1. NO COSTUMES will be worn during competition. Proper attire will be as follows:

GIRLS:
	BALLET CATEGORY: Solid, dark colored leotard with pink or white tights
	ALL OTHER CATEGORIES: Solid, dark colored leotard or unitard with black, tan, pink or white tights Solid, full length, close fitting jazz pants (no bell bottom, capri length, white striped or wide legs)
	ALL CATEGORIES: Appropriate dance shoes Hair in bun or secured braid (no floppy ponytails)

BOYS:
	Solid, dark colored leotard or plain CLOSE FITTING shirt Solid, dark colored pants or tights (no bell bottom or wide legs) OR Solid, dark colored unitard Appropriate dance shoes

Please Note: Sequins or other decorative materials may not be attached. No references to the competitor's studio, school or instructors should be made or appear on the attire. No belts, leg warmers, or skirts may be worn. White anklet socks may be worn with tap or clogging shoes.

2. Hand held props will be allowed. Props must be brought onto stage by the dancers and removed without delay. Props must be used as an integral part of the dance (at least 50% of the time). They cannot be worn or carried as decorative items or used as stage decoration. Props such as hats and canes should be a basic color with no sequins or decoration.

3. Competitors will be identified by numbers assigned to them at the beginning of the competition. EACH ENTRY HAS A SEPARATE COMPETITION NUMBER. Contestants can pick up their assigned competition number from the front desk on the morning of the competition.

4. Competitors must be ready when their number is announced. Any undo delays will result in disqualification.

5. All music must be on a cassette tape or CD, cued and ready to play. Each tape should contain only one song. Each CD must be clearly labeled. A 0.5 point deduction will be made on music that is not in the correct starting position. Have a cued back-up tape available. For the "Song & Dance" category, no voice recording is allowed on the tape. There will be no microphone.

6. All cassette tapes must arrive at the sound table one hour prior to the scheduled performance time.

7. Age categories are as follows: 5 and under, 6 - 7, 8 - 9, 10 - 11, 12 - 13, 14 - 15, 16 - 17, 18 and over. Group, duet and trio Age Group is determined by the average age of all the contestants. Ages and birth dates of the competitors must appear on the back of the entry form. To figure the average age, add all ages together and divide by the number of dancers in the group. If 0.5 or higher remains, the entry must go into the next highest Age Group.

8. Scoring will be as follows: High First Place (95 - 100 points), First Place (90 - 94 points), High Second Place (85 - 89 points), Second Place (80 - 84 points), High Third Place (75 - 79 points), Third Place (70 - 74 points), and Honorable Mention (60 - 69 points). Judges will be commenting on cassette tape during the performance and will give one overall impression score using the scoring table. It is possible for there to be more than one first place in each category. All entries for the same studio will be placed on the same coded tape. Tapes can be picked up by the teachers only from the sound table at the close of the event. The decision of the judges will be final. Complaints or suggestions must be made in writing and submitted to the director prior to awards in that category.

9. No entry will be accepted unless the Waiver of Liability is signed appropriately on the entry form. Entries will not be accepted unless Waivers are signed by the parents (not the teacher) for all dancers. Group entrants may copy the waiver section of the form and return them stapled to the entry form.

10. All entries must be received by the deadline date of Friday, February 8th, 2008. Entries will be accepted after that date only if competition time permits. Studios will be informed by telephone or email, prior to the competition, of Division starting times. Be sure that the telephone and/or email information on the entry form is correct.

11. A solo competitor may enter 4 solos only with no two entries in the same dance style. The "choreographer" style is considered a solo entry if the work is the sole effort of the entrant only.

12. Contestants competing for a "Mr. or Miss Dance Title" must compete in at least 2 solo categories. Students entering 4 solos will have their lowest scores discarded and the remaining two scores averaged for their overall final score. Male titles will only be awarded if their averaged score is 92 or higher.

13. The time limit for all solos, duets, trios, and small groups is 3 minutes. Large groups and Production groups are allowed 5 minutes. There is 0.5 point deduction taken for music over the time limit unless it has been designated on the entry form as an Extended Time number. The maximum time limit for Extended Time numbers is 8 minutes.

14. Acrobatic routines must incorporate acrobatic skills with dance movement and should not consist entirely of "gymnastic passes".
Lyric/Modern category entries should demonstrate balance, extension, isolation, and control using contemporary lyrical and/or modern styles. The dance should relate to the feeling of the music.
In Ballet, Tap, Jazz, Song and Dance, and Lyric/Modern routines, any more than one gymnastic or acrobatic combo will result in a 0.5 point deduction. (Splits and deep arches are not considered one of these skills.)

15. All rules also apply for the Choreographer Category. In addition, all choreography must be the exclusive work of the contestant only! Choreographers are not required to perform their work themselves. They may use any number of dancers they wish. The ability of the performers will not be judged. Only the content of the choreography will be judged. Contestants may wish to submit a small notebook with information about why they chose the music, what they hoped to accomplish, the costuming design they might have in mind and their goals as a choreographer. These will be submitted to the judges prior to the performance for their perusal. This is not required but does demonstrate organizational qualities necessary to the accomplished choreographer. Work must not be critiqued by anyone prior to the competition.

16. The auditorium and front desk will open on hour before the first scheduled performance. A limited number of event T-shirts will be available for purchase at the concession area.

17. There will be a spectator fee at the door of $2.00 for adults, $1.00 for children 4 - 12. Each solo entry will receive one free spectator's pass.

18. No flash photography will be allowed.
Videotaping will be allowed if you have a special pass on your person at the time of taping. These passes are available through your instructor only and will be issued to instructors only at the front desk the day of the competition. Parents wishing to videotape must receive this pass from their teacher. Anyone taping another studio's routines will be asked to leave the auditorium.

19. Smoking in the building and on the property is prohibited.

20. The Indiana State Dance Championships requires that all performers and their parents read and agree to abide by these rules and regulations. Please make these rules available to all participants.

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PLEASE NOTE: Dance is a "PERFORMING ART" and requires performance opportunities for educational purposes, incentive to rehearse and to improve performance skills. It is our first priority to give each child a comfortable and successful learning experience regardless of their final placement. We hope that as teachers and parents you will discuss the importance of the "performance", not the "score". Only you know what that individual child has truly accomplished through their performance, the growth they have shown and the preparation that it required. DANCE IS NOT A SPORT! And we at the ISDC are doing our very best to emphasize that everyone who gives their best performance is a WINNER! We must applaud the effort - not the outcome!

Please feel free to recognize special accomplishments, regardless how small, by requesting that a "Special Award" be given by our SPECIAL AWARDS JUDGE. Special Awards are given during each awards ceremony. Please submit them to the sound table.