A combined dance section for a routine that blends contemporary and lyrical movement, usually run for the youngest solo dancers and for duos, trios and small groups, and marked out of 100.
Contemporary/Lyrical is a bridging dance section. Contemporary dance uses weight, floor work, release and changes of direction to carry an idea; lyrical dance follows the feeling and words of a song with flowing, extended movement. Where an organiser lists the two together, the dancer is not asked to choose a side: a routine may sit in either style or move between them. The order of the title simply puts contemporary first, and it is the same family of routine as the Lyrical/Contemporary section on other programmes, but each programme sets its own age bands and entry rules.
A round is one routine, announced, performed to recorded music and judged as it happens. The adjudicator wants to see a clear idea from the first phrase, movement that answers the mood of the music, controlled turns, balances and falls, and an ending that lands with the last note. For the youngest dancers the panel is also looking for confidence on the floor and a routine the child can actually finish within the limit.
In eTalenter's data the section appears on two templates, and they use it quite differently. On an Australian private dance competition it is the combined section for the youngest solo age group, six and under, where the older solo ages have separate Contemporary and Lyrical sections, and it also appears as a Duo/Trio section with its own age bands. On a Scottish music, speech and dance festival it is a wider section: individual dancers in four age bands from 6 to 18 and over, plus a duet or trio and a dance group. Neither prints marking criteria for the item, so none are installed and the adjudicator's own sheet applies.
Organisers keep a combined section because entries in the youngest ages are few and children often learn the two styles side by side. For a coordinator using eTalenter the item is set up like any other: place the dancer, pair or group in the right age group, record the mark out of 100 and let the placings follow within that group.
Where Contemporary/Lyrical is run
In eTalenter's data a section titled Contemporary/Lyrical appears on two templates: an Australian private dance competition (a combined solo section for six and under, plus a Duo/Trio version) and a Scottish multi-discipline festival (four individual age bands, a duet or trio and a group). Combined style sections of this kind are common in dance competitions that run both styles; this page does not claim wider reach than the templates and general practice support.
- Australia
- Scotland
Key facts
- A combined style section: the routine may be contemporary, lyrical or a blend of the two.
- Australian template: solo for 6 and under (boys and girls together), 3 minutes, marked out of 100; older solo ages enter separate Contemporary and Lyrical sections.
- Scottish festival template: individual bands 6 to 13 (1 minute in the youngest band, then 2 minutes), 14 to 17 and 18 and over, a duet or trio at 2 minutes and a group at 4 minutes, all out of 100.
- Both templates mark under the label Marks and need no language.
- No judging criteria are printed for the item on either template, so none are installed; the adjudicator's own sheet decides.
- Idea starters, not rules: a piece built on one image such as a tide coming in, a duo that begins apart and finishes in unison, or a group routine that grows from one dancer to the whole stage.
On eTalenter, Contemporary/Lyrical is filed under Dance and typically scored with Marks. It appears in 2 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/Lyrical is most often entered as an Individual competition, typically scored out of 100, commonly time-limited to 1–4 minutes where a limit is set.
What judges look at in Contemporary/Lyrical
What a Contemporary/Lyrical panel is actually weighing up, and where the marks are usually won or lost:
- Musicality: movement that follows the phrasing and mood of the track rather than only keeping time with the beat.
- Technique and control: clean turns, extensions and balances, with falls and floor work controlled rather than collapsed.
- Blend of the two styles: whether the routine has a clear movement language, using the flow of lyrical and the weight of contemporary on purpose rather than by accident.
- Expression: a face and upper body that tell the idea, so the routine reads from the back of the hall as well as the front.
- Choreography and use of space: levels, direction and pace that change, with the floor used evenly and no filler steps.
- Presentation and, for duets, trios and groups, unity: matched timing, spacing and awareness of each other, and a costume and stage manner suited to the dancer's age.
Treat these as the judging focus, not a fixed rubric: publish your own weighted criteria for Contemporary/Lyrical under Scoring Setup, or start from the full group dance judging criteria guide.
How to prepare for Contemporary/Lyrical
How entrants and their teachers usually get Contemporary/Lyrical right on the day:
- Decide where the routine sits on the line between the styles before choreographing, so that the first and last phrases belong to the same piece.
- For the youngest solo ages keep the choreography simple and secure: a short idea performed cleanly scores better than difficult steps that collapse.
- Cut the music to the time limit of the age band, remembering the limit is shorter in the youngest Scottish band than in the older ones.
- Choose a track with space in it; very busy music leaves the dancer no room for the slower lyrical phrases.
- Rehearse on a floor like the competition floor and in the footwear or bare feet the dancer will use, so turns and slides are familiar.
- For duets, trios and groups, rehearse entrances, spacing and exits until counts are not needed; practise a recovery if one dancer slips.
- Practise the finish: hold the final pose until the music has ended, then walk off calmly.
- Bring a spare copy of the music in the format the organiser asks for and check the running order so the dancer is warmed up in time.
Frequently asked questions
Is Contemporary/Lyrical 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/Lyrical in a dance competition?
It is a combined style section in which the dancer or group performs a contemporary or lyrical routine, or a blend of both, judged on musicality, technique, expression and presentation.
Is Contemporary/Lyrical the same as Lyrical/Contemporary?
They describe the same kind of combined routine, but each organiser fixes its own age bands, time limits and entry rules, so enter by the programme you are given, not by the order of the words.
How long is a Contemporary/Lyrical routine?
On the Australian template it is 3 minutes. On the Scottish festival template it is 1 minute for the youngest individual band, 2 minutes for older individuals and for duets or trios, and 4 minutes for a dance group.
Is it a solo or a group item?
It depends on the template: it is a solo for six and under on one, a Duo/Trio section on the same one, and an individual, duet or trio and group section on the other. Check the group list of the event you enter.
Want the full judging picture? Read the full group dance judging criteria guide, or browse every dance competition item.
Try Contemporary/Lyrical in eTalenter
See every ready-made template that runs Contemporary/Lyrical, and install one as a live event — age groups, rules and scoring included.
