A single dancer performing a jazz routine of their own, judged on technique, stage presence, execution, choreography and overall appearance, and placed in a skill-level band by score.
A jazz solo is one dancer, one routine and one piece of music. The style is built on sharp, rhythmic movement: isolations of the head, ribs and hips, kicks and leaps with a clear line, turns that start from a deep plie, and an attack that follows the accents of the music. In a solo there is nowhere to hide, so the panel sees every placement, every landing and every moment where the energy drops.
On the Time to Shine Dance Competitions template, which this page is written from, Jazz Solo is the first of about twenty solo styles. Dancers do not compete against everyone in a section; they enter a division defined by years of dance training and by age. There are three experience levels: less than two years, two to five years, and five years or more. Each has its own run of ages, from 4 and under up to 16 for the newest dancers, from 6 and under up to 18 plus Adult and Mature Age for the middle level, and from 10 and under up to 18 plus Adult and Mature Age for the most experienced. A separate Masters division is open to dance teachers. Age is counted as at 1 January of the competition year.
A round is one performance on the stage. The dancer is announced, the music starts and the adjudicator watches the whole routine, writing a critique as it unfolds. Every performance is scored out of 100 on the same five lines: Technique 40, Stage Presence 25, Execution of Performance 20, Choreography 10 and Overall Appearance 5. The score then decides the dancer's skill-level band rather than a first, second or third place: Platinum Plus from 97, Platinum 93-96, Double Diamond 87-92, Diamond 80-86, Emerald 70-79 and Ruby 60-69. Several dancers in the same division can therefore earn the same band.
Solos for dancers with two years or less of experience run to two minutes; every other jazz solo runs to three. A routine more than ten seconds over time loses points, although the amount is not printed. The same dancer may enter each genre up to three times with different routines, and boys and girls compete together with no language requirement. For a coordinator using eTalenter the item is entered like any other: register the dancer in the right experience level and age division, record the adjudicator's mark out of 100, and the skill-level band follows from the score.
Where Jazz Solo is run
In eTalenter data Jazz Solo appears on 15 dance templates, every one of them an Australian dance competition, eisteddfod or festival, including Time to Shine Dance Competitions, Dance Blitz Eisteddfod and several regional eisteddfods in New South Wales and Queensland. Solo jazz is a standard section of studio syllabi and eisteddfod programmes in Australia, and it is run the same way in the United Kingdom, North America and other countries with a strong studio dance scene.
- Australia
- United Kingdom
- United States
- Canada
Key facts
- Individual entry; boys and girls compete together; no language requirement.
- Divisions on this template: three experience levels (under 2 years, 2 to 5 years, 5 years or more) crossed with single-year ages, plus Adult, Mature Age and a Masters division for teachers.
- Time limit: 2 minutes for dancers with 2 years or less of experience, 3 minutes for everyone else; more than 10 seconds over is penalised.
- Scored out of 100: Technique 40, Stage Presence 25, Execution of Performance 20, Choreography 10, Overall Appearance 5.
- Result is a skill-level band by score (Ruby 60-69 up to Platinum Plus 97 and above), with a written critique; no points are printed for first, second and third.
- Idea starters, not rules: a big-band swing routine, a funky pop piece built on isolations, a showgirl-style number, a stop-start routine built around a drum break.
On eTalenter, Jazz Solo is filed under Dance and typically scored with Marks. It appears in 15 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 Solo is most often entered as an Individual competition, typically scored out of 100, commonly time-limited to 2–3 minutes where a limit is set.
What judges look at in Jazz Solo
What a Jazz Solo panel is actually weighing up, and where the marks are usually won or lost:
- Technique (40): the largest line on the sheet, covering kicks, leaps, turns that finish on balance, feet held pointed or flexed on purpose, and a strong jazz line through the legs and torso.
- Stage Presence (25): projection and eye focus from the first count, a performance face that suits the music, and energy that holds to the last pose rather than fading in the second half.
- Execution of Performance (20): how cleanly the planned routine is actually delivered, including accents landing on the beat, controlled transitions and no visible recovery from slips.
- Choreography (10): a clear shape to the routine, varied levels and floor patterns, and difficulty that suits the dancer's age and experience level rather than copying a senior routine.
- Overall Appearance (5): costume, hair and presentation that look finished and suit the style; a small mark, but an easy one to secure.
- Time discipline: finishing inside the two or three minute limit, because a routine more than ten seconds over loses points whatever else it scores.
Treat these as the judging focus, not a fixed rubric: publish your own weighted criteria for Jazz Solo under Scoring Setup, or start from the full group dance judging criteria guide.
How to prepare for Jazz Solo
How entrants and their teachers usually get Jazz Solo right on the day:
- Enter the experience level that matches total years of dance training, not the dancer's age; the division decides who they are marked alongside.
- Build the routine around the dancer's strongest skills at their own level; clean, simple technique earns more of the 40 technique marks than a hard step that falls apart.
- Drill isolations and jazz walks slowly with a count, then bring them up to performance speed until they stay sharp.
- Mark every accent and break in the music with the teacher so the movement lands on the beat.
- Practise the performance face in the mirror and on video, and rehearse the entrance and the final pose as carefully as the steps.
- Time the routine with the music cut: aim to finish a few seconds inside the limit, remembering the two-minute limit for newer dancers.
- Run the full routine twice back to back in the real costume and shoes a week before, to build stamina for the last thirty seconds.
- After a lower band, read the written critique with the teacher and pick one technique point and one performance point to fix before the next event.
Frequently asked questions
Is Jazz Solo 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.
Do jazz solos get first, second and third place?
On this template they do not. Every performance is scored out of 100 and the dancer receives a skill-level band, from Ruby at 60-69 to Platinum Plus at 97 and above, with a critique. Placings are awarded in other sections such as troupes and championships.
How long can a jazz solo be?
Two minutes for dancers with two years or less of experience and three minutes for every other solo. A routine more than ten seconds over the limit is penalised, though the amount is not printed.
Is Jazz Solo the same as Jazz (No Tricks) Solo?
No. They are listed as separate solo styles in the syllabus, so a dancer can enter both with different routines; check the organiser's rules for what the no-tricks section excludes.
Can a dancer enter Jazz Solo more than once?
Yes. The rules allow each genre to be performed up to three times with different routines.
Want the full judging picture? Read the full group dance judging criteria guide, or browse every dance competition item.
Try Jazz Solo in eTalenter
See every ready-made template that runs Jazz Solo, and install one as a live event — age groups, rules and scoring included.
