A dance section for a routine that is not tied to one named style, entered as a solo, duet or trio, or group and marked out of 100 by an adjudication panel, run beside Jazz, Contemporary, Hip Hop and Tap at studio dance competitions in Australia.
Open Style is the catch-all section of a studio dance competition. Where Jazz, Ballet, Hip Hop or Tap each ask for one named technique, Open Style is the place for a routine that blends styles or sits outside them: a jazz opening that turns into hip hop, a contemporary piece with acrobatic passages, or a number built on movement that a teacher would struggle to file under one heading. Each entry is one performance to recorded music, and the panel compares it with the other entries in the same age division and level.
The two templates that carry the section define it differently, so the first job for an entrant is to read the syllabus. The first, an Australian studio series, prints the section as Open and describes it as a combination of any other categories, with no vocals. That makes it a pure dance section: a routine may borrow from ballet, jazz, tap or acrobatics, but singing is entered somewhere else. The second, a competition series run in Victoria, lists Open Style as one of its printed solo, duo and troupe styles and prints no definition at all, so the organiser is the only authority on what is allowed.
A round runs like any other adjudicated dance class. Entries are called in a running order, the dancer or group performs one piece inside the time limit, and the panel scores it live with written comments. In the first template the section is repeated for every age division and every level, so one section can hold a four-year-old in a first solo and an advanced senior in the same programme. In the second it is offered in seven solo divisions, six duo and trio divisions and eight troupe divisions.
Organisers keep an open section because not every good routine fits a style label, and because it lets a studio put its most original piece in front of the panel. For a coordinator the points that matter are how a mixed routine is judged against a pure one in the same section, who decides whether a piece belongs in Open Style or in a named style, and whether the running time of the music is checked before the entry is accepted.
Where Open Style is run
In the templates eTalenter holds, Open Style is a section of two Australian studio dance competitions. One is a series with twelve performance categories, three levels (Novice, Intermediate and Advanced) and age divisions for every entry size. The other is a Victoria-based series with solo, duo and trio, and troupe days and a published list of styles. Studio competitions elsewhere often run an open or freestyle section too, but the name, the definition and the rules differ from event to event, so always follow the syllabus of the competition you are entering.
- Australia
Key facts
- Individual in solo sections, and Team in duet or trio and group sections
- Open to boys and girls together in both templates, with no language requirement
- First template: 75 sections for this style, made up of 27 solo, 24 duet or trio and 24 group sections across the Novice, Intermediate and Advanced levels
- Second template: 21 sections, made up of 7 solo, 6 duo and trio and 8 troupe divisions, from the youngest bands to an open age division
- Time limits: 3 minutes for solos and for duets or trios and 5 minutes for groups or troupes, in both templates
- Scored out of 100 in the first template with one set of headings for every category: technique 40, stage presence 25, execution 20, choreography 10 and overall appearance 5; the second template prints no marks or criteria and only lists placings
- Not the same as the Open Age division, which is an age band and not a style: Open Style is the style section, Open Age is the oldest class
On eTalenter, Open Style 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, Open Style is most often entered as an Team competition, typically scored out of 100, commonly time-limited to 3–5 minutes where a limit is set.
What judges look at in Open Style
What a Open Style panel is actually weighing up, and where the marks are usually won or lost:
- The first template prints its headings for every performance category rather than for Open Style alone: technique 40, stage presence 25, execution of performance 20, choreography 10 and overall appearance 5, out of 100 per judge. The second template prints no marks at all. Everything below is general advice built on those headings, so check the syllabus of your own event
- Technique, the biggest share of the marks: whichever styles the routine borrows, the panel still looks for clean lines, control, balance and footwork in each of them. A routine that switches style should be as secure in the second style as in the first, because the weaker half is what the panel remembers
- Execution: steps completed the way the choreography intended and at the speed of the music, with difficulty matched to what the dancer can do cleanly. Trying three styles badly scores below doing two well
- Choreography: the one heading where Open Style can win ground over a named style, because the whole idea is a routine that makes sense as one piece. Look for a clear beginning, a build and an ending, and for changes of style that follow the music instead of interrupting it
- Stage presence: a clear character or story that stays in place through every change of style, so the performance reads as one number rather than a medley. In groups, formations and transitions between styles are part of the mark
- In duets, trios and groups, unison and spacing: arms, heads and feet arriving on the same count in every style the routine uses, and lines that stay straight when the formation changes
- Overall appearance: a costume that suits the whole routine and not just its first section, and that stays in place through jumps and floor work
Treat these as the judging focus, not a fixed rubric: publish your own weighted criteria for Open Style under Scoring Setup, or start from the full group dance competition judging criteria guide.
How to prepare for Open Style
How entrants and their teachers usually get Open Style right on the day:
- Read the syllabus and ask the organiser what counts as Open Style, whether it may include acrobatics, props or a spoken line, whether vocals are banned (they are in one template) and which level and age division to enter before registering
- Decide what the routine is about before choosing the styles. Pick two or three styles that serve one idea, then build the piece around them, so the mix feels deliberate and does not look like a collection of favourite steps
- Choose music that supports each change of style, then cut and time it with a stopwatch. One rule book prints a deduction of 1 point for every 5 seconds over the limit and another of 5 points for music with profanity, so a long or unchecked track can cost points the technique earned
- Rehearse in the real costume and on a floor similar to the stage floor, and practise the entry, the finish and the bow, because the first and last five seconds are what the panel remembers
- For a duet, trio or group, drill unison with a count and with the music: place markers on the floor for formations, rehearse the changes of style slowly, and practise adjusting spacing when the stage is smaller or larger than the studio
- Work on the weakest style in the mix first, film run-throughs, and keep the hardest step for the part of the music where the dancer is freshest rather than the very end of a tiring routine
- Ask for the adjudicator comments after the event and turn them into the next set of targets. Ideas, not rules: a jazz-to-hip-hop story piece, a contemporary routine with one acrobatic sequence, or a group number that moves from a ballet pose to a tap pattern on a single musical cue
Frequently asked questions
Is Open Style judged individually or as a team?
Across eTalenter's templates it's most often run as an Team entry, though an organiser can set either participation type when assigning the item to an age group.
What is Open Style in dance?
It is the section for a routine that is not tied to one named style. One of the two templates that carry it describes it as a combination of any other categories, with no vocals, and the other prints it as a style with no definition. Ask the organiser how your own event defines it.
Is Open Style the same as the Open Age division?
No. Open Age is an age band for the oldest dancers, and Open Style is a style section. A dancer of any age can enter Open Style, and an Open Age dancer can enter any style section. The first template names the section Open Style on purpose, to keep the two apart.
Can I use singing or a spoken piece in Open Style?
Not in the first template, where the section is a dance section and vocals have a separate category. The second template prints no rule either way, so ask the organiser before building vocals or a spoken line into the routine.
How long can an Open Style routine be?
In both templates a solo and a duet or trio run up to 3 minutes and a group or troupe up to 5 minutes. Going over time can cost points, and one rule book prints a deduction of 1 point for every 5 seconds over, so time the music with a stopwatch.
Is it judged individually or as a team?
Both. A solo is judged as an individual entry, while duets, trios, groups and troupes are team entries where the panel also looks at unison, spacing and the shape of the formations.
Is Open Style the same as Own Choreography?
Not necessarily. The second template lists Own Choreography as a separate solo section, so the two are entered as different sections there. Check the syllabus before choosing, because a routine you made yourself can still belong in a named style or in Open Style.
Want the full judging picture? Read the full group dance competition judging criteria guide, or browse every dance competition item.
Try Open Style in eTalenter
See every ready-made template that runs Open Style, and install one as a live event — age groups, rules and scoring included.
