The United Country Western Dance Council (UCWDC) is an organization that advocates and organizes competitive country/western dancesport events. UCWDC regionally-sanctioned events are hosted in over two dozen U.S. cities and also in the nations of

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

the Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and sharing a Korean Demilitarized Zone, land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed ...

Belgium Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to th ...

Malaysia Malaysia ( ; ) is a country in Southeast Asia. The federation, federal constitutional monarchy consists of States and federal territories of Malaysia, thirteen states and three federal territories, separated by the South China Sea into two r ...

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countri ...

, and

Lithuania Lithuania (; lt, Lietuva ), officially the Republic of Lithuania ( lt, Lietuvos Respublika, links=no ), is a country in the Baltic region of Europe. It is one of three Baltic states and lies on the eastern shore of the Baltic Sea. Lithuania ...

. The UCWDC is based on a framework of event directors, who are owners of regional dance-competition events in cities around the world. The event directors are overseen by a board of directors. The board of directors governs the overall organization and maintains a standard of operations, uniform competition format, judging, scoring and comprehensive rules, adhered to by dancesport competitors. These dancesport competitors compete at authorized regional dance competitions during the dance season, beginning in January and ending in December of any given year. After attending a required minimum number of dance events, dancers are able to establish eligibility for attending the UCWDC Country Dance World Championships at the end of the year.

History

The UCWDC was established in 1989 and was incorporated in 1990 as a

non-profit organization A nonprofit organization (NPO) or non-profit organisation, also known as a non-business entity, not-for-profit organization, or nonprofit institution, is a legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public or social benefit, in co ...

Camp Hill, Pennsylvania Camp Hill is a borough in Cumberland County, Pennsylvania. It is southwest of Harrisburg and is part of the Harrisburg–Carlisle metropolitan statistical area. The population was 7,888 at the 2010 census. There are many large corporations bas ...

. In 1980, the film

Urban Cowboy ''Urban Cowboy'' is a 1980 American romantic Western film directed by James Bridges. The plot concerns the love-hate relationship between Buford Uan "Bud" Davis (John Travolta) and Sissy (Debra Winger). The film's success was credited for spur ...

, featuring

John Travolta John Joseph Travolta (born February 18, 1954) is an American actor. He came to public attention during the 1970s, appearing on the television sitcom ''Welcome Back, Kotter'' (1975–1979) and starring in the box office successes ''Carrie'' (19 ...

, was released. The movie influenced popular culture with not only the success of three #1 hits on the country music charts, but the portrayal of a country/western nightclub, country/western attire and a dance competition at the Dallas, Texas honkytonk, Gilley’s. Country/western dance became popular in the United States and gave rise to nightclubs such as the Grizzly Rose in

Denver Denver () is a consolidated city and county, the capital, and most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Its population was 715,522 at the 2020 census, a 19.22% increase since 2010. It is the 19th-most populous city in the Unit ...

Colorado Colorado (, other variants) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It encompasses most of the Southern Rocky Mountains, as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of t ...

, the

Lone Star Cafe The Lone Star Cafe was a cafe and club in New York City at 61 Fifth at the corner of Fifth Avenue and 13th Street, from 1976 to 1989.

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

, New York and the Wrangler’s Roost in

San Diego San Diego ( , ; ) is a city on the Pacific Ocean coast of Southern California located immediately adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a 2020 population of 1,386,932, it is the List of United States cities by population, eigh ...

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

. A new dance craze began in the United States and with it, the rise of country/western dance competitions. In 1989, a group of 21 country/western dance-event owners met in Grantville, Pennsylvania with the goal of creating a national organization with uniform rules, teaching canon, judging, dance standards and competition formats. Prior to the creation of the UCWDC, country/western dance events had differing formats and rules. The UCWDC created a uniform structure.

Gallery of regional UCWDC championship belt buckles

File:1994 UCWDC New Mexico Dance Fiesta Championship Belt Buckle.jpg, 1994 New Mexico Dance Fiesta Division IV (Albuquerque, New Mexico) File:1996 UCWDC South Bay Championship Belt Buckle.jpg, 1996 South Bay Classic Division II (San Jose, California)

UCWDC Country Dance World Championships

The UCWDC Country Dance World Championships, popularly referred to as "Worlds", is an annual competition which awards country/western world dancesport championship titles to individuals, couples, and dance teams from around the globe. Worlds has been held every year, since its inception in 1993, with the exception of the 2021 event which was canceled due to the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...

. The world championships are the culmination of a competition season and have been located primarily inside the United States, however they were held once in Canada, once in the Netherlands, and once in Sweden. "Worlds" is the largest event on the UCWDC calendar. Worlds 2020 had over 6,500 entries, while Worlds 2023 has over 7,000 entries.

Adjudication

The UCWDC maintains a program for

judge A judge is a person who presides over court proceedings, either alone or as a part of a panel of judges. A judge hears all the witnesses and any other evidence presented by the barristers or solicitors of the case, assesses the credibility an ...

training and certification in order to establish uniformity and credibility. Potential candidates for this training must pay fees for training, adhere to a code of conduct, and maintain currency as a UCWDC adjudicator. The Vice President of Rules oversees UCWDC-certified judges, maintains a list (or "pool") of qualified judges and establishes standards for judging methodology.

Dance divisions

Competitors at UCWDC events are required to have a current UCWDC associate membership. Dancesport contestants may register in couples, line dance, teams, ProAm, ProPro, cabaret or showtime competition divisions. These divisions are divided by skill level and by age. Dancesport competition occurs via a system of “heats”. As a heat begins, contestants enter the floor from a staging area, take positions, a

deejay A disc jockey, more commonly abbreviated as DJ, is a person who plays recorded music for an audience. Types of DJs include radio DJs (who host programs on music radio stations), club DJs (who work at a nightclub or music festival), mobile D ...

plays music and the contestants perform. UCWDC couples, ProAm, and ProPro may compete in as many as eight country/western dances which are danced in the following prescribed order; triple two-step,

nightclub A nightclub (music club, discothèque, disco club, or simply club) is an entertainment venue during nighttime comprising a dance floor, lightshow, and a stage for live music or a disc jockey (DJ) who plays recorded music. Nightclubs gener ...

waltz The waltz ( ), meaning "to roll or revolve") is a ballroom and folk dance, normally in triple ( time), performed primarily in closed position. History There are many references to a sliding or gliding dance that would evolve into the wa ...

polka Polka is a dance and genre of dance music originating in nineteenth-century Bohemia, now part of the Czech Republic. Though associated with Czech culture, polka is popular throughout Europe and the Americas. History Etymology The term ...

, cha cha, east coast swing, two-step, and

west coast swing West Coast Swing is a partner dance with roots in the Lindy Hop. It is characterized by an elastic look that results from its extension-compression technique of partner connection and is danced primarily in a slotted area on the dance floor. The ...

Couples

Photograph provided by Jason Thornton & Courtney Toben

In couples competition, one partner, generally a male, is the "lead" and the other, generally a female, the "follow". Leads wear a number pinned to their back. The number allows the judges to assign judging scores to the appropriate competitive couple. In UCWDC couples competition, dancers compete at a dance level commensurate with their skill abilities and/or qualifications. Dancers may choose to compete in Classic style or Showcase style. In Classic, the competitors do not know which song the deejay will choose for them. In Showcase, couples choreograph routines to specific songs. Dance levels: * Syllabus is a beginner or entry-level division with strict movement and dress-code constraints. * Division IV is a beginner or entry-level division which allows for an expanded range of dance patterns. * Division III is a more advanced level of competition than Division IV. * Division II is a division populated by couples with strong dance skills and competition experience. * Division I is a division which contains dancers who have exceptional skills and experience. * Masters Division is the highest level of competition for dancers aged 18 and above. Qualifications are mandatory. * Crown Division is the highest level of competition for dancers aged 40 and above. Qualifications are mandatory. * Crown Plus Division is the same as Crown, only for dancers dancers aged 55 and above. Qualifications are mandatory. Couples divisions are also organized by age

ProAm and ProPro

ProAm couples are a dance partnership formed between a professional dancer and a student. In general, the student pays the professional to dance with them in competition. ProPro couples are made up of two professional dancers, one of which is generally the senior instructor and the other, a professional who is the "student". The students wear a number pinned to their back. In UCWDC ProAm or ProPro competition, student dancers compete at a dance level commensurate with their skill abilities and/or qualifications. Dance levels: * Syllabus is a beginner or entry-level division with strict movement and dress-code constraints. * Newcomer is a beginner or entry-level division which allows for an expanded range of dance patterns. * Novice is a more advanced level of competition than Newcomer. * Intermediate is a division populated by couples with strong dance skills and competition experience. * Advanced is a division which contains dancers who have exceptional skills and experience. ProAm or ProPro divisions are also organized by age

UCWDC regional events

* Peach State Country Western Dance Festival - "Peach State" is an annual UCWDC dancesport competition and country/western dance festival held every March in

Atlanta, Georgia Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,715 ...

. The event was inaugurated in 1990 and is one of the oldest UCWDC events. Peach State has a large number of competitions, workshops and social dancing. * Tulip Challenge - The Tulip Challenge is an annual UCWDC dancesport competition and country/western dance festival held every March in

De Rijp De Rijp is a village and former island in the Dutch province of North Holland. It is a part of the municipality of Alkmaar, and lies about 10 km northwest of Purmerend, between the Schermer and the Beemster polders. Before the poldering of ...

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

. The Tulip Challenge draws a large number of international contestants, as in its 2018 edition, the countries represented were Germany, Belgium, South Korea, Spain, France, Holland, Ireland, Italy, Lithuania, Sweden, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, and the United States. * Calgary Dance Stampede - The

Calgary Calgary ( ) is the largest city in the western Canadian province of Alberta and the largest metro area of the three Prairie Provinces. As of 2021, the city proper had a population of 1,306,784 and a metropolitan population of 1,481,806, makin ...

Dance Stampede is an annual dancesport competition and country/western dance festival held every April in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. It is one of the first events on the UCWDC calendar. This is Canada's largest and longest running country, swing and line dance event and a points-registry event for the Country Two Step Tour (CTST). Keith Armbruster, UCWDC President, is this event's director of operations. In 2022, the Calgary Dance Stampede included performances from local

Ukrainian Ukrainian may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Ukraine * Something relating to Ukrainians, an East Slavic people from Eastern Europe * Something relating to demographics of Ukraine in terms of demography and population of Ukraine * So ...

dance teams. * San Diego Dance Festival - The San Diego Dance Festival is an annual UCWDC dancesport competition and country/western dance festival held every April in

San Diego, California San Diego ( , ; ) is a city on the Pacific Ocean coast of Southern California located immediately adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a 2020 population of 1,386,932, it is the eighth most populous city in the United States ...

. This event is one of two UCWDC events located in San Diego. * Oklahoma Dance Rush - The Oklahoma Dance Rush is an annual UCWDC dancesport competition and country/western dance festival held every April in

Oklahoma City, Oklahoma Oklahoma City (), officially the City of Oklahoma City, and often shortened to OKC, is the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. The county seat of Oklahoma County, it ranks 20th among United States cities in population, and ...

. * Italian Country/Western Dance Classic - The Italian Country/Western Dance Classic is an annual UCWDC dancesport competition and country/western dance festival held every April in

Rome, Italy , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus (Romulus and Remus, legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg ...

. * MidAtlantic Dance Classic -

Dulles, Virginia Dulles () is an unincorporated area in Loudoun County, Virginia, United States, and is part of the Washington metropolitan area. The headquarters of Northrop Grumman Innovation Systems and ODIN Technologies, as well as the former headquarters of ...

* German Dance Cup - The German Dance Cup is an annual UCWDC dancesport competition and country/western dance festival held every May in

Düsseldorf Düsseldorf ( , , ; often in English sources; Low Franconian and Ripuarian: ''Düsseldörp'' ; archaic nl, Dusseldorp ) is the capital city of North Rhine-Westphalia, the most populous state of Germany. It is the second-largest city in th ...

. In 2002, the Deutschen Tanzsportverbandes (German Dancesport) officially recognized country western dancing a dancesport. The Deutschen Tanzsportverbandes and the UCWDC coordinate efforts on making country western dance more popular in Germany. * Texas Classic -

Austin, Texas Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of Texas, as well as the county seat, seat and largest city of Travis County, Texas, Travis County, with portions extending into Hays County, Texas, Hays and Williamson County, Texas, Williamson co ...

* Orange Blossom Dance Festival -

Orlando, Florida Orlando () is a city in the U.S. state of Florida and is the county seat of Orange County, Florida, Orange County. In Central Florida, it is the center of the Greater Orlando, Orlando metropolitan area, which had a population of 2,509,831, acco ...

* Seoul International Line Dance Festival -

Seoul Seoul (; ; ), officially known as the Seoul Special City, is the capital and largest metropolis of South Korea.Before 1972, Seoul was the ''de jure'' capital of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea) as stated iArticle 103 ...

* Colorado Country Classic -

* Indy Dance Explosion -

Indianapolis, Indiana Indianapolis (), colloquially known as Indy, is the state capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Indiana and the seat of Marion County. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the consolidated population of Indianapolis and Mari ...

* Big Apple Country Dance Festival -

Morristown, New Jersey Morristown () is a town and the county seat of Morris County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. ...

* New Orleans Dance Mardi Gras -

New Orleans, Louisiana New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans
Merriam-Webster. ; french: La Nouvelle-Orléans , es, Nuev ...

* European Open Championships * New England Dance Festival - Boston, Massachusetts * Arizona Dance Classic -

Phoenix, Arizona Phoenix ( ; nv, Hoozdo; es, Fénix or , yuf-x-wal, Banyà:nyuwá) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of cities and towns in Arizona#List of cities and towns, most populous city of the U.S. state of Arizona, with 1 ...

* Chicagoland Country & Swing Dance Festival -

Rosemont, Illinois Rosemont is a village in Cook County, Illinois, United States. Located immediately northwest of Chicago, as of the 2010 census it had a population of 4,202. The village was incorporated in 1956, though it had been settled long before that. Whi ...

* Asia Pacific Line Dance Classic -

Kuala Lumpur , anthem = '' Maju dan Sejahtera'' , image_map = , map_caption = , pushpin_map = Malaysia#Southeast Asia#Asia , pushpin_map_caption = , coordinates = , su ...

* Nashville Dance Classic -

Nashville, Tennessee Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat, seat of Davidson County, Tennessee, Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the List of muni ...

* South Bay Dance Fling -

San Jose, California San Jose, officially San José (; ; ), is a major city in the U.S. state of California that is the cultural, financial, and political center of Silicon Valley and largest city in Northern California by both population and area. With a 2020 popul ...

* Benelux Open - The Benelux Open is an annual UCWDC dancesport competition and country/western dance festival held every September in

Venray Venray or Venraij (; li, Venroj) is a Municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality and a city in Limburg (Netherlands), Limburg, the Netherlands. The municipality of Venray consists of 14 towns over an area of , with 43,494 inhabitants as o ...

. * New Mexico Dance Fiesta - The New Mexico Dance Fiesta is an annual UCWDC dancesport competition and country/western dance festival held every September in

Albuquerque Albuquerque ( ; ), ; kee, Arawageeki; tow, Vakêêke; zun, Alo:ke:k'ya; apj, Gołgéeki'yé. abbreviated ABQ, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of New Mexico. Its nicknames, The Duke City and Burque, both reference its founding in ...

New Mexico ) , population_demonym = New Mexican ( es, Neomexicano, Neomejicano, Nuevo Mexicano) , seat = Santa Fe , LargestCity = Albuquerque , LargestMetro = Tiguex , OfficialLang = None , Languages = English, Spanish ( New Mexican), Navajo, Ker ...

. Mike Haley, Patti Miller and Steve Stevens created this event in 1989. The New Mexico Dance Fiesta is the oldest dance competition in New Mexico. * Global Dance Festival -

Incheon Incheon (; ; or Inch'ŏn; literally "kind river"), formerly Jemulpo or Chemulp'o (제물포) until the period after 1910, officially the Incheon Metropolitan City (인천광역시, 仁川廣域市), is a city located in northwestern South Kore ...

* Japan Country Dance Challenge -

Tokyo Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, with an estimated 37.468 ...

* Shamrock Western Dance Classic -

Dublin Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of th ...

* Southern National Dance Competition -

Panama City Beach, Florida Panama City Beach is a resort town in Bay County, Florida, Bay County, Florida, United States, on the Gulf of Mexico coast. As of the 2010 United States Census, 2010 census it had a population of 12,018. The city is often referred to under the u ...

* Paradise Country Dance Festival -

* Philly Fall Fest -

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

* Dallas Dance Festival -

Dallas, Texas Dallas () is the third largest city in Texas and the largest city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States at 7.5 million people. It is the largest city in and seat of Dallas County w ...

* China Cup International Line Dance Open Competition -

Hangzhou, China Hangzhou ( or , ; , , Standard Mandarin pronunciation: ), also romanized as Hangchow, is the capital and most populous city of Zhejiang, China. It is located in the northwestern part of the province, sitting at the head of Hangzhou Bay, whi ...

* South African Classic -

Sun City, South Africa Sun City is a luxury resort and casino, situated in the North West Province of South Africa. It is located between the Elands River and the Pilanesberg, about 140 km northwest of Johannesburg, near the city of Rustenburg. The complex borde ...

* Lithuanian Open - Trakai, Lithuania * Las Vegas Dance Finale -

Las Vegas, Nevada Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vegas ...

* Christmas in Dixie -

Birmingham, Alabama Birmingham ( ) is a city in the north central region of the U.S. state of Alabama. Birmingham is the seat of Jefferson County, Alabama's most populous county. As of the 2021 census estimates, Birmingham had a population of 197,575, down 1% fr ...

References

{{reflist

External links

UCWDC website
Organizations based in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania Camp Hill, Pennsylvania Dance organizations Non-profit organizations based in Pennsylvania Dance World championships in dance Dancesport Dancesport in the United States Dancesport competitions Dance competitions Championships