What do you mean be 'the best dancer'? Is it the best leader/follower? The most interpretive? The most stylish? The most inventive? The most knowledgable? The best choreography? The best performers? It doesn't matter who you talk about - no-one would be the best in all these categories.
A dance competition will never say who is the best dancer. All a competition can do is say "In the eyes of the judges, and subject to the rules of the competition, these were the couples who danced best on the day." And if you believe the rumours, even this is doubtful for some competitions.
I think it is acceptable to use competition placings when promoting yourself. Although personally I would just mention the competition and the position you placed, and let other people draw their own conclusions.
So why have competitions? Because they are fun, whether you are watching, or judging, or competing. You get people who want to put on a show. You get others who just go to dance. You get to dance with people you have never seen before, and maybe never see again. And they make a change from yet another freestyle evening.
One problem you touched on is that not enough past winners of competitions enter again. Some competitions seem to go out of their way to discourage former winners and teachers from entering. Sometimes the dancers themselves just don't want to compete again. They have nothing to win - all they can do is lose. And they might not want to go through all the practice etc again.
But they will still be amongst the best dancers around, and would still entertain the crowd. If I was organising a dance or a competition, I would try to do something to attract them. It should be fun for them, and put on a show for everyone else. I've suggested a Champions/Teachers Dance With A Stranger before - hopefully someone will try it sometime.
David
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