Ok so, first criticism in a while.
1# Nice try, I like the use of colours- they complement each other really well, and also you didn't use the brightest shades which (when painted onto black) can look too bright and make the banner seem oversaturated, leading to the whole thing becoming a bit of an eyesore. The use of c4d's is also really good. They fit the flow of the banner flawlessly, I hope you spent ages looking for those because finding the right c4ds always takes me way longer than I'd like xD The banner has a lot of action and flaire, it's well presented and has a decent layout. However, the choice of render is poor. Considering you're putting it onto an already dark background, I don't see why you chose a dark render- for a theme which isn't really dark. It means the render becomes almost lost in transition, and so then the first thing we are drawn to is the effects around the render and not the render itself, so the banner loses it's key focal point and therefore probably its most vital aspect. Overall I would say the banner is too dark, with dance themes people always use bright colours and vivid lighting: you need more of them. So to wrap it up.
Good: Great flow, Great colour scheme, banner has a lot of action.
Improve: Lighting- the whole thing's too dark, render- think a lot about your render before starting on the graphic. The 'Your colour' text is also slightly lagged which looks unprofessional.
2# Okay, I wrote way too much for number one so I'm going to try and make this one shorter and sweeter. Colours- good, they again mix well and are good choice of shades to accompany your render. Lighting- great, good soft tones yet dark enough to portray depth. Text is well placed and well formatted, is noticeable but doesn't draw focus. Render is a good choice, creates good flow is well sharpened and nicely positioned, however, be careful not to rub away too much of your render (see bottom left.) Also, I like the uneven border- classy touch. On the other hand, I think this banner is a bit too generic. You lack any really impressive photoshop (or image manipulation) skills as it doesn't stand out from the crowd, 90% of people with photoshop can adjust the colours, brush on some lighting then add in a few fractals for effect- try something more ambitious. Go crazy with some other styles- live a little! So in summary...
Good: Colours- great, lighting- great, render- good, text- good. So overall a damn good piece.
Improve: Be more ambitious!
My vote goes to #2 because overall i believe it is the better piece graphically, despite being horribly ordinary #1's choice of render really let it down imo.
Plat. Frontier had it right~