A studio dance style that builds acrobatic skills such as tumbling, balances and flexibility moves into a choreographed routine, entered as its own section beside Jazz, Ballet and Hip Hop at United States and Australian dance competitions.
Acro/Gymnastics, often just called acro, is a routine in which the choreography is carried by acrobatic skills rather than by steps alone. Cartwheels, walkovers, rolls, handstands, balances, flexibility moves and tumbling passes are joined by dance movement, music and expression, so the routine is judged as a piece of dance that happens to be acrobatic and not as a gymnastics floor exercise. At a studio competition it sits as a section of its own beside Ballet, Jazz, Hip Hop, Tap and the other printed styles.
None of the eTalenter templates that carry Acro/Gymnastics prints a definition, a list of permitted skills or a safety standard for it. Each one simply lists it among its printed performance styles (between 12 and 24 of them) and expects a routine that is mainly acrobatic to be entered there. The practical question for an entrant is therefore where the dividing line sits: how much acrobatic content a Jazz, Lyrical or Open routine may carry before it belongs in this section, and the reverse. One rule book also prints what it calls an acro rule (up to 25 per cent) which the template records without detail, so ask the organiser how it applies before registering.
A round runs like any other style at these events. Routines are called in a running order, the dancer or group performs one piece to recorded music inside the printed time limit, and the panel scores it live. All five templates offer Acro/Gymnastics for solos and for duets, trios, small groups, large groups and lines, repeated across the age divisions and the ability levels, so one section can hold a five-year-old soloist and a studio line of older teenagers. Because the skills carry risk, running order, floor and safety arrangements matter more than for most styles.
Organisers keep it in the programme because it draws entrants who would otherwise have no section that rewards tumbling and flexibility, and it gives gymnastics-trained dancers a clear place to compete. For the coordinator the practical points are the floor and the space: acrobatic landings need a surface and a ceiling height that suit them, and many rule books print props, off-stage and safety rules, so read those before accepting entries rather than on the day.
Where Acro/Gymnastics is run
In the templates eTalenter holds, Acro/Gymnastics is a section of dance-studio competitions in the United States and Australia. Four of them are United States regional and national circuits that list between 18 and 24 styles, and one is an Australian studio competition with a shorter list of 12 styles. These are adjudicated studio events, not school festivals, and the age divisions, ability levels and scoring differ from one event to the next, so always follow the syllabus of the event you are entering.
- United States
- Australia
Key facts
- Individual in solo sections, and Team in duet/trio, small group, large group and line sections
- Open to both genders in every template that carries it
- Time limits start at about 2:00 to 3:00 for a solo and run to 5:00 for larger entries, with the biggest studio-wide line entries allowed up to 7:00 in two of the events
- Scored out of 100 per judge: three templates are installed on a 300-point total (three judges) and two on a 100-point scale
- Only two templates print scoring headings that apply to the style: technique, execution and showmanship as ranges in one, and technique 40, stage presence 25, execution 20, choreography 10 and overall appearance 5 in the other, both category-wide rather than printed for acro alone
- Age divisions run from the youngest children (four, five or six and under) up to adults, with three or four ability levels on top, and the rule books do not restrict which levels may enter acro
On eTalenter, Acro/Gymnastics is filed under Dance and typically scored with Marks. It appears in 5 ready-made event templates — each one can adjust its time limit, age-group assignment and scoring setup independently.
Across the templates that use it, Acro/Gymnastics is most often entered as an Team competition, typically scored out of 300, commonly time-limited to 2–7 minutes where a limit is set.
What judges look at in Acro/Gymnastics
What a Acro/Gymnastics panel is actually weighing up, and where the marks are usually won or lost:
- Only two of the templates print how acro is scored, and neither does it for acro alone: one names technique, execution and showmanship as score ranges for every style, the other prints technique 40, stage presence 25, execution 20, choreography 10 and overall appearance 5 for every category. Everything below is general advice built on those headings
- Technique: straight lines, pointed feet, controlled landings and clean entries into and out of each skill, because a wobble on a handstand or a heavy landing is the first thing a panel marks
- Execution: skills completed the way they were intended rather than half-finished or rescued, with the difficulty matched to what the entrant can do cleanly, since an ambitious pass that falls apart costs more than a simpler one done well
- Choreography and flow: the acrobatic moves should be connected by dance, with transitions that look planned rather than a string of tricks separated by walking; a routine that moves with the music scores better than one that stops for each skill
- Showmanship and stage presence: a face and a body that look at ease while upside down, because tension and effort read as risk to the panel and to the audience
- In duets and groups, unison and spacing: acrobatic skills done together must start and finish on the same count, with enough room around each dancer, and one late or off-line dancer is obvious
- Appearance and costume: a costume that stays in place through rolls and inversions, since a wardrobe problem mid-routine breaks the performance and loses marks for appearance
Treat these as the judging focus, not a fixed rubric: publish your own weighted criteria for Acro/Gymnastics under Scoring Setup, or start from the full group dance competition judging criteria guide.
How to prepare for Acro/Gymnastics
How entrants and their teachers usually get Acro/Gymnastics right on the day:
- Ask the organiser, or read the syllabus, how much acrobatic content puts a routine in this section rather than Jazz, Lyrical or Open, and check the age, level and entry-size rules before registering
- Build the routine around skills the dancer can land every time, not the best one they have ever landed; a clean routine at 80 per cent of ability beats a risky one that fails on the day
- Teach every skill with a qualified coach and a spotter or mat until it is safe, and keep the training space, floor surface and ceiling height close to what the stage will offer
- Link the skills with real choreography: write the dance phrases first, then place the acrobatics at the musical highlights so the routine breathes with the track
- Cut the music to the printed time limit and rehearse with a stopwatch; at least two rule books print a deduction of one point per five seconds over time, so a long routine costs marks that tumbling cannot earn back
- Practise the full routine back to back several times to build stamina, because the last pass of a tired dancer is usually the sloppiest and the panel watches the finish
- Rehearse in the real costume and footwear that will be used on the day, and check the stage floor and any prop or safety rules in the syllabus before travelling
- Ask for the judges' written comments after the event and use them to decide whether the next version needs cleaner technique, more flow or more expression
Frequently asked questions
Is Acro/Gymnastics judged individually or as a team?
Across eTalenter's templates it's most often run as an Team entry, though an organiser can set either participation type when assigning the item to an age group.
Is acro the same as gymnastics?
No. Gymnastics is judged on skill alone, while acro here is a dance entry: the acrobatic moves are part of a choreographed routine to music and are judged with dance headings such as technique, execution and showmanship. The templates do not print a definition, so if a routine could fit another style, ask the organiser which section to enter.
Can I put acrobatic moves in other styles such as Jazz or Open?
Often yes, in small amounts, but rule books limit it. One of the templates mentions an acro rule of up to 25 per cent, and the others do not print one. Check the syllabus or ask the organiser before you put a lot of tumbling into a routine entered in another style.
How long can an acro routine be?
It depends on the event and the entry size. Across the templates a solo runs from about 2:00 to 3:00, duets and small groups up to about 3:00, large groups up to 4:00 and lines up to 5:00, with the biggest studio-wide line entries running to 7:00 in two events. Two of the rule books deduct one point per five seconds over the limit, so always check the limit in the syllabus you are entering.
Is acro judged individually or as a team?
Both. A solo is judged as an individual entry. Duets, trios, small groups, large groups and lines are team entries, where the panel also looks at how evenly the dancers share the same timing, spacing and landings.
Which age groups can enter?
The templates run it from their youngest children's division (four, five or six and under, often a placeholder floor rather than a printed minimum) up to adults, and several average the ages of a group, so check the age rule of your event. The rule books do not restrict acro to particular ability levels.
Want the full judging picture? Read the full group dance competition judging criteria guide, or browse every dance competition item.
Try Acro/Gymnastics in eTalenter
See every ready-made template that runs Acro/Gymnastics, and install one as a live event — age groups, rules and scoring included.
