Competitions

CalBal Live Competition Results

CalBal Swing Film Festival

  • Audience Choice: Ashley, Sydney & Thomas Watch »
  • Best Dancing: Harvest Moon Hoppers Watch »
  • Best Comedy or Musical: Ginger & the Professor Watch »
  • Best Drama or Documentary: Sidewalk Bench Watch »
  • Most Artistic: Seattle Balboa Watch »

CalBal Follies—Any Swing Goes

  • Audience Choice: Marina Perelshina & Valentin Ognev Watch »
  • Classic-inspired: Tabby The Cat (Shanghai) Watch »
  • Musicality: PNW Bal Pals Watch »
  • Showmanship: Sandy Lewis & Marti Gasol Watch »
  • Social Dancing: Dominic Hanna & Allison Meeks Watch »

Solo Shuffle

Invitational Strictly Watch »

  • Best Footwork: Kelly & Mickey
  • Best Musicality: Teni & Nick
  • Best Partner Connection: Olga & Andreas

CalBal Live is an online event being held January 15–18, 2021. Contests will include the CalBal Swing Film Festival, CalBal Follies—Any Swing Goes, and Solo Shuffle. Competitors may participate by submitting videos according to the rules and guidelines within these Official Rules. By participating in CalBal Live contests, each competitor agrees that they comply with these Official Rules.

Pacific Swing Dance Foundation (PSDF) is the organizer of this event, and all decisions pertaining to CalBal Live contests rest solely with PSDF.

Contests

Show us your creativity! Films submitted to the CalBal Swing Film Festival may be on any topic and in any genre you choose. Films with swing dance and/or Balboa content are encouraged but not required. Finalists will be aired during the CalBal livestream show.

Your film does not have to be of dancing—we want to see what you have to say about swing dance, swing music, or the swing scene. Some possible topics and genres include animation, documentary, Balboa, original dancers, history, social commentary, comedy, drama, musical, L.A. Swing, solo dancing, experimental, storytelling, science fiction, fantasy, and interview.

Your film should be 1–5 minutes in length and is eligible to win one of five prizes. Prize winners receive two passes to CalBal 2022.

Prizes

  • Audience Choice
  • Best Dancing
  • Most Artistic
  • Best Comedy or Musical
  • Best Drama or Documentary

Show us your dancing! The CalBal Follies is a dance contest with as few rules as possible. Record a video of people dancing. Dancing informed by swing dance, music, or culture is encouraged but not required. Finalists will be aired during the CalBal livestream show. In addition, all qualifying videos will be available through CalBal for viewing.

This is not a traditional dance contest—your video will be judged against five possible prize categories. This contest is for anyone of any ability to show us their dancing. Some possible dance genres include Pure Balboa, Bal-Swing, L.A. Swing, aquatic, partnered, solo, group/team, old-timer inspiration, and choreography.

Your video should be 1–4 minutes in length and is eligible to win one of five prizes. Winners receive two passes to CalBal 2022.

Prizes Categories

  • Audience Choice
  • Showmanship
  • Social Dancing
  • Classic Inspired
  • Musicality

Rules

  • Videos must be 1–4 minutes in length.
  • Keep it PG-rated.
  • Videos must feature at least one human being dancing.
  • Multiple entries are permitted.
  • Video files must be received by January 7, 2021, midnight PST, in an approved video format.
  • Instructions for submitting entries will be sent after receiving your registration.
  • We reserve the right to disqualify any video that does not meet our community standards.

Show us your footwork! To enter the Solo Shuffle, you will be asked to submit three videos of yourself dancing solo, shot from the waist down. CalBal will provide the music.

Video 1 should feature 60 seconds (1 minute) of dancing. Video 1 will be used to select finalists.

Videos 2 and 3 should each feature 90 seconds (1.5 minutes) of dancing to one medium-tempo song and one high-tempo song, respectively. Videos 2 and 3 will be used if you make finals.

Solo Shuffle winners will be selected by judges using relative placement.

Rules

  • All videos must feature the same individual, dancing solo.
  • Video files must be received by January 7, 2021, midnight PST, in an approved video format.
  • Instructions for submitting entries will be sent after receiving your registration.

Official Rules for All Contests

  • Video files must be received by January 7, 2021, midnight PST, in an approved video format (.MOV or .MP4).
  • Videos must be PG-rated.
  • Videos must be delivered via the CalBal Live contest submission form. (Link will be sent to registrants.)
  • PSDF and CalBal reserve the right to disqualify any video for any reason.

Guidance

  • We suggest a minimum video quality of HD 720p or higher.
  • Remember to light yourself appropriately for the situation.
  • Good sound makes a difference!
  • Videos should be submitted in landscape format.
  • We will accept videos in .MOV and .MP4 formats.
  • Make sure everyone who appears in your video has consented to be recorded and to have the recording aired publicly.

Things that could result in disqualification

  • Explicit content—keep your video suitable for a general viewing audience.
  • Content that violates our Code of Conduct.
  • Poor video or sound quality.

Terms and Conditions

Videos submitted to any CalBal Live contest will be available for viewing by the general public either during the event or later posted to our social media channels.

When you submit your video, it becomes the property of Pacific Swing Dance Foundation and may be used by PSDF/CalBal for any purpose. When you submit a video to CalBal Live, you agree that PSDF and/or CalBal may use the video without restriction, including posting it on social media accounts and streaming it, and that PSDF/CalBal may earn revenue from the video.

PSDF/CalBal reserves the right to edit your video for any reason it deems necessary.