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Duffers guides

Chart Rated Event ages

Side by side Comparison

Duffers Guide to the Age Rules.

William Shakespeare wrote about the Seven Ages of Man, and it would appear that the dance world adopts a not too dissimilar division, but perhaps not the way he defines it!

As you may be aware there is a different set of age range rules for Ballroom & Latin EADA Charts (NSC’s) from the ordinary BDC run Sunday Circuit Events and this is an attempt to explain them to you. If you plan to dance IDSF (go overseas to compete) check your age range on their web site as their rules are slightly different again and have more age groups, but lets just not go there shall we!!! Oh and remember to tell EADA first by contacting travel@EADA.org.uk

If you are a Sequence dancer then you just look at the BDC rules for age lower down on this page, even for chart rated events.

Basically Chart events use the year of birth and all the other competitions use your actual age. Remember these are completely separate beasts, so you can find yourself dancing "Youth " in chart rated events and Junior in championships -The age groups may have the same name, but they are different categories. Competing in one does not alter your status in the other.

If you want to know about National Selection (EADA comps) ages follow this link, or you can see a side by side comparison, with some examples ,or if you want to know about the age rules for Sunday Circuit (BDC ) comps read on Mac Duff! (Sorry Mr Shakespeare)

Sunday circuit (BDC comps)

This is all the comps at beginner, novice, intermediate, pre champ and championship comps. Everything including the kitchen sink that isn't an EADA chart rated comp.

Lets start with the simple list

• Juvenile - Under 12
• Junior - 12 to under 16
• Youth - Over 16 to under19
• Under21 - Over 16 to Under 21(surprisingly enough)
• Adult - Over 16 (no upper limit)
• Senior - Over 35
• Over 50 - er.. would you believe Over 50
• Over 60 - have a guess!

That's the simple bit, but you may well find yourself dancing with someone who is a slightly different age. In this case one of you may have to go up early. (For Juvenile, Junior, Youth and Under 21, you can't enter if you are older than the upper age limit - for Senior and above, you can't be younger than the lower age limit)

Going up to a higher age group early.
Under the BDC rules you can apply to the membership secretary to dance Junior with a 12-15 year old whilst you are under 12. Once you have danced in the higher age range you cannot normally go back to Juvenile.

However if you split with your partner then send an email to Vicepresident@eada.org.uk explaining all the circumstances and our esteemed VP will see what we can do for you. But remember this is not guaranteed that he will allow it, so going up early is not a decision to be taken lightly!

Under the BDC rules once you are 14 or 15 and as long as your partner is over 16 you can apply to dance Adult (in other words, Youth, Under 21 and Adult) – but ... there is absolutely no way back to Junior from here, not ever - EVER - not a chance! Not even if hell freezes over - no no no no no! So please, please, please, think very, very, VERY carefully before you dance an Adult comp, no matter if it only beginners as once you have danced as an Adult you are an Adult.

Going up early to Senior, Over 50 and Over 60 -you can't. Both partners must be over the lower age.

EADA membership
EADA membership follows these age groups, so if you dance Adult, then you need adult membership. It does not follow Chart age rules, so for example you can dance in a Youth chart rated event, but remain a Junior member ' till you hit 16.

OK enough of this, time to move on to age rules for Chart rated events.