Official Rule Book 2016/17
Contents Accounts Dance Teacher Account Dancer Account Parent Account Email Limitation General Running Order Teams Team Music Team Judging Criteria Solos and Duos Ability Levels First Timer Amateur Open Age Categories Points System First Timer Points Allocation Amateur Points Allocation Open Points Allocation General Rules Contact Us
Accounts We have changed the account creation process. We now require all competitors to create their own account on our website at http://bdo.dance/register. When you have created an account, you will be assigned a unique BDO membership number. You need to write this down and bring it to every event that you attend. After creating an account, each competitor must also be registered to compete in either Solos, Duos or Teams. If the competitor is part of a dance school then they do not need to register themselves to compete, their dance teacher is responsible for this and can do this from their teacher account. If the competitor is not part of a dance school then they must register themselves to compete. Competitors who attend an event without creating an account will not be allowed to compete.
Dance Teacher Account Dance teachers must create a TEACHER ACCOUNT before any of their school members can create their own account. This is because during the account creation process, the school members must join their dance school, which can only be done once the dance school has been created by the teacher. All registrations need to be done through a dance teacher account that is linked to the dance school. In addition, the dance teacher should place an order for tickets on behalf of the entire dance school that will be attending. If you created a Dance School account previously then this account functions the same way as a Dance Teacher account, and you do not need to create another account.
Dancer Account Each competitor needs to have their own dancer account. This account should be created using the details of the person that will be competing. All competitors must also be registered to compete at a particular event. If you are a competitor who is part of a dance school, your dance teacher is responsible for registering you to compete in Solos, Duos and Teams. If you are a competitor who is not part of a dance school, you are responsible for registering yourself to compete in Solos, Duos and Teams. It is important to ensure that the date of birth entered is correct before creating a dancer account. This date of birth is used to ensure that each dancer competes at the correct age level. Once the account has been created, you will be unable to change this unless you contact us.
Parent Account Parents only need to create an account if they wish to compete in Parent Teams. The account should be registered with the details of the parent that will be competing.
Email Limitation We are currently aware of a limitation which will only allow one account to be created with the same email address. Unfortunately, this is a system limitation and not one that we have imposed. You will need to create each account with a unique email address. Please ensure that this email address is valid. If it is not, then you will not receive important information regarding your account, order confirmations and promotions from us. If you can t use a different email address then please contact us. We may be able to offer a workaround, however this is very limited and only works with Gmail and Hotmail/Outlook.
General Running Order The general running order of each event is as follows. Please be aware that this may change at any time and it is your responsibility to listen for any changes. Start of Event Teams Team Awards Solos Solo Awards Duos Duo Awards End of Event If you miss your allocated category for good reason then you will need to inform a member of staff. We may allow you to compete at a higher level, however this is at the discretion of the event manager.
Teams Teams must have a minimum of 5 dancers and a maximum of 25 dancers. A single dancer may only compete in 1 team per event unless under exceptional circumstances BDO has granted permission. Preparation Before the Event 1. Register your teams online 2. Upload your team music to the registration that you have made 3. Check the provisional running order to see when your team will be performing, and alert us of any changes you wish to make Event Day Procedure 1. Bring a backup of your team music 2. Make sure you know when your team is performing 3. Be ready to perform 30 minutes before your allocated time
Team Music Team music must be clean and contain no explicit language. Team music will not be checked before the event so it is your responsibility to do this. The final placing of your team may be affected if you do not. The maximum length of team music is shown below. First Timer: up to 2 minutes Amateur: up to 2 minutes Open: up to 2 minutes 30 seconds All team music must be uploaded to the website before the event. The cut off date for uploading team music is currently set at 7 days before the event. If you do not upload your team music before this time, your team may be removed from the running order and you will not be able to compete.
Team Judging Criteria Choreography Style content, stage usage, formations, transitions. Performance/Execution How well the set was performed, togetherness, confidence, dynamics. Originality Creative ideas, correct use of tricks, props or gimmicks, move variations, teamwork. Technique How well the particular style (if any) attempted is done, shown with confidence and understanding. Difficulty The difficulty level that the team attempted relative to their category. Teams will be marked out of 10 for each of the criteria above. Your team scores will be available to view in your account after the event. We aim to do this within 5 working days of the event.
Solos & Duos When competing in Solos or Duos, you will be expected to freestyle to a random track played on the day. Your ability level and age group will be called to the floor, and you may be split into heats depending on the number of dancers on the floor. When your heat is called, you will step onto the floor along with the other dancers in your heat. If you are successful, you will then be called back for further heats until the final. Dancers will be eliminated until there are between 5 and 7 dancers left in the final. These will then be placed from 1st - 5th, 1st - 6th or 1st - 7th depending on the number of dancers in the final. Music Music will be played at random from one of our playlists. Solos and Duos are both freestyle categories. As a guide, you can expect the music played to be around the following beats per minute (BPM): First Timer: 110-130 BPM Amateur: 100-130 BPM Open: 90-130 BPM
Ability Levels Dancers are permitted to enter at any level that they feel is suitable. When they enter at an ability level, they must continue to compete at this level until they meet the criteria of the next ability level. If you are unsure which level to compete at, please see the guidance on the following pages and consult with your dance teacher. All dance teachers must compete at Open level.
First Timers The criteria for performing at First Timer level is as follows: First time at a street dance competition Basic level of musicality Basic freestyle ability Basic coordination Basic level of energy
Amateur The criteria for performing at Amateur level is as follows: Previously competed at a street dance competition Placed 1st - 6th at First Timer level or competed a maximum of 5 times at First Timer level Good level of musicality Good freestyle ability Good coordination Good level of energy Good stage presence Ability to use multiple dance styles
Open The criteria for performing at Open level is as follows: Placed 1st - 3rd at Amateur level Excellent level of musicality Excellent freestyle ability Excellent coordination Excellent level of energy Excellent stage presence Ability to use multiple dance styles Teacher or dance professional
Age Categories We allow registration for the following age categories. 6 and under 8 and under 10 and under 12 and under 14 and under 16 and under Over 16 Age categories may be removed if there are a low number of registrations for a particular category. If this happens then you must compete in the age category above.
Points System Every dancer who places 1st - 6th will be awarded points. To qualify for BDO national events, you will need to earn a certain amount of points. All points will be added to your dancer account and also your dance school account if you are a member of one. We aim to add points within 7 working days of the event. If you have not had points added to your account after this time, please contact us and we will investigate. We reserve the right to remove points from any account and/or dance school at any time, without notification if we believe any of the rules have been breached.
First Timer Points Allocation CATEGORY 1 st 2 nd 3 rd 4 th 5 th 6 th SOLOS 6 5 4 3 2 1 DUOS 6 5 4 3 2 1 TRIOS* 7 6 5 4 3 2 QUADS* 8 7 6 5 4 3 TEAMS 10 9 8 7 6 5 * Available at selected events only
Amateur Points Allocation CATEGORY 1 st 2 nd 3 rd 4 th 5 th 6 th SOLOS 8 7 6 5 4 3 DUOS 8 7 6 5 4 3 TRIOS* 9 8 7 6 5 4 QUADS* 10 9 8 7 6 5 TEAMS 12 11 10 9 8 7 * Available at selected events only
Open Points Allocation CATEGORY 1 st 2 nd 3 rd 4 th 5 th 6 th SOLOS 10 9 8 7 6 5 DUOS 10 9 8 7 6 5 TRIOS* 11 10 9 8 7 6 QUADS* 12 11 10 9 8 7 TEAMS 14 13 12 11 10 9 * Available at selected events only
General Rules Dancers must not touch the judges for any reason Acrobatic moves may only be used in teams or solo/duo finals Outfits must be of appropriate nature No inappropriate moves or gestures should be performed Every competitor must have their own account before the event Every competitor must be registered to compete before the event Every competitor must know their BDO membership number before the event Every competitor may only compete in 1 Solo, 1 Duo, 1 Trio/Quad and 1 Team per event Dance teachers are responsible for the behaviour of all dance school members at all times Dance teachers must compete at Open level A breach of any of the rules contained in this book will result in either a loss of points, disqualification or ejection from the venue. We will not tolerate violence or threatening behaviour towards any other person at any event. Any person found to be doing this will be ejected from the venue and receive a lifetime ban from future competitions without appeal. We reserve the right to terminate any membership at any time, without prior notification and/or appeal.
Contact Us SWIS Events Limited 7 Caroline Street Longton Stoke-on-Trent ST3 1DB Email: support@bdo.dance Telephone: 01782 499 380