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In the same-sex dance stream, professionals, amateurs and pro-am couples all dance together according to the couple's gender. There are three couple divisions - womens, mens and mixed. Typically mixed couples have the lady lead and man follow although at the Gay Games there were mixed couples where traditional roles were kept. There are two age categories - open (all ages) and senior (senior being defined as a couple with combined ages of 90 and youngest partner at a minimum age of 40.) Initially all couples in the same sex division will dance for a general presentation (just to give judges a general feel for the couples). They will then dance a classification round where competitors will dance three dances (standard: waltz, tango, quickstep/Latin: cha cha, rumba, jive) and judges will place them into one of four grading categories (A, B, C, D; A being the top level). The couples in the same sex division will dance a second classification round to ensure that where the couples are assigned is appropriate (some couples may be bumped into the next grade category). Unlike mainstream ballroom, costuming is up to the couple and will not be part of the assessment. There is a limit of having up to 12 couples on the floor at any one time so there could be multiple heats in the quarter finals and elimination happens until six couples remain in the final round.
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