maintain visibility in the comp world, among oither things.

He would have been VERY happy to discuss your marks at a LESSON. If you really are concerned that his marks mean anything, then perhaps taking a lesson from him is the way to go about it.

We took a lesson from one of the judges after a competition. It turned into sort of a sales pitch--he wanted to coach us. He went over a few things, but it really didn't help much. Guess we needed to take 10 lessons to help us really figure out what we were doing wrong.

We did get off beat on one dance.. Guys, don't underestimate how hard it is to keep on beat during a comp.--especially if there are floorcraft problems, music without a clearly defined beat, and using complex chorography--even if you have rehearsed it throughly for months--competition is different with those judges glaring at you with their clipboaards. Even Bob and Julia have been marked down by the judges for not being on beat.

Asking about marks can be a delicate situation. If you really need to know, one thing you can do is to talk to your coach. Your coach might know enough about how that particular judge thinks to explain it to you.

Another idea is to approach the judge and book a lesson with them. Then, on the lesson, you can ask them to evaluate the weakest points in your dancing and then tell you how you can work on fixing it.

If this all kind of sounds like a game, it is, but the truth is that the response you get asking about your marks has a lot to do with who you are, who the judge is, what level you are at, how you ended up placing, and how you ask. Some judges do take umbrage at being approached right at the comp because it can come off as confrontational. That's why I said it can be a delicate situation. I know of one judge who when approached "cold" usually says something like "dance better." :)

This is why at most competitions the rules will state that no one is to approach a judge to question their marks. It is spelled out quite plainly. I'm sure if they didn't have this rule, then there would be endless debates and arguments with the judges and that's about the last thing they need.

I'd love to go up to a judge after a comp, especially if I really look up to them as dancers, like Victor and Heather or Bob and Julia and get their views on why they marked me and my partner the way they did, just for filing that away as something to work on. But, I can see that if they made that exception for me, then they would have to make that exception for everyone.

It's just a no-win situation for them that's best handled by just saying "don't do it."

The great Shirley Johnson gave me low marks for my Latin routine with my dance instructor. I was distressed and asked my instructor if I could ask Ms Johnson to expalain it. The instructor said simply, "No. Never."

does this apply to beginners too?

I'm afraid it probably applies especially to beginners. Look at it from the point of view of the judges. They see thousands of beginners each year and must judge them based on a few seconds of observation. If it were acceptable for beginners to ask judges for feedback, they would be overwhelmed by requests. And, in fact, they are not analyzing your dancing in depth, merely marking a comparative ranking of the dancers on the floor in each heat. Chances are, once your heat is over, they may not even remember the specifics of your dancing once they have marked down how they thought it compared to the others on the floor. And, frankly, I suspect a lot of them feel that it's not necessary for a beginner to have feedback from a top daancer/judge; any reasonably competent instructor can tell a beginner how to improve.

I know it's frustrating. The judging system is far from perfect, but it helps to remember that the placement you get at a comp is only a comparison to whoever else shows up that day to compete in your heats. And, if you asked all the judges who saw you, you'd get many different responses (I've had different judges mark the same dance as far apart as 3rd and 6th). You really need to depend on your own and your teacher's evaluation of how your dancing is improving. Seeing a video of your dancing will help(and you can also look at the other dancers in the background to see why they might have been marked higher).

Good luck with your dancing!

In a competition with dancers dancing at the same leval it is not easy for the judge to choose between some couples. As for asking him what you were doing wrong well all the competitors are doing so much that needs to be improved that it would take months if not years to correct all that we do wrong.

You'll never change the system. All you can do is study it and use it to your best advantage. Good Luck