By Liz Bercaw

 

 

Competitive Dance is a rewarding way to increase dance skills, keep fit, have a social life and be part of a creative effort. If this is true, then for those who, as students loved dancing and coaching dance teams, the next step is to be a judge. Stacy Calvert, also a teacher at Wayzata Central School, became a judge. Judging is truly a supportive action to Minnesota's High School Competitive Dance scene, lending value and vitality to its spirited culture. As rewards are always proportional to challenges, judging can be just as thrilling as competing.

 

The practical side of becoming a judge is very much like attaining any certificate that represents an obtained education. Begin your judging career by registering with the Minnesota State High School League, attend a rules meeting and pass a test.

 

“Most all judges are a part of JAM, the Judges Association of Minnesota.  They have additional requirements including training on professionalism, shorthand, dance technique and scoring criteria.  JAM has mentoring programs for new judges and practice judging, called trial judging, at the beginning of the season.” Calvert said.

 

Judges need to be familiar with proper dance technique, giving the ability to decide whether a move is being performed correctly. The rules are extensive regarding illegal moves, entrances and exits, choreography and uniforms. Lastly, judges must know the current “Minnesota Average,” that is, what an average Minnesota performance would look like. Understanding these intricacies requires involvement in many areas.

 

“Officials need to judge big and small schools in all parts of the state, not just the metro area,” Calvert said.

 

There are several responsible positions in judging, the first is titled “Judge”, which involves eighty criteria divided into ten categories. These categories render a score out of one hundred. Jazz, Funk and High Kick all have different score sheets, but most judges are able to judge both. Like other competitive evaluations, 1 is poor, 5 is average and 10 excellent.

 

The next responsible judging position is that of “Superior Judge.” This adds the tasks of communicating with the school prior to a meet, arriving early to set up judging areas, leading other judges in pre- and post-meet conferencing and administering point deduction for violations. Other positions manage the detail of accurate judging. There is a “Kick counter/Time keeper” who counts kicks performed to check for the inclusion of these moves as required per dance, and clocks dances to maintain accountability to rules of proper durations per performance category. The “Tabulator” literally adds the scores and calculates results, but there are three different methods of tabulating used to derive scores. It is because of this amount of detail that a good tabulator needs extra training from JAM and good organization skills.

 

At the start of the season, each official sets up their judging calendar for serving at the meets by contacting the JAM scheduler. Other factors do influence placement on the season's schedule. There is a judges’ membership level within JAM, the request of the schools and any perceived potential conflicts of interest to consider.

 

Calvert says she does not schedule to judge the Centennial dance team because her sister is the coach. She also avoids judging Wayzata's team because she works in the district and knows many of the dancers. Most judges work eight meets a year and officiate as a Kick Counter or Tabulator at two additional meets as well. One's willingness to travel and a flexible schedule can lead to more judging opportunities.

 

Calvert admits there is pressure in striving for accurate, and judging outcomes weigh heavily for many parties: coaches, dancers, parents and fans. Luckily, for her, there is also the joy of continuing to be a part of the dance community, seeing friends and watching dance. Each meet presents the opportunity to learn something new or meet someone new. Judging has its own avenues of expansion. Judging has provided Ms. Calvert with the chance to officiate at college meets and the possibility of judging at State Tournaments. Thanks to Stacy, it is clear that once beginning in competitive dance, the road needs never to end. There are always more adventures if one can find the spark of interest and the dedication required.