Variety Competition: What It Is, Where It's Run and How It's Judged

A dance section where the performer or group is free to blend styles or choose an entertaining, non-traditional theme, in a routine of three minutes for solos, duos and trios, marked out of 100.

Variety is the open-style section of a dance programme. Where Jazz, Tap or Classical sections ask for one named technique, Variety lets the entrant draw on several, or on a theme that does not fit a single genre: a character piece, a novelty number, a mixture of styles, or a routine that tells a small story. The common thread is that the whole piece is built to entertain and to show range.

A round is one performance on the stage floor. The dancer, duo, trio or troupe is announced, the music starts, and the adjudicator watches how well the chosen ideas are carried out: whether each change of style is secure, whether the costume and music support the theme, and whether the routine holds together rather than feeling like separate fragments stitched end to end. A strong Variety entry is clearly planned and clearly finished.

In eTalenter's data Variety appears on three dance templates, all built around Australian-style dance competitions. On the multi-style Sydney challenge it is one of the 'Any Style' sections, next to Acro Dance, National Character and Student Choreography. It runs there as a solo in 13 age and level groups (Petite 5 and under up to 16 and over, with Pre-Open and Open sections from age 7) and as a duo or trio in seven age groups. Boys and girls compete together, no language is needed, entries run up to three minutes and each is marked out of 100 under the label Marks.

The other two templates run it more widely: one adds troupe groups with a four-minute limit across seven age bands, and the other offers solos for every single age from 4 to 21, an open-age solo, star sections, duo/trio, and mini, small and large troupes up to four minutes. None of the syllabuses behind these templates prints judging criteria for Variety, so none are installed and the adjudicator's own sheet decides. A coordinator using eTalenter registers each entry in the correct age group, records the adjudicator's mark out of 100, and the placing follows within the group.

Where Variety is run

In eTalenter's data Variety appears on three Australian-style dance competition templates, where it is run in 20 to more than 50 age and level groups depending on the event. Sections with this name or an equivalent such as novelty or open-style dance are found at dance eisteddfods and studio competitions in countries with a studio dance tradition, but the title and the way it is judged vary from event to event, so this page does not claim a wider reach than the data and general practice support.

• Australia
• New Zealand
• United Kingdom
• Canada
• United States

Key facts

• Solo, duo/trio and, on two of the three templates, troupe entries: team entries are duo/trio and troupe, solos are individual.
• Boys and girls compete together; no language is required.
• Time limit in the templates: 3 minutes for solos, duos and trios; 4 minutes for troupes where they are offered. Marks out of 100 under the label Marks.
• On the Sydney-challenge template there are 13 solo groups (Petite to 16 and over, Pre-Open and Open from age 7) and 7 duo/trio groups, 20 in all.
• The style is the entrant's choice; no genre-specific criteria are printed, so the adjudicator's sheet decides.
• Idea starters, not rules: a day in the life of a street market told through jazz, hip hop and folk steps; a toy shop at night where each toy has its own style; a weather routine moving from storm to sunshine.

On eTalenter, Variety is filed under Dance and typically scored with Marks. It appears in 3 ready-made event templates — each one can adjust its time limit, age-group assignment and scoring setup independently.

Across the templates that use it, Variety is most often entered as an Team competition, typically scored out of 100, commonly time-limited to 3–4 minutes where a limit is set.

What judges look at in Variety

What a Variety panel is actually weighing up, and where the marks are usually won or lost:

• Concept and cohesion: a clear idea or theme that the whole routine serves, rather than a collection of unrelated steps.
• Range and technique: each style shown is performed securely, with clean lines, control and correct basics, not just attempted.
• Transitions between styles: changes of mood, tempo or movement vocabulary that look planned and flow, not abrupt or rushed.
• Musicality and timing: movement placed on the phrasing and accents of the music, with the music choice supporting the theme.
• Performance and entertainment value: energy, expression and communication with the audience from the first pose to the last.
• Presentation: costume, props and staging that help the idea, and for duos, trios and troupes, spacing and unison.

Treat these as the judging focus, not a fixed rubric: publish your own weighted criteria for Variety under Scoring Setup, or start from the full group dance judging criteria guide.

How to prepare for Variety

How entrants and their teachers usually get Variety right on the day:

• Write the idea in one sentence before choreographing; if a step does not serve it, cut the step.
• Choose two or three styles the dancer can already perform cleanly rather than five they can only half-manage.
• Rehearse the transitions between styles on their own; most lost marks fall at the change, not within a style.
• Cut the music to the time limit (three minutes, or four for a troupe) with a clear opening pose and a final position that can be held still, and rehearse with that exact edit.
• Keep props and costume changes simple enough to handle on stage, and practise them in the real costume.
• Rehearse the routine with a friend watching and ask what the theme was; if they cannot tell, make it clearer.
• For duos, trios and troupes, agree spacing marks and who leads each cue, and practise with the music rather than counting aloud.

Frequently asked questions

Is Variety 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 Variety dance?

Variety is an open-style dance section in which the entrant chooses the style or mixes several, usually around a theme or an entertaining idea. It is judged on how well the idea is carried out, so technique, music, costume and performance all count.

How long is a Variety entry?

The syllabuses behind these templates give three minutes for solos, duos and trios, and four minutes for troupes where those are offered. Other events set their own limits, so check the syllabus of the event you enter.

Is Variety the same as Jazz or Contemporary?

No. Jazz and Contemporary ask for one named style. Variety is listed among the Any Style sections, so the performer chooses the style or styles and the adjudicator marks what is shown.

Is Variety judged individually or as a team?

Both. Solos are judged as individual entries, while duos, trios and troupes are team entries. Each is marked out of 100 within its own age group.

Want the full judging picture? Read the full group dance judging criteria guide, or browse every dance competition item.

Try Variety in eTalenter

See every ready-made template that runs Variety, and install one as a live event — age groups, rules and scoring included.

See where Variety is used