What is Pro-Am?
The Pro-Am category in ballroom dancing refers to duets between professionals and amateurs, abbreviated as "Pro-Am." This dance movement has gained great popularity abroad for many decades and is increasingly gaining momentum in Germany as well. A Pro-Am couple consists of a teacher (Pro) and a student (Am); the student can be either a professional partner or an amateur. A well-known example of such duets is the popular dance show "Let's Dance," or "Dancing with the stars", where professionals dance with amateur stars.
Which dances can be learned in Pro-Am?
As a Pro-Am dancer, you can learn the same areas with your coach as in regular classes at a dance school:
- Standard dances (Slow Waltz, Tango, Viennese Waltz, Foxtrot, Quickstep)
- Latin dances (Cha-Cha-Cha, Samba, Rumba, Paso Doble, Jive)
Thanks to the Pro-Am category in ballroom dancing, you have the opportunity to realize your dream of dancing by entrusting yourself to a professional and experienced trainer. Compared to group lessons with a partner at your level, you can make faster and more effective progress through the Pro-Am training system. Even if you can't find a partner, there's no need to worry. In individual work with a coach, you can determine your training times, the number of sessions, and even the specific dances you want to learn.
Are there Pro-Am tournaments?
Certainly! Pro-Am couples can also participate in competitions: both in regular ballroom dance tournaments and in special annual Pro-Am competitions and festivals. In competitions in this category, your performance as a student is evaluated. Similar to couples in sports categories, there is also a classification in Pro-Am based on the age of the participant and the skill level, with specific rules for the execution of figures. The levels in Pro-Am are: Beginner, Bronze, Silver, and Gold. The choice of difficulty level is up to the couples themselves. The classification based on the age of the participants may vary from tournament to tournament, but generally, A - 19-35 years, B - 35-50 years, C - over 50 years. Note that Pro-Am is a category for adults, while the similar category for children is referred to as "Teacher-student." Unlike sports dance competitions, there is the possibility in Pro-Am to compete in only one dance, the "Single dance." It is also possible to compete in 4, 3, or 2 dances, but this mainly occurs at major tournaments specifically organized for Pro-Am couples.
The basic idea of Pro-Am ballroom dancing
A central idea of the Pro-Am movement is to develop ballroom dancing not only within professional dance circles but also for everyone who loves dancing and wants to participate in competitions. It provides an ideal opportunity to enjoy dancing at a challenging level and learn from professionals.
