You could have witnessed AC from home. They streamed all Main Events this year. I didn't get to see the contest due to the fact that once again many of the things I wanted to go to happened almost at the same time (By far the only curse I have about AC). You should try looking around to see if there are any local Cons in your area, you might be pleasantly surprised.

If you want to do it for fun, then you should do it. You don't need to ask. As long as you are doing something that you enjoy and others can as well, you should go for it. And yes, I believe there are preliminaries. With over 1300 Fursuiters (they broke the record again) being at AC as it is, The number of Fursuit Dancers would really need to be weeded down to match the Time Block.

Yes, your stage performance should be different than the prelims. You should never do the same thing twice when it comes to being in a contest. You have to show that you are versatile, not predictable. Like any contest, you never throw-down your best moves until the moment it counts the most. I'm not entirely certain what Categories are used for performance grading, but you should ask since he has been in contests and has been a Judge for an AC Dance Competition, not to mention he had some serious real Dance training. I feel that you would be graded on your usage of your mobility, precision of movement, control, style in accordance to music, possible impression on the crowd, and of course faults.

awesome thanks! Ill defiantly talk to them :)