Please visit www.socaltangochampionship.com for more information
Info & Rules

SCTC 2018 JUDGES:

• Alejandra Mantinan - has judged the official Tango Mundial World Cup and many other tango competitions around the world for over 15 years.
• Danilo Maddelena - former judge in many international competitions, head organizer of the European Tango championship, and also SCTC competition supervisor.
• Vanessa Villalba & Facundo Piñero - renowned tango judges all around the world. Personally trained 7 of the 20 stage mundial finalists of 2017.
• Los Totis (Christian Marquez & Virginia Gomez) - have judged the Tango Mundial World Cup, Jujuy, Sauce Viejo, and Comodoro Rivadavia competitions in Argentina, as well as the Londres competition in UK.

GENERAL INFORMATION:

SCTC is an exciting international Argentine tango competition open to everyone, regardless of skill level or residency. Anyone (amateur or professional) from any country can compete. Competitors are scored by our chosen panel of judges. All competition rounds will be open to spectators. 

Social categories will feature multiple couples on the floor at the same time, dancing in improvised movements to random music. Stage categories will feature one couple (or one stage group) at a time dancing in choreography to pre-selected music.

• QUALIFYING ROUNDS are held on FRIDAY FEB 23, featuring all registered couples. Semi-finalists are announced afterwards.
• SEMI-FINAL ROUNDS are held on SATURDAY FEB 24, featuring only semi-finalists. Finalists are announced afterwards.
• FINAL ROUNDS are held on SUNDAY FEB 25, featuring finalists. Winners and prize announcements will follow shortly. (GROUP STAGE and potentially Pelando Variacion will only be competing on this day.)

Competitors are scored by the "ranking system", rather than the "point system". This allows for clearer distinction between competitor placements by negating possible conflicts in excessively even (and/or uneven) scoring by judges. For more info - see video here.

REGISTRATION RULES:

• All categories (except SENIOR TANGO) are open to both amateur and professional dancers. SENIOR TANGO category is not open to professional dancers. The status of "professional" is determined by the dancer's main source of income and not by skill level.
• All competitors must be at least 18 years old by the date of competition. (SENIOR TANGO competitors must be at least 55 years of age OR cannot have more than 15-year age difference if one partner is below 55.)
• Competitors of any nationality or citizenship may register, but MUST BRING OFFICIAL ID (birth certificate, passport, ID card) to competition each day.
• Competitors may have one or multiple partners, but can participate only ONCE in each category.
• GROUP STAGE category will require a minimum of 3 registered couples for each group.
• Minimum number of couples must be registered to guarantee prizes. (See minimum for each category here.) In the event that fewer couples have registered, competition will become a showcase with evaluation by judges.

COMPETITION RULES FOR SOCIAL CATEGORIES (TANGO, VALS, MILONGA, SENIOR TANGO):

The social competition categories are intended to be danced IMPROVISED just as you would in a traditional milonga setting with an extra emphasis on elegance, connection, technique, musicality, and style. Social categories are danced each day in groups of 7-12 couples at a time, to 3 different songs (per group, per category). Competitors are encouraged to dance as "naturally" as they can in respect to the traditional tango style. Judges will give extra attention to each couple's posture, connection, musicality, walking, turns, and style.

• CLOTHING - competitors are encouraged to dress elegantly. Suits for leaders and dresses or skirt/top combos for followers.
• EMBRACE - competitors must stay in embrace (both arms connected) while dancing. Both close and open embrace is allowed.
• LINE OF DANCE - couples must move counter-clockwise around the dance floor while dancing and avoid staying in place, dancing in the center, or bumping into other couples.
• MOVEMENTS - most traditional tango movements (ochos, sacadas, barridas, paradas, pasadas, enrosques, boleos, adornos, etc) are allowed with exception to moves considered unsocial/non-traditional (high boleos above the knees, high kicks, leg wraps, etc) or stage (jumps, lifts, release of the hands, etc). Neatly-tucked high boleos being used as embellishments are allowed.
• RESPECT - competitors must be respectful to judges, event organizers, and other participants.

COMPETITION RULES FOR STAGE CATEGORIES (STAGE TANGO, GROUP STAGE, PELANDO VARIACION):

The stage competition categories are intended to be danced using CHOREOGRAPHY in a typical stage setting with an extra emphasis on aesthetic and artistic expression. Stage categories are danced each day featuring one couple (or one stage group) at a time dancing choreography to their chosen music. Competitors are encouraged to dress-up and dance in a flashier and more expressive manner, using the entire floor as much as they like. Judges will give extra attention to artistic expression, musical interpretation, technical difficulty & execution, and synchronicity of the dancers.

• SONG - the chosen song must be 4 minutes or less.
• MOVEMENTS - competitors are allowed to perform their personal expression of tango but must incorporate traditional Argentine tango movements (close-embrace, walking, ochos, sacadas, etc) into their choreography. Aerial movements and movement from other dance disciples cannot exceed a third of the entire performance duration.
• MISTAKES - competitors are encouraged/expected to dance through their mistakes. Competitors are not allowed to repeat or start over for performance reasons.
• TECHNICAL PROBLEMS - if technical problems occur during performance, competitors will be allowed to perform again.