• Attendance and Participation: The organiser accepts no responsibility for any loss or injury to persons or possessions as a result of, attendance at, or participation in the event.
  

• Contract conditions: The booking form is a contract between CD Training Ltd and the lead name only, and they as group leader are responsible for advising their guests on all issues relating to the booking.
  
  

• Late Bookings: Do not send any postal bookings within a week of the event. After this date, book on line or telephone the Champs Hotline mobile number 07914 224 799.
  

• On-line Bookings: All on-line bookings are processed by Barclaycard Merchant Services for your security.
  

• Confirmation: An automated confirmation of your booking will be forwarded to you as a receipt by email.
  

• Changes to the Event Content and Format: The organisers reserve the right to amend or alter any information they have published or may publish from time to time in the future, in connection with this event. The actual schedule and heats listings will be uploaded onto the website just a couple of days before the event if possible. Otherwise the schedule for the event will be handed to you at the event when you arrive and the heats listings will be displayed in the dance arena.
  

• Category Entry: Entry to most categories will be closed 2 days before the event.  Entries received after this date may be refused however where there is capacity in any category, entry to that will be accepted on the day of competition as long as entry is made and accepted BEFORE the start of any heat of that category. Any categories under subscribed at the two day before the event point may be cancelled, in which case all entries for that category will be contacted and refunded.
  

• Judging: The judges’ decision is final. Score sheets or other evidence of marks is not made available for review.
  

• Competition Participation: It is the competitors responsibility to check the competition category rules, the heats listings and schedule for the timings of your heats and be ready on the dance floor with your partner, dance numbers fixed securely in position, on time to partake in your heat. The organisers cannot be held responsible if you miss your heat. If you have any queries about the timings of the event, the schedule or the heats please clarify your queries at the information desk.
  

• Disclaimer: Dancing is an aerobic activity and all attendees at this event participate at their own risk. The organisers cannot be held responsible for any loss or injury resulting from participation at this event.
  

• Pets: Animals are not allowed at this event.
  

• Age Limit: This event is open to anyone over the age of 12 years of age. Any one under the age of 18 years of age must be accompanied and supervised by an adult who acting as their chaperone will be held responsible for the propriety of the minor. Competition entry ages are as per the individual competition category rules.
  

• Filming and Photographs: Anyone attending this event agrees that they can be filmed or may appear in photographs which may be used for promotional purposes. There will be an official DVD produced by the organizers that can be pre-purchased at the event or purchased on-line after the event by visiting www.ceroc.com/dvd. No other filming is allowed at this event. There is not an official photographer at the event apart for the winners photos for the website. Attendees are allowed to take photos but any personal photographs taken are for your own use and cannot be sold or distributed for profit. No one is allowed on the competition dance floor apart from competitors during their heat, judges and officials.
  

• Security: The event is supervised by SIA qualified security personnel and by attending the event you agree to comply with any reasonable request from official security personnel.

• Cancellations:  80% refund if cancelled up to 3 months before the event. 50% refund if cancelled up to 2 months before the event.  25% refund if cancelled up to a month before the event. No refunds available within a month of the event. There are no exceptional arrangements for special circumstances such as illness, bereavement, emergencies or accidents etc. Please note that all cancellations will be subject to a minimum £10 administration fee.
  

A 'Day Ticket' allow entry from '10.30am until 2am'. In other words... from the very start of the event to the very end. This year, they are £25 each. If you are a competitor, then this is the ticket you require. If you want to spectate for the full 15+ hours, then this is the ticket you require. (You also are allowed in and out of the venue all day).

 

A 'Party Ticket' allows entry from '7.30pm until 2am'. This year, they are £15 each. If you want to see the Finals of all the days competitions, then this is the ticket you require. If you want to join in the evening freestyle, then this is the ticket you require. You cannot enter any competitions if you have only purchased a Party Ticket. Note that if you purchase an evening ticket, you will not be allowed entry before 7:30pm.

You can purchase tickets in 2 ways:

 

- You can download a postal application from the website, complete that form in hard copy and forward by post to Ceroc Champs, 77 Fernhead Road, London W9 3EA.. Postal bookings are subject to availability at time of receipt of application.

 

- Complete your purchase online. Booking online guarentees your place, is quicker, easier and more efficient (and probably more environmentally friendly) Decide how many tickets you require; whether you want to spectate or compete; if you fancy a posh chair at a table; and if competing in what categories. Then have your debit or credit card to hand and follow the booking wizard to complete your purchase. You will be finally transferred to BarclayCard Merchant Services ePDQ process for payment thereafter follow their instructions.

Whilst filling out the application form on the Ceroc Champs website you can either hit the Back button (top left hand corner of screen, green botton with arrow in it) which takes you back to the previous page, or you can just close the connection. If you have been transferred to the epdq Website then a cancel button can be found when you go to the epdq website on the same page that actually makes the payment... there are two buttons - one to pay & one to cancel. The cancel button cancels the epdq transaction and returns the user to the front page of the Ceroc Champs website.

If you are on line at work which goes through a server or you have your security setting too high on your computor at home you may experience problems carrying out the purchase transaction. This is because the secure connection is being blocked by the computor security. We have no control over this but advise reducing your security setting if at home and if at work trying again at home.

EPDQ who are on-line payment processing side of Barclays Merchant Services. Barclays Merchant Services are the business side of Barclays Bank which is the recognisable name of High Street Banking. Barclays Merchant Services are the organisation that provide the on-line payment infra structure for a wide range of on-line payment services, and are leaders in this field.

The on-line payment process is a secure process with Barclays Merchant Services on line service epdq. During the process the website you are directed to should have the prefix "https://www...". The 's' in https indicates that it is a secure server.

Your numbered entry tickets and dance numbers if you are competing, will be posted to you prior to the event. If you have not recieved the tickets by the date specified for receipt then please contact the Champs Hotline.

If you purchase your tickets late then you have to pick them up at the venue on the day. There will be a Pre Purchased Tickets pick up point in the front lobby when you arrive.

The numbered tickets you receive in the post are required for entry to the event. If you lose your tickets prior to the event please call the office and report the loss.

Special concessionary prices are available for competitor’s non-dancing friends and family. All spectators are required to pay full price for a day entry pass but will be entitled to redeem a 50% discount on the day upon verification of their status. The competitor must accompany their guest to meet with a Ceroc representative to complete a kinship form and apply for the discount.

Redemptions will be made during the afternoon approximately between 4pm- 5pm at the Information desk in the front foyer.

The precise time will be advertised on the day to coincide with a freestyle section on the schedule of the day.

Please tick the ‘Friends & Family’ box at time of booking to indicate your intention to claim a discount.

The FREE cloakroom at the venue is very large, well staffed and FREE... These are the secure cloakrooms for coats and bags provided free of charge at the Champs. The cloakroom is well sign posted. There will be Champs Crew members and security who will be directing you to deposit your bags and coats in the cloakrooms. Bags and coats cannot be left around the venue as they represent a FIRE RISK. We have been told by the Venue Management that any bags obstructing free passage around the venue, or piles of coats/and or clothes that may constitute a fire risk, will be removed and placed in a lost property section in the cloakrooms provided. It is possible to take your bags out of the Cloakrooms at any time which allows dancers to change before and after a competition heat. We request that everybody entering the venue leave their large bags and belongings in the cloakroom. We would appreciate your co-operation in this matter.

MALE & FEMALE CHANGING ROOMS are also available. The location of these changing rooms will be indicated with signs on the day and stewards will be available to assist in locating the rooms. There will be mirrors, hanging rails and hangers so that costumes may be hung up and bags left for ease of access for competitors. These changing rooms are NOT SECURE... repeat NOT SECURE, which means you leave your belongings at your own risk so we recommend NOT leaving any valuables here. PLEASE PUT ALL VALUABLES IN THE FREE CLOAKROOM PROVIDED

YOU CANNOT BRING YOUR OWN FOOD AND DRINK INTO THE VENUE.
The management of the venue does not allow food or drink, including bottled water, to be brought into the venue. The venue management has security on the front doors and they will stop you if they think that you are bringing your own food and /or drink into the venue. A wide selection of food and drink is available all day at the venue. The venue has committed to serving a range good value, nutritious, hot food buffet style from a servery which will be located at the back of the cafe bar area. Tap water will be available all day. You can also leave and re-enter the venue at any time during the day which allows you to eat and drink in any of the many pubs, cafes and coffee shops within easy walking distance of the venue.

You can pick up a re-entry ticket from the front desk at any point during the day. This will allow you to leave and come back into the event. You can do this as many times as you like during the day.

The numbers must be pinned with 4 safety pins to the back of your top. If you do not have a back to your top then they may go on the front. They must not be pinned to trousers or skirts.

All Competitors taking part in the Lucky Dip need to be down on the main dance floor at 1100hrs (11.00am) where you will be allocated a partner! The first heat will start at approx. 1130hrs (11.30am). Please be there on time, men with your numbers pinned with 4 pins on your back... no numbers on front or on trousers please, and Ladies make sure you have your Pink Slip with your name filled out correctly. The Compare and Judges will sort you all into rows and into pairs, then move you around a random amount of times to mix you all up. Once you are allocated a final partner the Judges will take the pink slip from the Ladies and fill out her partner's number on it, thus confirming that partnership for this competition. Each row will then be allocated a Heat number and that will determine when you get on the dance floor to compete. You will then need to check the Results Wall (which is on the back of the partitions on the ground floor at the back of the main auditorium by the double entrance to the foyer), so that you know at what time to be on the floor for your category heat.

 

As you have combined the Intermediate and Advanced into the All Stars does that mean if I have won the Intermediate category at another competition that I have to compete in the Open category at this event?

No, what you have done in other competitions has no relevance to this competition. Also whether or not you have been PLACED (1st, 2nd or 3rd) in the Intermediate category in this Competition you are still fine to compete in new All-Stars category.

If I have previously won the Intermediate category at the Ceroc Champs does it mean I have to compete in the Advanced category at this event?

Obviously this question is irrelevant now as we have combined the intermediate and advanced into the All Stars. Due to the changes, even if you have been PLACED (1st, 2nd or 3rd) in the Intermediate competition or Advanced then you are still OK to complete in the All Stars category.

Ladies are not allocated Dance Numbers for the Lucky Dip. They receive a pink slip with their name on it. Instructions on what to do with the pink slip are written on the back of it. Ladies need to line up on the floor with their pink slip in hand. Once they are lined up with their final partners the Judges will come around and collect the pink slips and write their partner's number on the slip. This is the partnership for the Lucky Dip. You cannot change partners. This slip is then kept safely and the couples in the final will be checked to ensure they have not swapped partners.

There are 100 places for Ladies and 100 places for men available in the Lucky Dip Competition Category. Once the allocation for Lucky Dip is full, the next 5 applicants for each sex are placed on the waiting list. These applicants are contacted by email or telephone to confirm their interest in going on the list. If they do not want to go on the list the next applicant is given the opportunity. We do not guarantee a place will become available. What we do guarantee is that should a place become available then someone from the waiting list will fill it.

If you are on the Waiting List for the Lucky Dip you will need to go to the Information Point, where you will be met by a Judge who will look after you. The Information Point is situated in the front lobby by the main entrance. We have a Lucky Dip Waiting list because there are invariably competitors who do not make it on time for the allocation of partners at 1130 hrs (11.30am), and we need to have even numbers of Ladies and Men in this competition category. The procedure for inclusion in the event from the Lucky Dip Waiting List is as follows:
The Waiting List normally consists of 5 men and 5 women. Each dancer on the List is given a place number in the List. Each dancer on the List is sent a slip with their name and place number on it. 'Ladies Lucky Dip Waiting List Competitor number 1', will be the first dancer to be included in the allocation of partners for the competition if there is a shortage of women, and so on. All dancers on the Waiting List must meet at the Information Point at 1115hrs. (11.15am) sharp to register with a judge. They should all have their numbered slip with them. The Ladies will be given their pink Lucky Dip slips with their names in full as required. The men must have their white dance number pinned to their backs. A judge will meet them there and take them to the side of the main stage. As the Compere requires dancers to make up the numbers in each row, he will ask the judge to provide someone from the Waiting List. The Judge will ask someone by name to join the competition. If you are not asked to join the competition then you are free to rejoin the audience. Your payment will be refunded after the event if you are not asked to join the competitors.

The rules have changed from previous years. This was possible in the past but not now. You may NOT enter All Stars and Open with different dance partners.

Sorry, both Partners have to be 45 years of age or over to be eligible for the 'RocVets' Category

OIf you have WON the All-Stars competition previously then you are obliged to move up to the Open category. This rule applies to the individuals in the winning pairing. Once you have won the All-Stars you cannot for instance compete in the All-Stars again with a different partner. You have to move up to the Open whoever you are dancing with!

Obviously this question is irrelevant now as we have combined the intermediate and advanced into the All Stars.  Due to the changes, even if you have been PLACED (1st, 2nd or 3rd) in the Intermediate competition or Advanced then you are still OK to complete in the All Stars category. Also as a general note, what you have done in other competitions has no relevance to this competition.

Obviously this question is irrelevant now as we have combined the intermediate and advanced into the All Stars.  Due to the changes, even if you have been PLACED (1st, 2nd or 3rd) in the Intermediate competition or Advanced at the Ceroc Champs you are still OK to complete in the All Stars  category.

We have introduced another category. This is a 'Jack and Jill' competition that will really show us who is the Best of the Best. This category will be strictly for amateurs so no dance professionals or dance teachers are allowed to enter. What happens is that the entrants are paired randomly in the first round like in the Lucky Dip BUT in "Top Cats" the judges pick the best 'individuals' to go through to the next round!! In the second round the dancers are again paired randomly and the same thing happens. The judges pick the best 'individuals' to go through. This means that the eventual winners, THE Top Cats, really ARE the best dancers. You cannot be carried by your partner in this category as you are judged as an individual!!

Anyone who has taught more than 6 times in the previous 6 month.
Anyone who is intending to teach more than 6 time in the next 6 months.

Yes, each year a specific track will be chosen by the organisers for this category. The double trouble teams can then choreograph their routine to the music to make it more entertaining and more interesting so making it more of a spectacle for the spectators. Knowing the music prior to the event will also allow the competitors to concentrate developing the content to suit the musicality.

That is great. The more teams the better as you all add to the atmosphere of the event.

 

What you need to do initially is book a place for your team and pay the appropriate fee to secure your team place. When you book your team place on line you are given the option of booking up to 40 team members at the same time. This applies if you are extremely organised and have collected all their monies and have the final team in place and confirmed. Otherwise just pay for yourself and the Team entry fee.

 

We need a definitive list of the team members from you at some point before the event but we realise that individuals may change so let us know when you know. We also need to know the name of the team and the name of the choreographer at least a week before the event. Your team members can then book their day entry tickets individually and include additional categories with their booking whenever they like, but they do need to book a Day Entry ticket to enable them to take part in the event!

This synopsis is written for the competitors in a language that the ordinary dancer can understand rather than using too many technical expressions. It is meant to assist you in understanding the rules for each category by defining the criteria upon which you will be judged. It will help you to concentrate on specific aspects of the dance and hopefully pick up some tips that will give you a few more marks on the big day!!

Timing is the most important criteria in any competition. Every dancer should know what this means, and to good dancers it is a natural expression of the music. In any competition if a couple are dancing "off time" i.e. not in time with the music, then it does not matter how good everything else is, they will simply not get any marks. The music/movement synergy is the most important aspect of any form of dancing and being able to dance in time with the music is imperative. If the musical count changes within a record then the dancer needs to be able to adjust their footwork to fit in with the change in beat.

It is important to be able to listen to and dance to the particular track that is playing in your heat. "Light & Shade" is an important expression used in the dance world and is the way the dynamics of a dance can be altered to make it look more interesting, and to make a couple stand out on the dance floor. This expression in laymen’s terms means the ability to slow things down and speed them up in time with the character of the music – a freeze on a break is a good example of this.

The following categories DO NOT receive marks for Dress. They are judge entirely on the dancing.
All-Stars Freestyle Trophy
Lucky Dip
Ceroc Pro-Am

All other categories will be judged on and awarded marks for Dress, Grooming and Presentation
Is very simple, the question is has the couple made an effort with their outfits, their hair, and make-up, their overall appearance? Do they look like they are A. entering a competition or B. would they look equally as happy out for a Sunday afternoon walk in the park? A. get marks B. doesn’t!

Floor presence is an important aspect of any competition if only when it makes the Judge notice you above all the other couples. Playing up to the judges, playing up to the audience, entertainment value, exuding confidence and passion, appearing to be enjoying yourselves, are all-important aspects of competing. Although at this point one must be reminded that the expressions displayed should look genuine and not forced, at the end of the day you are acting.

Not something you gain marks for, but you will undoubtedly not be marked well if you have no consideration of others on the floor. So be aware of other competitors, but still dance as if you are the only couple on the floor.

A dancer does not have to do a whole routine of the most complicated moves to look good and to gain points. Difficult moves will not win you points if the basis is scrappy. The quality of ones dancing is not only in the choreography but you must also consider its relationship to timing and technique, The way a simple turn is executed can look as good if not better than a triple spin if executed well (for example, if the ladies spare arm is used expressively; if the couple are looking up and not at the floor; if the couple are using the top of their bodies and their feet are using the floor) However a combination of more difficult moves executed fundamentally well will win you those valuable extra points.

The question to be asked is whether the couple dance as a couple, with consideration for each other, or do they dance as individuals? Does the man display the lady as a matador would his cape? Are the dancers in synchronisation with each other? Is there chemistry between them? Do they maintain good eye contact? Do you they look natural together? Are they joined by a passion for the dance? A couple that dance as if they are one will impress the judges more than to very good individuals dancing together.

This as a generic term to describe posture, framing, foot and leg action, hold and poise. Questions one can ask a. Are the lines created, well executed and attractive? b. Do the dancers project themselves? c. The using of the feet and the floor (No trotting or skipping for example; feet to be placed on the floor; all of the foot to be used, not dancing on ones toes, are all examples of use of the feet and the floor). d. Are spare arms used and used expressively?

Innovative and difficult moves can also gain those all important extra marks, but again these moves must be danced well and must take all of the above factors into consideration, especially timing and musicality.

Lifts, Aerials and Airsteps
For the purposes of this definition Lifts, Aerials or Acrobatic moves are used as generic terms to describe partner weight-supported moves where both of one partners feet leave the dance floor due to the combined intention andwith the assistance of their partner. Any moves that the judges deem to be unsafe may earn a penalty or lead to disqualification. 'If in doubt - leave it out!'

Baby Airstep
A Baby Airstep is a lift, aerial or airstep where either one foot stays below the partner’s standing knee height, or both feet stay below the partner’s standing waist height.

Major Airstep
A Major Airstep is a lift, aerial or airstep when one foot is above the knee, and the other foot above the waist.

Inverted Moves
Any move where either dancer has their feet higher than their head will be classed as a Major Airstep.

Duration of an Airstep
A lift, aerial or airstep starts when both feet leave the ground. It finishes when at least one foot touches the ground again and supports the majority of the weight, without the intention of immediately doing another lift, aerial or airstep.

Airstep Notes
• A solo jump is not a lift, aerial or airstep as they are not partner assisted.
• Small unintentional jumps (e.g. from a drop-kick) should not be counted. (We will not disqualify someone for being enthusiastic!)
• Rebounds (where the lady lands from one lift, aerial or airstep and immediately goes into another) are not counted as separate moves. (Please note that there can be no dancing in between. The landing must be the preparation for the next lift, aerial or airstep.)
• Specific limitations are be placed on certain moves e.g. the ‘floor sweeper’ are excluded for safety reasons. If you are in doubt, contact us or leave it out.
•‘Standing knee height’ means the height of the knee when standing up straight. It does not change if you kneel down, or lift the knee in the air.

The judges are briefed on the judging criteria in each category prior to the competition heat, but one must remember that although all of the above will be taken into consideration it is the overall impression that a couple makes on the judges that will take them through to the next round.