Editor’s Note: Southeastern DanceSport Championships will be held February 27-March 1, 2026, in Dunwoody, Georgia. It is one of two remaining Regional Championships before the USA Dance Nationals, and it is always a crowd-pleaser. Here, organizers Tiffany Bouquet and Daniel Boman share insights into the competition-organizing process.
Happy New Year! I am kicking off January 2026 with another behind the scenes post of what it is like to organize a ballroom dance competition.
A vital part of running a dance competition is in picking the officials. They constitute a very large part of the team you are going to work with, and they are also in a very public-facing role. When we choose officials, we need to fill several roles.
MC, DJ, and Scruitneer
The MC is the announcer, mood regulator, distributor of information, and helps keep the competition on schedule and energized. The DJ holds an absolutely integral role. You have to consider all the dance styles you are offering (American, International, Salsa, Country, etc.) and if the DJ you are looking at has music and knowledge of those styles. A great DJ also does wonders when reading the room- picking songs with obvious beats for the beginner rounds, perhaps fading the music a few seconds early on a Senior VI Viennese Waltz. Picking popular, fun songs for the Team Match, and perhaps injecting new songs into the repertoire. (Alternate versions of the Paso Doble song are always welcome!)
The Scrutineer has an important job, though it has evolved over time. At the core, the Scrutineer compiles the judges’ marks, determines who advances to the next round, and calculates the final results. In a world with automated judging software, the Scrutineer now serves to make sure those systems run smoothly. They also drop, add, and re-order events.
Chairman of Judges, Adjudicators, and Invigilators
The Chairman of Judges has the final say on decisions about the competition schedule, including whether something runs as a quarterfinal or semifinal, or whether a round will be run in heats. They are also, like the name implies, in charge of the judges. The Chair sets the judges’ schedules each day, deciding when they get restroom and meal breaks. They have to take into account each judge’s qualifications, when their flights arrive and depart, and any familial relationships between judges and competitors. This all impacts what events each judge is assigned to work. The Chair also makes sure the judges receive information on the dress code and gathers the expense forms and receipts to give to the organizer so everyone can get paid.
Naturally, hiring the adjudicators themselves is given careful consideration. USA Dance and WDSF have guidelines for compensating officials, so the “cost” of a particular judge doesn’t really factor in (for the most part). Obviously, judges who live closer have less-expensive flights, or those who can drive in are preferred. But you have to balance cost with the need to bring in new judges to keep your panel fresh. You also get a feel for who flies with three checked bags or books their flights at the last minute.
When we run WDSF events, we need to get WDSF-certified judges and at least four adjudicators who represent foreign countries. (This gets very complicated and expensive.) We also have to hire a few adjudicators who have their invigilator certification. Invigilators are the ones who observe syllabus events to make sure that no out-of-level moves are being used, as well as other applicable syllabus restrictions (height of kicks, time spent out of closed hold, etc).
We also look at our past experience working with any one official and that colors our future choices very heavily. We have very rarely encountered some behavior that “blacklists” an official for us. But it has happened. We have absolutely no tolerance for unethical judging. We have seen judges mark results “ahead” of the round — as in a WTF three dance, the dancers are halfway through the Tango and yet the judge has already submitted the Tango marks and all the Foxtrot marks. It’s not really judging if the results are pre-ordained! Any judge who specifically requests to judge their own students is firmly declined and never invited back. Some officials have broken signed contracts to work other events, and understandably, that makes us lose interest pretty fast.
This can be quite amusing because Daniel (Bowman) and I have different opinions on what to prioritize (though he is largely the one who hires the officials). I like fun people—while not a bad thing , a fun MC really lights up a room—Daniel tends to favor more practical considerations. Did we hire this person last year (do we need to swap them out for someone new), what certifications do they hold, etc.
Usually, our issue is that our budget dictates we can only hire so many officials, and we would much rather hire more! Picking our team for each competition is a fun exercise we look forward to. We have actually just finished this exercise for Southeastern 2026, and you will be able to see the officials’ bios on the website soon!
Daniel and Tiffany began organizing USA Dance competitions in 2022. Check out their great American Dancer article about learning the ropes, “What is in a Dance Competition?” Are you reading American Dancer? You should!
