Everything you need to know for your first event
We are absolutely thrilled that you’ve decided to spend your very first WSDC event with us!
A West Coast Swing festival is an unforgettable experience: you’ll get insights from the best instructors, dance until sunrise, and become part of a global community.
Our program kicks off on Thursday afternoon and runs through Monday morning. To help you keep track of everything amid all the excitement, we’ve gathered all the essential information here to ensure you have a smooth and relaxed start.
Which pass is right for you?
When you register for an event, you are basically buying a ticket, which is simply called a „pass“ within the community. At our event, you can choose from the following options:
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The Full Pass: This is your all-inclusive package. It gives you full access to all daytime workshops, allows you to enter the competitions, and opens the doors to the socials in the evening. Perfect if you want to get the absolute most out of your weekend!
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The Event Pass: If you prefer to skip the daytime workshops—for instance, to sleep in—but want to dance until the sun comes up, this is the choice for you. It gives you access to all parties and competitions.
Workshops & Auditions
Since our instructor team is international, all workshops will be held in English.
Find your level: To guarantee the best learning experience for everyone, the workshops are divided into different levels (you can find our detailed descriptions here). Please evaluate your skills honestly. Since we continuously rotate partners during class, the group builds on each other’s progress. Being in the right level ensures that neither you nor your dance partners feel overwhelmed—and rotating is absolutely the fastest way to improve!
Using your phone during class: At the end of each workshop, the instructors will record a video recap of the entire class for you. Please keep your phone in your bag during the lesson. Filming during class distracts other participants and the teachers—keeping phones away allows everyone to focus fully on dancing.
Leave the teaching to the pros: We’ve invited fantastic instructors who teach with incredible passion and expertise. They are here to take you and the group to the next level. Unsolicited feedback among partners usually isn’t helpful during a workshop. Just enjoy the learning process and leave the explaining entirely to our staff!
How the auditions work:
If you would like to qualify for a higher level, we offer an audition. There is absolutely no reason to be nervous—the whole process is very relaxed:
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Show up on time, warm up a little, and just stay loose.
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The instructors will observe the floor while you dance normally with each other. Focus on clean fundamentals—solid basics are what will get you through.
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If you pass the audition, you’ll receive a new level wristband and can leave the floor.
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If it doesn’t work out this time, you will simply stay in your booked level. That is absolutely no big deal! It just means you get to solidify your basics right there, paving the way for your success next time.
Socials
The heart and soul of our festival is the social dance floor. You’re probably already familiar with socials from your local WCS community. To make sure everyone has a fantastic time, we follow a few simple guidelines:
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Anyone can ask anyone: Regardless of level, role, or gender—anyone can ask anyone to dance! A simple „Would you like to dance?“ is more than enough.
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Song Guidelines: The standard is one song per partner. Dancing two or more songs together is a wonderful compliment, but please never feel pressured. As always, these are just guidelines – dance as much and as long as you like with whomever you want, as long as you are both having fun! Please note that leaving the dance floor in the middle of a song should only happen for a valid reason, such as pain or discomfort. If you experience either, please feel free to reach out to our team.
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Respecting boundaries: A „No, thank you“ is always accepted without discussion or need for justification. Never take it personally—the person might just need a quick break or a moment to catch their breath.
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No teaching: The social floor is for dancing, not correcting. Unsolicited tips and feedback are a no-go because we are at the social to have fun together. Workshops are the place for learning, and even there, feedback is the instructor’s job. If someone tries to coach you on the floor, you can always politely stop them by saying, „Let’s just dance instead.“
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Floor awareness & courtesy: Always thank your partner after a dance. When the floor gets crowded, let’s be mindful of the couples around us and offer a quick, smiling apology if we accidentally bump into someone.
Competitions
All our contests follow the Jack & Jill format, meaning you sign up individually. Leaders and followers are randomly matched, and you will switch partners for every song in the prelims and semi-finals.
You’ll receive an individual score, and the top-scoring participants move on to the final round. In the finals, pairings are still random, but you’ll be scored as a couple.
Entering competitions is 100% optional. If competing isn’t your cup of tea, you don’t feel like it this weekend, or you prefer to go sightseeing, that’s completely okay!
Logistics
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Before the event: Please register for the competition in advance at scoring.dance. This will likely open about two weeks before the event, but we will let you know when it does. You can also still sign up spontaneously on the website during the event.
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Your bib number: You will receive a competition bib that is valid for the entire weekend. Leaders wear it clearly visible on their shoulder blades, and followers attach it to their waistband or low down on their T-shirt. Please take good care of it, as we only have one of each number!
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Punctuality for marshalling: As soon as your division is called, please head straight to the marshalling area to line up. Arriving late will lead to disqualification from the contest—and that would be a huge shame!
- After your prelims: Check scoring.dance or the posted results to see if you advanced to the next round!
Pointsystem in prelims
During the preliminary rounds, the judges use precise mathematical values to calculate the results. You can view the detailed results on scoring.dance after the awards:
Alternates (ALT) are the dancers who just barely missed the cut in the eyes of the judges. If you end up as an alternate and someone from the next round doesn’t show up, you get to dance in their place!
WSDC Skillevel
Once you earn points in the finals, you will be tracked in the official WSDC Points Registry. The following table shows you exactly when you are allowed or required to move up to the next division:
| WSDC Division | Allowed at… | Required at… |
| Newcomer | Own discretion | 1 point in Newcomer or Novice |
| Novice | 16 points in Novice | 30 points (or 1 Inter point) |
| Intermediate | 30 points in Intermediate | 45 points (or 1 Advanced point) |
| Advanced | 60 points in Advanced | 90 points (or 1 All-Star point) |
| All Star | 150 points in All Star | 225 points in All Star |
| Champions | 1 point in Champions | 10 points in Champions |
A few last tips:
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Listen to your body: It’s not a flex to survive on barely any sleep. It’s totally fine to miss a workshop or head to bed early. Take care of yourself!
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Stay hydrated: Bring a reusable bottle or grab a drink at our bar. Just make sure you drink enough.
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The ABS Rule — Always Be Snacking: Pack some snacks for quick energy between dances. Dancing takes a lot out of you, and meals can easily be forgotten.
Packing List:
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Extra shirts: Pack more than you think you need. You’ll sweat through T-shirts fast, so bring at least two per day.
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Dance shoes (at least one pair)
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Earplugs (the music can be very loud)
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Water bottle
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Deodorant and mints/gum (friendly reminder: deodorant is not a substitute for a shower!)
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…plus anything else to make your weekend perfect.
We can't wait to see you!
A huge thank you to all the wonderful people who have put so much thought into making it easier for new dancers to join our scene. You are all truly amazing human beings!
Resources & Further Information: