There certainly is biase in the judging of dance competitions. I've been the victim on more than a few occasions but it's not a simple black and white issue. It's important to understand the issue of biase so that one know how to deal with it appropriately and still be successful.
Firstly most novice dancers tend to overrate their performance so you need to be certain in your own mind that you are indeed being unfairly marked. Forget about what you hear from others. To put your mind at ease record yourself and one or two fellow competitors that you think you should have beaten. If you're still a beginner dancer chances are that it's hard to discern any meaningful difference between yourself and your fellow competitors. It's highly unlikely that you will be consistently marked down if you are way ahead of your competition. This would be too obvious to everyone. Even really dishonest judges don't want to be publically seen to be dishonest.
At the lower grades your strategy should be to focus on the process as a whole rather than a single competition. Concentrate on improving your dancing and moving up the grades to championship level. You're going to get some shaky calls and some really bad calls but you'll also get some wins, top 3 and final 6 placing. Don't bother with the results too much and the particular couples you win or lose to along the way. It's a waste of time and energy at this stage of your career. A good strategy is to start at the bottom grade. Stay in a grade until you're clearly ahead of the best in that grade. With three good wins in that grade move to the next grade and do the same. You will get some questionable calls as you enter the grade but you will achieve success as you improve over time. Soon it will be almost impossible for even dishonest judges to deliberately mark you down in a particular level in the lower grades.
When you make it to championship level you'll be a battle hardened competitor. Bad judging does'nt unnerve you it just makes you tougher, work harder and more determined. Championship dancers don't expect to break into the finals immediately. At this level you work on making those small incremently improvements in your dancing that will take out your opposition one couple at a time. If you're good enough and determined enough you will finally displace them all and reign supreme. Or you will come to realize that the talent, determination and sometimes favoured position of some others are too great to overcome. At this point you will would come to know grace and make peace with your fate. You will know that if you are really great then no competition result is going to change that. In the end that's all that matters. Yesterday I watched an old copy of the 1994 World Latin championships in which Donny Burns & Gaynor Fairweather won. Corky & Shirley Ballas were placed 3rd but Shirley was beyond doubt the best female on that floor and streets ahead of Gaynor (or Gaynor could ever hope to be). Those of us who know dancing know a great dancer and no one can take that away from Shirley.
Rha
