An Introduction

Invigilation.

It’s a big word, and one I think worth defining before going any further.  In dictionary terms, “to invigilate” means “to watch,” and in British English, specifically “to watch students taking an exam.”  (For anyone really excited about words, the American equivalent would be “proctor.”)  Basically, the Invigilator’s job at an exam is to keep an eye on everyone and make sure that nobody does anything to give themselves an unfair advantage. 

The same is true, on a basic level, for a Ballroom Invigilator.  The Invigilator’s job is to watch Syllabus level competitions and make sure that nobody does anything to give themselves an unfair advantage, i.e. dancing out of category.  Professional opinions on Invigilation range from “It’s the worst thing anyone has come up with, ever, and shouldn’t exist” to “It’s completely underused, nobody cares enough, and everyone should be called up for even the slightest infractions,” and everything in between. General opinions seem to fall more between fear and confusion – both of which often come from a lack of full understanding of what Invigilation is and why it exists. 

Trying to explain the how and why of Invigilation is seriously murky territory – the word “minefield” comes to mind – so I’m going to avoid that subject at least for now.  What I will do is attempt to explain the rules already in place as clearly as possible.  I will offer precisely one personal opinion on the subject, based on my own experience: Invigilation is an educational process whose purpose is to ensure as level a competition field as possible.   

So let’s get a few things straight. 

1. Right now, as you read this, Invigilation rules are under review in at least one major dance organization in an effort to make them more effective/more understandable/better.  They are certainly being discussed/questioned/fought about almost constantly in a multitude of forums.

2. International Style is somewhat more straightforward than American Style where Invigilation is concerned.  There are pitfalls, but essentially International Style operates on one, universal Syllabus, which means identifying infractions is a question of “Is this allowed or not in the stated Syllabus?”  American Style has many Syllabi, all different, so American Style routines cannot be evaluated on the same terms that International Style routines can.  American Style Invigilation is a question of “Does this violate any stated restrictions?”  American Style restrictions in USA Dance and NDCA, the two big US competition organizations, are largely the same. 

3. Invigilators are not the Ballroom Police.  You are not being punished, threatened, looked down upon, or disqualified for a single mistake. 

4. It’s nothing personal.  Humans have only two eyes and can only see so much at once.  Just because the Invigilator missed seeing your infraction in the first round doesn’t mean he or she will miss it in later rounds.  Similarly, if couple 100 made the same infraction you did and didn’t get called up, it is entirely possible the Invigilator saw you and not them.  

5. If you commit an infraction in one dance, the Invigilator is more likely to keep an eye you in other dances.  If the Invigilator sees infractions from you in multiple dances, he or she will likely watch you like a hawk for the rest of the competition, on the assumption that you will do it again.

6. If you are called up for an infraction, take it out of your routine for future rounds or modify it to fit the rules.  Deliberately ignoring a warning will not always get you penalized (depends on the Invigilator and Chair of Judges), but better safe than sorry.  If you don’t understand what you did wrong, why it was a problem, or how to fix it, ask!  Unless the Invigilator has thirty other couples to talk to right then, he or she will likely be happy to explain what they saw and why it got you called up.

7. Just because your Heat only has a Final round does not mean Invigilation becomes irrelevant.  You can still be called up and you can still be penalized.   

8. Invigilators are human.  Despite supposedly being objective, most Invigilators have pet peeves, areas of greater or lesser knowledge, degrees of enthusiasm for the job, degrees of nitpickiness.  This does not excuse the subjectivity that creeps in, but it does help explain it.

These are very basic points about the nature of Invigilation and how it actually relates to competitors.  In future posts, I will be covering specific topics within the different Syllabi.  If you ever have any questions or confusions, please feel free to leave me a comment and I will do my best to address them.  Flaming, personal attacks, or seriously off-topic comments will not be permitted.

For reference, I have included links to NDCA and USA Dance's Rulebooks on the side.  For those interested in getting Syllabus materials for International Style, the USISTD is the best place to look.  For American Style, besides the step lists included in the NDCA and USA Dance Rules, you can also find popular Syllabi through USISTD and Dance Vision (DVIDA).  Franchised dance studios Arthur Murray and Fred Astaire use their own Syllabi that are not available for viewing or purchase for business reasons.