In the individual improvisation competition, leaders and followers will be randomly paired. All couples will dance at the same time, and each randomly decided pair will dance improvisationally together for the duration of three songs. After round, a fraction of individuals will be eliminated and new pairings will be randomly determined again. The last three leads and three follows remaining will be considered finalists and will compete in the finals round. Contestants will compete in one of two divisions based on their experience level if there are 3 or more couples who wish to participate in each division.
Individual Competition Rules
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Partnerships will be decided randomly by the coordinator during the competition.
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Songs are selected prior to the event by the Committee.
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Contestants will be eliminated as individuals by the judges after each round. The number of couples to be eliminated in each round will be determined by the coordinator at the time of the event.
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The number of rounds is not set and may vary depending on the number of contestants and by the request of the judges. The coordinator will ultimately determine the number of rounds during the event.
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Once the embrace is taken, couples may not break the embrace until after the completion of the song. Some flexibility of the embrace is understood.
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All movements must be performed within the space allowed by the couple’s embrace.
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Contestants must constantly move counterclockwise around the floor. One or two backward steps may be performed if a step requires it.
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Contestants must avoid remaining in the same spot on the floor for a prolonged period. This will be considered for scoring in floorcraft.
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Overtaking other couples is not allowed.
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Costumes will not be a factor in scoring, but tasteful attire is recommended.
Note that rules and rubrics may be modified slightly as the competition approaches. Rubrics should serve as a guideline for scoring, but are not all encompassing. Scoring is ultimately at the judges' discretion.
Individual Improvisation (Mix 'n Match)
Rubrics identify points the judges will look for during grading, but may not be followed precisely during judging. Rubric is available here.