OPEN DANCE (Jazz, Lyrical, Modern & Contemporary)

An Open Dance routine may incorporate any dance style or a combination of styles.

Jazz: High-energy with sharp, clean movements, isolations, and dynamic footwork. Often performed to upbeat music. Stylized jazz movements should include visual effects, level changes, formation changes, and strong dance technique.

Lyrical: A fusion of ballet and jazz, focusing on storytelling, fluidity, and emotional expression. Balance, sustained movement, and expressive facial and body emotion are expected. Often accompanied with a slower tempo song.

Modern: Choreography should emphasize spatial awareness, body control, grounded movement and gestural motions (e.g., suspension, off-center movement, momentum, and gravity). These styles prioritize full-body movement unconventional shapes, and expressive freedom that does not adhere strictly to ballet or jazz forms.

Contemporary: A blend of ballet, modern, and jazz, emphasizing fluidity, floor work, and versatility in movement styles.

Regardless of the chosen style, routines should demonstrate uniformity in execution, proper dance
technique, precise timing, and strong showmanship.

Difficulty: should be demonstrated through body awareness, muscle control, dynamics, tricks,
textures, and versatility in various dance styles.

Music: Any genre of music may be used, provided the routine as a whole maintains a strong focus on
the appropriate dance style. Slow tempos are often used for lyrical, contemporary styles.

 

DRILL/MILITARY

Routines in this division can incorporate both dance (drill team), and military styles. Routine should be primarily military in nature, emphasizing precision and sharpness throughout. Required elements include military maneuvers, pattern formations, visual effects, various arm and hand sequences, and a range of marching styles.

While some dance skills may be incorporated, 3/4 of your routine must be military style and sharp drill team style movement must take precedence over traditional dance techniques.

Music: Any genre of music may be used, provided the routine as a whole maintains a strong focus on Military style. Various tempos can be used as well.

 

HIP/HOP

Hip Hop incorporates visual effects, synchronization, and a diverse range of street-style movements that highlight the artistry and technique of the genre. Routines should authentically reflect movements that have evolved within hip-hop culture. Examples of styles include Vogue, Popping, Locking, Breaking, Whacking, and House.

Difficulty: should be demonstrated through body awareness, muscle control, dynamics, tricks, textures, and versatility in various hip-hop styles.

Music: Any genre of music may be used, provided the routine as a whole maintains a strong focus on hip-hop style. Up-tempo music is generally most effective.

 

SONG/POM

A Song/Pom routine showcases visual effects, synchronization, and clean, sharp pom motions combined with technical dance skills such as turns, kicks, and leaps.
Should incorporate visual elements like: roll-offs, level changes, opposition, group work, transitions, and formations. Emphasis should be placed on proper pom and motion technique, strong dance technique, precise timing, and engaging showmanship.

All members must use poms for at least three-fourths (3/4) of the routine. No other props are allowed.

Difficulty: should be demonstrated through body awareness, muscle control, dynamics, tricks, textures, and versatility in various hip-hop styles.

Music: Up-tempo music is generally most effective. Various styles of music can be used, including Pop, Hip-Hop, and Dance genres.

 

PERFORMANCE CHEER

Teams must execute a routine using music, cheers or any combination of both. Music is required and may be used for half the routine, or for the entire routine. The emphasis is on practical and effective audience participation, including the use of signs, spell-outs, and crowd response chants. Typically usually allow more dance and visual performance elements. during the music portions.
cheerleading skills such as jumps, stunts, and tumblingshould be incorporated to increase difficulty and add excitement to your routine. Motions in both the dance and cheer sections should prioritize sharpness and precision, while looking for variety and visual effects as well such as roll offs, levels, opposition and group sections and transitions.

 

LIMITATIONS & SAFETY GUIDELINES

TUMBLING:

Standing tumbling: “Standing tumbling” is defined as any tumbling skill not originating from a cartwheel or round-off.
Limited in difficulty to a standing single front or back walkover.
Running tumbling: “Running tumbling” is defined as tumbling that involves a forward step or a hurdle used to gain momentum as an entry to a tumbling skill.
Limited in difficulty to front and/or back walkover series. Consecutive round offs, and cartwheels are allowed.

STUNTS:

1. Stunts are limited to both feet in the base(s) hands at all times. Both of the top person’s feet must be held throughout the entire transition to/from the prep level position.
2. Single leg stunts must be held below the prep level position.
3. Twisting stunt transitions are limited to a 1/4 twist.
4. Stunt inversions are not allowed
5. Tosses and Release moves are not allowed

PYRAMIDS

1. All two leg extended stunts must be braced by one or two top persons at prep level or lower. The braced connection must be established at prep level or lower before the stunt passes into the extended level, and constant contact between the top person and the bracer(s) must be maintained while the top person is on one leg above prep level.
2. Liberties and liberty hitches (Single leg stunts) are allowed at prep level, must be braced by one or two top persons at prep level or lower.
3. Twisting pyramid transitions are limited to a 1/4 turn.
Pyramid inversions are not allowed.

SPOTTERS:

Spotters will not be provided, however it is encouraged that each team have non-uniformed spotters that can step in (from behind) as needed. There should be a seperate spotter for each stunt group.

 

CHANGES TO CATEGORIES/DIVISIONS: FIYA/or its competition personnel reserves the right to delete, combine, or divide categories and divisions as deemed necessary. If categories/divisions are altered, adjustments will be made in the awards.