Metropolitan Festival of Dance

Covid 19 Restrictions

Covid 19 restrictions have eased at our venue in 2022.  However, attendance at the Metropolitan Festival of Dance still remains subject to Victorian Government and venue guidelines at the time of the actual running of the event.  If, due to unforeseen circumstances, the Festival is cancelled due to escalated Covid 19 restrictions or a lockdown, then all impacted entrants will receive a refund, less a small administrative fee.  For individual competitors who are personally impacted by Covid 19 (including personal isolation) and cannot attend or decide to withdraw from the competition for other reasons, the Festival is unable to provide a refund for such withdrawals, after entries have closed (22^nd May 2022).

Rules & Conditions

When entering age is to be taken at the 1st of January this year for solo, Duo, Trio and Quad entries. Entrants over age in any section will be immediately disqualified. Birth Certificates must be presented if requested. 

Troupes will be average age. This means you add together the ages of your students at the 1st of Jan 2022, then divide by the number of student, and that will be the age of your troupe.  Please note dancers will not be able to dance down more than one age group eg./ you can not dance in under 13 if you are open age.   

Troupes will be grouped those sessions will have a door fee.  All solo, duo, trio, quad sections will have no door fee but will incur a fee of $35 for registration.  (If you enter twice solo and duo please contact us for refund of one fee)

Downloadable programs are $5.

Please enter carefully as we will NOT swap student from the entered sections.  The only exception is if a student places before our closing date at another comp we will move them from novice to open.  NO other changes will be made so please do not ask.

NO entries will be accepted once comp is closed.

A novice is a person who has not won a first, second or third at any competition in the type of sections he or she is entering. This is to be taken from 11.59pm on the closing date i.e./ if you send off your entry and you then receive a prize at another festival before MFD closing date you must email and notify.

Dance Troupes must have a minimum number of five. No vocals are allowed on track in Song & Dance/Tap sections while competitor is singing (during dance acceptable).

The competitor is responsible for appearing in the order they have been programmed. If the competitor misses their number they will be able to appear at the end of the section for crit only. If the non-appearance is the fault of the festival the competitor will still be able to compete.

Competitors must provide their music on an iPod, iPad, laptop, Mp3 Player, NO USB's are allowed.

We support safe dance practices and adhere to Child Safety Standards

Choreography and Costuming must be age appropriate

No routines are to be repeated (VCE & VET excluded). Competitors are to appear only once in any section.

The Committee reserves the right to combine sections if insufficient entries are received in any section.

Competitors and teachers must not have had any form of tuition or coaching by the adjudicator after the 1st of January. (Summer/Winter School N/A but committee must be informed of this beforehand.)

Competitors perform at their own risk during the festival.

Competitors must still be a student at the school stated on the entry form. If the competitor is a student of more than one school this must be stated on the entry form.

In the case of unforeseen circumstances the Committee reserves the right to appoint an alternative adjudicator.

The Committee reserves the right to refuse entry. The Committee reserves the right to disqualify any one in breach of the rules including tapping anywhere in the theatre other than on stage.

Adjudicator’s decisions are final. No competitor is to communicate with the adjudicator during the festival.

Prizes will be announced at the completion of each section. Only Award/Championship entrants are required to stay in costume and stand on stage at the end of the sections.

Protests are to be made in writing to the Committee within 10 minutes of the completion of the section in question with a fee of $20.00 which will be forfeited if the protest is deemed frivolous.

Aggregate trophies shall be awarded in all age groups. Aggregate Points for all solos sections including Special sections (Not VCE and VET sections) will be awarded as follows:

Open sections: 1st - 5 points, 2nd - 3 points, 3rd - 2 points, HM - 1 point

Novice sections: 1st - 4 points, 2nd - 2 points, 3rd - 1 point

 

In the event of a tie winners will share the trophy.

A Teachers Aggregate will be awarded to the school gaining the highest points over the entire festival.

A Troupe Aggregate will be awarded to the school with the most points accumulated for troupes. 

Perpetual trophies are to be returned to the Committee one month prior to the commencement of the following year’s festival. Trophies are to be returned in the condition they were presented or a fine will be incurred.

Videos and Cameras are not permitted in the theatre. The festival will provide a professional to video requested items.

Teachers and competitors are to wear passes at all times.

Only teachers and competitors will be allowed back stage (except sections under 10).

*NO food or drink is permitted in the theatre.

*NO smoking is permitted anywhere in the building or school grounds, you MUST be outside the school boundaries.

Time Limits for items:

Song and Dance/Tap, Solos and Duos/Trios      4 minutes

All other Solos and Duo/Trios                             3 minutes

Troupes                                                               5 minutes

Vocal sections

Song must be under 3 minutes for solos

Students own Choreographic sections 

Choreography must be the performing students own work

Dance is to be under 3 minutes in length

Costumes are acceptable

No qualifying sections apply - Please note prize money will only be awarded in any sections that have more than 3 entries

Improvisation Sections

Competitor in this section must wear: girls – plain colour leotards and flesh tights or stockings. Boys – dark colour tracksuit pants and white t-shirt.

Music will be supplied by the adjudicator/festival 

No qualifying sections apply - Please note prize money will only be awarded in any sections that have more than 3 entries 

 

Other Championships/Special Sections

To qualify for the Championships you must compete in the "open" section of the same style and one other solo section, (excluding improvisation and choreographic sections).  If you do not compete in these section you will not be able to place in the award section. Please note prize money will only be awarded in any sections that have more than 3 entries 

Please note you cannot repeat a dance you have already competed during the event for championships. 

eg/ Jazz Championship you must compete in the Open Jazz section for your age group

Tap Championship you must compete in the Open Tap section for your age group

Ballet Award you must compete in the Open Classical section for your age group

Theatrical Award you must compete in the Open Song and Dance or Song and Tap section for your age group

Lyrical/Contemporary Championship you must compete in the Open Lyrical or Open Contemporary section for your age group

 

Jazz Championship must be 1 solo - Jazz either musical theatre or commercial

Ballet award must be 2 solos- a Classical Solo and either a Character or National

Theatrical award must be 2 solos - a song and dance or song and tap and either a jazz or tap

Tap Championship must be a dance which consists of half slow music and half fast

Lyrical/Contemporary Championship must be 1 solo - either lyrical or contemporary