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September 12 to 14, 2026Chicago, United StatesFinished

Bachata Sensual Festival Chicago

Chicago Qualifier

The event in numbers

Who came, how the competition went and what the scores tell.

50
Dancers
13
Countries
3
Rounds
8
Judges
368
Scores given
1 h 54
Of dancing

01 · The competition

Round by round

50 dancers in Prelims BSFC Qual, 12 in the Finals BSFC Qual. 3 heats and 11 songs. 50 of 50 dancers checked in for the first round.

Prelims BSFC Qual

50 dancers25L + 25F

Semi-Finals BSFC Qual

30 dancers15L + 15F

Finals BSFC Qual

12 dancers6L + 6F

Judged by 8 judges from 3 countries, who gave 368 scores.

02 · Moments

What the scores tell

Read straight from the judges' published scores.

A split panelLeaders

The judges had 3 different favourites among the leaders. Danny Perez won it on the majority.

Danny PerezUnited States
The panel agreedLeaders

All 4 judges placed JUAN CARLOS CANDO COMINO 5th or 6th.

JUAN CARLOS CANDO COMINOSpain
The panel splitLeaders

One judge placed Darrell Relleve 2nd, another 6th. They finished 2nd.

Darrell RelleveCanada
Biggest climbLeaders

Jacob Andrews went from 11th in Prelims BSFC Qual to 5th in the Finals BSFC Qual.

Jacob AndrewsUnited States
The deciderFollowers

Among the followers, the tie-break separated Jasmin Perla from michelle valenzuela.

Jasmin PerlaUnited States
The panel splitFollowers

One judge placed Claudia Poteet 2nd, another 6th. They finished 6th.

Claudia PoteetUnited States
Biggest climbFollowers

Nicole Diaz went from 12th in Prelims BSFC Qual to 3rd in the Finals BSFC Qual.

Nicole DiazUnited States
Sharpest eye

17 of Judith Cordero Pereiro's 21 favourites went through to the next round, the best of the panel.

Judith Cordero PereiroSpain

03 · The field

Who came to dance

Nations

13 countries, 4 continents

32% of the dancers came from outside United States.

USUnited States
34
CACanada
3
CLChile
2
INIndia
2
AUAustralia
1
CNChina
1
United States: 34Canada: 3Chile: 2India: 2Australia: 1China: 1Chinese Taipei: 1Ecuador: 1Guatemala: 1Malaysia: 1Mexico: 1Puerto Rico: 1Spain: 1

First-timers and regulars

30%
First World Cup event
15 dancers
7
Regulars
3 or more events before

Most experienced

Darrell Relleve5 World Cup events before this one

Experience

5.5
Years dancing, on average
Intermediate
27
Advanced
13
Professional
8
Beginner
2

04 · Before and after

Sign-ups and feedback

How registration filled up

52 days
To sell out
46%
Signed up in the last week

05 · What happened next

On to World Cup Finals 2027

How the dancers who qualified at Chicago Qualifier did there.