Competitor Information
Carnegie Classic is a USA Dance Collegiate Challenge. Participation does not require a USA Dance membership, but having one before competing at Carnegie Classic can help you obtain two of the six points needed to dance more levels at the USA Dance Nationals as a college student—or to qualify as an alumni/adult. You can sign up for a USA Dance membership here.
USA Dance has recently changed the dances required to be offered at each level to better align themselves with USDF standards. As a USA Dance Collegiate Challenge, we are required to follow their guidelines regarding what dances are offered at each level to allow competitors to qualify for Nationals.
Quick links
- Rules
- Schedule
- Event List
- Registration Deadline & Payments
- Mixed Amateur Form New
- Venue & Parking Map
Rules
1. Each competitor may register for two consecutive levels per style.
2. Level eligibility at Carnegie Classic is determined by the YCN points system or similar. You can find out more about this system here. If you or your partner have 7 or more points in a certain dance you are not allowed to compete in that level and must move up into the next level you are eligible to compete at. We reserve the right to disqualify couples that we find to be in violation of this rule.
3. If you wish to register for Newcomer, you must have started ballroom dancing within the last 6 months.
5. Carnegie Classic has no costume requirements or restrictions except for basic decency and common sense.
6. If a couple competes in an event they are pointed out of, they will be disqualified retroactively and their results voided.
If you see any entries that should be ineligible, please contact us at cmuclassic+registrars@gmail.com, and include a list of relevant published results in your email. We will respond after our registrars have investigated your claims.
If there are any questions regarding any of the rules or other aspects of our competition, please contact us at cmuclassic@gmail.com.
Tentative Schedule: Saturday, Oct 10, 2026
| Matinee section (Newcomer-Gold) | Time |
|---|---|
| Smooth | 8:15am |
| Standard | 10:00am |
| Rhythm | 1:00pm |
| Latin | 3:00pm |
| Dinner Break | 6:00pm |
| Evening section (Novice, PreChamp, and Champ) | Time |
|---|---|
| Order: Smooth, Standard, Rhythm, Latin | 7–10pm |
Dances available for each level
| Level | Standard | Latin | Smooth | Rhythm |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Newcomer (N-Class) | W, T, Q | S, C, R, J | W, F, T | C, R, Sw |
| Bronze (E-Class) | W/Q, F, T, V | S, C/R, J | W/F, T | C/R, Sw, M |
| Silver (D-Class) | W/Q, F/T, V | C/R, S/J, P | W/F, T/V | C/R, Sw/M, B |
| Gold (C-Class) | W/T/V/F/Q | C/S/R/P/J | W/T/F/V | C/R/Sw/B/M |
| Novice (B-Class) | W/T/V/F/Q | C/S/R/P/J | W/T/F/V | C/R/Sw/B/M |
| PreChamp (A-Class) | W/T/V/F/Q | C/S/R/P/J | W/T/F/V | C/R/Sw/B/M |
| Championship (S-Class) | W/T/V/F/Q | C/S/R/P/J | W/T/F/V | C/R/Sw/B/M |
Mixed Amateur New this year
Mixed Amateur Need a partner or want to volunteer? Fill out the form
Mixed amateur is Pro-Am without the pro
. The lower-level dancer is the competitor being evaluated; the higher-level partner supports the performance but is not judged for placement. Mixed amateur will be offered for all Newcomer, Bronze, and Silver events.
Why mixed amateur? We all know the struggles all competitions have finding partners for everyone looking for TBAs. Mixed amateur helps reduce TBA partnerships by allowing dancers to enter with the partners available without level restrictions, since only the lower-level dancer is being judged. In a regular TBA partnership the couple is judged against other couples in the level entered. Judges don’t know which couples regularly dance together at that level and which are TBA couples, which can be unfair. Referring back to our pro:am analogy, you would never have a pro:am couple judged against an all pro couple or an all amateur couple.
How do I register for mixed amateur? The easiest option is to find a partner from your school who is willing to compete with you at your level. As an example, imagine Amy, who is a follow who wants to compete Newcomer and Bronze but doesn’t have a partner. She is really comfortable dancing with Brian, but he has a regular partner, Chelsea. No matter whether Brian and Chelsea compete Newcomer and Bronze or Championship, Brian is eligible to compete mixed amateur with Amy. Mixed amateur events will be run separately, so Brian can compete with both Amy and Chelsea. In the mixed amateur events only Amy will be judged. Amy and Brian would register for Newcomer and Bronze mixed amateur, and Brian and Chelsea would register for their regular level(s). But don’t worry if you can’t find someone from your school or that you know from previous competitions, we will be collecting volunteers and matching them with those who need partners. All you need to do is register on DSCO and submit this form. If you are interested in supporting dancers without partners, please sign up to volunteer by submitting the form with the styles and levels you are willing to compete.
Registration Payments
Entry to the competition costs a flat rate per person based on when you pay. All registration payments must be settled electronically on CashNet, see details below.
| Payment Deadline | Students | Everyone else |
|---|---|---|
| Early Bird - September 13 | $40 | $55 |
| Regular - September 27 | $45 | $60 |
| Late - October 4 | $55 | $75 |
Pay Online on CashNet
All registration payments must be settled electronically through CMU CashNet.
Go to CashNet, and search for "Ballroom Dance Org-Miscellaneous Sales (non-taxable)"
Please enter a tagline in the description exactly as shown below:
Reg (E / R / L): (Last name), (First name), (Stu at ___ / NonStu).
This platform will not allow for descriptions longer than 50 characters, so if you are registering for a whole team, put the team name and send us an email at cmuclassic@gmail.com with the list of taglines.