THE CHOREOGRAPHY COMPETITION

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Failure to comply with these rules could result in disqualification.

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GENERAL INFORMATION:

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All entries and payments MUST be received 21 days prior to the competition date. All entries received after the deadline are subject to a 10% late fee. Entries are accepted on a first-come, first-served basis and will be limited to the performance time available. Entries will not be processed without full payment. Payment can be made by check, certified funds, or credit card. Early registration is encouraged as registration will be closed prior to the deadline if the entry maximum for each Regional event is met.

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MUSIC:

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Music will be emailed to info@nickersonrossidance.com.

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All music must be sent 10 days prior to the competition. Please make sure you bring a flash drive as a backup for your music to the venue.

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ENTRY FEES:

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$99 for each work submitted

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***choreographers are only allowed to present one work

TIME LIMITS:

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5 - 8 minutes

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ENTRY AGE:

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The choreographer must be within the age of 15 - 22

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PERFORMING DANCERS:

Must be within the age 15 - 22

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DANCE CATEGORIES:

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BALLET:

Dancers should be wearing ballet shoes.

Choreography must be original and not replicated from a classical variation.

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MODERN:

Dancers should be barefoot or in ballet flats.

There must be classical elements from Graham, Horton, Límon, Taylor, or Humphrey

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CONTEMPORARY: 

No footwear requirements.

Can infuse Ballet, Modern, Jazz, and/or Hip-hop to create an innovative, new-age movement style.

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STAGE SIZE:

approximately 50' by 40' Marley Covered Sprung Dance Floor.

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HOW THE PANEL CRITICS:

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The panel will review each work solely on 5 topics.

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• Time (10 points)

  • ​both musical and dance elements (beat, tempo, speed, rhythm, sudden, slow, sustained).

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• Space (10 points)

  • ​refers to space through which the dancer’s body moves (general or personal space, level, size, direction, pathway, focus).

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• Energy (10 points)

  • ​the force applied to dance to accentuate the weight, attack, strength, and flow of a dancer’s movement (sharp, strong, light, heavy, bound, free-flow).​​

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• Relationship (10 points)

  • refers to the relationship the dancers’ body parts have to everything else(spatial relationships, time relationships, relationship to music, and to each other).

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• Execution (10 points)

  • the overall presentation, cleanliness, and clarity.

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50 points total

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WINNERS:

There is only one overall 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Placement.

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AWARDS:

        1st PLACE

• $1000 Cash Prize

• Mentorship with Michael Nickerson-Rossi

• Set a new work on the professional Nickerson-Rossi Dance Company

• Nickerson-Rossi Dance will perform your work at the Palm Springs International Dance Festival 2022 

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        2nd PLACE

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• $250 Cash Prize

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        3rd PLACE

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• $125 Cash Prize

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ADDITIONAL GUIDELINES:

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 NO REFUNDS WILL BE ISSUED UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCE. 

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A time schedule and general information will be emailed to all registered choreographers five business days prior to the competition date. A general schedule will be posted on the website as well.

Video Taping and Photography of any kind are accepted and encouraged. A professional videographer will be recording all performances and the quality DVDs of each studio’s routines are available for purchase.

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No air horns or similar devices are allowed.

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Fire, swords, and knives on stage are prohibited.

No liquid, gel, aerosol, glitter, or similar substance that would affect the dancing surface is allowed unless specifically approved by The Platform Directors.

Props are allowed, however, they must be freestanding. Scenery or backdrops requiring the use of theater fly bars may not be used. Helium balloons are not permitted. Special fog or smoke is not permitted unless specifically approved by The Platform. If the stage is "littered" during a routine please be prepared to clean it up immediately after the routine is finished.

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Sportsmanlike behavior is expected at all times onstage, backstage, and in the dressing rooms. Failure to display proper decorum for all participants and staff members could result in immediate disqualification.

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Contestants will be judged by a panel of competent judges, and all entrants agree that the time, manner, and method of judging the contest shall be solely within the discretion of the directors and producers of The Platform and that all decisions of the judges are final.

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Contestants and studio/team staff by virtue of entering The Platform event give their permission and consent to the directors of The Countdown Competition to use their images or photographs or appear in videos, television, or any other electronic media for advertising, news coverage or any other commercial use of our events.

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