Here in Utah, we have the benefit of an extraordinarily large youth ballroom community. This is thanks in no small part to BYU and UVU alumni building programs into the elementary, middle, and high schools as well as local studios.
Formation dancing is broken up into the following groups:
- Latin/Rhythm Showdance
- Ballroom/Smooth Showdance
- Swing
- Large Group
- Cabaret
- Novelty
- Latin Medley
- Ballroom Medley
The most challenging and most competitive formation dancing is what are called medleys. Latin and Ballroom medleys are a mix of dance styles and songs that include 3-5 styles (see list above). The national championships for these medleys are held at BYU each year in March – in Utah we call this event Nationals because it is the U.S. National Amateur Championship.
The event is broken up into the open categories Pre-teen, Junior and Youth. When there are more than 7 groups competing, the organizers will typically break up the teams at Nationals after a qualifying event into divisions: division I being the most competitive.
Teams can consist of 4-8 couples. Junior and Pre-teen teams are not allowed any stones, fringe, feathers, etc on their costumes
