Dance Competition

Description/Regulations

The Dance Competition is conducted with two divisions, “A” and “AA.” The “A” division is for schools with an enrollment of less than 75 students in the 5^th-8^th grade and the “AA” division is for schools with an enrollment of 75 or more students in the 5^th−8^th grade. Squads are comprised of 5^th-8^th grade students (male or female). THE DANCE COMPETITION IS ONLY FOR DANCE ROUTINES. NO SCHOOL MAY HAVE MORE THAN ONE GROUP COMPETING IN THIS COMPETITION.

TEAMS MUST BE DULY CONSTITUTED BY THEIR RESPECTIVE SCHOOLS with an advisor in attendance. It is expected that they will have performed at school functions prior to L.E.S.T. Northwest. Trophies awarded will be based on the number of entries. L.E.S.T. Northwest may also make outstanding performance awards for individual or group demonstrations. 

How to Participate

Dance teams must pre-register using the Dance Registration form. This form is available on the L.E.S.T. Northwest website and must be fully completed and received no later than December 16. Teams should submit a printed copy of any introduction that they would like read with the registration form.    

Schedule

The individual Dance teams may perform at the half time of their school’s L.E.S.T. Northwest basketball games, as desired, and as time allows. 

The L.E.S.T. Northwest Dance Competition date and time will be given in the L.E.S.T. Northwest schedule, which will be distributed in January. It will run in conjunction with the Cheerleading Competition. Schools that have a Dance Team and a Cheerleading squad will be properly spaced so that no school will have their Cheerleading squad perform right before or right after their Dance Team. 

Even though the two competitions are run simultaneously, they are judged separately and on different criteria. Pay close attention to the judging form for the respective competitions. Scoring is based on the fundamental skills listed on the judging for. The judges scoring criteria is available further down this webpage. A performance schedule will be posted on the L.E.S.T. Northwest website in early February. 

Major Characteristics of the Dance Routines

1. The team must consist of four or more members. TEAMS MUST BE DULY CONSTITUTED BY THEIR RESPECTIVE SCHOOLS, WITH AN ADVISOR IN ATTENDANCE, AND IT IS EXPECTED THAT THEY WILL HAVE PERFORMED AT SCHOOL FUNCTIONS BEFORE L.E.S.T. Northwest.
2. Total routine time limit is five minutes. Time begins with the first note of music or as soon as the first dancer crosses the court line or the first motion (whichever comes first). Time ends with the last note of music or when all team members have cleared the floor completely (whichever comes last). Teams that exceed the total time limit will receive a 10 point deduction.
3. Music is required to be on a thumb drive, cell phone, or MP3 player (not provided). All music must be properly registered on the Dance Registration form listing Song, Artist, Album, and Recording label for each piece of music. This is due to copyright laws. No music with inappropriate language or theme will be allowed, even if it has been edited out!
4. Props may be used to compliment the theme of the performance. Please wait until instructed by the “On Deck” monitor to places props and then do so in a timely manner so that the event stays on schedule. 

Judges will score teams in the following categories:  Execution (Technique, Control, Precision), Content (Choreography, Complexity), and Effect (Creativity, Projection). Judging may begin as soon as the team is asked to ‘take your position.’ Judging must end when the last member crosses the boundary line at the end of the routine. Please see the Dance score sheet available on the L.E.S.T. Northwest website for more details.

Judges / Timers

There will be both Standard Judges and Technical Judges for the Cheerleading Competition. Judges location will be identified for teams prior to start of competition. There will be two timers for the competition. One timer will be seated with the Judges and one will be on or near the floor. In the event that one timer finds a timing violation and the other does not, a time violation will be taken.

Score Sheets and Awards

Teams will receive their score sheets after L.E.S.T. Northwest has concluded, either in a packet provided at the end of the tournament or by email within a few weeks after the event. In addition to their own score sheets, they will receive a copy of all score sheets from each team in their division. Team awards will be given out on Saturday at the awards ceremony.