Allow me to draw your attention to several diverting posts bearing on the misguided nature of competitions in music and dance:

• I’ve just augmented this post on the great Ciaran Carson’s critiques of competitive events in Irish music. You can find more must-read gems from his brilliant Last Night’s Fun here.
• Alexei Sayle’s pithy demolition of ballroom dancing!
• which relates to my fantasy Strictly north Shanxi Daoist ritual
• also relevant is Singers of the world.

In her book WIld music, Maria Sonevytsky has more mature analyses of Eurovision and popular TV contests in Ukraine.

And then, I do concur, contests are a more creative aspect of traditional performance—such as Chinese ritual groups (and shawm bands) “facing platforms”, or “cutting” in jazz…