* * * RULES & REGULATIONS * * *
Dear participants, please carefully read the Rules and Regulations of our competition. Elegance is a competition unique in its kind, and our regulations may differ considerably from those of other competitions.
1. General information
a. Please consider all ages on May 20th 2020.
b. Candidates may register to compete in ballet, or contemporary or both.
c. To register to any of the styles, candidates must be 8 years old, or older.
2. Categories
a. BALLET
i. Category “Children” is reserved for candidates aged 8-11 years old.
ii. Candidates aged 12 and older are separated in two divisions: “Competitive” and “Professional”.
1. Competitive: trains ballet less than seven (7) hours per week. Does not necessarily seek a career in dance.
2. Professional: trains ballet more than seven (7) hours per week. Seeks or has a career in dance. May be part of professional ballet school or professional ballet company.
Note: The jury has the right to reclassify a candidate from the Competitive division to the Professional division, if they judge the latter suits the candidate better.
iii. Within each of the two divisions, candidates are separated by age:
1. Junior: 12-13 years old
2. Senior I: 14-16 years old
3. Senior II: 17+ years old
Note: Professional dancers engaged in ballet companies should register in category “Senior II” division “Professional”, even if the candidate is not yet 17 years of age on May 20th 2020.
b. CONTEMPORARY
i. Candidates are separated by age:
1. Level A: 8-11 years old
2. Level B: 12-13 years old
3. Level C: 14-16 years old
4. Level D: 17+ years old
A candidate may be moved to a higher level, if the level of the age-appropriate solo is too easy. Please contact competition@elegance.dance, if you think this would be necessary for your case
3. Description of the Events
a. All events will take place through ZOOM. Meeting IDs will be made available soon to those who register.
b. BALLET
i. Variations
1. Each category will be assigned a ballet variation. All female variations are choreographed by Sandra Castro-Mühlbauer, founder of the competition. Variations’ choreographies must not be modified (it is however possible for lefties to reverse the entire variation).
Note: Although choreographies must be kept the same, we do prioritize quality over quantity (e.g. number of pirouettes, battus etc).
2. All variations links are available on our website. Please visit the tab Variation Demonstration.
3. Candidates must learn the variation corresponding to their category. Variations are the same for both divisions (Competitive & Professional divisions). Please make sure to learn the correct variation for your age group.
4. Variations were choreographed considering limited spaces available to dancers.
ii. Masterclass
1. Competition’s masterclasses
a. Each category of each division (i.e. competitive and professional) will have one masterclass with a renowned ballet dancer. Listed below are the masterclasses offered.
i. Children
ii. Junior (Competitive division)
iii. Junior (Professional division)
iv. Senior (Competitive division)
v. Senior (Professional division)
vi. Senior II (Competitive division)
vii. Senior II (Professional division)
b. Attending the assigned masterclass is mandatory and judges will assist and grade each participant.
c. Each candidate must participate in one masterclass only; however, it is possible to watch and do other masterclasses for other categories, as long as you keep your camera off.
d. Masterclasses for different categories do not take place at the same time, to allow the judges to assist them all.
e. Approximate duration of masterclasses: 60 minutes.
f. ZOOM links and IDs will be sent to registered candidates a few days before the competition starts.
2. Iana Salenko’s masterclass
a. Additional masterclass on June 13th, 2020, at 9am EST
b. It is not mandatory, and not graded/judged
c. Also open to non-competitors of Elegance (registration fee: 30 CAD)
iii. Performance
1. Candidates will receive an approximate time of performance (see Schedules and dates below for more details).
2. Candidates will perform their variation when called out by a member of the staff.
c. CONTEMPORARY
i. Solos
1. Candidates will learn the solo corresponding to their category (level A, B, C or D) with the video available on our website. Please visit the tab Variation Demonstration. Please make sure to learn the correct variation for your age group.
2. All contemporary solos are choreographed by Alexandre Carlos.
ii. Workshop
1. One contemporary workshop with a renowned modern choreographer will be given for each of the four categories. Approximate duration of the workshops: 60 minutes.
2. During the workshop, candidates will will have a short warm-up and will learn about the choreographer’s vision on the contemporary solo.
3. The workshop is not observed by the judges and will not be graded.
4. Attendance to the workshop is mandatory.
5. ZOOM links and IDs will be sent to registered candidates a few days before the competition starts.
iii. Performance
1. Candidates will receive an approximate time of performance (see Schedules and dates below for more details).
2. Candidates will perform their solo when called out by a member of the staff.
4. Grading System
a. All graded events: ballet masterclass, as well as ballet and contemporary competitions, will be graded on a 1-12 scale. The grade is based on the general impression the candidate gives to the jury.
b. Final grade
i. Ballet
1. The final grade will be calculated from the average of the grade from the masterclass and the grade from the performance. The masterclass is therefore just as important as the performance.
ii. Contemporary
1. For those competing in contemporary, sole the grade from the contemporary solo performance will be used. This grade is completely independent from the ballet grades, and a separate ranking scheme is in place, with different prizes to be distributed.
5. Dress Code
a. BALLET
i. Females
1. Masterclass: leotard (any color), pink tights, pink ballet shoes. Optional for ages 14+ only: skirt (short length).
2. Performance: leotard (any color), pink tights, pink ballet shoes or pointe shoes. Optional: skirt (short length).
3. Ballet bun.
Note: Pointe shoes are expected for candidates aged 12 and over; however, we understand that certain dancers may not have a safe floor for pointe use. We then accept dancers 12 years old and over to perform on flat ballet shoes.
ii. Males
1. Masterclass: shirt (tight), black tights, white socks, black or white ballet shoes.
2. Performance: same as for masterclass.
b. CONTEMPORARY
i. Females:
1. Workshop: leotard (any color), black not-footed tights. Optional: socks.
2. Performance: same as for workshop.
ii. Males:
1. Workshop: shirt (tight), black not-footed tights. Optional: socks.
2. Performance: same as for workshop.
Please choose your colors wisely: make sure to have contrast with your background.
6. Schedules and Dates
a. All events will take place from 9am to 4.30 pm EST. Please make sure you check your TIME ZONE. Please consider that, as any competition, delays are possible.
b. We aim to do our events on Saturdays and Sundays; however, it is possible that the events may occur on Mondays, depending on your time zone.
c. Dates: May 30 to 31, and June 6 to 7.
d. Time of performance:
i. Approximate times of performance will be given to each candidate. To avoid confusion with time zones, times of performance will be given based on the beginning of the event (e.g. if given time 1:37:00, the candidate is schedules to pass 1h 37min after the beginning of the event).
7. Set up
a. Home spacing
i. In order to make it easier for the judges to see the candidate, make sure to have a clear spacing for all events in which you participate.
ii. Unnecessary objects such as bags, chairs, tables, or any other movable objects or furniture should not be visible. Please avoid having paintings, posters etc on the walls.
iii. Position your camera in a spot where the dancer’s whole body can be seen, both at the barre and center. The following are recommendations in terms of spacing:
1. Minimum distance between the camera and the dancer (for barre, center, and performances): 4 m (13 feet)
2. Minimum width of the room: 2.5 m (8 feet)
3. Advised height to place the camera: 1.2 m (4 feet)
iv. We recommend to position your camera so there is a “landscape” recording, instead of “portrait”, especially for center and performances.
v. Please have your camera still, and not have a person holding it.
vi. We encourage candidates to have a ballet floor or equivalent.
vii. We encourage candidates to have a ballet barre, although another support is also welcome.
viii. We will not be responsible for any injuries or any damaged objects caused in any of the events hosted by Elegance.
b. ZOOM
i. In order to participate, please create a ZOOM account prior to the competition.
ii. Enter the number and the name of the candidate as the ZOOM username (e.g. 29 Anna Smith).
iii. Change the profile picture to an image with the number of the candidate. The number must be in black, with a white background. Please make this number very visible.
iv. Please log in to each event at least 30 min before the beginning of all events, turn ON your camera and stay visible. Please keep an eye on the “chat” – you will be contacted if our staff thinks your visibility is not optimal. We count on you to make efforts to have the best set up possible, within the circumstances.
v. During masterclass, all candidates must have their cameras ON, or else judges will not be able to grade (reminder: masterclass is mandatory). If you are watching a masterclass that is not for your category/ division, please keep your camera off at all times.
vi. During performances, all candidates must have their cameras OFF, except the one candidate performing. A member of the staff will “chat” with the next candidate performing, so they can prepare to turn on their camera.
vii. Please make sure your Wi-Fi connection is adequate. We are not be responsible for candidates missing any of the events due to problems with connection.
1. We recommend to place your Modem in the same room where you will be dancing. An alternative would be to plug in your computer an Ethernet cable.
2. If you are using Wi-Fi, we recommend to limit the use of other devices to the same Wi-Fi at the same time.
8. Disqualification
a. Candidates who do not follow the above rules and regulations may be disqualified.
b. The following points will immediately disqualify a candidate:
i. For those registered in ballet or ballet+contemporary:
1. Absence at the ballet Masterclass assigned
2. Absence at the ballet performance
ii. For those registered in contemporary or ballet+contemporary:
1. Absence at the contemporary Workshop assigned (where solo will be taught, although not judged)
2. Absence at the contemporary performance
9. Fees
Candidates may register for ballet, contemporary, or both.
· Registration fee for ballet only: 90 CAD
· Registration fee for contemporary only: 90 CAD
· Registration fee for ballet AND contemporary: 135 CAD
