Categories and Scoring

Divisions

Novice
  • Dancers in their first year of competitive dance.
  • First-time soloists — they may have previously competed in a group.
  • All members of Duet/Trio must qualify as novice
  • All members of Small Group, Large Group, Line, Extended Line, and Production must qualify as novice.
Part-Time Competitive
  • Dancers who train less than 6 hours per week.
  • All members of Duo/Trio must qualify as part-time dancers.
  • All members of Small Group, Large Group, Line, Extended Line, and Production must qualify as part-time dancers.
Competitive
  • Dancers who train more than 6 hours per week
  • All members of Duet/Trio must qualify as competitive.
  • All members of Small Group, Large Group, Line, Extended Line, and Production must qualify as competitive.

Dance Styles

  • Contemporary
  • Jazz
  • Lyrical
  • Open
  • Modern
  • Hip Hop
  • Tap
  • Solo Improv
  • Ballet
  • Character Ballet
  • Pointe
  • Contact Improv
  • Acrobatics
  • Musical Theatre
  • Song and Dance

Age Divisions

Ages are determined as of December 31st of the previous year (For 2018, use age as of Dec. 31 2017).

  • Petite
    Ages 6 and Under
  • Mini
    Ages 7-9 Years
  • Junior
    Ages 10-12 Years
  • Teen
    Ages 13-15 Years
  • Senior
    Ages 16-18 Years
  • Adult
    Ages 19 and Over

Categories

  • Solo
    1 Dancer
  • Small Group
    4-9 Dancers
  • Line
    16-20 Dancers
  • Production
    Routines with More than 20 Dancers and Over 5 Minutes in Length
  • Duo / Trio
    2 or 3 Dancers
  • Large Group
    10-15 Dancers
  • Extended Line
    21+ Dancers

Scoring System

  • High Silver
    84.9 and Under
  • Gold
    85 – 87.9
  • High Gold
    88 – 89.9
  • Diamond
    90 – 91.9
  • High Diamond
    92 – 93.9
  • Platinum
    94- 95.9
  • Breaking Bounds
    96 and Higher

Judging Criteria

100 points divided by the following:

  • Technique
  • Style
  • Choreography
  • Energy
  • Performance
  • Overall Appearance

The routines performed at Breaking Bounds are judged by a panel of three qualified adjudicators, who award each a mark out of 100. The three marks are then averaged to determine the final mark for the performance. This could result in numerous routines winning at each award level. Every awards session includes feedback from the judges and the distribution of special awards from the panel. These special awards are based on creativity, technique, and various other dance elements.