A solo dance section in which the dancer is given music they have not rehearsed to and must create jazz-style movement on the spot, marked out of 100 by the adjudicator.
Jazz Improvisation is a solo section where the jazz choreography is made in the moment. Jazz dance is built on sharp, rhythmic movement, isolations of the head, ribs and hips, strong shapes, kicks, turns and a sense of attack that fits the beat. In the improvisation version the dancer does not bring a prepared routine. They hear a piece of music, usually for the first time, and answer it with movement that is recognisably jazz.
A round is short and runs one dancer at a time. The dancer is announced, the music starts, and the adjudicator watches how quickly the dancer locks on to the beat, how accents in the music are matched with hits and holds in the body, how the dancer uses the space and changes level, and whether the performance has energy and a finish by the last note. Because nothing is rehearsed, what the adjudicator sees is the dancer’s training, rhythm and nerve rather than a polished number.
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 and keep time under pressure, 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 Jazz Improvisation is run
In eTalenter’s data Jazz Improvisation appears on eleven dance templates, all of them Australian dance eisteddfods and challenges, and the Rise Up Dance Creative programme is one of them. Some syllabuses name the same section differently, for example Improvisation - Jazz or Jazz Improvisation Solo, 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 Contemporary Improvisation, each with the same seven age divisions.
- Idea starters, not rules: practise to unfamiliar swing, funk and pop tracks, pick out the accents and hit them with isolations, and plan a strong opening pose and a sharp ending you can reach whatever the music does.
On eTalenter, Jazz Improvisation is filed under Dance and typically scored with Marks. It appears in 11 ready-made event templates — each one can adjust its time limit, age-group assignment and scoring setup independently.
Across the templates that use it, Jazz Improvisation is most often entered as an Individual competition, typically scored out of 100, commonly time-limited to 1–3 minutes where a limit is set.
What judges look at in Jazz Improvisation
What a Jazz Improvisation panel is actually weighing up, and where the marks are usually won or lost:
- Rhythm and musicality: movement locked to the beat, with accents and changes in the music matched by hits, holds and changes of speed.
- Jazz vocabulary: convincing use of isolations, kicks, turns, jumps and strong shapes 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, pointed feet and clean execution of the steps the dancer chooses to use.
- Energy and performance: attack, focus and projection carried through the face and body for the whole piece.
- Use of space and structure: travelling, changing level and direction, and a clear opening and ending.
Treat these as the judging focus, not a fixed rubric: publish your own weighted criteria for Jazz Improvisation under Scoring Setup, or start from the full group dance judging criteria guide.
How to prepare for Jazz Improvisation
How entrants and their teachers usually get Jazz 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 bank of jazz building blocks, such as a kick-ball-change, a pirouette, a jazz square and a few isolations, that you can link in any order.
- Count the beat in the first few bars and decide your opening before you move.
- Keep moving through nervous moments; a simple step done with attack beats stopping to think.
- Travel across the whole floor and vary level, direction and speed so the performance does not stay in one spot.
- Learn two or three strong endings so you can finish on the last beat whatever the music does.
- Wear the footwear you will use on the day and check the floor surface, so turns and slides are safe.
- Have a teacher or friend film a practice session and note where you froze or repeated steps, then train those moments.
Frequently asked questions
Is Jazz 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 Jazz Improvisation in a dance competition?
It is a solo section where the dancer creates jazz-style movement on the spot to music they have not rehearsed to, and the adjudicator marks how well they respond.
Is Jazz 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.
Is Jazz Improvisation the same as the Jazz section?
No. Jazz is a prepared routine, while Jazz Improvisation is made up on the spot to unfamiliar music.
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 Jazz Improvisation in eTalenter
See every ready-made template that runs Jazz Improvisation, and install one as a live event — age groups, rules and scoring included.
