A solo, duo or trio dance section in which the entrant picks their own style, music and choreography, marked out of 100 mainly on technique rather than on the choice of style.
Own Choice Dance is the open door of a dance programme. Every other genre in the schedule names a style the panel expects to see, such as jazz, ballet, tap or hip hop, while this section lets the dancer bring the style they do best. A student of Irish, Bollywood, flamenco, cultural or fusion dance, or a mix of two styles, has a place to compete without being squeezed into a category that does not fit. The dancer decides the music, the costume idea and the choreography, and the panel marks the result.
The edition this page is written from is a studio dance competition in New South Wales, Australia, that lists Own Choice as the sixteenth of sixteen genres in a programme of solos, duos and trios. A dancer may enter several solos but not the same genre twice, so Own Choice is one entry alongside Lyrical, Hip Hop or Classical Ballet, not a way to enter the same routine again. Solos run in seven age groups from 5 and under (babies) to 15 and over, counted on 1 January, and every solo age group is split into four sections by competition history: My First Year, Specially Restricted, Restricted and Open.
Duos and trios are entered under the oldest dancer, with every dancer’s name and date of birth, in six age groups from 6 and under to 15 and over; the syllabus prints no sections for them. Boys and girls compete together in every group. The syllabus extract this page uses does not print a time limit or define what counts as an acceptable style for the genre, so a coordinator should confirm both with entrants before the draw and tell them in the programme notes.
Because the genre has no style of its own, the marks have to come from the same scale as every other genre: out of 100, Technique 50, Choreography 15, Performance Quality 15, Musicality and Interpretation 15 and Costuming and Presentation 5. That is the quiet lesson of the section: choosing an unusual style does not earn marks, and the panel still looks first at how cleanly the dancer performs the technique of whatever style was chosen. First, second and third place receive a custom award and Highly Commended a medal; the syllabus prints no placing points.
Where Own Choice Dance is run
In eTalenter’s data the exact title Own Choice Dance is carried by one Australian solos, duos and trios dance competition. Similar open sections exist elsewhere under other titles: Own Choice and Own Choice Any Style on eisteddfod and dance-challenge templates, and Triple Threat Own Choice for musical-theatre routines. They have their own pages, age groups and time limits, and this page describes Own Choice Dance only as the New South Wales edition runs it and does not claim use outside Australia.
- Australia
Key facts
- Individual (solo) and Team (duo or trio): a solo is one dancer, and a duo or trio is entered under the oldest dancer’s name with every dancer’s name and date of birth, boys and girls together.
- Solo age groups: 5 and under, 6, 7–8, 9–10, 11–12, 13–14 and 15 and over, counted on 1 January, each split into My First Year, Specially Restricted, Restricted and Open sections; duos and trios have six age-only groups from 6 and under to 15 and over.
- Judged out of 100: Technique 50, Choreography 15, Performance Quality 15, Musicality and Interpretation 15, Costuming and Presentation 5.
- No time limit and no definition of the allowed styles are printed for the item, and no placing points: first, second and third receive a custom award and Highly Commended a medal.
- A dancer may enter several solos but not the same genre twice, so Own Choice Dance is one entry among sixteen genres, not a second chance to enter another genre’s routine.
- Idea starters, not rules: a folk dance from the dancer’s own family heritage, a ballet-and-hip-hop mix, a routine built around one prop or one colour, a dance to a nursery rhyme for the youngest groups.
On eTalenter, Own Choice Dance is filed under Dance and typically scored with Marks. It appears in 1 ready-made event templates — each one can adjust its time limit, age-group assignment and scoring setup independently.
Across the templates that use it, Own Choice Dance is most often entered as an Individual competition, typically scored out of 100.
What judges look at in Own Choice Dance
What a Own Choice Dance panel is actually weighing up, and where the marks are usually won or lost:
- Technique, worth half the marks: whatever the style, the panel looks for control, posture, clean footwork, secure balances and landings, and the correct shapes of that style. A routine that mixes three styles loosely can score below one that performs a single style precisely.
- Choreography, 15 marks: a clear beginning, build and ending, a sensible use of the stage, and difficulty pitched at the dancer’s age and section. Because the dancer sets the content, a routine that is only a string of favourite steps with no shape shows its weakness here.
- Performance quality, 15 marks: focus, energy and commitment to the character or mood chosen. Smiling through a serious piece, or looking at the floor, costs marks even when the steps are right.
- Musicality and interpretation, 15 marks: how well the movement fits the beat, accents and mood of the track chosen. A heavily edited track with abrupt cuts is harder to interpret than a clean piece, and a dancer who is early or late on the accents is noticed at once.
- Costuming and presentation, 5 marks: a costume that suits the style and the age, is safe to move in and is neat. This is the smallest weighting, so an elaborate costume cannot cover for weak technique.
- Section fit: the four sections by competition history mean the routine is judged against dancers with a similar record, so the difficulty should match the level entered rather than borrow Open-section tricks for a My First Year entry.
Treat these as the judging focus, not a fixed rubric: publish your own weighted criteria for Own Choice Dance under Scoring Setup, or start from the full group dance judging criteria guide.
How to prepare for Own Choice Dance
How entrants and their teachers usually get Own Choice Dance right on the day:
- Check the section first. Work out the dancer’s solo history against the printed definitions of My First Year, Specially Restricted, Restricted and Open and enter the one that fits; an incorrect section can undo a good performance.
- Choose the style the dancer is best at, not the most unusual one. This section rewards technique, so the safest winning plan is the style they have trained in longest, performed cleanly.
- Ask about the rules before choosing music. The syllabus extract prints no time limit for the item, so agree the length with the coordinator, cut the track cleanly to that length and bring it on the format the event asks for.
- Plan six weeks. Weeks one and two: music and choreography; weeks three and four: clean technique on every turn, jump and landing; week five: performance work and costume; week six: three full run-throughs on a floor of stage size and one in costume.
- Give the routine a one-sentence idea, such as a festival, an animal or a memory. A single idea keeps the choreography connected and gives the performance a mood to commit to.
- Film from the front with the sound off. Mark each place where a foot is not pointed, an arm arrives late or a landing wobbles, and fix one of them per rehearsal rather than repeating the whole dance.
- For duos and trios, rehearse the unison and the handovers before the story: every dancer should know where the others will be, and the youngest sets the difficulty. After a result that falls short, ask for the adjudicator’s comments if the event gives them and use the technique feedback to choose the next routine.
Frequently asked questions
Is Own Choice Dance 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 Own Choice Dance?
It is the section in which the dancer chooses the style, music and choreography. In the edition on this page it is one of sixteen genres in a programme of solos, duos and trios, marked on the same 100-mark scale as the others.
Can I enter the same routine in Own Choice and in another genre?
Not as a solo in the same genre, and the syllabus this page uses limits a dancer to one entry per genre. A different routine in another genre, such as Lyrical Dance or Hip Hop, is a separate entry.
How is Own Choice Dance marked?
Out of 100 on the one scale printed for every genre in this edition: Technique 50, Choreography 15, Performance Quality 15, Musicality and Interpretation 15 and Costuming and Presentation 5. The style chosen is not scored; how well it is performed is.
How long can an Own Choice Dance routine be?
The syllabus extract this page uses prints no time limit for the item, so the length is a matter for the organiser. Other dance competitions with an Own Choice section set their own limits, so check the syllabus of the event you enter.
Is this the same as Own Choice or Own Choice Any Style on other events?
It is the same idea under a slightly different title. Those pages cover the sections on other templates, each with its own age groups, sections and time limits; this page covers the solo, duo and trio edition with competition-history sections and one 100-mark scale.
Want the full judging picture? Read the full group dance judging criteria guide, or browse every dance competition item.
Try Own Choice Dance in eTalenter
See every ready-made template that runs Own Choice Dance, and install one as a live event — age groups, rules and scoring included.
