Required Elements

• The routine must include a minimum of one turn, one leap and one jump
• Properly executed technical dance skills must be incorporated.

Potential Penalties

• A routine with less than the minimum required technical elements will result in 3-pt penalty.

• Exceeding or not meeting time requirements will result in a 1-pt penalty per each 10 seconds. 

• A dropped item is a 1 point deduction for each infraction.

• Allowable uniform accessories such as hats, glasses, neckties can be used as part of a routine as long as the item is shown and worn as the team enters the floor. Teams can only use one type of accessory and it can be used as a dance move once during the routine (must be completed within one 8-count). The accessory can also be removed from the body during the routine but not picked up after it has been discarded.
• Acceptable: Performers can lift a hat from their head and throw/toss it to the side out of the performing area within one 8-count.
• Not Acceptable: Performers lift glasses from their face, put it back on, dance for 2 counts of 8 and then remove the glasses again. Or if you remove glasses and then remove a hat. We will consider these as props.
• If an accessory falls from the body during the routine (that is not a part of the choreography) it will be a 1-pt deduction for the dropped item. If an accessory is used more than once during the performance, it will be considered as a prop and a 5-deduction will be assessed.

Helpful Hints

Variety of Elements can be achieved by the following:

• Level changes and floor work incorporating dance elements
• Group work incorporating dance elements
• Types of technical elements
• Type of dance styles
• Use of hands and heads
• Tempo of dance sequences
• Directional Changes while executing dance elements (movement L to R, front to back, crossing, etc.)

Difficulty of Elements can be achieved by the following:

• Changing the tempo of movements
• Increasing the number of body parts used to complete a movement
• Increasing the number of elements within a dance sequence
• Complexity of the movements within a dance sequence
• Increasing the number of performers executing a dance sequence
• Traveling while executing a dance sequence

Creativity is Defined as the following:

• The extent to which basic dance movements, combinations and visual effects are used in unusual ways.

• Incorporation of a variety of movement that supports the flow of the routine and complements the music.