In it’s fourth year, this weekend’s two-day competition will see over a hundred couples from Australia and New Zealand gyrate into town. This year will also include the strongest judging panel organisers have ever had in the competition.

“Four years ago Glen Innes was not known in the rock ‘n’roll and swing scene,” chief organizer Marcia Summers said.

“But over that period of time the competition in Glen Innes has grown to be the largest competition of it’s kind in Australia.”

Among the Glen Innes dancers to compete will be Roxanne Francis and Jonathan Bell. Roxanne, a dancer since the age of six, took up rock ‘n’ roll dancing just five months ago at the insistence of Jonathan, who needed a partner in Latin dance. Jonathan began rock ‘n’ roll dancing three and a half years ago, he says because of his mother. Since then he has fallen in love with the sport, although had trouble keeping the one partner, with many moving out of town.

As partners this weekend the first competition the two will compete in will be the D division swing and social latin. Jonathan will also compete with Casey McCarthy in the D grade jive, rock ‘n’ roll and Lindy hop; Caitlin Turner in C grade jive, swing, rock ‘n’ roll and Lindy hop; Nic Baker in the novelty event and men’s triples with Nic Baker and Dominic Crawford.

Judging is generally based on the harmony between the couples, timing, presentation and interpretation of the music.

Jonathan and Roxanne also said that Rock’n’Roll is a structured dance containing a syllabus, but that there is no routine and the music has not been heard beforehand.

“There are certain moves you have to know for each grade that other dance styles don’t have,” Jonathan said.

“The guy leads the move and the girl has to follow. It’s tricky because you are not learning and order of moves sometimes you get to the middle of the song and have nothing so you go back to basics and other times it just flows.”

E The competition is open to all levels and categories for dancers from nine years of age to 74 years of age. Doors will open at 9am each day. Cost is $10 per person and $5 for children under 12.