The syllabus for International Style, as posted at www.usabda.org, is very consistently taught worldwide and consequently USA Dance's recently-stated intention of more strict adherence will be easily accomplished. However, for American style dancers, I had some questions, which I put to Daphna Locker, who forwarded them to Ava Kaye Brennen, who very kindly answered as indicated below.

Why is there no "gold" American-style syllabus on the USA Dance website?

"There is no gold syllabus from the USISTD because this syllabus was devised to take care of examining judges in American style. Believe it or not, most judges are examined through some combination of gold and silver syllabus, and since in most other approved American style syllabi, the silver compares to the Gold in International style, there is plenty of material available to professionals to test on."

How many bars of open work are permitted in each level?

"The simplest answer is that there are no side by side, unled/unleadable patterns in any syllabus that I know of; therefore the ONLY "open" (meaning not touching your partner somehow) work should be able to be contained within one bar of music, as it should consist of a simple free spin to closed or some such figure. If you have long pieces of side by side choreography, dance them in Novice and not in syllabus."

Are shadow patterns permitted, if so in what level, and for how many bars?

"There are many shadow position figures in all the syllabi I know (AM, FADS, NDCA, DVIDA) and the complexity and length of them depends on the pattern and its level. Be reasonable; don't dance an entire dance in shadow. American is about showing the transitions between all the allowable positions."

Are chasses and other syncopations permitted, and if so in what level?

"Again, many syllabus steps include chassJs and syncopations. A simple chassJ appears in the Bronze Waltz and the Bronze Foxtrot. Syncopations occur at the Silver level (Open Right Turn with Lady's Underarm Turn is a syncopation). Syncopated hairpins … not really syllabus, but you could make an argument that they belong in Gold."

Are same-foot lunges and/or telemarks permitted, and if so in what level?

"Correlate your figures to International Style. If they exist in an International Standard syllabus, then they would be unquestioned in an American style competition, particularly at Gold. That takes care of the telemark question. Same foot lunge is more questionable, as it is not part of the syllabus; it is, however, part of the "named variations" which International Standard uses to examine fellows, so it has been codified. Usually this type of step is considered to be allowable in the Gold in American style."

Are picture lines such as overturned oversways and waist drops permitted, and if so in what level?

"If by overturned oversway you mean a throwaway oversway, the answer is as above; it is codified, and therefore acceptable at the Gold level in American style. … My instinct is to tell you no drops or lifts are permitted in syllabus.

"American Style has been impossible to invigilate even for professionals, since there are so many accepted syllabi. This is a good argument for only accepting one syllabus! However, the US has many syllabi and we have to live with it."

Thank you, Daphna and Ava!

Obviously this is not a comprehensive guide for American-style dancers, but it should provide a place to start when spectating and when preparing choreography for competition yourselves. Generally speaking, American style dancers are taught to be social dancers first; lead/follow is more the aim than any particular step list. Thus, social dancers who decide to dip a toe into competition would be well advised to consult a coach in preparing their competition choreography.

For additional Gold-level guidance in tango, slow waltz, slow foxtrot, and Viennese waltz, consult the International-style syllabus. It is also strongly urged that prospective competitors attend several amateur competitions as spectators prior to entering into competition. This will be your best education as to what you may and may not do.

The "Open" dancesport events (novice, pre-championship, and championship) prohibit only lifts. If you are an advanced social dancer and you want to compete without restrictions on your choreography, it is recommended that you commence in novice, a three-dance event. However, preparing to compete in syllabus is one of the fastest and most efficient ways to improve your basic technique and will likely result in immediate, noticeable improvement in your social dancing as well.