canberra modern jive inc summerjive competition rules...modern jive content dancers should be aware...

SummerJive Version 20181018 Competition Rules

Canberra Modern Jive Inc SummerJive Competition Rules Contents Aim: ......................................................................................................................................................... 3

Addendums to these Rules and additional Policies ................................................................................ 3

Gender and dance role: .......................................................................................................................... 3

Modern Jive content ............................................................................................................................... 3

Aerials ..................................................................................................................................................... 3

Definition of full and baby aerials ....................................................................................................... 4

Categories: .............................................................................................................................................. 4

DWAS – Dance With A Stranger ...................................................................................................... 4

Freestyle .......................................................................................................................................... 5

Showcase ........................................................................................................................................ 5

Team routines ................................................................................................................................. 5

ProAm ............................................................................................................................................. 5

Stuck In the Mud ............................................................................................................................. 5

Broken Wing .................................................................................................................................... 5

Swaps & Steals ................................................................................................................................ 5

Summary table ................................................................................................................................ 6

Competitor levels .................................................................................................................................... 6

General rules ....................................................................................................................................... 6

Points needed for various levels ......................................................................................................... 6

Compare to New Zealand ................................................................................................................... 7

Teachers’ levels ................................................................................................................................... 7

Level descriptions ............................................................................................................................... 7

Level 0: Rookies:.............................................................................................................................. 7

Level 1: Beginner: ............................................................................................................................ 8

Level 2: Intermediate / Intermediate Plus ...................................................................................... 8

Level 3: Advanced: .......................................................................................................................... 8

Level 4: Advanced Plus: / Champions ............................................................................................. 8

Level 4+: Champions: ...................................................................................................................... 8

Points and Levels ..................................................................................................................................... 8


How do points work? .......................................................................................................................... 8

Points awarded ................................................................................................................................... 9

Petitioning to dance at a different level ........................................................................................... 10

Points required for levels .................................................................................................................. 11

Moving up a level .............................................................................................................................. 11

Judging criteria ...................................................................................................................................... 11

Timing ............................................................................................................................................ 11

Teamwork ..................................................................................................................................... 12

Technique ...................................................................................................................................... 12

Choreography................................................................................................................................ 12

Performance ................................................................................................................................. 12

Costuming ............................................................................................................................................. 12


Aim: SummerJive aims to be a fun event for all participants. These rules are designed to promote this aim

by assisting in making the event fair and equitable. Any issues with the rules should be directed to

the Event Director in writing; there will be no changes to these rules within two months of the event,

and the Event Director’s decisions are final. Only the most recently published Rules will have

application at any event.

Addendums to these Rules and additional Policies There are several addendums supplementary to these rules, dealing with specific matters, such as

the definition of sufficient Modern Jive content

Gender and dance role: SummerJive understands that gender does not dictate your role preferences. We will be asking you

what pronouns you prefer, and what role you will be dancing in during the competition. For

simplicity, we will be asking, for at least this year, that you compete in only one dance role. Even if

you regularly dance both lead and follow, please choose one role to compete in and stick to that role

while competing. When social dancing, please choose whatever role you and the person you are

dancing with are comfortable with at that time.

When it comes to talking about and to people, please note that this event does not care what

gender people are, nor what gender presentation they have. Wherever possible, please use non-

gender-specific terms to refer to people in general, and the pronouns people prefer to refer to

people in specific. If you haven’t heard from that person themselves what pronouns they prefer,

please use the non-gender-specific singular ‘they/them/their’. We know you will all try your best.

Modern Jive content Dancers should be aware that in a piece of music that is 3 minutes long and 110bpm, that’s 330

beats of dancing. If you are only counting non-Modern Jive content if it is obviously so (for example,

breakaway dancing) and goes for more than 8 beats, then 8 instances of 8 beats of non-Modern Jive

content is almost 20% of the dance. While there is no commonly accepted definition of ‘insufficient

Modern Jive content’, it is our experience that judges will start flagging routines at about this point

(more or less depending on their own judgement). Competitors need to take this into account when

choreographing their routines.

A full description will be available in the relevant addendum to these Rules.

Aerials Aerials are always a risk when dancing. Competitors should always consider whether an aerial:

Is done safely

Is appropriate to the music and the partnership

Adds to the interpretation of the music

Has clean entry and exit – are the participants dancing into and out of the aerial?


Competitors should also be aware that judges may consider repeated aerials to be acrobatics rather

than partner dancing, and may penalise performances, particularly if there is more time spent on

aerials than floor moves.

Definition of full and baby aerials The definition of a full aerial versus a baby aerial for the purposes of SummerJive is as follows:

Baby aerial

A baby aerial is any move where a dancer’s feet are both off of the floor, their weight is supported

by their dance partner, and which is not considered to be a full aerial.

Full aerial

A full aerial is any move where a dancer’s feet are both off of the floor, their weight is supported by

their dance partner, and either:

their centre of gravity (or a point approximating their centre of mass) is above the height of

their supporting partner’s solar plexus (or a point approximating where the majority of

humans have them); or

the supported dancer is upside down and if let go would be unable to prevent their head

hitting the ground

Category Level Baby aerial(s) Full aerial(s)

DWAS Rookies No No

Beginner No No

Intermediate Yes ≤1 per heat

Intermediate Plus Yes ≤2 per heat

Advanced Yes ≤2 per heat

Advanced Plus Yes ≤2 per heat

Champions Yes Yes

Freestyle Rookies No No

Beginner No No

Intermediate Yes ≤1 per heat

Intermediate Plus Yes ≤2 per heat

Advanced Yes ≤2 per heat

Advanced Plus Yes ≤2 per heat

Champions Yes Yes

Showcase N/a Yes Yes

Teams N/a Yes Yes

Pro-Am N/a Yes ≤1 per heat

Stuck In The Mud N/a Yes ≤2 per heat

Broken Wing N/a No No

Swaps and Steals N/a Yes No

Categories: The Event Director reserves the right to elect to not run any of these categories.

DWAS – Dance With A Stranger DWAS is the category where you get to pick neither your partner nor the music that you are dancing

to. You will rotate within your heat three times. Each time you rotate, you will get a minute to a

minute and a half of music to dance with that person. Judges are looking for how well you adapt to


the style of the person you are dancing with, and your connection, as well as how technically

proficient you are.

Freestyle Freestyle is the category where you get to pick your partner, but not the music you dance to.

Showcase Showcase / Cabaret is the category where you get to pick your partner and your music, and dance a

set routine to that music. The routine must be substantially choreographed by the persons dancing

it, and should be between 2.5 and 4 minutes long. It must also be recognisably Modern Jive.

Team routines Teams is the category where six or more dancers perform a routine together to a piece of music of

their choosing. The routine should be between 2.5 and 4 minutes long, and should be recognisably

Modern Jive.

ProAm In this category, a person who has been dancing Modern Jive for less than 2 years and/or is

competing at Level 1: Beginner or Level 0: Rookie at this competition dances with a teacher or Level

4: Advanced+/Champion competitor of their choice. Competitors in this category should not

compete with a partner with whom they have entered into a similar category at another

competition, nor should they compete with their Freestyle partner. ProAm will be split up into

student leads and student follows; teachers should dance the same role that they are dancing in the

rest of the competition. The event organisers reserve the right to divide the competition field by

experience should there be enough competitors entering (for example, splitting up students who are

both competing at Beginners or Rookies AND have been dancing for less than 2 years from those

who have been dancing less than two years but who are competing at Intermediate or above, and

those who have been dancing more than 2 years but who are competing at Beginner level).

Stuck In the Mud This category is designed to showcase dancers’ floorcraft skills. Rectangles will be laid out on the

floor, and competitors will be judged not only on the aesthetics and technical proficiency of their

dancing (by our mainstream judges) but also on their ability to keep their feet within those lines (by

our line judges). Results will be a combination of the two sets of judges scores. As the competitors

progress through heats towards finals, the squares will be made smaller, until they are dancing in a

space 1.5 m x 1.5 m in Finals.

Broken Wing This new category is designed to showcase dancers’ ingenuity. The lead will be required to use only

one hand and arm throughout the dance. This will be achieved by the lead either

wearing an arm sling, or

wearing an elevation sling, or

keeping the designated hand in one of their pockets

Swaps & Steals In Swaps and Steals, a group of three dancers rotate the lead role of the dance partnership (and

sometimes the follow role) by whatever means necessary within the confines of Modern Jive and

dance floor safety


Summary table Category Partner Music Levelled Timed Aerials

DWAS Random Random Yes 3 * 1 – 1.5 min per heat Restricted

Freestyle Your choice Random Yes Restricted

Showcase Your choice Your choice No 2.5 – 4 min Yes

Teams Your choice Your choice No 2.5 – 4 min Yes

ProAm Your choice Random Beginner + Teacher

Restricted

Stuck in the Mud Your choice Random No Restricted

Broken Wing Your choice Random No No

Swaps & Steals Your choice Random No Restricted

Competitor levels

General rules At SummerJive, if you have been judged to be a particular level, you may dance up – for example,

with your Freestyle partner – but you may not dance below that level. Enter DWAS at your base

level, and Freestyle at the higher of you and your dance partner’s base level.

From 2019, SummerJive is using the MJPI points system, and where any differences between their

published rules and these published rules exist, the MJPI rules will be taken to be correct.

As a general rule, if you have never competed before, you should enter into either Level 1: Beginner

or Level 0: Rookies. If you HAVE competed before and have got to Finals at a level where entry is not

time-based, then that is probably the right level to enter. If you have never made Finals, then you

may be able to compete at a lower level. If you have placed at a particular level, then you may be

competing at a higher level.

As a general rule, if there were insufficient entries to have more than one heat at a particular level,

then getting to Finals doesn’t count.

Points needed for various levels


Compare to New Zealand The various points systems used in New Zealand are mostly directly transferrable. There may be a

few exceptions, but in general, the following table will indicate which level you should enter at:

Ceroc NZ MJPI (NZ)

Newcomer Level 1-A & 1-B

Intermediate B Level 1-C, 1-D, & 2-A

Intermediate B Level 2-E, some 2-F and some 2-G

Intermediate A Level 2-H, some 2-F, some 2-G, & some 3-I

Advanced B Level 3-J and some 3-I

Advanced A Level 4-K

Champions Level 4-L

If you are unsure, contact us and ask for clarification. Be ready with the following information:

The level and date of your last placing

The level and date of your last finals

The level at which you compete at other competitions

Your dance experience in other styles

Teachers’ levels SummerJive acknowledges that good teachers are not necessarily good competitors and vice versa.

In addition, teachers in smaller companies and in less-populous areas may have to take up teaching

at a point where larger companies may not consider them ready, lest there be no Modern Jive at all.

As a consequence, teachers may choose to enter at the same level as their students if they do not

qualify for a higher level. Similarly, mainstream demonstrators may enter at a lower level than that

at which they demonstrate, assuming that they do not qualify for a higher level.

People who get paid to perform, or otherwise earn income from Modern Jive (for example, by

teaching private lessons), must dance at a minimum of Level 3.

If there are insufficient entries in a particular level to run a reasonable competition, the event

directors reserve the right to merge that level with another.

Level descriptions Other than that, here's a summary:

Level 0: Rookies: Newbies. People who are new to dancing or to competing. If this is your first competition, enter

Rookies! Rookies do not accumulate points under the MJPI, so you can only enter at this level if

you’ve never competed before, to see if competing is for you. This is an optional level, and will only

be run if there are sufficient entries to run it independent of Level 1: Beginner


Level 1: Beginner: This is our "everyone starts here" level. If you are

new, or

have competed at this level but haven't placed, or

have competed at a harder level but never got past heats,

then enter Level 1!

Level 2: Intermediate / Intermediate Plus If you have:

made finals at Intermediate at other Australian competitions, or

placed a few times in Beginners, or

competed at Intermediate Plus at other Australian competitions but never made Finals,

then enter Level 2!

Level 3: Advanced: If you have:

made finals at Advanced at other competitions in Australia, or

competed at Advanced at other competitions in Australia, or

placed a few times at Intermediate Plus (will have to enter Advanced next year) at other

competitions in Australia, or

have made it to Finals at Intermediate Plus at other competitions in Australia,

enter Advanced! This should be exactly the same as other competitions.

Level 4: Advanced Plus: / Champions If you've placed at Advanced, or are a Champion at Australian competitions, then enter Level 4!

Level 4+: Champions: If you qualify for Champions at other competitions in Australia, and regularly compete, or have made

Finals of Champions, then enter Level 4+! This is an optional level, and will only run if there are

sufficient entries to run it independent of Level 4: Advanced Plus / Champions. It will accrue points

as for Level 4.

Points and Levels

How do points work? Competitors are awarded points for placings achieved in competitions in Australia and New

Zealand

Points are held by individuals, not dance couples

A competitors' accumulated points will determine which category levels they are eligible to

enter

When a competitor goes up a level, their points total shall be set to the minimum amount

needed for that level


The points awarded are different depending on whether the event at which they were

earned was using the MJPI system or not

The points awarded are different depending on what type of category they are being

awarded for:

o Tier 1: “Serious” events

Freestyle and DWAS

o Tier 2: “Freestyle with Extra Rules”

Age-based (40+, etc), Aerials / Open Freestyle, Music Mashup

o Tier 3: “Novelty” events and choreographed events

BOTS, Lucky Dip, Steals, Triples, Pro-Am, Infinity, Invitational, X-Factor /

Ceroc X, Stuck In The Mud, Broken Wing

Teams, Showcase / Cabaret

When considering how many points a competitor shall be awarded for an event, the points

for each category they entered shall be compared, and only points for the highest scoring

category shall be counted towards their total

Points awarded For a full listing of the number of points awarded at each tier, please visit the MJPI website

https://fevah.dance/mjpi/points

Tier 1: Freestyle and DWAS, using MJPI

https://fevah.dance/mjpi/points


Tier 1: Freestyle and DWAS, NOT using MJPI

Table Key

The three types of points are defined as follows:

o Entry Points – you got up your courage and entered

o Progression Points – you progressed through the rounds of a competition that is

using the MJPI

o Placing Points – you placed! Required to advance to Level 3 and Level 4

A minimum of six entries (or three for choreographed categories such as Teams and

Showcase) are required to be competing for Placing points to be awarded for placing in that

category and/or level – if there are insufficient, then Entry points or Progression points will

be awarded to the same value

No more than ten pairs (including first, second and third place) shall be awarded points for

being in a final

Where there are insufficient entries to run all the levels, and any two levels are merged, the points

awarded shall be as for the lower of the merged levels

Petitioning to dance at a different level Competitors are permitted to petition to compete at a level one higher or lower than their

earned points would suggest

The event director's decision is final as to whether the petition is valid and will be granted

for that competition

Reasons to petition can include, but are not limited to:

o Points earned in very small or very large competitions

o Last points earned a number of years previously


o Was required to dance up at another competition due to time-based or teaching-

level-based rules, and has never advanced beyond heats at that level

Once the event has started, no further petitions will be considered

Points required for levels

Moving up a level A competitor must compete at a level as soon as they qualify for that level

Points count towards the earned total whether the competitor was dancing lead or follow

If a competitor is dancing with a partner of higher level, they shall dance together at the

higher level

Dancing at more than one level at the same competition (eg. dancing at your level for DWAS

and at your partner's level for Freestyle) shall be at the event directors' discretion

Dancing at more than one level in one category (eg dancing at your level in Freestyle with

another competitor of the same level, and dancing at a higher level with a different partner)

is discouraged, and will only be allowed at the discretion of the event directors

If a competitor dances at a higher level that has more than one heat, and places at that level, then

that is their level, and they will be awarded extra points to bring them up to the minimum for that

level

Judging criteria Judges at SummerJive are evaluating performances based on the following:

Timing Are the competitors in time with the music? Are they in time with each other? Does their footwork

as they go into or out of their big moves fit with the music, or does it look stumbled? Are the

competitors, more often than not, stepping on every beat (or half- or double-timing the beat

exactly)


Teamwork Are both partners contributing? Are they paying attention to each other and supporting each other?

Or is one person dictating the dance and refusing to ‘speak’ or to let the other to ‘speak’ through the

connection?

Technique Skill displayed by the dancers. Their demonstrated ability to not fall over or hurt each other.

Choreography Do the dancers display a range of moves, or does everything look like everything else? How do their

move choices fit with the music?

Performance Acting, showmanship, sportsmanship, and appropriate choice of costuming fall into this category.

Costuming Outfits should be chosen to be comfortable while dancing, as well as to look good.

They should also be appropriate to be shown to minors in Australia, as there will be persons under

the age of 18 at SummerJive. Explicit sexual content is banned, particularly if it denies or implies

denying agency in a sexual situation. The appropriateness of language used on clothing should be

carefully considered.

Headscarves, turbans, and other religious or cultural clothing items are absolutely fine, as long as

they do not restrict the dancer from performing at their best.

Please test your performance outfits to ensure that costume malfunctions are kept to a minimum.

canberra modern jive inc summerjive competition rules...modern jive content dancers should be aware...

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