35.1 To compete in any registered DSA competition in Australia, competitors must be a current financial registered competitor under the DSA Registration System.

35.2 A person who is not suspended or expelled from membership of DSA, or who is not currently serving a suspension from competition, shall not be refused registration as a competitor, except as provided by these rules.

35.3 All competitors in any competition conducted under the jurisdiction of DSA, must register with DSA unless specifically exempted under these rules. The terms and conditions of that registration, including compliance with these rules, shall be adhered to in all competitions held under the jurisdiction of DSA.

35.4 Visiting overseas competitors who have not been resident in Australia for more than six (6) months are exempted from registering with DSA as a competitor, providing that, if they wish to compete in DSA registered competitions in Australia, they

• Register as an international competitor through the DSA Registration System.
• Hold a valid competitors registration issued by a registering body of their Country acceptable to DSA.
• Hold a valid instructor/coaching qualification issued by a registered body of their Country acceptable to DSA.

35.5 Unless the published conditions for a registered competition specify otherwise, or unless a competitor enters into a separate agreement with the promoter of a registered competition, the competitor shall have agreed by entering a registered competition

• To grant permission for their appearance on a streaming/broadcast media or commercial video recording of the competition.
• That all rights to any fees arising from any streaming/broadcast media or commercial video recording of the competition shall vest with the organiser.
• Not to claim against DSA, the organiser, streaming/broadcast media company or commercial video producer in respect of any appearance of the competitor in any streaming broadcast or commercial video recording of the competition.

35.6 It is a condition of registration that a competitor shall not participate with, or provide support or cooperation to, any combination, organisation or individuals seeking to undermine DSA’s role as the governing body for DanceSport in Australia.

35.7 A registered competitor shall be entitled to enter any registered competition in any State in Australia and shall not be required to re-register in another State during the currency of a valid registration.

35.8 An application for competitor registration by a person under 16 years of age must be submitted by the applicant’s parent or guardian and must provide proof of age.

35.9 Competitors are exempt from registration for the following:

• Novelty events e.g. parent and child events, and progressive teams’ matches.
• Competitions conducted by a dance studio.

35.10 A competitor may be required to produce documentary proof of their age if requested by the Chairperson of Adjudicators at a competition. An incorrect declaration of age can lead to disciplinary action being taken.

36.1 Except in the case of illness or misadventure (where the onus of proof is on the competitor) a competitor is required to notify the organiser of their intended withdrawal from an event at least seven (7) days prior to the conduct of that event. Subject to the DSA Refund Policy.

36.2 It is a breach of these rules to compete in a preliminary round of an event and, having qualified, fail to appear in the final of that event without reasonable excuse will be recorded as an Incident.

• On the first occurrence of a breach of this rule, no further action will be taken.
• On the second occurrence of a breach of this rule, the Chairperson of Adjudicators may notify the couple concerned, in writing, that a second breach of this rule has occurred and that a further breach of this rule within the next twelve months will result in disciplinary action.
• After a warning has been given, any subsequent breach of this rule within the next twelve months shall be referred to the DSA Chairpersons Committee.

36.3 A competitor who does not participate in every dance in which they are required to compete for a heat or qualifying round of an event, shall not be eligible for selection in subsequent rounds nor shall they be marked in the final of that event. In circumstances where the participation of a competitor is brought into question, the matter shall be resolved by the Chairperson of Adjudicators or, if none is appointed, the competition organiser.

37.1 For the purposes of awarding trophies, prizes or other awards of merit in Australia, the approved competition divisions are:

Under 16 Division, Recreational Division, Amateur Division, Professional Division

• Competitors in events in the Recreational Division are restricted to competitors who have not competed in the Amateur Division, competitors in the Amateur Division are restricted to competitors who have not competed in events in the Professional Division and who are not otherwise excluded under these rules from competing in events in the Amateur Division.
• Events in the Under 16 Division are restricted to competitors who have not reached their 16th birthday by the end of the calendar year.

37.2 Events in the Professional Division are restricted to competitors who are at least 16 years of age and who are not otherwise excluded under these rules from competing in events in the Professional Division.

37.3 Competitors who had previously been registered and competed in the Amateur Division are not eligible for readmission to the Recreational Division.

37.4 Competitors in the Professional Division seeking to be readmitted to the Amateur Division of competition must make application to the DSA Sports Director who shall determine whether to approve the application. Accreditation as a Coach shall not be a bar to re-admission to the Amateur Division.

• Should the application be approved then the DSA National Board shall decide on the Level or Grade of re-admission and/or any period of suspension from competition.
• When considering applications for reinstatement made by Professional athletes, the DSA Sports Director shall consider the following issues before arriving at a decision.
• Professional training and professional exams undertaken, and the results thereof.
• Professional competitions entered and the results.
• Any statements of submissions in support and/or against the application for reinstatement.
• Impact of the decision on the overall well-being and best interests of DanceSport.
• If a Professional athlete has at any time gained qualifications as an Adjudicator, then reinstatement as an athlete competing in the Amateur Division of competition will NOT be granted.
• When considering an application for reinstatement, the following guidelines apply:
• If the applicant has competed in the Professional Division of competition over more than a six (6) month period within the last two (2) years, then such application will NOT be considered.
• If the applicant has competed in the Professional Division of competition for a period of less than six (6) months within the past two (2) years and has not won a National Championship in the Professional Division of competition, the application may be considered.
• Amateur competition results will also be taken into consideration.
• It is incumbent upon the applicant to show good reason why these general rules should not be applied.
• All unsuccessful applicants may exercise their right of appeal as defined and published in the Rules of Dancesport.

38.1 For the purposes of awarding trophies, prizes or other awards of merit in Australia, events in the Recreational and Amateur Division shall be further divided into age groups: Sub-Juvenile, Juvenile, Junior, Under 21, Adult, Masters 1, Masters 2, Masters 3 and Masters 4.

38.2 Couples in an age group event must comply with the stipulated age restrictions as set out in these rules at all times.

38.3 Age Group - Age Limitations (all age definitions relate to the calendar year of the Birth Date)

• (i) To calculate a person’s DanceSport AGE subtract their ‘year of birth’ from the current year, for example; 2026 [current year] - 2002 [their birth year] = 24 [DSA AGE]
• (ii) No exemptions will apply to this rule.
• (iii) This does not apply to cross-divisional events.

38.4 A competitor may compete with different partners in different styles but may not compete simultaneously with different partners in the same style. (Excluding cross-divisional events.)

38.5 A competitor may not compete simultaneously with different partners in more than one age group in the same style. (Excluding cross-divisional events)

38.6 At the Competition Organiser’s discretion, couples who are eligible to compete in an event in more than one age group may be required to choose to compete in only one of their eligible age groups in each style. The purpose of this rule is to allow the Competition Organiser to manage program requirements after determining the number of entries in each event.

38.7 Where a competitor is eligible in accordance with these rules for more than one age group, the decision as to which age group in which they compete shall be theirs alone.

38.8 Any age restrictions on an event allowed by these rules shall not be implemented by a Competition Organiser unless such restrictions are applied equally to all competitors eligible to compete in that event.

38.9 At the discretion of the Competition Organiser, the syllabus of events may use the following combinations of age groups. Sub-Juvenile and Juvenile; Juvenile and Junior; Under 21 and Adult; Adult and Masters; Masters 1 and Masters 2; Masters 2 and Masters 3; Masters 3 and Masters 4; and Masters 1, 2, 3 and 4.

Any use of these combined Age Groups must be:

• (a) advertised accordingly in the original literature/publicity circulated by the Competition Organiser, or
• (b) if rescheduled on the day of the event, by public announcement prior to the event.

38.10 A competitor whose fourteenth birthday occurs in the relevant calendar year may compete in Adult events with a person who meets the minimum age requirement for the Adult age category but only after the receipt of written notification from the competitor’s parent or guardian to the DSA Sports Director advising of the competitor’s intention to compete in Adult age group events.

• (a) A couple shall be ineligible to compete in Adult age group events unless at least one partner has reached their 16th birthday in the year of the event.
• (b) In the circumstance where a Juvenile aged competitor has been competing in the Junior Age Group but wishes to revert to competing in the Juvenile Age Group, the grading of that competitor shall be determined by the DSA Executive.

38.11 Notwithstanding any other age-related restrictions on entry to DSA registered competitions, age related eligibility to participate in a competition to select Australian representatives to a WDSF titled competition or an Olympic Movement competition, shall be determined strictly in accordance with WDSF age eligibility rules.

This rule shall not prevent DSA from prohibiting a competitor or a couple from simultaneously competing for selection to represent at a WDSF World or Continental championship in more than one age group.

39.1 For the purposes of awarding trophies, prizes or other awards of merit in Australia, age group events in the Recreational and Amateur Divisions may be further divided into Levels & Grades, which are as follows:

• Events in the Recreational Division can be conducted as being for either
• Couples – Regulations relating to “Couples” apply, or
• Individuals – The competitor may be partnered by any person registered in the Amateur or Recreational Division who does not hold a Level 1 or higher DSA Accreditation.

Note 1: In these events, it is the competitor that is being adjudicated.

Note 2: These events are not classified as Coach / Student events (refer to Rule 24).

39.2 No other grading system shall be used other than an Open event to include all Levels or Grades in the relevant division as specified.

39.3 The only events conducted at a DSA registered competition that are exempt from competitor registration are Novelty events.

39.4 Approved levels/grades shall be referred to in the event name. (For example: “C Grade Junior Latin Championship”)

39.5 The lowest level in which an individual competitor is eligible to compete shall be termed the competitor’s Level (in Recreational Division Events) or Grade (in Amateur Division Events). For example, an A Grade competitor means a person who is not eligible to compete in B Grade or lower. All competitors must compete in their allocated grade.

39.6 Level and Grade elevations are style specific.

39.7 Competitors in the Amateur Division of competition shall not be restricted from competing in Open events solely by reason of their grade. Open events are open to all competitors within a relevant Division or Age Group.

39.8 Except as specifically approved by the DSA National Board, competitions approved as Championships must be conducted over the specified number of dances for that Grade as defined in Rule 21.3.

39.9 For all approved competitions, it is obligatory for the Competition Organiser to use a specified number of dances as set for the various levels and/or grades as defined in Rule 21.3.

40.1 The eligibility of a competitor to compete in a defined Level or Grade is based on a system of allocation of points gained or earned during competition.

40.2 Graded competitors can only compete in the Graded events in the nominated Age Group. For example:

• A C Grade competitor/couple who has nominated to dance in Masters 2 Age Group, can only compete in the Masters 2 C Grade event.

40.3 Elevations by points are applicable to all competitors in the Under 16, Amateur and Recreational Divisions.

40.4 The points that are allocated towards the elevation of a competitors’ Grade or Level are determined and approved by the DSA National Board. They are published on the DSA website www.dancesport.org.au

40.5 In the Recreational Division the competitor’s Level will be assessed at 1^st January according to the points system. A competitor reaching Recreational A Level is not obliged to move to C Grade in the Amateur Division.

40.6 In the Under 16 Division and the Amateur Division the competitor’s grade will be assessed at 1^st January in each calendar year according to the points system.

40.7 Points are recorded for a win at all DSA registered competitions (except Development competitions) for competitor’s grade or level until the maximum number of points are awarded. At the specified date, the competitor is required to elevate, there is no carry over of points to a higher grade.

40.8 Individual competitors in the Juvenile Age Group will be graded at one Grade lower when transferring to the Junior age group.

40.9 Individual competitors in the Junior Age Group will be graded at one Grade lower when transferring to the Under 21 age group.

40.10 Individual Under 21 competitors will retain the same Grade upon transferring to the adult age group.

40.11 Individual Adult competitors will retain the same Grade upon transferring to Masters 1 age group.

40.12 Masters 1 competitors will retain the same Grade upon transferring to the Masters 2 age group; Masters 2 competitors will retain the same Grade upon transferring to the Masters 3 age group; and Masters 3 competitors will retain the same Grade upon transferring to the Masters 4 age group.

40.13 A competitor may elect to self-elevate one grade at any time. A request to self-elevate must be addressed to the DSA Executive. For competitors under 16 years of age, a parent or guardian must submit the application in writing.

• Self-elevation is not reversible
• Self-elevation can only be exercised once per age group
• Self-elevation applies to each style separately.

40.14 Notwithstanding any other part of this rule, in exceptional circumstances a competitor may apply, in writing, to the State Committee requesting a reassessment of their current grade or status. Should the matter not be resolved by the State Committee then the competitor may apply, in writing to DSA Executive for a further deliberation on the matter

40.15 The eligibility of a couple to enter a graded event is determined by the highest Grade of each individual partner. This rule is applicable to all age groups.

40.16 In all age groups, couples who break their partnership may immediately enter graded events with a new partner according to the highest grade of either partner.

40.17 An individual competitor's accrued points shall continue to be considered in determining that competitor's grade, regardless of any change of partnership.

40.18 The grade and any partial elevations of a competitor who was previously registered, and who let their registration lapse, shall continue to be considered (on a style-by-style basis) in determining the competitor's eligibility to enter competitions.

40.19 A competition organiser may limit the number of Grades in which couples choose to compete in each style, or the competition organiser may require that couples compete only in their Grade. The purpose of this rule is to allow the competition organiser to manage program requirements after determining the number of entries in each event.

40.20 Any Grade restrictions on an event allowed by these rules shall not be implemented by a competition organiser unless such restrictions are applied equally to all competitors eligible to compete in that event.

41.1 Placings and participation in the following events are not counted for the purpose of determining Level or Grade Eligibility, or any form of points accumulation:

• Cross-divisional events.
• Events conducted at Development Competitions
• Standard/Latin sequence dancing and/or Showdance events.
• Teams matches.
• Novelty events.

42.1 Competitors who breach any of the syllabus and competition performance restrictions set out in this rule, while competing in an event, risk disqualification from that event.

42.2 Competitors in the following events are not permitted to use figures other than those defined in the Approved Syllabus for Standard and Latin as set and published by DSA:

• All Recreational Division events in the Under 21, Adult and Masters age groups.
• All Under 16 Division – Sub-Juvenile and Juvenile age group events.
• All Under 16 Division - Junior age group Lead/Follow and Solo C and B grade events.

42.3 Any competitor participating in the Lead / Follow events are ineligible to compete in the couple graded and open events.

42.4 Lifts, tail spins and high back kicks are not permitted in any competition held under DSA Rules

43.1 Details of the Competition Dress Code are defined in Appendices of these DSA Rules of Dancesport.

43.2 Competitors who breach the Competitor Dress Code are risking disqualification.

43.3 Coaches partnering Recreational competitors in Coach/Student events (Refer Rule 24.1) are not required to adhere to the clothing restrictions.

43.4 Male competitors in Junior events are permitted to wear tailcoats or costumes with tails attached.

43.5 Competitors in WDSF registered events are subject to WDSF Competitors Dress Regulations.

43.6 The competitor’s buttocks must be covered at all times.

44.1 Any advertising logo to be worn on competition attire is subject to the approval of DSA National Office or its appointed nominee. As part of the conditions of approval, the DSA Marketing Committee may require that no advertising logos may be worn at a particular competition or during a particular DSA-organised function, if the content conflicts with any DSA sponsorship arrangement.

44.2 Any advertising worn on the competition attire of a competitor shall conform to the following conditions:

• A man/boy/leader may advertise up to three (3) sponsors, and a woman/girl/follower may advertise up to two (2) sponsors.
• The size of the advertisement may be no more than 40 square cm for each sponsor.
• Such advertising may only be displayed and located on the hip, waist, chest, or sleeves.
• Each reproduction of any flag displayed on an athlete’s costume constitutes one (1) sponsor for this Rule.

44.3 Competitors may not enter into sponsorship agreements that purport to give rights over intellectual property owned by DSA, unless first approved by the DSA National Board.

44.4 The existence of enforceable conditions in a sponsorship agreement that may affect a breach of these rules shall not be a defense by a competitor against the contravention of these rules.

44.5 The wearing of a manufacturer's “Designer Label” on competition attire is permitted. The design of these labels is to be submitted for approval to the DanceSport Executive.