2013-2014 VPA DANCE GUIDE Note for 2013-2014 Richford will have a dance team. For the 2013-2014 school year, Dance has been approved as a varsity activity for the Winter Season. Dance is an approved activity of the National Federation of State High School Associations, and as such, falls under the NHS Spirit Rules and Guidelines. During the Winter Season a number of competitions will be offered at various VPA member schools. In order to complete in these regular season competitions, Dance teams must meet eligibility requirements listed below (#1). Items #2 through #8 relate directly to the VPA Championship event at the end of the regular season and may not be in effect during the regular season. 1) Eligibility All schools entering a Dance team in the year-end championship must be from a VPA member school. All teams entering the championship must be recognized by their school as an approved sport. All students participating on a Dance team must meet VPA and school eligibility requirements. All teams entering the year-end championship must have completed in a minimum of three Vermont competitions. Schools must compete once in each category to be performed at state championship. 2) Divisions and Team Size (VPA Championship) For the 2013-2014 school year, there shall be a Varsity division at the year-end championship. Schools must notify the VPA by January 10, 2014 as to which division and category (s) they plan on being in. The categories will be Jazz, Hip Hop, and Pom. A team must enter themselves in 2 categories for the championships. Please note-there will be no Grand Championship this year. The maximum team size is 20 performers. A school may enter more than 20 performers on the registration form, however a maximum of 20 performers may be on the floor Page 1 Dance Guide 2013-2014
at any given time. Teams will be allowed to substitute performers at the end of the first round. The minimum size of a team shall be 4. Schools may enter only one team in the Varsity Division. 3) Performance Rules (VPA Championship) There shall be only one round in each category. Each team will perform a routine with a maximum time limit of three minutes and a minimum time limit of two minutes. Teams will be penalized if they go over or under the time limit. Teams may only use recorded music. However, teams must furnish their own music and someone to operate the music player. The music must be on an ipod, must be appropriate, and contain no vulgar or obscene language. Questions about the appropriateness of music may be directed to member(s) of the Dance Committee. If music is determined to be inappropriate during competition, the team will be penalized. Teams should also bring a back-up copy of their music. The VPA is not responsible for music malfunctions. Unfortunately, time may not allow each team to test its music on the VPA player. Therefore, if the team prefers to use its own player, this is fine. Routine interruption: if your routine is interrupted due to failure of competition equipment or facilities, you will be allowed to perform again, going last in your division. If the interruption is due to failure of your equipment or ipod malfunctions, you will not be allowed to perform again. Each team will be given 5 minutes to practice their routine on the competition floor before the event begins. A schedule of practice times will be made available before the championship. All uniforms and accessories must comply with the rules listed in the NFHS Spirit Guide. Please note that no bare midriff/torso is allowed. Coaches are responsible for ensuring that their teams meet these rules. Violations of the Page 2 Dance Guide 2013-2014
uniform and accessories rules will result in a team being penalized. Please note: if a team is not wearing a one piece uniform, a leotard must be worn. Additional Note: No jewelry (including earrings) is allowed. Props are permissible in the routine. A prop is anything that is not permanently attached or positioned on a uniform and is used to add to the overall effect of the routine. Props may not be used as bases (Spirit Guide Rule #3, Section 5). Questions about the appropriateness of a prop shall be referred to the Dance Committee by January 4, 2014. Teams that are performing a stunt(s) in their routine must abide by the following restrictions: a) NO tumbling, partner stunts or pyramid building will be allowed. This includes standing or stepping on backs, and cartwheels. Forward rolls, backward rolls, handstands, back bends and shoulder rolls are permitted as long as they are not linked together. b) Hip Hop stalls are allowed. c) Knee drops are only allowed if most of the weight is first borne on the hands and/or foot/feet to absorb impact. d) Partner stunts are NOT allowed. Partner Stunts are any position where the weight of a person is completely supported by another person off of the ground. Every person must have at least one foot or hand in contact with the floor. 4) Protests If a participating coach believes that a team has violated a competition rule, the coach must notify the Rules Violation Committee specifying the team involved, the rule in question and how the rule was violated. Protests must be filed prior to the final round of competition (or immediately after a performance if in the final round). The Rules Violations Committee will meet to discuss the protest and issue a decision. The Committee shall notify the coach of the offending team that protest has been filed. Decisions of the Rules Violation Committee are final. Page 3 Dance Guide 2013-2014
5) Scoring The championship will be following the scoring guidelines developed by the Dance Committee that follow basic UDA guidelines. A copy of the scoring sheet for each category is attached to this guide. 6) Judges Judges for the 2013-2014 Dance Championship are experienced people with a though knowledge, and background in the various areas of dance. The judges will use the following criteria to select the top teams: appearance, technique, group execution, choreography, and overall effect. A panel of judges will be used and the scores of three judges will be combined to determine the final score for each performance. Up to two technical judges may also be used to rule on penalty violations. 7) Entry Fees The costs will be $125 per team entering the Championship. Please make checks out to VPA and mailed to address below. Registration forms need to be entered on the VPA Website www.vpaonline.org, Online Registration (Select School enter dance code) by February 17 th, 2014. Checks should be made out to the VPA and mailed to: Vermont Principals Association, Two Prospect St., Suite 3 Montpelier, VT 05602 8) Championship Location and Date Saturday, February 22, 2014 Sites/Times: Vergennes High School, Vergennes 4:30 p.m. Page 4 Dance Guide 2013-2014
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