Join us at THE GALA BALL London competition, where passion meets grace in a dazzling display of talent! From the artistry of Teacher/Student duos to the sophistication of Senior and Open Amateur divisions, our stage celebrates unity in diversity. Couples of any association, qualifications, and equality dancers will find their perfect moment to shine!
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The Gala Ball Competition is a two day event at a beautiful historic venue in central London.
Categories:
Teacher-Student/Pro-Am
Open Amateur
Under 21
Senior 1 & 2
Open Equality
Junior and Juvenile (including solo)
Age categories for Adult Pro-Am:
A (under 30)
B (30-39)
C (40-49)
D (50-59)
E (60 – 69)
F (70 and over)
Levels for Adult Pro-Am:
Social Foundation (practice clothes)
Novice
Intermediate
Advanced
Dance styles:
Smooth
Rhythm
Ballroom
Latin
Argentine Tango
Show Dance:
Pro-Am Latin/Rhythm
Pro-Am Ballroom/Smooth
Groups
European Smooth Alliance (ESA) Closed Circuit:
The Gala Ball is now part of the ESA Closed Circuit and it will be a flagship event, at which the awards will be presented. It’s a great opportunity to learn foundations of Smooth. Find out more about ESA Closed Circuit
Saturday 7 March
9:30 Doors open
10:30 Smooth Warm Up
11:00 Pro-Am Smooth
12:36 Smooth Awards
13:00 Latin and Show Dance Warm Up
13:45 Pr0-Am Latin
14:50 Pr0-Am Show Dance Competition
15:35 Open Amateur Latin Semi-Final
15:45 Pr0-Am Latin and Show Dance Awards
BREAK
19:00 Doors open for the Gala Dinner Dance
21:00 Open Amateur Latin & Smooth Finals
22:10 Professional & VIP Show Dance, Open Amateur Awards
24:00 Carriages
Sunday 8 March
8:30 Door opens
9:30 Warm Up
10:00 Solo Ballroom
11:45 Junior and Juvenile Ballroom Couples
12:10 Under 21 Ballroom
12:15 T/S Juvenile and Junior Ballroom
12:35 Awards Ballroom
13:00 Solo Smooth
13:20 T/S Juvenile and Junior Smooth
13:30 Awards Smooth
13:50 Solo Latin
16:05 Junior and Juvenile Latin Couples
16:30 Under 21 Latin
16:40 T/S Juvenile and Junior Latin
17:00 Party Dance & Awards for Kids Latin
17:30 Warm Up for Pro-Am Ballroom, Rhythm & Arg. Tango
17:40 Pro-Am Rhythm
17:45 T/S Pro-Am Ballroom (alternate with Rhythm)
19:30 Argentine Tango (alternate with Ballroom)
20:15 Social Foundation Ballroom
20:20 Equality
20:55 Social Foundation Latin
21:05 Seniors
21:25 Awards
PRO-AM
To be eligible to dance in the 3 Dance Scholarship the student needs to enter the same 3 Single Dances in the same style.
To be eligible to dance in the 4/5 Dance Scholarship the student needs to enter respective Single Dances in the same style.
SENIOR, EQUALITY, OPEN AMATEUR, UNDER 21
will be based on the 5 dances (4 for Smooth) per category. No choreography restrictions
JUNIUR & JUVENILE
Choreography is restricted according to the age and level and should adhere to BDC rules.
One Teacher is dancing with one Student to their chosen music in front of 5 judges.
One teacher or student may enter more than one Show Dance.
Length of the routine should be between 2min and 2min 40sec, including intro and reprise.
Choreography should contain at least 70% of Ballroom/Smooth or Latin/Rhythm styles.
Groups can be couples or solos between 6 and 12 people in any style.
Lifts are allowed and should be performed in a safe manner under full responsibility of the professional partner.
Competition Entries and Gala Dinner tickets are not refundable. You can transfer Dinner Dance ticket to another name.
All participants, competitors and spectators alike, must have an Admission ticket to the ballroom for the day session.
All competitors must be ready in the ballroom at least 30 minutes before their heat start time, which are provided in the Heat List. The organisers do not have to stop the competition if a competitor is not on the dance floor for their heat. If a competitor has missed their heat, no refund will be issued.
The organisers are not responsible and cannot be held liable for any personal belongings left in the ballroom, the changing rooms or any other competition premises.
The event organisers are not liable and not responsible for any health problems or injuries during the event; this is solely risk of the participants. A qualified First Aider will be appointed for the event
Competitors are counted as ‘entered’ for the competition only when the required entry and registration form has been submitted in the specified time period (before the closing date) and all the required payments (including admission ticket for the appropriate day and/or evening session) have been made.
When registering to the event, competitors are obliged to provide accurate and complete data (name, phone number, e-mail address and postal address).
Entry fees and tickets can only be refunded in case of the event cancellation due to unforeseen circumstances. Information on the event’s cancellation is communicated to the e-mail address provided in the registration.
The organisers reserve the right to change The Gala Ball rules and schedule for a valid reason. In the event of a change, this will be communicated to the e-mail address provided in the registration. The amendment of the rules has no effect on the registration process and tickets purchased prior to it.
By attending The Gala Ball all participants agree to be recorded for the official event video and event photos.
The Gala Ball organisers wish all the participants a successful and enjoyable experience at the event!
Please follow this link to the booking page and choose your category.
Yes, if you want to dance Three Dance Challenge and Five Dance Scholarship, you need to enter same or more Single Dances.
This category is for adult students who want an opportunity to experience competition environment. Couple can only dance syllabus figures. Couple can consist of two amateur dancers. No teachers can take part.
Practice or Day Wear only for this category please.
There are two dances in three styles: Ballroom, Latin, Smooth. You can chose one style or dance all of them.
The leader will always wear the number, regardless if they are the teacher or the student. We work with high end scrutineering system, which allows you to wear the same number even if dancing with different partner in different categories. If you are dancing two days, please keep the same number.
This category includes same sex male couples, same sex female couples, mixed couples where a lady or a man can be a leader.
It will be separated into two levels: Advanced (class A, B), Intermediate (class C, D).
Adults only.
All competitors, teachers and spectators need an admission ticket to enter the Ballroom on the day of the competition. There is a separate ticket for the Dinner Dance on Saturday night.
There are no restrictions on clothing for adults. Junior and Juvenile consumes should adhere to DBC standard. Appropriate dance shoes must be worn for every category.
Yes. Please find more details on this page.
Porchester Hall
Porchester Road
Bayswater
London
W2 5HS
The Porchester Hall makes for a wonderful atmospheric ballroom. The walls are handsomely panelled in English oak and walnut, with luxurious rich crimson velvet drapes. Fascinating figurines and motifs support the main beams and ten magnificent crystal chandeliers hang from the fine ceiling. But most importantly the Hall as the perfect dance floor made of sprung oak parquet, great for dancing all day and night.