To tell you too much about me, I am a INFJ and Enneagram One and I rank "exceptionally high" in conscientiousness in various personality tests.
In other words, invigilation might be my favori;;te thing.
In the ballroom dance competition world, invigilators observe syllabus events (Bronze, Silver, and Gold) to ensure that competitors are dancing the prescribed steps for that level. As an ordinary example, one can't dance Silver American Waltz figures in a Bronze American Waltz event. For a ridiculous example, if someone is registered for a Bronze ChaCha, they can't be doing Gold Waltz steps. We commonly call it "dancing out of category".
[The opposite is completely acceptable and quite admirable: one can dance Bronze figures in their Gold or even Open routines with no question from the officials.]
In the last few years, the major dance organizations (USADance and NDCA) in the U.S. have refined the American style syllabus to be... well... in existence.
Now, dammit, there's a rulebook with well-defined syllabi and restrictions for each dance and level.
Here is the NDCA's rulebook for figures allowed in each level.
Here is USADance's rulebook for figures allowed in each level.
(I take umbrage at USADance's recent Instagram post that said American style was "fairly permissive". If it was 20 years ago, sure. But while the syllabus isn't 100 years old, the American style mafia has taken care and consideration to make a clearly defined, progressive program over the last 5-8 years.)
Now, similar to reading The Book (the technical manuals for all styles published by the ISTD; "a valuable aide" is my favorite quote about these books), if you don't know how to dance, the rulebooks and manuals won't help you learn how to dance, but it will give you a lot of information about dancing.
If you're dancing in a competition and you know the names of the figures you're doing (please know the names of the figures you're doing if you're dancing in a competition), it's pretty easy to look at the rulebooks and see if they're included on the appropriate level for the event in which you've entered.
If you refer to any of your moves as "that thing we do in the corner", you might want to confirm with SOMEONE WHO KNOWS AND UNDERSTANDS THE RULES if it is allowed in your dancing level. And tell you what it's called.
THIS PERSON MIGHT NOT BE YOUR TEACHER. OR YOUR PARTNER.
There are excellent teachers who do not give a flying fuck about the rules of competition-sanctioning organizations. So again, please know the names of the figures you're doing if you're dancing in a competition.
This might cost you money. But it’s better to spend the money on a private lesson with a rule-knowledgeable professional than to travel to a competition with all those expenses to dance and then get dq’ed (not in a fun Blizzard-eating kind of way*) because you didn’t know you couldn’t do a triple spin in… well, anything.
IF YOU'RE DANCING OPEN (which includes Novice, Pre-Champ, and Championship events for amateurs), NONE OF THIS MATTERS.
EXCEPT NO LIFTS. Because it upsets Len and everyone else.
UNLESS YOU'RE DOING CABARET OR THEATRE ARTS OR SHOWDANCE.
Then you can do lifts.
Go forth and practice. And know the names of the figures you're dancing in a competition.
*and actually you won't DQ'ed, but you'll get a warning, no marks in that dance, and then marked down one place in that dance if you continue to be dumb about it.
