Judging criteria
Judges give every dancer one overall score from 0 to 10, in steps of 0.1, guided by five pillars that all weigh the same, 20% each. There are no separate marks per pillar. These are the criteria of the World Cup Finals, the standard of the whole circuit.
The base the whole dance sits on, and it has to be bachata.
Timing, weight transfer, grounding, posture, and a basic that really works at any tempo. We are looking for bachata: the dance has to be recognisable as bachata from the first step, whatever style you bring to it.
How the body executes what it is asked to do.
Balance, axis, turns, footwork, body movement, lines, and how clearly a lead or a follow is executed. A simple movement done to a high standard scores above a difficult one done roughly.
Everything that only exists because there are two of you.
Adapting to a partner you have never danced with, building the dance together instead of one person deciding it, and making it comfortable and safe for the person in your arms.
Turning what you hear into what you dance.
Phrasing, accents and breaks, dynamics, instruments, pauses, and changing what you do because of what the song is doing right now.
Attitude, styling and creativity.
Presence and attitude, styling and movement textures, and the creativity to improvise instead of repeating. Looking like yourself rather than a copy.
Want to judge?
From scores to results
See, step by step and with an example you can play with, how relative placement turns every judge's scores into one fair result.
