What do you need to successfully compete? Learning choreography, new turn patterns and working them into a specific piece of music requires a lot of time and commitment. Those who wish to create their routine from scratch need even more time. Here are the ingredients which made went into our 2003 Berlin Dance Competition routine.

A Compatible Partner

Simply dancing for fun requires a partnership and a connection between the two partners even if they dance for one song and never see each other again.

Successful competition dancing takes that partnership into a whole new dimension of familiarity and connection. You will be working closely together for several months. Followers must be able to live with the lead that the leader uses. Leaders must be able to move with the follower's timing. Are both ahead of the beat or behind the beat on responding to lead? Both must agree on the set of figures that will be done again and again and again. Colds, aches, sprains, PMS or a hard day cannot get in the way of creating your winning routine. There is no such thing as a bad day for competitors. Choose your partner carefully and treat them like gold.

Music

Music selection is as important as choosing a compatible partner. Both of you will be hearing and dancing to that music several hundred times before you even set foot onto the competition stage. If you get tired of it after a few weeks, imagine how sick and unmotivated you will be three or six months later - hearing and moving to that same piece of music week after grinding week. Choose your music very carefully.

Choreography

Sequences of moves and their relation to the music is what makes music and a partner a winning combination. Take the time to design the sequence of moves which will compliment the music. count out the number of beats it takes to do a figure. Count out the number of beats in a song, note where the accents are and try to use your figures to compliment the music. A hand flick, a hair flick, a dip or a turn in the right place can turn a passable performance into a winning one. While this is a very trying and tedious process, the work must be put in here as all the other factors support, not replace this most important ingredient for success. Costumes and clothing will fall into place once the choreography is established.

Patience

Doing the same turn ten times in a row, walking through that turn another five times in a row, counting out each beat, seeing where the feet fall and making minute adjustments is not everybody's idea of fun. Both leader and follower must have infinite patience to go through this necessary process of working through choreography.

Perservence

Everyone has a bad day or even a bad week. Despite the turbulance that can swirl through life, trials and tribulations must be parked at the door during practice time. If something isn't working both must be willing to try it again and again or devise work another figure to create a solution.

Consistency

Once a turn pattern is mastered and a routine is finally built, executing it on demand with or without the music must be second nature.

A Resource

Whether an instructor or choreographer is hired to create the routine or is asked to look at the finished routine, a winning routine is not created in isolation. Have a practiced eye look over the routine to see how it flows, to see if technical adjustments need to be made. Perhaps one partner or both partners need some extra work in technique or posture or in leading or following. That outsider looking in is well worth the extra time and perhaps the little bit of money.

Supportive Friends

Friends will be hearing progress or lack of progress or pre-competition jitters for quite some time before the competition. Pray that one's friends are willing to put up with this new factor in everyone's lives as this endeavour will expand to dominate one's life. Treat your friends like the diamonds they truly are.

A Thick Skin

Being publically judged is a very difficult process to submit one's self to. Not everyone has that kind of courage. Do not take the 12/20 or the 6/10 personally. They have a job, which is to judge. And you have a job, which is to dance. Use the judging sheets to identify previously overlooked weakness and improve on them for the next round. Here is where that outside eye becomes most useful.

Lots of Fun

The payoff for this agony is dancing in front of an enthusiastic crowd who is looking forward to seeing some really sexy or acrobatic or cutting edge salsa. They are there to see you! They will get inspiration from you and perhaps even pick up a new move or a twist on an old move. Enjoy the crowd, make your routine attractive to that spectator whose cover charges and bar bills and salsa lessons drive the salsa community economy. And go out and do it again next year.