Classical & Neo Classical Competition: What It Is, Where It's Run and How It's Judged

A dance genre that joins classical ballet technique with its more modern, neo-classical development, performed solo or as a duo or trio for up to three minutes and marked out of 100 on one Australian performing-arts template.

Classical & Neo Classical is a single genre that sits on a dance programme between pure ballet and contemporary work. The classical half is the familiar ballet vocabulary: turned-out legs, a lifted core, stretched feet, positions of the arms and head, pliés, tendus, jetés, pirouettes and adage balances. The neo-classical half keeps that technique and line but lets the choreography borrow freely: a more flexible spine, parallel positions, floor work, off-balance moments and modern music. An entry therefore looks like ballet that has been allowed to breathe, and dancers can choose the traditional end, the modern end or a blend of the two.

A round is one routine on the stage floor. The dancer, or the duo or trio, is announced, takes a starting pose and performs to the chosen music within the three-minute limit. The adjudicator watches placement and alignment from the first step, then how the dancer travels, turns and balances, how the arms and head finish each movement, and whether the piece fills the music instead of racing it. Because every entry in a section is built on the same classical foundation, the placings are usually decided by clean landings, control through slow movement and the quality of the final pose.

On the Royale Performing Arts Challenge template, which this page is written from, Classical & Neo Classical is one of fourteen dance genres offered in every age group, so a dancer can enter it alongside other styles. It is offered as a solo for a Petite group (5 and under), then for the age groups 7 and under, 9 and under, 11 and under, 13 and under, 15 and under and 16 and over. Each solo group from 7 upwards is split into Pre-Open and Open sections: Pre-Open is for a dancer who has not placed first in a restricted or open section of that genre at any eisteddfod, and Open is for one who has. The same genre is also offered as a duo or trio in seven age groups, by the age of the oldest competitor, which brings the template to 20 groups for this one genre.

The syllabus gives three minutes for solos and for duo and trio entries, boys and girls compete together, no language is needed and every entry is marked out of 100. The printed point bands are Pearl (under 70), Emerald (71-77), Ruby (78-85), Sapphire (86-91) and Diamond (92 and over). No criteria or mark weights are printed for the genre, so none are installed here and the adjudicator's own sheet decides. For a coordinator using eTalenter it is entered like any other item: register the dancer in the right age and section, record the mark out of 100, and the band and placing follow within that group.

Where Classical & Neo Classical is run

In eTalenter's data Classical & Neo Classical appears on one template, the Royale Performing Arts Challenge, a multi-day Australian performing-arts event whose Sydney round runs in December. Separate classical, ballet and neo-classical sections are also a regular part of dance eisteddfods and championships in Australia, the United Kingdom and other countries with a studio dance tradition; this page does not claim wider reach for the combined title than the one template.

• Australia

Key facts

• Individual (solo) in 13 groups and Team (duo or trio) in seven groups: 20 groups in all on this template; boys and girls compete together.
• Solo age groups as printed: Petite 5 and under, then 7, 9, 11, 13, 15 and under, and 16 and over; from 7 upwards each is split into Pre-Open and Open.
• Duo and trio entries are by the age of the oldest competitor; the syllabus prints no Pre-Open or Open split for them.
• Time limit 3 minutes, marked out of 100 with the printed bands Pearl, Emerald, Ruby, Sapphire and Diamond (92 and over); no judging criteria are printed.
• Placings as printed: 1st a tiara or trophy, 2nd and 3rd a medal, Highly Commended a ribbon; how many places are given depends on the number of entries.
• Idea starters, not rules: a ballet adage that dissolves into a floor-level phrase, a classical variation set to a modern piano piece, or a trio that moves from strict unison into overlapping canon.

On eTalenter, Classical & Neo Classical is filed under Dance and typically scored with Marks. It appears in 1 ready-made event templates — each one can adjust its time limit, age-group assignment and scoring setup independently.

Across the templates that use it, Classical & Neo Classical is most often entered as an Individual competition, typically scored out of 100, commonly time-limited to around 3 minutes where a limit is set.

What judges look at in Classical & Neo Classical

What a Classical & Neo Classical panel is actually weighing up, and where the marks are usually won or lost:

• Classical technique: turnout, placement, stretched feet and secure balances and turns, as in any ballet-based section.
• Neo-classical vocabulary: where the choreography uses parallel positions, off-centre shapes or floor work, they should be controlled and deliberate, not loose or accidental.
• Line and port de bras: arms, hands, head and eyes that finish each movement and carry the line through the whole body.
• Control and landings: quiet landings, slow movements held without wobbling, and no rushing to catch the music.
• Musicality and choreography: phrasing that follows the music and a routine whose steps and music fit one another in the three minutes.
• Performance and presentation: a calm, committed presence, a considered entrance and final pose, and a costume that lets the line be seen. In a duo or trio, unison and spacing are marked as well.

Treat these as the judging focus, not a fixed rubric: publish your own weighted criteria for Classical & Neo Classical under Scoring Setup, or start from the full group dance judging criteria guide.

How to prepare for Classical & Neo Classical

How entrants and their teachers usually get Classical & Neo Classical right on the day:

• Decide where the routine sits between classical and neo-classical and keep it consistent; a piece that lurches between the two styles reads as unfinished.
• Build on steps the dancer can do cleanly; a simple routine done well beats a difficult one done shakily.
• Rehearse the arms, head and focus as carefully as the legs, because the whole line is judged and unfinished arms cost marks.
• Choose music with clear phrases, count the routine against it and time it so the final pose lands on the last note inside three minutes.
• For duos and trios, rehearse unison and spacing from every side of the stage and agree who leads each change of direction.
• Rehearse the entrance, the starting pose and the final pose, and run the piece on a stage-sized floor so travelling steps use the space.
• Pick the section honestly: Pre-Open and Open depend on whether the dancer has already placed first in that genre at any eisteddfod, and the Open section is for those who have.
• After a result, note the two things that cost the most marks and rehearse them first before the next entry.

Frequently asked questions

Is Classical & Neo Classical judged individually or as a team?

Across eTalenter's templates it's most often run as an Individual entry, though an organiser can set either participation type when assigning the item to an age group.

What does neo-classical mean in a dance competition?

Neo-classical dance keeps the technique and line of classical ballet but uses more modern movement, music and shapes. In this genre the adjudicator expects a classical foundation, with the modern touches added on top of it.

How long is a Classical & Neo Classical entry?

The syllabus on this template gives three minutes for solos and for duo and trio dances. Other events set their own limits, so check the syllabus of the event you are entering.

What is the difference between Pre-Open and Open?

On this template, Pre-Open is for a dancer who has not placed first in a restricted or open section of that genre at any eisteddfod, and Open is for one who has. The syllabus prints this split for solos from age 7 upwards, but not for Petites or for duos and trios.

How is the genre judged?

It is marked out of 100 by the adjudicator and the mark falls in a printed band from Pearl up to Diamond (92 and over). The syllabus prints no criteria for the genre, so panels generally weigh technique, line, control, musicality and performance.

Want the full judging picture? Read the full group dance judging criteria guide, or browse every dance competition item.

Try Classical & Neo Classical in eTalenter

See every ready-made template that runs Classical & Neo Classical, and install one as a live event — age groups, rules and scoring included.

See where Classical & Neo Classical is used