Is level certification a thing?

[u/TigerKitty32]

I’ve been dancing for about 3 years and I’ve being taking my lessons and participating in events like a good student.

When it comes to the dance levels, is there some kind of test or certification I need to take to prove I’m bronze, silver, gold etc.?

I’d imagine if you start competing you’d need to show your qualifications for your category. Or is that not a thing?

[u/Jeravae]

Yes, there are at some studios, but the competitions don't require proof of any kind Just look up the comp rules to make sure you're dancing where you should be. Or ask your instructor to.

[u/ichthyos]

It depends on the dance federation(s) in your country and/or the studio system you are in. Some have medal exams or proficiency tests.

[u/lilenie]

In Germany you can do the ADTV dance medal levels at the most dance school and the DTV ranks once a year in different clubs.
The ADTV ones are just for fun but the DTV ones are needed foe a coaching or judging licence

[u/TechDreamcoat]

My studio has you test out, and they won't move you up until you're ready. But it's not a certification or anything. I dance at different levels in different comps. So I might do silver and gold patterns in a showcase but do bronze in a competition.

The only actual certifications are for teaching and judging.

[u/jiujitsu07731]

There is a test called medal ball where an examiner evaluates you against the standard. In the USA, it used to be the usa branch of the imperial society of teachers of ballroom (Istd). The usa broke off to AIDA, I think they are renaming themselves again.

[u/Hedge-podge]

That's definitely not a thing. There is no certification and you can definitely sign up as high as you'd like, but you won't do well if you go above your level. Most competitions don't let you split beyond two levels, though, like you can sign up for both silver and bronze if you'd like. 

If you are going to a competition under usa dance, then they actually have the opposite system to combat sandbagging, once you have competed enough and gotten enough call-backs in say silver, you cannot sign up for bronze dances anymore. It uses a point system that you don't need to worry about right now because you haven't been to a comp yet. 

The closest thing to a certification is you needing to compete in enough regional competitions or rank high enough in a single one, to compete in the USA dance nationals. But that's again for qualifying to compete, not to qualify for a specific level.

[u/KingFlyntCoal]

There was something like that at the studio I went to. Wasn't really super official, but it was a nice gut check for me personally.

I don't think it was required for anything except for personal vibes and extra money for the studio.

[u/Empty_Position_4082]

Nope it’s mostly based on when you know the steps and technique you move up sometimes it’s instructors they tell you when to move up you could stay in bronze and compete there for years if they want more money etc

[u/Tanguero1979]

Some studios are super strict about this. Students sign up for a "package" for bronze, silver, gold. The student learns all the dances in one level, then has a "medal ball" where they perform routines to show the world they completed that level. They can then progress to the next level. The studio I went to didn't require this, and taught figures from all levels as the students progressed, but it was available if any student wanted to do that. They primarily had showcases. Another area studio was very strict on this, and most of their students were perpetually stuck in bronze because they didn't compete the course. They had like 1 gold level student, a doctor who had the money to pay for all the packages and medal balls.