By Katie Flashner | The Girl With The Tree Tattoo

Whoever came up with the idea of pro-am ballroom competitions was brilliant. Students without dance partners are able to experience the thrilling world of competitive ballroom by competing with their teachers.

It's not a bad gig for the teachers either, as they can earn significantly more in a day competing with students than a day teaching private lessons. I, for one, am grateful pro-am exists. Even though I don’t have a dance partner, I’ve been a competitive dancer for over three years through partnering with my teacher.

I love that competitive ballroom combines the artistry of dance with the athleticism and challenge of a sport. I’ll be honest: I also like the fact that there are placements at the end. I like having something to show for my performance and all of the hard work that preceded it. I even keep the little stickers that competitions often hand out for single dance placements.

I’m invigorated by the fact that everything about the dance matters. The choreography, the technique, the styling — it all counts.

Competition isn’t for everyone though.

All of the things I described that I love about competing can also create a lot of stress and anxiety. The fact that everything matters creates a lot of pressure to not screw anything up, and something always gets screwed up. 

Knowing there are placements and not placing well can deal a big blow to the ego. It’s easy to fall into a comparison trap and start focusing on the other dancers instead of yourself, especially if you see the same dancers beating you at every competition. And it doesn’t matter if you dance well or poorly, place high or low, you will still be shelling out potentially thousands of dollars for the experience.

In short, all of the things that make me love competition also have the potential to suck the joy right out of dancing, if you let them. I took a big ego blow in 2017. At each competition I entered, I placed lower than the one before it. At my last competition, I placed lower than I ever have in the last three years. I’ll admit, it hurt. I sulked and faced a lot of doubt about my abilities as a dancer.

When you go all in, you have more to lose. If you’re not able to get past your ego and stay focused on your own journey, instead of comparing yourself to others, competition may not be right for you. After I sulked for a bit, I got back to work in the studio. My desire to continue growing as a dancer is greater than my fear of losing at another competition. If you can’t move past your placements and find motivation in your greater dance goals, competition may not be right for you.

If you’re thinking about trying pro-am competition, I say go for it! Do it with open eyes though. It’s easy to get caught up in the ego-feeding glitz and glamour, like the rhinestone-drenched gowns and the trophies or even the little stickers. That stuff is fun, but the real rewards of competition come from setting a personal goal and hitting it or getting knocked down and finding the strength to get back up. 

So how about it? Are you ready to sign up for your next competition? Or are you good without all those extras and will stick to something more relaxing like social dancing? There’s no wrong answer. With so many different ways to experience ballroom dancing, anyone can find what fits him or her best.