So, you’ve seen the announcement for the student mix-and-match competition being held at the October Corner Pocket Social but don’t know what it is all about? Maybe you’ve seen a couple of YouTube videos from the big competitions like ILHC or Camp Hollywood and think, “I wanna do that, but where do I start?”, or maybe just, “This is cool, but I don’t know if I could do that…” Don’t worry – the upcoming Pocket Social Mix-and-Match is exactly for people like you: Inspired and enthusiastic dancers who want to give competing a try in a supportive, relaxed environment. Competing isn’t for everyone, but it’s an important part of swing dance, be it Lindy Hop, Balboa or Authentic Jazz. I was fortunately able to compete in two beginner competitions in 2022 and loved it! I will share my insights from these competitions at the end of this post, but first and foremost: what is a mix-and-match comp?
A mix-and-match competition is a competition format seen in various partnered social dance styles including Lindy Hop and Balboa. There are various other names associated with this format including ‘Luck of the Draw’ or ‘Social Draw’. The basic premise is that competitors are randomly partnered with a dancer of the opposite role (leads with follows, follows with leads) and are judged as a partnership on how well they dance to part of a randomly selected song. Unlike other competition formats like ‘strictly’ or ‘classic’, mix-and-match competitions are generally free from pre-planned choreography and aerials. In this way, mix-and-match competitions are one of the closest ways to being able to judge a partnership’s ability to social dance.
Mix-and-match competitions are run in heats and finals or go straight to finals if the number of partnerships is small. During heats, dancers are generally judged individually and rotate through several partners. The top dancers from heats as selected by judges move on to a final. The final of a mix-and-match can be conducted in various ways. The most common way has all randomly-assigned fixed partnerships dance to the same song for two phrases each (8 x 8 counts), cycling through competing couples once or twice. This is referred to as ‘shines’ or ‘spotlights’. After the shines are complete, all couples dance together for the remainder of the song, referred to as an ‘all-skate’. An all-skate warm-up and warm-down are also often done before and after shines, each to a different song. Other competition styles include having all dancers judged individually in several all-skate rounds with partners rotated and a new song selected for each round or by having fixed couples each dancing to their own randomly selected song for a set time length. This latter competition style is how the mix-and-match competition will be run at the October Corner Pocket Social, with each couple in the finals dancing for 90 seconds to different songs.
How mix-and-match competitions are judged is, like the judging of most creative endeavours, subjective. This said, various defined elements of the dance are considered by judges during mix-and-match competitions. Each judge will give different weighting to these elements according to what they consider most important. These elements of the dance include ‘connection and partnership’ (how connected the partnership is), ‘vocabulary’ (the moves and variations used and their execution) and ‘musicality’ (how connected the partnership is with the music). After competitors dance in heats or finals, the judging team come together to share their rankings. In the case of heats, each judge may only rank a selection of dancers in either or both roles whom they believe should advance to the finals. In the finals, judges will rank all competitors, either as partnerships or individuals according to the competition format. The collective rankings will then be assessed to determine a winner. In high level competition, this assessment is most often determined in a ‘relative placement’ system. You can learn more about relative placement here.
The selection of judges will differ depending on the context of a competition. In local scene events, judges are generally experienced dancers from within that scene. At dance exchanges or other events, judges will often be international teachers invited to the event. Some events will also include less experienced dancers or dancers from other scenes in their judging panel.
Alright, that just about summarises the basic elements of mix-and-match competitions. If you haven’t been bored silly with technical talk, then fantastic! It sounds like you’re just the right enthusiastic person for competing! You can sign up for the mix-and-match competition here: https://forms.gle/cUx2X64mCJeJsrEX7. Once you’ve done that, read on for tips on competition preparation and personal insights from my own competition experiences.
The best way to prepare for a mix-and-match competition is to work on your dance fundamentals – your rhythm, balance, flow, connection, communication and musicality. You can do this in many ways, but finding yourself a practice partner who also plans on competing is one of the most effective ways to improve. Run through drills, practice core moves like swing outs and pass-bys and consider how you can spice up your basics with variations – practice, practice, practice! You can also gather a group of fellow motivated dancers together for a group practice session to bounce ideas off each other, share experiences and test things out with different partners.
When it comes to competing, focus on the moves and variations that you know back-to-front. Judges want to see dancing that is well-connected to the music and your partner. Start your spotlight nice and easy, focusing on building connection and finding your groove with the music and your partnership. Don’t try to force anything – keep things open and be sure to give space for your partner to shine too. Listen to your partner, give them opportunities to ‘speak’ and try to match their energy as much as they are trying to match yours. Thank your partner at the end of your spotlight and, above all, show people how fun it is to dance!
In my experience with mix-and-match competing, the couples who made it to finals and placed were not always the ones throwing down the flashiest moves. Flash-and-trash can only get you so far in a mix-and-match, since these kinds of moves often require a regular dance partner to pull off – something rarely possible in a mix-and-match! While you should aim to bring your best dancing to the competition floor, the thing that judges and audiences alike want to see most is solid partner dancing with two people having a great time together. Your partnership is the thing that matters most!
Case in point are my two competition experiences. My first mix-and-match comp was at Copenhagen Lindy Exchange. During the heats, I danced with a couple of my new friends I made while volunteering and had a great time. This probably helped me make it to the finals, where I was paired up with someone I had never met before and plunged straight into an all-skate comp with no warm-up – eek! I found it so hard to connect with my partner since our personal styles did not match. We were both trying to dance big, but weren’t dancing with each other. By the time I’d worked things out, the music was changed to a fast tempo song and I was a goner (COVID had done a number on me a month prior). The fact I can’t remember my partner’s name says it all – I wasn’t dancing with my partner, just at them. Needless to say my partner and I did not place, but as the saying goes: you never win your first comp.
In my second comp, this time at Upside Down Festival, I took what I learned from Copenhagen and focused on having a nice time. This was my last hurrah before flying home to Australia, so I just wanted to have fun. I had some very enjoyable dances in the heats, waited patiently for the finals list to be shared and saw I made the cut - time for redemption! This comp was done with a warm-up all-skate followed by two sets of shines. The slower tempo warm-up dance was a great way to find the groove with my partner, Marta. Everyone was dancing, so it just felt like a casual social dance. In the shines that followed, I stuck to core moves, tried to match the energy of my partner and the band, and tried to express my own voice as a dancer. The clapping and support from the crowd certainly helped. And in a fairy tale ending, Marta and I won! So, the moral of the story is pay attention to your partner and put grooves before moves. The end.*
*I actually have a lot more to say on this outcome, but it involves speculation on why the judges judged the way they did and that is a dangerous game to play. If you want to hear my thoughts on my own comp results, you’re welcome to chat to me privately! Competitions are less about winning and more about being able to express your authentic self and your interpretations of the dance in a conversation with a fellow dance enthusiast. If you win or place, then great! If you didn’t, that’s okay too – celebrate the fact there was an opportunity for you to express yourself. Dwelling on the outcome is a sure-fire way to feel bitter about the dance, but healthy reflection on what you think you can improve on helps to set personal goals and keeps you and your scene improving.
If you made it this far, hopefully you now have a good idea of what mix-and-match competing entails - and how fun it is! If you want some inspiration, here are links to some of our favourite beginner competition clips! (No, I will not be sharing my own comp videos. Thankfully they are not on Youtube!)
Enjoy and good luck to all competitors this month – I’ll be cheering you on!
— Tom
Here are some video links to Tom’s favourite examples of MnM competitions: