What is a Jack and Jill Competition?

A Jack and Jill competition is a social dance-based competition that you do not need a partner to enter. In preliminary and semi-final rounds, you are judged individually as you dance with a variety of random partners to randomized music selected by the DJ. In the final, you are paired with one partner that you will stay with for all songs and are judged as a couple.

In Novice and Newcomer, finals and preliminaries are both danced in heats. This means that many couples dance at the same time. In Intermediate and above, preliminaries are danced in heats and finals are usually a battle (two couples at a time) or spotlight (one couple at a time). This makes those finals a bit more like a performance.

If you are new to Jack and Jill Competitions, we suggest reading the Brazilian Zouk Dance Council’s guide for competitors.

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What are the rules?

Jack and Jill competitions only have a few rules:

• You must wear shoes (Foot Undeez, bare feet or socks not allowed)
• Your private areas must be covered
• No lifts (a lift is defined as a movement where both of a person’s feet leave the ground and their weight is supported by their partner)
• No props or costumes
• You must dance in the role you signed up for for the whole dance
• Dance accenting the downbeat (eg. 1, 2 &; “Brazilian Zouk” timing – “Lamba” timing constitutes an error, although LambaZouk movements are allowed)

In addition, you are required to be on-time for competition check-in and to pick up your bib number. Failing to do so can result in a scratch (your elimination from the competition).

What role can I do?

You can dance as either a Lead or a Follow in your division. BZDC now tracks roles separately, with your non-dominant role being one level lower. If For example, if you compete as an Intermediate Follow, you can also compete as a Novice Lead. Keep in mind that if you have points in the same level in both roles, you will have to choose which you want to compete in at CZC.

You may compete in multiple divisions if you have different levels in each role. But, you can only enter a single competition in one role. For example, you cannot compete as both an Intermediate Lead and Intermediate Follow.

What am I judged on?

You are judged primarily on Timing, Technique, and Teamwork. In addition, some points are given for Presentation and Difficulty. You can learn more about the criteria on the Brazilian Zouk Dance Council’s website and by reading their guide for competitors.

What level should I enter?

Your level is determined by the number of BZDC points you have. You can look up your points on the BZDC’s website if you have competed before. If you wish to compete up or down from your current level, you must complete a petition.

Newcomer

• If you have a Newcomer pass OR CZC is your first congress and you are still familiarizing yourself with Brazilian Zouk basics, you should enter the Newcomer division. For those with a Newcomer pass, the competition is included in your event ticket.
• You can also enter Newcomer if you have not competed in another Jack and Jill, if you have never made it past the preliminary round in a Novice Jack and Jill, or if you are a Novice competitor in your primary role and are competing in your non-dominant role for the first time.
• You should not enter the Newcomer division if you feel like your dancing is above a beginner level. For example, if you feel very comfortable with your basics socially, this division is not for you.

Novice

• If you are new to competition, have a regular Weekend Pass and do not meet the requirements for Newcomer, you MUST enter Novice unless you have been teaching regularly for more than 2 years (if you have been teaching for at least two years, you may compete in Intermediate).
• If you have never competed or have never made it past a preliminary round in Novice and feel you dance at a beginner level, you may compete in Newcomer instead. Please note this division is designed for beginners.
• You must move to Intermediate after you have 20 Novice points.

Intermediate

• You must compete in Intermediate if you have at least 20 Novice points, or have up to 29 Intermediate points.
• You may compete in Intermediate if you have been teaching Zouk regularly for at least two years.
• You must move to Advanced if you have at least 30 Intermediate points

Advanced

• You must compete in Advanced if you have 30 Intermediate points or if you have 1-39 Advanced points.
• You must compete in All-Star if you have 40 Advanced points, or any All-Star points.

Should I compete?

Competing is a personal choice. We think it’s a great thing to try at least once! It’s also a great way to meet people and build new dance relationships, win prizes, and add some excitement to your weekend.

Just remember that while skill may take you part of the way, Jack and Jills do have an element of luck that makes them exciting – but it also means it’s not what you should be using to judge your ability to social dance with others.