The 2007 – 2008 Prelude Awards
Submission Guidelines

Overview Schedule Entry Forms Submission Guildlines: Collaboration Creative Writing Dance Instumental Music Theater Video and Film Visual Arts Vocal Music

Dance

General Requirements
Contestants must perform a solo variation/composition in any one of the following areas: classical ballet, modern, jazz, tap or cultural dance. The performance must be a minimum of 1 1/2 minutes and a maximum of three minutes.

Performers must provide their own cassette/CD player.

NOTE: At the end of three minutes, there will be a 15-second grace period, after which contestants will be stopped. Performances exceeding the 15-second grace period will result in disqualification. Contestants must provide their own tape/CD player. A cassette tape should have only one piece of music on it and should be cued to the beginning. Contestants are encouraged to use an experienced choreographer to create or restage their dance. Original choreography is permitted, but it is recommended that contestants have their original choreography evaluated by an experienced choreographer prior to the competition. For the preliminary round of competition, contestants should wear rehearsal apparel that is formfitting, and does not hide or camouflage the body. For the final round, costumes are permitted, but should be simple. Props are permitted in both rounds, if they are an integral part of the dance. Dancers will be performing on wood and/or marley floors. There will be no formal warm-up, but there will be space available for dancers to warm up on their own. The depiction of sex, violence and inappropriate language is prohibited.

Criteria
Performances will be judged on overall artistic excellence as demonstrated by the following criteria:

Selection:
Does the choreography appropriately reflect the contestant’s technical abilities and maturity? Is the contestant able to perform the choreography with competence and assurance?

Technical Ability:
Does the contestant exhibit strength, control, flexibility, clarity of movement and balance? Does he/she exhibit mastery of the basic techniques of the form of dance chosen. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:

Ballet:
Use and control of turnout, proper alignment.

Modern:
Strength in the back, abdomen and legs; suppleness in the torso and pelvis for execution of contractions, ripples, spirals and percussive thrusts.

Tap:
Dynamic rhythm changes, clarity of sound and precise percussive and syncopated footwork.

Jazz:
Use and control of isolated body parts (including torso, arms and head).

Cultural Dance:
Each cultural dance will be judged by the standards of its own form. For example: Important characteristics of Indian Classical Dance are strength, flexibility and control in the legs, face and neck, as well as flexibility of the joints and muscles in the dancer’s hands that allow the proper execution of mudras (conventional symbolic gestures) with accuracy and grace.

Musicality:
Does the contestant execute the choreography with appropriate fluidity and with attention to transitional movements?

Performance Interpretation:
Does the choreography present an appropriate interpretation of the music? Is the contestant able to perform the choreography with competence and assurance?

Stage Presence:
Does the contestant have control over the performance space and the ability to command the attention of the audience?

Judging
The preliminary round of judging will be Saturday, Jan. 5, 2008, at Butler University, Jordan College of Fine Arts. In the event that you are selected as one of the finalists, the final round of judging will be held Saturday, Jan. 26, 2008, at The Children’s Museum. More specific information, including your performance time, will be sent to you upon receipt of your application.

The panel of dance judges is chosen from a list of working artists, critics, university professors and arts administrators from Indiana and surrounding states. In several instances, former Prelude Awards participants have served as judges in their fields.

Judges assess each contestant based solely on his/her performance, using the criteria described on this sheet. The preliminary judging will be “blind”: contestants will be identified by number rather than by name. Judges will not know what school the contestants are from and will not have biographical information. It is rare for one contestant to perform at a level so far above all the other competitors that he/she is a clear winner and every judge’s first choice. It is more common for the judges to identify several contestants with comparable skills. When this happens, the judges’ personal philosophies and preferences, as well as group dynamics, are bound to come into play in the process of selecting a winner. For instance, if three equally talented dancers enter three separate competitions, each with a separate set of judges, it is unlikely that the same dancer will be judged the winner every time. It is extremely important for contestants to understand and accept that this element of subjectivity in the judging process is natural and inevitable.

Winning the Prelude Awards does not guarantee a successful career in the arts; nor does losing the competition mean that a successful career in the arts is out of the question. Successful working artists agree that self-discipline, hard work, determination, and one’s ability to deal positively with criticism are the best indicators for success in the arts. Many brilliant high school performers have gone on to lead very traditional lives. Many people whose talents went completely unrecognized in high school have gone on to have brilliant careers in the arts.

This year’s Prelude Awards will provide just one of many occasions in which a young artist’s creative efforts will be judged. A realistic picture of how a competition works and a healthy attitude about winning and losing will help keep stress to a minimum and allow contestants to keep the competition in good perspective so that it can be a useful learning experience.

Media Partner:

For additional information on the Prelude Awards at The Children’s Museum contact Ruby Ellison, Community Programs Coordinator at (317) 334-4119.