A large-cast staged dance piece in which a troupe presents a themed routine with story, costume and formation work, judged as one ensemble performance.
A Production is the showpiece section of a dance eisteddfod. Rather than one style performed by one dancer, a troupe presents a staged piece with a theme: a story, a character world or a mood carried through music, costume, entrances, formations and, often, more than one dance style. It is closer to a short stage show than to a single routine, and it is usually the section where a studio shows how many of its dancers it can bring together at once.
A round is one performance of the whole troupe on the stage floor within the time limit, to a prepared soundtrack. The panel watches how well the idea is told through movement, whether the dancers stay together and in their patterns, and whether the staging (travelling, levels, groupings, props where allowed) supports the dance rather than distracts from it. A strong entry has a clear beginning, a build and a deliberate ending, so that someone who has never seen it before can follow the idea.
On the Australian solo-and-troupe eisteddfod template this page draws on, Production is carried for 34 groups, all team entries open to boys and girls together. There are ten Mini Troupe, ten Small Troupe and ten Large Troupe age bands, from 5 and under up to 21 and over, plus four Star Troupe groups (Junior, Intermediate, Teen and Open). No language is needed, the limit is ten minutes for every group, and each entry is marked out of 100 under the label Marks. The template prints no criteria for the section, so none are installed and the adjudicator's own sheet decides.
For a coordinator using eTalenter it is set up like any other team item: register each troupe in the right age group, record the adjudicator's mark out of 100, and the placing follows within that group. Because a ten-minute piece with many dancers needs stage changeover time, plan the running order and set-up allowance before registration closes, and say clearly whether props and backdrops are allowed.
Where Production is run
In eTalenter's data Production appears on two dance templates: the Australian eisteddfod with its full ladder of Mini, Small, Large and Star troupe age bands, and a dance challenge template that offers a single all-ages team class with the same ten-minute, out-of-100 setup. Staged production or large-group sections are a familiar feature of dance eisteddfods and studio competitions, particularly in Australia, and similar large-cast sections run at dance festivals in the United Kingdom, North America and elsewhere.
- Australia
- United Kingdom
- United States
- Canada
Key facts
- Team entry; boys and girls compete together; no language needed.
- 34 groups on the Australian eisteddfod template: Mini, Small and Large Troupe in ten age bands (5 and under to 21 and over) plus Star Troupe Junior, Intermediate, Teen and Open.
- Time limit: 10 minutes for every group on both templates that carry the item.
- Marks out of 100 under the label Marks; no criteria are printed, so the adjudicator's sheet decides.
- Different from Variety or a single-style group dance: a Production is built around a theme or story across the whole piece.
- Idea starters, not rules: a journey through four seasons, a fairy tale told in three scenes, a day in a city told through contrasting styles, or a piece built around one strong image such as a storm or a market.
On eTalenter, Production 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, Production is most often entered as an Team competition, typically scored out of 100, commonly time-limited to around 10 minutes where a limit is set.
What judges look at in Production
What a Production panel is actually weighing up, and where the marks are usually won or lost:
- Concept and storytelling: a clear theme that the movement actually tells, with a recognisable beginning, middle and end, earns more than a loose string of dances.
- Ensemble unison and spacing: the whole cast moving together, holding formations and travelling cleanly between patterns is the base of the mark in a large piece.
- Technique across the cast: weaker dancers hidden in the back do not help; the panel looks for a consistent standard from front to back.
- Staging and use of the floor: entrances, exits, levels and changing shapes that support the idea show the choreographer's craft.
- Costume, music and presentation: an edited soundtrack and costumes that fit the theme add to the picture, but they do not replace dancing.
- Time discipline: running to the ten-minute limit with a finished ending matters, and a piece that is cut off or padded loses polish.
Treat these as the judging focus, not a fixed rubric: publish your own weighted criteria for Production under Scoring Setup, or start from the full group dance judging criteria guide.
How to prepare for Production
How entrants and their teachers usually get Production right on the day:
- Choose one simple, strong idea and test it with the youngest dancer in the cast: if they can explain it, the audience can follow it.
- Plan the structure in scenes with timings, then rehearse transitions separately, since they are where large casts lose control.
- Draw the formations on paper and number each dancer's positions so spacing can be corrected quickly.
- Edit the soundtrack to run comfortably under ten minutes and keep a spare copy on a second device for the day.
- Check the organiser's rules on props, backdrops and set-up time before designing anything that needs carrying on stage.
- Rehearse the entrance and the exit as carefully as the dance, in full costume, at least twice before the day.
- Run a full uninterrupted rehearsal on a stage-sized floor so travelling steps are not cramped on the day.
Frequently asked questions
Is Production 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 a dance Production section?
A staged, themed performance by a troupe, closer to a short show than a single routine. It usually allows more than one dance style within the piece.
How long can a Production be?
Ten minutes for every group on the two eTalenter templates that carry the item. Check your own event's published limit.
Is it judged individually or as a team?
As a team: the troupe is marked together out of 100 within its age group.
Can we use props and backdrops?
The templates do not state a prop rule, so it is the organiser's choice. Confirm the set-up and changeover rules before registration.
Want the full judging picture? Read the full group dance judging criteria guide, or browse every dance competition item.
Try Production in eTalenter
See every ready-made template that runs Production, and install one as a live event — age groups, rules and scoring included.
