A small team performs one prepared contemporary dance, blending flowing movement, shared lines and expression, judged on unison, technique and feeling.
Small group contemporary dance is a team piece in which a few dancers perform together in a flowing, expressive style that draws on modern, lyrical and ballet-influenced movement. Compared with the upbeat and rhythmic group classes, the weight shifts from speed and beat-matching to shared breath, controlled lines and a mood the whole team carries. The strongest pieces have one clear idea, such as a story, a feeling or a response to the music, and every dancer's movement serves it.
A round is a single prepared routine. The team settles into an opening shape, the music begins, and the piece moves through unison phrases, canon (where dancers repeat a phrase one after another), lifts of the arms and torso, floor work, turns and moments of stillness, often building to one peak before a quiet ending. Because only a handful of dancers are on stage, differences in height, extension or timing are visible at once, and the panel notices whether the team moves like one body or like separate soloists.
On eTalenter the item is carried by two talent templates in the Dance category. A junior template lists it for a Junior Group of ages 7 to 12 with a five-minute limit, marked out of 5. An international teen template lists it for ages 13 to 19, rated out of 10 with a maximum of 5 and no time limit printed. In both it is a team item, open to both genders, in English. The teen template's source sets a small group at two to six performers, with seven or more entering the separate large group class.
Organisers like it because it lets dancers who are not ready to perform alone take the stage in a supportive team, needs no props or large costume budget, and offers a reflective counterpart to the high-energy group classes in a dance programme.
Where Small Group Contemporary Dance is run
On eTalenter this item is carried by two talent templates: a junior talent template and an international teen talent template. Group contemporary dance classes appear in school concerts, dance festivals, youth talent programmes and community showcases in many countries, but this page records only the templates that carry the item, so organisers should check their own notice for the group-size range, time limit, music rules and judging headings.
- United States
- Worldwide
Key facts
- Team item: a small group performing one prepared contemporary routine together
- Group size: the international teen template's source sets small group at 2 to 6 performers (7 or more is the large group class)
- Two templates carry it: junior group (ages 7-12) and international teens (13-19)
- Only the junior template prints a time limit: five minutes
- Marked out of 5 (junior) and as a rating out of 10 with a maximum of 5 (teen)
- Open to both genders; English-language programmes in both templates
- Solo and large group contemporary dance are separate classes with their own results
On eTalenter, Small Group Contemporary Dance is filed under Dance and typically scored with Marks, Rating out of 10. 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, Small Group Contemporary Dance is most often entered as an Team competition, typically scored out of 5, commonly time-limited to around 5 minutes where a limit is set.
What judges look at in Small Group Contemporary Dance
What a Small Group Contemporary Dance panel is actually weighing up, and where the marks are usually won or lost:
- Unison and timing: shared phrases that match in height, direction and finish at slow speed, where a late arm or an early turn is easy to see
- Technique and control: balanced turns, secure landings and extended lines held evenly by every dancer, not only the strongest
- Expression and emotional connection: faces, heads and eye lines that carry the mood, so the team reads as one story
- Choreography and formations: a clear beginning, development and ending, with varied levels, canons and group shapes rather than one pattern repeated
- Musicality: phrasing that follows the builds, pauses and changes of the music instead of counting beats mechanically
- Use of space: even spacing in lines and clusters, travelling across the stage, and facing the panel at key moments
- Flow between moves: smooth links that avoid a series of separate poses, with transitions as clean as the highlights
Treat these as the judging focus, not a fixed rubric: publish your own weighted criteria for Small Group Contemporary Dance under Scoring Setup, or start from the full dance judging criteria guide.
How to prepare for Small Group Contemporary Dance
How entrants and their teachers usually get Small Group Contemporary Dance right on the day:
- Agree the idea of the piece before making steps, then choose music with room to breathe so the choreography has somewhere to build
- Teach in short phrases and link them only when every dancer is clean on their own part, polishing transitions as carefully as the big moves
- Practise slow balances, controlled turns and floor work separately, because slow movement shows weak core strength straight away
- Mark floor positions for every formation and canon so each dancer knows exactly where to start and finish a pattern
- Match the team on small details such as hand shape, head angle and how high each leg or arm lifts, since contemporary unison is judged on finish
- Film run-throughs from the front and watch with the sound off; any dancer who looks different from the rest needs a fix
- Rehearse the opening shape, walk-on and final stillness until they are automatic, and time each run against the limit
- Rehearse on the same kind of floor and in the same footwear (or bare feet) as the venue, and bring the music on two formats
Frequently asked questions
Is Small Group Contemporary Dance 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.
How many dancers make a small group in contemporary dance?
The international teen template's source sets a small group at two to six performers, with seven or more entering the large group class. The junior template does not print the range, so organisers should publish their own.
What is the difference between small group contemporary and small group upbeat dance?
The templates list them as separate classes with their own results. Upbeat dance leans on energy and speed, while contemporary dance leans on flow, control and expression. Check your own notice for the exact judging headings.
How long can a small group contemporary dance be?
The junior template prints a five-minute limit. The teen template prints no limit, so organisers should publish one and teams should rehearse to it.
Is it judged as a team or as individual dancers?
As a team. The panel scores the group's unison, technique and expression together, although one dancer who is clearly out of time will pull the whole score down.
Can a dancer enter both the solo and the small group class?
The templates list solo, small group and large group as separate classes, so entry rules depend on the organiser. Check your notice before registering a dancer in more than one.
Want the full judging picture? Read the full dance judging criteria guide, or browse every dance competition item.
Try Small Group Contemporary Dance in eTalenter
See every ready-made template that runs Small Group Contemporary Dance, and install one as a live event — age groups, rules and scoring included.
