Adjudication Guidelines and Information

Several concerts, each featuring different programs, will be held during the festival. Our goal is that these are full-tech concerts. An adjudication committee will BLIND REVIEW all works submitted. For integrity purposes, the members of the committee will not be announced until after the adjudication process is completed.

You are invited to submit works to be considered for performance. Your dance(s), if accepted, will be placed in one of the programs by the adjudication committee. Acceptance will be based on quality of performance and choreography. No one will receive written feedback nor have access to the judges’ adjudication forms. More than one work from any one school may be accepted for performance. All videos must be submitted electronically via YouTube link. Before sending, check carefully that all submissions have sound and links are viewable.

The adjudication submission form should be completed on the website. Be sure you have completed one form per dance.

Dance Adjudication Registration Form

A payment of $30 per each work adjudicated must be submitted PRIOR to the adjudication due date of Dec. 12. Payments can be made online or by check/money order.

No works will be adjudicated without the appropriate fee.

Adjudication Rules and Guidelines (please read carefully)

• Number of Works: No more than five works may be submitted by any one school. If submitting five works, at least two of these must be choreographed by a student currently enrolled at your school. If no student works are submitted, then you may submit a max of three works. If all are student works, then you may submit a max of five works.
• Faculty/guest/reconstruction dance works must be 3-12 minutes in length. Any work not meeting the time restrictions will not be adjudicated and funds will not be returned to the school.
• Student choreographed works must be 3-6 minutes in length. Any work not meeting the time restrictions will not be adjudicated and funds will not be returned to the school.
• It is your responsibility to have all necessary permissions to perform any reconstructed pieces at the festival.
• Solos may be submitted by student choreographers, but only works choreographed for two or more dancers are eligible for the Outstanding Student Choreography Award.
• Choreography may be by a faculty member, guest choreographer or currently enrolled student. A reconstructed work, where the choreographer is no longer living, may also be submitted. It is the responsibility of each individual high school to acquire any permission rights.
• Teacher in charge must verify (by checking the box in the Adjudication Submission Form) that any student piece submitted has been choreographed by that student. Faculty may have critiqued and given suggestions for improvement to the choreography, but the work must have been created and rehearsed by the student.
• Dancers must be full-time high school students, currently enrolled in grade 9, 10, 11 or 12 at the school submitting the dance(s).
• Works submitted must be a final product, preferably in costume, and must be danced by those who will be performing the piece in the festival. If any dancer were to be substituted without the express permission of the committee, the entire work may be disqualified from performance.
• Works previously performed at RHSDF in the last three years by your school may not be resubmitted.
• No school identification credits should appear on any of the submissions; only the title of each work (remember the committee is blind reviewing).
• Please present a clear and clean recording of your work. Please make sure there is adequate lighting. DO NOT USE CROSS FADES OR CUTS.