THE BALBOA RENDEZVOUS
    B U I L D I N G   B A L B O A   C O M M U N I T I E S
                                           featuring the
              INTERNATIONAL BALBOA CHAMPIONSHIPS
                "Win the Rendezvous Cup where it all began..."
      

     *** IBC Info ***


   BACK TO COMPETITION PAGE

International Balboa Championship Division:

All competitors must be Full Weekend Pass or Competition Pass holders.
Please sign up online for the IBC when you register for BR itself.

$15/person = $30/couple

Please see the schedule for times for this competition

This is a unique competition in many ways:
1)  Three rounds focus on showing multiple skills for Balboa: 
        Pre-Lims:  BALBOA - emphasis on footwork and Balboa movement/musicality
            Couples judged down to 10 (or natural break) for the Semi-Finals.
        Semi-Finals:  BAL-SWING - emphasis on finesse, creativity, and musicality
            Couples judged down to 5 (or natural break) for the finals on Sunday.
        Finals:  ANYTHING GOES - now that the finalists have proven their technique, it's time to really show off

2)  Various judges are used throughout the competition
        To foster a well-rounded, open-minded approach to the dance,
        competitors must prove their skills to various judges in each round as well as the crowd on Sunday

3)  Finalists will have the chance to compete at the historic Balboa Pavilion and win where it all began...

4)  Special awards are given to the ONE winner of this competition - there are no awards for second or third place
        The RENDEZVOUS CUP will be passed to the new winner each year.  It is a close replica of the original 1st Place cups
        won by Willie Desatoff and Betty Stoi & Lenore Howard in 1938 - a time when competition was for pride versus money or
        placement, and only the TOP couple won the cup.

        A very special winner’s plaque will be engraved with the signatures of the Masters that created this dance in the 1930s
        (including my mentor: Maxie Dorf).  The plaque will be awarded to the winning couple each year as a symbol of their success
        in Balboa and carrying on the legend of these Masters. The plaque is theirs to keep and display with pride.

        There will also be a plaque at the Historic Balboa Pavilion to commemorate this amazing weekend.
        It will contain the engraved names of the couple that wins the Rendezvous Cup each year.

WINNERS WILL BE ANNOUNCED ON SUNDAY EVENING.

DETAILED COMPETITOR INFORMATION FOR THE IBC:

The title and cup will be awarded to the best couple displaying timing, technique, teamwork, finesse, footwork, and showmanship
– simply the best of the best.  If you are not present at the competitor meetings, your spot in the competition will be forfeited. 

PRE-LIMS:  PURE BALBOA
Please be sure you attend the competitors meeting.
* You are being judged against ALL of the other couples in the contest not just your heat. 
** This round will be a callback – judges will be marking YES, MAYBE, or NO for the next round. 
*** Judges will be looking for couples with well-rounded skills in PURE BALBOA. 
**** 9-11 COUPLES will be chosen to move on to the semi-finals. 
***** Results posted in the side room of Portuguese Hall.

• HEAT All Skate -
  1 minute at a slow tempo - approx. 110-120 BPM.  Each all skate will be Pure Balboa.
• HEAT SPOTLIGHT - Each couple in a heat will come out for 30 seconds at approximately 200 BPM.  Couples will enter and exit the floor jam style.  MC will keep track of time and wave in the next couple to enter.  Judges are looking for skills in Pure Balboa only.  If you break into Bal-Swing you will not be disqualified, yet it will reflect in how you are scored.  Depending on the number of competitors, this may be 2 couples at a time OR another All Skate format.
• Final All Skate – after the 3^rd heat is complete, ALL couples will dance 2-3 minutes.  This all skate will be PURE BALBOA.

SEMI-FINAL:  BAL & BAL-SWING – RELATIVE PLACEMENT
Please be sure to attend the competitors meeting.. 
* This round will be relative placement.  Judges will rank each couple 1-??. 
** Judges will be looking for well-rounded skills in BAL-SWING and BALBOA.
*** 4-6 COUPLES will be chosen to move on to the finals on Sunday. 
**** Results posted in the side room of Portuguese Hall.

• ALL SKATE – all couples will dance 1 minute at approximately 200 BPM.
• SPOTLIGHT - Each couple will dance 1min to a song at approximately 220 BPM. 
  Couples will enter and exit the floor jam style.  MC will keep track of time and wave in the next couple to enter. 
  Judges are looking for skills in BAL-SWING & PURE BALBOA. 
• 2nd ALL SKATE - ALL couples will dance for 2 minutes at approximately 230 BPM if the judges need another look.

4-6 COUPLES WILL BE CHOSEN TO MOVE TO THE FINALS.
The couples will be announced Midnight.  Results will be posted in the side room.

FINALS:  (Sunday at the Balboa Pavilion) – ANYTHING GOES:  BAL & BAL-SWING & LIFTS/DROPS/AERIALS
Competitors meeting at 9:00pm in the front hall by the elevator at the Balboa Pavilion.
* This round will be relative placement.  Judges will rank each couple 1-??.
** Judges will be looking for couples that really show off their stuff – ANYTHING GOES!
*** Make sure you impress the crowd - they are one of the judges
**** ONE COUPLE will be announced as the winner of the RENDEZVOUS CUP and hold it for ONE YEAR
***** Results posted by the registration table at the Pavilion.

You’ve proven your skills in Balboa and Bal-Swing in the pre-lims and semi-finals – now it’s time to really strut your stuff and take the RENDEZVOUS CUP home.  You must impress the judges AND the crowd!!!

·         ALL SKATE - ALL couples will dance 2 minutes at approximately 220 BPM.
After the All Skate the couples will line up in the order they were called for the SPOTLIGHT.

• SPOTLIGHT x2 - Each couple will enter the floor jam style and dance 16 8-counts (approx. 1 minute) at approximately 240 BPM and go back in line to repeat.  Joel will keep track of the time and wave in the next couple to enter.

• ALL SKATE - ALL couples will dance 2 minutes at approximately 260 BPM.

* If there are any errors in the tabulation of scores, the effected couple(s) will receive free passes to next years Balboa Rendezvous