Lessons learned at Baby BAM Jam

This past weekend I judged at Baby BAM Jam. Experiencing the competition from the perspective of a judge was enlightening. Here are a few things that I think competitors would benefit from.

• Dance to the music. It's being played over loudspeakers for a reason. Timing is everything!
  
• Number placement on the man's back. Ask a more advanced dancer to show you how to pin a number on your back. The number should be flat on the man's back. If the number is pinned on incorrectly, it might bow out which makes it hard to read and much more likely for the lady to accidently rip it. This past weekend, I would try to recall a couple to the next round; the man would have his back to me, but his number would be bowed out so much that I still couldn't read his entire number. I could see only two of the three numbers on his back, making it exceedingly difficult to mark the couple into the next round.
• Latin choreography. Be sure that your choreography is such that the man's back faces where the judges are from time to time. If they can't ever see your number, they can't recall you. Over the weekend, I'd make a mental note to mark a couple later on since I couldn't see their number at the moment... if I did or not, I'm not sure.
• Fix the simple stuff. Fix the annoying quirks in your dancing that can be easily fixed that will offend a judge. How the man holds the lady's right hand, the man's right hand on th e lady's back, facial expressions, costuming, smiling.
• Dance where you can be seen by the judges. Enough said.