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St Julie’s Catholic High School is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expects all staff, governors, volunteers and visitors to share this commitment

Great Big Dance Off 2021!

Sep 8, 2020

Great Big Dance Off 2021!

Good luck to all of our solo GCSE and BTEC performers who are entering this year's Great Big Dance Off 2021.

Here's some information about how the new solo category is going to work this year.

SOLO COMPETITION

  • The competition will be virtual - so judging will be based on the submitted video.
  • Many of the details will be the same as the main competition - the performance can be any genre, no longer than 3m30s etc.
  • The judging criteria is much the same with a couple of tweaks to recognise the solo performance (attached). 
  • Costume is not required - and will not play any role in the judging.
  • There will be competitions for Primary, KS3 and KS4/5
  • There is a maximum number of entries from a school of 5. This is the TOTAL - not per age group. If you have more pupils wanting to enter you will need to have your own school competition to pick!
  • There is a £10 entry fee (per piece).

Entry Procedure

  • The initial entry must be submitted online by Mon 19th October.
  • This stage is ESSENTIAL - it will enable us to assign each entry a 'participant number' which will be used thereafter. 
  • The video deadline is Friday 13th November. The video needs to be the finished piece. We prefer receiving videos via www.wetransfer.com
  • Videos should not include graphics, titles  or other identifiers with pupil or school name.
  • The videos will only be seen by us and the judges and not used on any website / social media etc.
  • Entries must come via the school.

We've got some information about the judging criteria too.

Choreography

Be as creative as you want. Don’t be frightened to tell a story. Think about what you want the audience to feel.
Make the dance visually exciting to watch, add lifts, holds & freezes. Know the style of dance you’re performing in & explore its catalogue of movement.
Make sure you travel / transition with intent making full use of space.
Keep placement & formations neat & tight. Know where you should be.

Execution

Know your music as well as the dance. Work on making sure your execution is in time with the music. Repetition is key to bringing timing together.
Use all the space you have & use it with purpose. Change your levels by jumping, crawling, rolling & kneeling. Introduce moments of stillness to add depth.

Technique

Think about posture, how you stand & hold yourself. What direction should you face, are your feet turned in or out? Where should your arms be? Avoid fidgeting or fixing hair.
Make sure each movement is smooth & runs seamlessly into the next. If your mixing styles this is an area to focus on. Showcase strength with lifts, holds & freezes.
Know the style or styles you are performing & deliver your choreography & movements correctly. Understand the music & entice the audience to connect & feel your dance.

Overall

Good eye contact can go a long way & will help the audience connect with you. Enjoy what you’re doing & be genuine. Remember, false smile stand out! If you enjoy what you do & feel it, chances are the audience will too.
Whether it’s upbeat & crowd enticing or sombre & tells a story or strikes an emotion, the crowds response is important in letting judges know how well your dance was received.