Metropolitan Festival of Dance

Covid 19 Restrictions

Covid 19 restrictions have eased at our venue in 2023.  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.

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 2024, 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 via music uploads but a backup of music should be brought to the competition 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.

Dancers who receive an aggregate or perpetual trophy at our event take full responsibility of having the dancers name and/ or studio and year of winning award engraved and placed onto the trophy before returning it to the MFD committee before the commencement of the next years event. 

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. 

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.

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

Metro Encore

Championship sections

A dancer must perform in two open sections to qualify for our champ sections.

Dancers can perform any style solo but cannot repeat a previously performed routine.