A solo dance section in which the dancer is given music they have not rehearsed to and must create contemporary-style movement on the spot, marked out of 100 by the adjudicator.
Contemporary Improvisation is a solo section where the choreography is made in the moment. Contemporary dance draws on ballet, modern and jazz technique and is known for floor work, weight changes, release and fall-and-recover movement, and for a willingness to use the whole body in unexpected ways. In the improvisation version the dancer does not bring a prepared routine. They hear the music, usually for the first time, and answer it with movement that belongs to the contemporary style.
A round is short and runs one dancer at a time. The dancer is announced, the music starts, and the adjudicator watches how the dancer finds a way into the piece, how movement and dynamics follow its changes of pace and texture, how confidently the body moves between standing, floor and off-balance work, and whether the performance feels complete by the last note. Because nothing is rehearsed, what the adjudicator sees is the dancer’s training and instinct rather than a polished routine.
On the Rise Up Dance Creative template the section is a solo, entered by age division only: Improv 6 and under, 8 and under, 10 and under, 12 and under, 14 and under, 16 and under and 17 plus. Boys and girls compete together, no language is required and each entry is marked out of 100 under the label Marks. The template prints no time limit and no marking criteria for this item, so none are installed and the adjudicator’s own sheet applies.
Organisers include improvisation sections to reward dancers who can think with their bodies, something a rehearsed routine cannot show. For a coordinator using eTalenter it is entered like any other item: register each dancer in the correct age division, record the adjudicator’s mark out of 100, and placings follow within each division.
Where Contemporary Improvisation is run
In eTalenter’s data Contemporary Improvisation appears on five dance templates, all of them Australian dance eisteddfods and challenges, and the Rise Up Dance Creative programme is one of them. Improvisation classes are a less common part of a dance programme than the standard styles, and some syllabuses name them differently, for example simply as Improvisation or Impro, so check the wording of the syllabus you are entering.
- Australia
Key facts
- Solo only on the Rise Up Dance Creative template; no group or duo version is listed.
- Seven age divisions, from Improv 6 and under to Improv 17 plus.
- Boys and girls compete together; no language requirement.
- The template prints no time limit and no criteria; the adjudicator’s sheet decides, with a single mark out of 100.
- Sister sections on the same template: Lyrical, Hip Hop and Jazz Improvisation, each with the same seven age divisions.
- Idea starters, not rules: practise to unfamiliar instrumental tracks, try one movement idea such as weight, breath or gravity and follow it through the whole piece, and plan a simple opening and closing shape you can reach whatever the music does.
On eTalenter, Contemporary Improvisation 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, Contemporary Improvisation is most often entered as an Individual competition, typically scored out of 100, commonly time-limited to around 2 minutes where a limit is set.
What judges look at in Contemporary Improvisation
What a Contemporary Improvisation panel is actually weighing up, and where the marks are usually won or lost:
- Response to the music: movement that follows the rhythm, texture and dynamics of the piece rather than running independently of it.
- Contemporary vocabulary: convincing use of floor work, weight shifts, release, contraction and changes of level that belong to the style.
- Spontaneity and creativity: fresh choices made in the moment, not a prepared routine fitted to the music.
- Technique and control: balance, alignment, line and clean execution of the movements the dancer chooses to use.
- Expression and performance: commitment and focus carried through the face and body for the whole piece.
- Structure: a clear opening, a sense of development and a settled ending, even though nothing was planned.
Treat these as the judging focus, not a fixed rubric: publish your own weighted criteria for Contemporary Improvisation under Scoring Setup, or start from the full group dance judging criteria guide.
How to prepare for Contemporary Improvisation
How entrants and their teachers usually get Contemporary Improvisation right on the day:
- Practise with music you do not know: ask a friend to choose tracks and play them once, then dance straight away.
- Build a small bank of contemporary building blocks, such as a spiral, a fall and recovery, a floor roll and a held balance, that you can link in any order.
- Listen for the character of the music in the first few bars and decide your opening before you move.
- Keep moving through nervous moments; a simple choice delivered with commitment beats stopping to think.
- Use the whole space and change level, direction and speed so the performance does not stay in one spot.
- Work on endings: know two or three ways to finish so you can land with the last note.
- Rehearse in the costume and footwear or bare feet you will use, and check the floor surface, so nothing restricts floor work on the day.
- Have a teacher or friend film a practice session and note where you froze or repeated, then train those moments.
Frequently asked questions
Is Contemporary Improvisation 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 is Contemporary Improvisation in a dance competition?
It is a solo section where the dancer creates contemporary-style movement on the spot to music they have not rehearsed to, and the adjudicator marks how well they respond.
Is Contemporary Improvisation judged individually or as a team?
Individually. On the Rise Up Dance Creative template it is a solo section with its own age divisions.
Can I prepare a routine in advance for Contemporary Improvisation?
No. The point of the section is that the movement is made in the moment, so you prepare by building technique and a flexible set of movements rather than a fixed routine.
Does the template print judging criteria for this item?
No. It prints none, so the adjudicator’s own sheet is used and eTalenter records a single mark out of 100.
Want the full judging picture? Read the full group dance judging criteria guide, or browse every dance competition item.
Try Contemporary Improvisation in eTalenter
See every ready-made template that runs Contemporary Improvisation, and install one as a live event — age groups, rules and scoring included.
