8TH CITY DANCE CHAMPIONSHIP

ORGANIZATION RULES

  1. The Office of Festivals and Central Events of the Ministry of Culture of the Government of the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires, from now onwards DGFyEC, is the highest authority regarding the organization, program planning and execution of the 8th City Tango Dance Championship, from now onwards THE CHAMPIONSHIP, and also it will monitor the compliance of all the terms and conditions stated in these rules and regulations.

    CATEGORIES

  2. The CHAMPIONSHIP is open to amateur dancers and it comprises three categories: Salon Tango, “Milonga”, and Waltz.

    Salon Tango shall be divided into two age categories: Adult: from 18 to 39 years of age; Senior: from 40 years of age onwards. The category shall be defined by the age of the youngest member of the couple.

    REGISTRATION

  3. Participation in the CHAMPIONSHIP is free of charge. Entries may be submitted from 6th May to l6th 2010 until one hour prior to the beginning of the competition, at the official ballrooms (“milongas”) established by the DGFyEC. The Qualifying Rounds shall take place at the official ballrooms (“milongas”), according to the list of ballrooms that shall be published later on.

  4. The competition is open to both amateurs and/or professionals. Contestants must be at least 18 years of age by the date of their performance; at least one of them must be native or must convincingly attest residence of at least 3 years in the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires. Both contestants must carry their identity cards or passports at the time of their entry, so as to prove their identity.

  5. All the information provided at the moment of registration to participate in the stage of Qualifying Rounds shall be considered a sworn statement. Any intentional omission or data forgery by any of the contestants shall entail disqualification of the competition.

  6. All contestants may participate, as many times as they wish, in all the three categories, with or without the same partner, so long as they have not been selected for the following stage. One contestant may not be in the semi-finals in the same category with different couples. The first time the contestant is selected shall be the valid one. In Salon Tango, on the other hand, contestants may take part in the semi-finals with different couples, so long as in different categories.

    STAGES

  7. The competition shall be unique and open. Differences of age, city area, or levels of professionalism shall not be taken into account, except in Salon Tango where there shall be two (2) age categories: Adult: from 18 to 39 years of age; Senior: from 40 years of age onwards. The category shall be set by the youngest member of the couple. Participation in every stage shall take place in one or more groups. The dance music, the number, and versions are defined by the judges.

    THE CHAMPIONSHIP shall take place in three stages: Qualifying Rounds, Semi-finals, and Final.

  8. Qualifying Rounds

    They shall take place in the ballrooms called “milongas” that participate in the CHAMPIONSHIP. Those couples selected by the judges shall participate in the next stage (semi-final). Approximately one couple every five of the total enrolled in each category shall be selected.
    In this stage, contestants may enroll in any “milonga” they wish with or without the same couple, so long as they have not been selected for the next stage. Those couples selected during the qualifying rounds shall participate in this stage. Four groups shall be set up; each one with similar number of couples. The couples that participate in the final shall be chosen from these groups.

  9. Semifinals

    Those couples selected during the qualifying rounds shall participate in this stage. Four groups shall be set up; each one with similar number of couples. The couples that participate in the final shall be chosen from these groups.

  10. Final

    At this stage, one (1) of the selected couples of the Semi-finals shall be the winning couple. Special awards may be granted for the second (2) and third (3) positions, together with those mentions the judges may deem necessary.
    In Salon Tango, those couples who obtain the first (1º) position within each category in the Final of the CHAMPIONSHIP shall represent the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires in the final of the 8th DANCE WORLD CUP, which shall take place August 2010. Those couples who get between the second (2°) and the fifth (5°) position, including both categories, shall represent the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires in Tango Buenos Aires in the Semi-final of the 8th DANCE WORLD CUP.
    The categories “Milonga” and Waltz shall not classify for the Tango Buenos Aires, in the 8th Dance World Cup.

    EVALUATION CRITERIA

  11. Once a couple is formed, the partners must not separate as long as the music is playing. This means the embrace, which is considered the basic position of Salon Tango cannot be broken.

  12. For the position to be considered correct, the body of one of the partners must be constantly held by the other by means of the embrace. In certain figures this may be flexible, but it should not continue throughout the entire piece.

  13. All movements must be performed within the space allowed by the couple´s embrace.

  14. The Jury will evaluate the couple´s embrace, musicality, walking style, circulation through the dance floor, and, specially, dance rhythm as fundamental to their qualification.

  15. Within these guidelines, contestants may perform any figure commonly used.

  16. Leaps, jumps, climbs, tricks, and any other typical choreographic stage tango possibility shall be forbidden.

  17. Couples shall constantly be moving anticlockwise. They cannot stay in the same part of the dance floor, so as not to interfere with the other dancers.

  18. The dressing of the couples shall not be evaluated by the judges during the different stages.

  19. If the couple is formed by members of the same sex, the role that each of them assumes must be clearly stated, being the male role the one who shall carry the identification number of the competition.

    JURY

  20. The jury of the CHAMPIONSHIP shall be proposed by the DGFyEC together with the Association of Milongas´s organizers and the Association of Masters, Dancers, and Choreographers of Argentine Tango (AMBCTA), and they shall be appointed by the Ministerio de Cultura del Gobierno de la Ciudad de Buenos Aires.

  21. The panel of judges for the Qualifying Round shall consist of three (3) members. The panel for the Semi-finals shall consist of five (5) members, and the one for the final shall consist of seven (7) members. In every stage, there shall be the judges and also one supervisor.

  22. The judges’ ruling cannot be appealed.

  23. The Jury shall select the winning couple. Special awards shall be granted for the second (2º) and third (3º) positions, together with those mentions the judges may deem necessary.

    VOTE OF THE AUDIENCE

  24. During the Qualifying Rounds of every category, the audience shall have the right to vote for the best couple. The audience shall be considered the fourth judge. The couple that gets the greatest number of votes shall obtain an extra score that shall be considered in their average mark.

  25. The vote of the audience shall fulfill all the requirements demanded by the DGFyEC and it shall be delivered in the correct way.

    SELECTION

  26. In each of the stages (qualifying rounds, semi-finals, and final) the score of the final results shall be derived from the total points assigned according to the parameters established in the chapter EVALUATION CRITERIA. Each judge shall establish between one (1) and ten (10) points. In the semifinals and the final the highest and the lowest score obtained by each couple shall be eliminated.

  27. In case of draw or if the Jury determine it necessary, contestants shall dance the number of pieces the judges may consider necessary to achieve a final ruling. Participants may not refuse to perform.

  28. The judges´ ruling during the final shall be transcribed to a deed by a notary public.

    PRIZES

  29. The winning couples of the category Salon Tango shall be awarded FIFTEEN THOUSAND PESOS ($ 15.000, local currency) and shall be classified to participate in the Tango Buenos Aires, in the final of the 8th DANCE WORLD CUP, to take place in August 2010.

  30. Those couples who classify between the second (2°) and the fourth (4°) position of every category shall represent the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires in the Semi-final in Tango Buenos Aires, in the 8th DANCE WORLD CUP.

  31. The winning couple of the category “Milonga” shall be awarded EIGHT THOUSAND PESOS ($ 8.000).

  32. The winning couple of the category Waltz shall be awarded EIGHT THOUSAND PESOS ($ 8.000).

  33. Those couples in the category Waltz and “milonga” that classify between second (2°) and fifth (5°) position shall obtain special mentions.

  34. All contestants that pass to the semi-finals will receive an attendance certificate of the 8th CITY DANCE CHAMPIONSHIP.

    RESPONSABILITY

  35. Since its enrollment, each contestant is responsible for going to the places informed beforehand, at the stated day and time for the competition. The DGFyEC shall not be responsible for any delays or unforeseen eventualities that may arise, regarding the moment the different contestants shall make their presentation in the different stages.

  36. The DGFyEC is the only authority that shall establish the order in which the contestants shall participate, its modality and the number of rounds.
    Those who do not attend the competition at the stated time and date shall not be able to continue in the CHAMPIONSHIP. The delays shall only be taken into account if they happen due to unforeseen circumstances and due to circumstances known by the general audience.

  37. All contestants selected for the Qualifying Rounds for the semi-finals and final shall be present at the stated time and date for their presentation.

  38. All contestants commit themselves to participating in the various acts and events planned by the DGFyEC, provided that they are summoned for that purpose. These may include press conferences, radio interviews, air or cable television interviews, etc.

  39. The DGFyEC reserves the right to record the performances during the CHAMPIONSHIP, by means of any type of known or unknown media, including, but not limited to: filming, recording, photographing, digitalization, carried out by itself or by third parties with the corresponding authorization, for advertisement and promotional purposes. The recorded material thus obtained is the exclusive property of the DGFyEC. By entering the CHAMPIONSHIP, contestants explicitly and irrevocably authorize the DGFyEC to use the recorded material, without implying and kind of payment for any reason whatsoever in favour of any individual or organization that claims entitlement under any right that may be cited. This provision also accounts, without restrictions, for any photographic material published and/or used for promotion, advertising, etc.

  40. The DGFyEC shall solve any inconvenience not stated in the Rules and it shall also establish its clarifying regulations, if deem necessary.

  41. The DGFyEC establishes the web site www.festivales.gob.ar as the official means of communication, without excluding any other means.

  42. The DGFyEC has the authority to eliminate from the CHAMPIONSHIP any contestant that a) do not fulfill the dispositions; b) commit any moral offense or take any inappropriate action that may tarnish the image of the CHAMPIONSHIP, or may cause displeasure to the public.

  43. By merely signing the sworn statement at the time of entry, contestants acknowledge and accept all the terms and conditions of these Rules.

  44. In case of controversy regarding the interpretation of these Rules, including possible contradictions, they shall be submitted in writing to the DGFyEC, applying the terms of the Law of Administrative Procedure (Decree 1.510/97 –BOGBA N° 310–, ratified by Resolution of the Legislature of the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires N° 41/98 –BOGBA N° 454–).