Its been a long time coming, but the ISU Ballroom Company is hosting its own competition in the Great Hall of the Memorial Union on Saturday.

“It is the first collegiate ballroom competition in Iowa,” says Bryan Reynolds, president of the Ballroom Company, “or at least the first in a very long time.”

The competition will begin at 9 a.m. and last until 6 p.m. Other schools that will be traveling to Ames to compete include the University of Illinois-Urbana-Champaign, University of Missouri and Indiana University. There are also a few other couples competing who are not affiliated with a school, says Jill Elgin, competition coordinator for the Ballroom Company.

“We have been planning this since last spring,” says Elgin, graduate in business administration. “We have 30 individuals from Iowa State competing.”

The competition will give the campus and the community a chance to enjoy the company’s abilities, Elgin says.

“I’m excited we have the opportunity to show people at Iowa State how we dance,” she says.

“A lot of our competitions are far away, so people can’t come to watch. A lot of people are coming to this one to see what we do.”

Reynolds, junior in animal science, is also excited to gain the community’s attention.

“I’m excited that the community will be able to see us and not just hear about us,” he says.

Several styles, such as swing, hustle, waltz, tango, foxtrot, cha cha and salsa, among others, will be dances for the competition. Along with different styles there are also three different levels — beginner, intermediate and advanced, Elgin says.

Paul Botes, Donna Edelstein and Nathan Daniels, all of Minnesota, and Chris Martin, from New York, are the four judges evaluating the competition, Elgin says.

The competition is split into categories based on style.

“The smooth dances like the waltz and the tango will be in the morning,” Elgin says. “After the lunch break the Latin dances will go, and then after 4 o’clock the fun dances, like West Coast swing, will compete.”

The dancing doesn’t stop after the final competition. A professional demonstration by Botes and Edelstein will follow, and a dance from 8 p.m. to 12 a.m. will end the night’s activities.

On Sunday, workshops for beginner, intermediate and advanced levels will be taught by the three judges. These workshops are open to the public for $10. More information is available at www.scc.iastate.edu/ danceco.