A solo dance section in which the dancer, not the teacher, creates the routine, as run on seven Australian dance competition templates and marked out of 100.
Own Choreography turns the usual dance section round. In most sections a teacher sets the steps and the dancer performs them; here the dancer is the choreographer. The editions behind this page ask for the whole routine to be the competitor’s own work: the steps, the choice of music and, in one edition, the costume too, all decided without help. The dance may be in any style the dancer likes – jazz, contemporary, lyrical, hip hop, tap, a mixture – so the panel sees one person’s ideas rather than a studio’s house style.
In practice it is a solo with a clock on it. Solos run for up to three minutes on most of the templates; younger dancers get less (two and a half minutes for under-12s on one, ninety seconds for the youngest dancers on another). The dancer is announced, takes a starting position and performs to a track they chose. One edition also asks the dancer to say the genre and their level at the music desk, so the adjudicator knows what the piece is meant to be. The age grouping varies a great deal: a single all-ages section in the Victoria edition, five or six age bands on others, and open-age duo and trio classes on a few.
Because the idea is the point, the panel looks beyond technique. A technically tidy routine that borrows its phrases from a class exercise is weaker than a simpler one that plainly has something to say. Two editions print what the marks reward: “choreography and originality of ideas” on one, “creativity and originality of ideas” on another. A third notes that music choice, steps and costume are all taken into account, which tells entrants that the choice of piece is part of the work.
Organisers run the section because it gives dancers something a set syllabus cannot: a chance to make rather than repeat. Teachers use it to see who can structure a piece, build a beginning and an end, and match movement to music. It also lets a dancer enter a style that has no section of its own at the festival, as long as the routine is a genuinely new piece rather than a routine already performed elsewhere.
Where Own Choreography is run
In eTalenter’s data the exact item Own Choreography is carried by seven Australian dance competition templates: a children’s and teenagers’ solos-and-duos competition in Victoria, a multi-day dance challenge with solo, duo and trio days, a regional eisteddfod in New South Wales, a coastal-city eisteddfod in the same state, a dance festival in Perth, a dance competition with novice and open levels, and a west-coast dance festival. Every one marks it out of 100 and every one runs it as a solo, with duo or trio classes on five of them. Time limits where printed run from ninety seconds for the youngest solo age group to three minutes for older dancers, and four minutes for a group on one template. Dancer-made routines also appear in dance festivals and eisteddfods elsewhere, often as “student choreography” or “creative dance”, but the exact title is only claimed here for the Australian data.
- Australia
Key facts
- Solo on every template, with boys and girls competing together; duo, trio or small-group classes also exist on five of the seven templates (one of them open age only).
- The routine, music and in some editions the costume must be the dancer’s own work, created without help; student teachers may also enter on one template.
- Time limits where printed: up to 3 minutes for most solos; 2 minutes 30 seconds for under-12s on one template; 1 minute 30 seconds for the youngest group on another; up to 4 minutes for a duo or group.
- Style is the dancer’s choice. One edition excludes musical theatre and song-and-dance unless the dancer has made up their own song; one allows no props, another only handheld props.
- Sections vary by edition: one all-ages solo section, up to six age bands (10 and under up to 15 and over), or Novice and Open levels within each age group.
- The editions behind this page print no marking scale; the template carries a score out of 100 that the adjudicator fills in.
On eTalenter, Own Choreography is filed under Dance and typically scored with Marks. It appears in 7 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 Choreography 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 Own Choreography
What a Own Choreography panel is actually weighing up, and where the marks are usually won or lost:
- Originality of ideas: a clear concept that belongs to the dancer – a story, an image, a mood or a way of answering the music. Two editions name this directly, and routines assembled from familiar class phrases score below those with a recognisable idea.
- Structure of the choreography: a beginning, a development and an end, with contrast between slow and fast, big and small, floor and standing. A piece that repeats one idea for three minutes tires the panel; one that builds earns more.
- Match to the music: the track is chosen by the dancer, so the panel checks that the steps and the music suit each other and the chosen style. Phrases should land with the music rather than fight it, and the cut of the track should fit the time limit.
- Technique within the dancer’s own range: clean lines, control and finish. Choreography that stays inside what the dancer can do cleanly beats ambitious steps that wobble, because the panel marks what it sees on the stage.
- Performance and presentation: focus, projection and a finished look. Costume is part of the picture on one edition, so it should support the idea rather than distract, and the dancer should hold the start and end positions.
- Authentic authorship: the section exists to reward the dancer’s own creation, so a routine that looks taught – a teacher’s house style, steps well beyond the dancer’s age – sits awkwardly in it. The rules ask for the choreography to be demonstrably the dancer’s.
Treat these as the judging focus, not a fixed rubric: publish your own weighted criteria for Own Choreography under Scoring Setup, or start from the full group dance judging criteria guide.
How to prepare for Own Choreography
How entrants and their teachers usually get Own Choreography right on the day:
- Read the section rules before choreographing anything. Check the time limit for your age group, whether props are allowed, which styles are excluded, and whether the organiser wants the genre and level announced at the music desk.
- Start with the idea, not the steps. Write one sentence saying what the piece is about, then choose music that supports it. A short, clear idea makes every later decision – steps, costume, ending – easier.
- Set a five-week plan. Week one: choose and cut the music to length and sketch the idea. Week two: build the opening, middle and ending in rough form. Week three: refine transitions and add contrast. Week four: clean the movement and rehearse the whole piece against a stopwatch. Week five: rehearse in costume, on a hard floor, with the exact music file.
- Keep the steps inside your ability. A simpler routine performed with control scores better than a showy one that you cannot finish cleanly. Use your strongest style, or blend two you know well, rather than showing everything.
- Get feedback without handing over authorship. Ask a teacher or friend to watch a run-through and describe what they understood, but make the changes yourself. If the rules say no help, it is safest to take only spoken impressions, not suggested steps.
- Film a run-through and watch it with the sound off. Look for moments where nothing changes, where you face the same direction for too long, or where the ending is unclear. Trim anything that repeats.
- Rehearse the entrance, the first pose and the ending as part of the routine. Prepare a spare copy of the music and know exactly where the track starts and stops.
- Ideas, not rules (starting points for a dancer stuck for a concept): choose a single everyday object or place and show it through movement; take a short poem or a piece of news and dance what it feels like; build the piece around a contrast, such as stillness against sudden speed; choose a piece of music with one clear change of mood and make the two halves look different.
Frequently asked questions
Is Own Choreography 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 does Own Choreography mean in a dance competition?
It means the dancer creates the routine themselves rather than performing steps set by a teacher. On the editions behind this page the choreography, and in some the music and costume, must be the competitor’s own work, and the style is their choice.
Can a teacher help with an Own Choreography routine?
Check the organiser’s wording. Several editions say the competitor must choreograph the routine without help, and one says all the choreography must be the original work of the student. The safest approach is to take feedback but make every change yourself.
How long can an Own Choreography solo be?
Up to three minutes on most of the templates, which is the usual solo limit. Younger dancers have shorter limits on some editions (two and a half minutes for under-12s on one, ninety seconds for the youngest dancers on another), and a duo or group may have up to four minutes. Always check the limit for your section.
What style of dance can I choose?
Any style, on the editions behind this page. One excludes musical theatre and song-and-dance unless the dancer has made up their own song, and one asks the dancer to say the genre and level at the music desk, so check the organiser’s wording.
What are the judges looking for?
Two editions print it: choreography and originality of ideas on one, creativity and originality of ideas on another. A third says music choice, steps and costume are all taken into account. No edition prints a marks table for the item, so the template carries a score out of 100 and the advice on this page is general guidance.
Want the full judging picture? Read the full group dance judging criteria guide, or browse every dance competition item.
Try Own Choreography in eTalenter
See every ready-made template that runs Own Choreography, and install one as a live event — age groups, rules and scoring included.
