Application Timeline
October 13, 2019: Early Action applications open
Early Action is the first round of applications. Students can apply for either or both of our Balboa and Collegiate Shag Graduate tracks. All full-weekend pass-holders are welcome to apply! Applicants who are not accepted in the Early Action phase will receive tactful and polite feedback, and can re-submit a new application in the General Admission cycle.
November 1, 2019: Early Action application deadline
Applicants will be notified of the result of their evaluation by the 15th, when we start accepting General Admission applications.
November 15, 2019: General Admission applications open
The General Admission cycle will not involve feedback, unless specifically requested. All full-weekend pass-holders are welcome to apply! Anyone not accepted to the Graduate track must still participate in level testing if they wish to take Junior or Senior-level classes.
December 15, 2019: General Admission application deadline
No applications will be accepted past this date. Applicants will be notified of the result of their evaluation by January 1st, 2020.
Early Action is the first round of applications. Students can apply for either or both of our Balboa and Collegiate Shag Graduate tracks. All full-weekend pass-holders are welcome to apply! Applicants who are not accepted in the Early Action phase will receive tactful and polite feedback, and can re-submit a new application in the General Admission cycle.
November 1, 2019: Early Action application deadline
Applicants will be notified of the result of their evaluation by the 15th, when we start accepting General Admission applications.
November 15, 2019: General Admission applications open
The General Admission cycle will not involve feedback, unless specifically requested. All full-weekend pass-holders are welcome to apply! Anyone not accepted to the Graduate track must still participate in level testing if they wish to take Junior or Senior-level classes.
December 15, 2019: General Admission application deadline
No applications will be accepted past this date. Applicants will be notified of the result of their evaluation by January 1st, 2020.
Application Guidelines
These are our highest-level classes, and are intended to push your dancing to the next level. As such, we want to see similarly high-level dancing in our graduate-level students. Placing in competitions is impressive, but is not what we're looking for here. In the interest of transparency, here is what we are looking for, in no particular order:
Technique
One of the founding principles of Hot Rhythm Holiday was to create an event that emphasized and rewarded solid fundamentals. A strong grounding in technique enables us to dance with anyone we meet and make it work – even across different styles. "Technique," itself, is a vague term, which warrants elaboration. Qualities such as connection, quality of movement, body awareness, and clarity of footwork are relevant here. We want to see these qualities expressed fluently. So no arm-leading!
Style
What makes your dancing yours? How do you demonstrate what you value in your dancing? Individuality and improvisation are key African-American dance values. We all have our influences, so how do we let them inform our dancing, rather than define it? You might love to play with micro and macro musicality, or being creative with rhythms, or having extra-fluid transitions. These are all examples – at the end of the day, we want to see the choices you have made to make your style unmistakably your own.
Partnership
Listening can sometimes feel like a lost art – in day-to-day life and in dance. It takes two to make a partnered dance work (in most cases). In broad strokes, we expect graduate-level students to be aware of the context of the dance beyond themselves. This can take a number of forms. For example: we can listen to the music, and tailor our moves and overall energy accordingly – expressing musicality. We can also listen to our partners, allow space for their ideas to shine, and play off of them. The latter is an important practice that truly makes the dance a conversation between both parties. Graduate-level students should be well-versed in multiple layers of listening.
Acceptable submissions
We accept footage of social dances, Mix & Matches, and Strictly competitions. Ultimately, we want to see strong social dancing fundamentals, as they will be pushed to the next level in our graduate track classes. For that reason, social dancing footage especially, is encouraged and preferred. Please make an effort to submit videos with a variety of partners, as you are able. Videos should be submitted via the Google Form linked below.
If you have questions or concerns about this process, please contact us at info@hotrhythmholiday.com.
If you have questions or concerns about this process, please contact us at info@hotrhythmholiday.com.