Rising Star Level-Up Jack & Jill

About This Qualifier

🌟 Rising Star Level-Up Jack & Jill Independent Competition powered by the Bachata Social World Cup ecosystem Not a qualifying event for the World Cup Finals The Rising Star Level-Up Jack & Jill is designed for dancers who have moved beyond the beginner stage and are ready for a more challenging social dance competition experience. This category is open to a broad range of dancers with solid bachata foundations — from experienced social dancers and serious students to advanced dancers who may not identify with the professional/instructor-focused level of All Stars. Supported by the BSWC ecosystem, this Jack & Jill follows international standards of transparency, fairness, and social dance evaluation while giving dancers a structured, high-quality space to challenge themselves beyond Novice. The focus is on authentic social dancing, musicality, connection, adaptability, technique, and partner experience. ⚠️ Important Participation Requirements ✔️ All participants must hold a valid Full Pass or Party Pass for the Toronto Bachata Level-Up Festival in order to participate in the competition. ✔️ Registration is open until the category fills up. ✔️ All participants must register through the official competition platform and complete all required information (see Registration section below). 📅 Event Details Festival: Toronto Bachata Level-Up Festival Festival Dates: June 4–7, 2026 Competition Date: Saturday, June 6, 2026 — TBC Category: Rising Star Level-Up Jack & Jill Registration: Open until the category fills up 👉 Who This Category Is For This category is recommended for dancers who: ✔️ Have moved beyond the Novice level ✔️ Have solid social bachata foundations ✔️ Are comfortable dancing with different partners ✔️ Have some Jack & Jill, performance, team, or competition experience — or feel ready for that next level ✔️ Have approximately 2.5+ years of bachata dancing experience, or equivalent training/social dance experience ✔️ Are ready to be challenged on musicality, connection, adaptability, and technique ✔️ May have some teaching experience, but do not regularly teach bachata in one-on-one, solo, or group settings This category may be a good fit for experienced social dancers, serious students, performers, team dancers, developing competitors, and advanced dancers who want a strong challenge without entering the highest-level division. If you regularly teach bachata in private lessons, solo classes, group classes, workshops, or similar instructional settings, All Stars may be the more appropriate category. If you are unsure which category fits you best, we recommend registering for Rising Star and allowing the organization team to review your eligibility. The organizers reserve the right to move participants between categories if needed to keep the competition fair, balanced, and aligned with the level of each division. 🏆 Prizes Awards will be given to the top placements in the Rising Star Level-Up Jack & Jill. 🥇 1st Place: $600 cash prize, shared between the winning Leader and Follower — $300 each 🥈 2nd Place: Festival Full Passes 🥉 3rd Place: Festival Full Passes 🎫 Festival Full Passes may include: ✔️ Baychata Festival ✔️ Level Up Festival 2027 ✔️ Infinity Festival ✔️ SBK Festival 🧩 Competition Format The competition follows a Jack & Jill–style social dance format, where dancers are randomly assigned partners. Each dancer is evaluated individually as a Leader or Follower, even while dancing with a partner. The Rising Star category will include 3 rounds: 🔹 Round 1 — Preliminaries / Eliminations All participants will dance with randomly assigned partners. Partner rotation will happen every 60 seconds to ensure fairness, variety, and adaptability with different partners. Participants will be evaluated by a same-role jury using the following system: 🔴 0 = No 🟡 0.5 = Maybe 🟢 1 = Yes This round is designed to identify dancers who demonstrate clear social dance foundations, partner awareness, musicality, and adaptability. 🔹 Round 2 — Semifinal Semifinalists will be judged in the following categories: ✔️ Leading / Following — clarity, responsiveness, and communication ✔️ Connection — harmony, comfort, and awareness with the partner ✔️ Musicality — timing, rhythm, and interpretation ✔️ Movement Quality — technique, body control, fluidity, and personal style The semifinal places stronger emphasis on consistency, adaptability, and the ability to create a comfortable social dance experience with different partners. 🔹 Round 3 — Final The final round will include: ✔️ Top 5 Leaders ✔️ Top 5 Followers Finalists will dance with every judge from the opposite role. In the final, dancers will be evaluated using the same main categories as the semifinal, with extra emphasis on: ✔️ Leading / Following ✔️ Connection ✔️ Musicality ✔️ Adaptability The goal is to recognize dancers who can combine technique, musical expression, and partner care in a natural social dance setting. 🎵 Music Music will be randomly selected by the organizers and will include: ✔️ Classic / traditional bachata ✔️ Modern / sensual bachata Rising Star dancers are expected to show musical awareness and adaptability across both styles. They are not expected to perform like All Stars, but they should be able to adjust their movement, connection, timing, and expression to different bachata sounds. 🧠 Judging Judging will focus on the overall quality of each dancer’s social dancing, including: ✔️ Leading or following clarity ✔️ Responsiveness ✔️ Connection and partner awareness ✔️ Musicality and timing ✔️ Adaptability with different partners ✔️ Technique and movement quality ✔️ Body control and fluidity ✔️ Personal style ✔️ Positive presence on the dance floor Judges will evaluate dancers individually in their own role: ✔️ Leaders are evaluated as Leaders ✔️ Followers are evaluated as Followers The emphasis is on strong, connected, musical social dancing — not choreography, tricks, or excessive showmanship. 📌 Competition Rules To keep the competition fair, safe, and enjoyable, all participants must follow these rules: 🔄 Partner Rotation All dancers will be randomly assigned partners in each round. Partner rotation happens every 60 seconds. Each dancer is responsible for their own score. Your evaluation is based on your own dancing, connection, musicality, adaptability, technique, and partner experience. 🚫 No Lifts, Tricks, or Acrobatics Lifts, tricks, and acrobatics are not allowed. Any movement where both feet of one partner rise above the leader’s knee level is not permitted. Keep your dancing safe, social, and appropriate for a Jack & Jill environment. 💃 Social Dancing Comes First This is a social dance competition, not a choreography or performance competition. Avoid forced patterns, overly rehearsed combinations, show-off movements, or anything that makes the dance uncomfortable for your partner. Connection with your partner is the priority. 👟 Outfits & Footwear Outfits and footwear are not judged. Wear something comfortable, confident, and safe to dance in. Please avoid clothing with offensive language, slogans, or controversial imagery. Respect and inclusion are key values of this competition. 🌿 Hygiene & Personal Care Hygiene, grooming, and scent are not scored, but they are strongly recommended. You will be dancing with multiple partners, so please be mindful of partner comfort. ⏰ Be On Time Participants must arrive on time and be ready when called. Late arrivals may be disqualified. 🤝 Respect Everyone All dancers must treat partners, judges, organizers, volunteers, and staff with respect. Misconduct, disrespect, or unsafe behaviour may result in disqualification, including: 🚫 Harassment or rude behaviour 🚫 Rough or reckless dancing 🚫 Disrespecting judges, staff, partners, or competitors 🚫 Trying to influence scores or results unfairly 🚫 Intentionally breaking the rules ⚖️ Ties In case of a tie, organizers may use a dance-off with judges or another fair method to determine placement. If needed, scores for Leading / Following and Connection may be used to help determine the winner. 🧑‍⚖️ Judges & Feedback Please do not approach judges for detailed feedback immediately after the rounds. Brief feedback may be requested during the event if time allows. For detailed feedback and personalized guidance, participants may ask judges about the possibility of booking a private lesson. Please remember that judges have limited time and energy during the event and may not be able to respond to all feedback requests. 🛡️ Competition Supervisor A dedicated competition supervisor may be present to ensure the rules are followed and to handle warnings, rule violations, or possible disqualifications. 🎟️ Registration All participants must register through the official competition platform. During registration, participants may be required to: ✔️ Create a competitor profile ✔️ Upload a clear profile photo ✔️ Complete all required information ✔️ Accept the competition rules Incomplete registrations may not be accepted. 📌 Additional Information ✔️ Competition fees are non-refundable ✔️ Scores will be publicly shared after the competition ✔️ Results will be processed through the official digital system ✔️ Organizers may adjust the format if needed ✔️ Final schedule and details will be confirmed closer to the event