The Lost Art Making a Comeback
Partner dance teams — groups of adults who train together for months and compete as a unit — are one of the most rewarding and underappreciated experiences in the dance world. Here's why they're worth the effort, and how to make one work.
Getting a group of adults to commit to a shared schedule for three to six months is genuinely hard. Life intervenes. Work schedules shift. People move. Kids get sick. The logistics of coordinating eight to twenty adults around a single rehearsal time, week after week, for an entire season, is a real organizational challenge — and it's the main reason partner dance teams have always been relatively rare.
But something is changing. After years of being a niche within a niche, partner dance teams are seeing a resurgence. Social media has made team performances more visible. The community aspect — the sense of belonging to something, of working toward a shared goal — has become more appealing in a world where that kind of connection is harder to find. And a new generation of instructors is figuring out how to make teams stick.
What a Dance Team Actually Is
A partner dance team is a group of dancers — typically six to twenty people — who train together to perform a choreographed routine as a unit. Unlike individual or couples competition, the team is judged as a whole: the synchronization, the formations, the energy, the storytelling, the technical quality of the group's movement.
The most common formats are West Coast Swing partner teams, line dance teams, and country two-step teams — though teams exist in virtually every social dance style. In the WCS and country dance world, the primary competitive circuit is the UCWDC (United Country Western Dance Council), which organizes regional qualifying events and an annual World Championship.
There are two basic models for a dance team. The first is the performance model: the team trains for three to four months and performs at a handful of shows — a county fair, a studio showcase, a local event. No competition required. The goal is the performance and the experience of building something together. This is the most accessible entry point, and it's a great way to see whether your group has the chemistry and commitment for something more serious.
The second is the competition model: the team trains for a full year, competes at qualifying events, and aims for a World Championship. This requires a much higher level of commitment from everyone involved — but it also produces a much more intense shared experience. Teams that compete at worlds together tend to form bonds that last for years.
Team Spotlight
Robert & Brigette Campos
Phoenix, Arizona · Multiple UCWDC World Champion Titles
If you want to understand what a high-functioning dance team operation looks like, Robert and Brigette Campos in Phoenix, Arizona are a useful case study. They run multiple competitive teams simultaneously — an unusual feat that requires exceptional organizational skill and a genuine gift for building community.
Their West Coast Swing partner teams, including The Tribe, have won multiple UCWDC World Champion titles. Their line dance teams, including Babes in Boots, have done the same. Running both simultaneously means managing different rehearsal schedules, different choreographic styles, different competitive calendars — and keeping the energy and commitment high across all of them.
What makes their operation work, by all accounts, is the same thing that makes any team stick: a combination of high standards and genuine warmth. The Campos teams are known for being welcoming to new members while maintaining the competitive seriousness that produces world-champion results. That balance — friendly but firm, as Brigette describes it — is harder to achieve than it sounds.
The Tribe
WCS partner team — multiple UCWDC World Champion titles
Babes in Boots
Line dance team — multiple UCWDC World Champion titles
Phoenix, AZ
Based in the Phoenix metro area; teams draw dancers from across the Valley
If you're in the Phoenix area and interested in joining a competitive team, or if you're an instructor looking to understand how a multi-team operation works, the Campos teams are worth knowing about. Their success across multiple team categories over multiple years is not an accident — it's the result of a specific approach to building and sustaining dance community.
The UCWDC Competition Path
Figure 3 — The UCWDC Competition Path
Form Team
Recruit dancers, set commitment expectations, begin choreography
Qualifying Events
Compete at UCWDC-sanctioned regional events throughout the year to earn points
UCWDC Worlds
The World Country Dance Championships — the pinnacle of the country and western dance competition circuit
UCWDC (United Country Western Dance Council) organizes the country and western dance competition circuit, including West Coast Swing, line dance, and partner team categories. The World Championship is held annually and draws teams from across the United States and internationally. Winning a UCWDC world title in a team category is one of the most significant achievements in the country and western dance world.
What Makes a Team Stick
Most dance teams that fail don't fail because of choreography problems or competitive results. They fail because the social fabric breaks down — people stop showing up, conflicts go unresolved, the commitment feels one-sided. The teams that last are the ones that solve the community problem first and the choreography problem second.
Here is what the teams that last tend to have in common:
A coach who is friendly but firm
This is the phrase that comes up repeatedly among successful team directors. The coach needs to be warm enough that people want to come back, and clear enough about expectations that the team actually functions. Vague expectations produce inconsistent attendance. Clear expectations, delivered with genuine warmth, produce commitment.
A sense of community beyond the rehearsal
Teams that only interact during rehearsals tend to feel transactional. Teams that build social connection outside the studio — team dinners, group chats, shared celebrations — develop the kind of loyalty that keeps people showing up when life gets complicated.
Interesting choreography with real challenges
Dancers stay engaged when the work is challenging and rewarding. A routine that's too easy produces boredom. A routine with interesting formations, musical moments, and genuine technical challenges gives people something to work toward and feel proud of.
Performance opportunities beyond competition
Not every team member is primarily motivated by competition. Building in performance opportunities — county fairs, studio showcases, community events — gives the team regular moments of completion and celebration that don't depend on competitive results.
Building the Routine
The choreography itself is where most team directors spend most of their time, but it's worth thinking carefully about what makes a team routine actually work in competition and performance.
Figure 1 — What Makes a Formation Interesting
Grid Formation — Predictable
Asymmetric Formation — Interesting
Judges and audiences respond to formations that create interesting visual shapes and change those shapes throughout the routine. A grid is easy to execute but visually predictable. Asymmetric formations with clear geometric logic are harder to execute but far more compelling to watch.
Beyond formations, the elements that separate good team routines from great ones are: musical interpretation (does the choreography respond to the music, or is it just movement set to music?), energy uniformity (does the whole team hit the same moments with the same commitment?), and storytelling (does the routine have a beginning, middle, and end that an audience can follow?).
Film every rehearsal. Dancers cannot see themselves, and the gap between how something feels and how it looks is often significant. Watching footage together as a team is one of the most effective tools for rapid improvement — and it builds shared ownership of the routine's quality.
Figure 2 — A Typical Team Season Timeline
Auditions & Casting
Define the team's style and competitive goals
Audition dancers — prioritize coachability over raw skill
Aim for a group that genuinely enjoys each other
Set clear expectations about commitment and attendance
Choreography & Drilling
Build the routine section by section
Drill formations until they're automatic, not effortful
Film every rehearsal — dancers can't see themselves
Create community: team dinners, shared playlists, group chats
Polish & Performance
Find performance opportunities: county fairs, showcases, local events
Full run-throughs in costume under performance conditions
Focus on energy and connection, not just technical precision
Celebrate the team's work regardless of competitive result
How to Find a Team (or Start One)
If you're a dancer looking for a team, the best place to start is your local dance community. Ask your studio, your social dance scene, your competition contacts. Many teams don't advertise widely — they recruit through word of mouth. If you're in a city with an active WCS or country dance community, there's a reasonable chance a team exists that you just haven't heard about yet.
If you're an instructor thinking about starting a team, the most important first decision is the commitment model. Be honest with yourself about what level of commitment you can sustain as a director, and be clear with potential members about what you're asking of them. A team that runs for three months and performs at two shows is a complete success. Don't let the perfect be the enemy of the good.
The UCWDC website maintains a list of sanctioned events where you can see competitive teams perform and connect with the community. Attending a competition as a spectator before you commit to competing is a good way to understand what you're getting into — and to get inspired by what's possible.
Take the Next Step
Find Your Team
The UCWDC event calendar lists sanctioned competitions across the country where you can watch team performances, connect with the community, and find out about teams in your area. If you're in Phoenix, check out the Campos teams — they're a model for what this can look like at its best.
Related Guides