Festival du Ballet 2024 | Feb 13- 19 Surrey Arts Centre | Information here

FESTIVAL DU BALLET
RULES AND GUIDELINES

BC Performing Arts Rep Info
All Dancers running for Provincial REP must attend masterclasses in discipline to be considered.
There have been many changes for the 2022/2023 Provincial Festival, so please read this information very carefully.
Age Levels for BC Reps
The age of competitors is determined as of December 31st before the upcoming Provincial Festival. No single competitor may be over the age of 20 for dancers.
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Level I (Junior): Age 10 - 12 years
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Level II (Intermediate): Age 15 years and under
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Level III: (Senior) Age: 20 years and under
*** NEW: Provincial Excellence: Age: 20 years and under
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Option 1:
Ballet Representative
In order to be considered for Ballet Representative the participant must perform two contrasting solos based on Ballet technique including but not limited to: Cecchetti, R.A.D., Vaganova, etc.
Contrasting: Must show different qualities of the dancer in their solos.
Below are the options for the dancer to choose from. Please note that the dancer must have two selections from the below list.
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Demi-Pointe Classical: Dance based on any method of classical ballet technique (e.g., Cecchetti, R.A.D., Vaganova, etc.)
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Pointe Classical: Dance based on any method of classical ballet technique (e.g., Cecchetti, R.A.D., Vaganova, etc.)
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Contemporary Ballet: Incorporates classical ballet techniques with greater range of movements which may not adhere to strict body lines for classical ballet. This style includes non-traditional movements, such as more relaxed steps, floor work and turned in legs, etc., to portray the concept of being more innovative, free and earth-bound. The physical interpretation of the theme that the choreographer envisioned allows for more expressive emotions and feelings.
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Interpretive Ballet: Dancers must use ballet technique incorporating the body as the medium of expression and interpretation of the music in order to portray an intangible thought or mood, real or imaginary. This category should express an idea but not tell a story.
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Demi-Character: Dancer portrays a story/idea/concept/impression while performing ballet technique from the waist down and character from the waist up.
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Variation: Must be traditional choreography from a known Classical Ballet. To be identified on registration form.
PLEASE NOTE THE FOLLOWING RULES:
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Hand-held props only may be used if integral to the Dance, except in Interpretive where no props are allowed.
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Ballet shoes OR Pointe Shoes must be worn in all of the above Ballet categories.
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No lyrics are permitted except in Contemporary Ballet; vocalization such as humming is permitted in other ballet genres.
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Solo time cannot exceed 3 minutes
Option 2:
Modern Representative
In order to be considered for Modern Representative the participant must perform two contrasting modern or contemporary solos, the basis of which will be modern technique including but not limited to Graham, Limon, Cunningham, Humphrey and Horton.
Contrasting: Must show different qualities of the dancer in their solos.
Please note that the dancer must have two selections from the below list.
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Modern: A stylized Dance form with its foundations on a technically based discipline such as Graham, Limon, Cunningham, Humphrey and Horton etc. Dance that rejects the limitations of classical ballet, was formulated from natural rhythms, and which favours movement derived from contraction and release, breath, suspension, fall and recovery, weightedness, and dynamism. Movement may or may not be related to the music.
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Contemporary: Free movement of Dance encompassing various Dance disciplines with modern technique as its underlying base, such as the choreography of William Forsythe, Wayne McGregor, Akram Khan, Ohad Narin (Gaga), Hofesch Shechter (Release Technique), etc. - a constantly evolving style of movement that gives physicality to human ideologies and concepts with emphasis on engaging the whole body.
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Interpretive Contemporary/Modern: Dance that uses contemporary movement vocabulary from stylized to pedestrian (with modern technique as its basis) to tell a story, express a feeling, interpret a character, behaviour, or emotional state; e.g. Pina Bausch (Tanztheater Wuppertal). Movement should be related to the intent of the music while the choreography must engage the whole body
PLEASE NOTE THE FOLLOWING RULES:
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Props only may be used if integral to the Dance and must be carried onstage and removed by the performer without assistance.
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No Ballet Shoes, no jazz shoes, no half shoes are to be worn in these categories. Socks or bare feet only (should the choreography and costuming reflect a certain style of footwear ie: combat boots or work boots this will be acceptable but MUST have an obvious connection)
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Lyrics are accepted in all categories
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Solo time cannot exceed 3 minutes
PLEASE NOTE :
IN ORDER TO QUALIFY FOR BC PROVINICIAL REP CANDIDATES MUST REGISTER FOR THE CORRESPONDING MASTERCLASS
ALL REP CANDIDATES MUST FILL OUT THE MICROSOFT FORM AND ANSWER ALL QUESTIONS. LINKS ARE SENT TO STUDIOS ONLY
IT IS NOT THE RESPONSIBILITY OF FESTIVAL DU BALLET TO REGISTER DANCERS TO COMPETE FOR PROVINCIAL REP.
ONCE THE REP FORMS HAVE BEEN FILLED OUT ALL SOLOS MUST BE ENTERED INTO THE COMPETITION USING DANCE SYNC
DANCERS MUST SIGN UP FOR NON REP MASTERCLASSES BASED ON AGE. WE DO NOT ALLOW DANCERS TO DANCE UP A LEVEL.
NEW CATEGORY
Provincial Excellence
This is the debut of this new and exciting category at BC Performing Arts.
Selection is at the sole discretion of the Adjudicators at Festival Du Ballet.
Criteria:
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Dancers must be Level III: (Senior) Age: 20 years and under (2002-2012)
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Dancers must have 2 contrasting solos from the Ballet Section OR 2 contrasting solos from the Modern Section
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Competitors are expected to be at the standard of apprentice level of a professional company. We are looking for dancers who are ready to enter a company as an apprentice, someone on the cusp of a professional career.
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Please note that due to the extremely high level of skill and performance quality there may be no candidates selected by the Adjudicators.
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Please note if you accept Provincial Excellence you cannot compete in level 3 Provincial Representative Categories, the following year.
Details and Information
Please Note, Festival Du Ballet will only be considering dancers from Level 3 for Provincial Excellence.
Should Festival Du Ballet be successful in nominating a candidate from our 2023 Festival the following is how this new category will be executed in Penticton in 2023
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Provincial Excellence class participants will attend the BC Provincial Festival on the final day only. Classes will start around 10:15am
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The first requirement will be a performance of an Improvised Solo of 1.5 minutes (90 seconds) duration to be performed to music selected by the adjudicator and will be considered part of the adjudicators’ assessment
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The second requirement is the performance of three (3) solos.
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The first solo will be a performance of repertoire in the candidate's respective genre of dance. The repertoire will be posted on the PABC Website well before registration opens.
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If you are selected under the Modern Section, you will learn and perform the Modern piece of choreography.
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If you are selected from the Ballet Section, you will learn and perform the Ballet piece of Choreography.
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No exceptions to this rule will be permitted. You will have several months to learn this and should be selected FDB will send you all of the required information and music.
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The remaining two (2) solos will be the two ( 2) solos the adjudicators selected from Festival Du Ballet
WINNERS at PABC Festival
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For the 2023 PABC Festival in Penticton the winner of the Dance Section of the Provincial Excellence Category will receive $2000.00
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All Winners of Provincial Excellence Classes (Dance, Piano, Chorals etc.) MUST then perform and compete at the Gala Concert where adjudicators will award the Grand Prize of $5,000.
NEW in 2023 VIRUAL GROUP DANCE CLASSES
New in 2023 Festival Du Ballet can select Duos, Trios, Small Groups or Large Groups to compete VIRTUALLY at the 2023 BC Provincials in Penticton.
Virtual Group Dance Divisions:
Class 200 - "Grace"
Grace is composed of: Classical Ballet, Contemporary Ballet, Demi-Character, Classical or Interpretive Ballet.
201 Duo/Trio: 2 or 3 Dancers.
202 Small Group: 4-7 Dancers
203 Large Group: 8 & more.
Class 300 – "Essence"
Essence is composed of Modern, Contemporary, or Lyrical
301 Duo/Trio: 2 or 3 Dancers.
302 Small Group: 4-7 Dancers.
303 Large Group: 8 & more.
The Festival Du Ballet Adjudicators may choose, in each of the Group Dance class categories listed above, up to two groups that are felt to be of an exceedingly high standard.
This means we could send a trio and a large group in class 200 OR 2 large groups AND a duo and small group in class 300. That is 2 in total for each of classes 200 and 300 not two in each subsection of a class.
Festival Du Ballet will send Festival Du Ballet Video files to BC Performing Arts. These videos will be judged by 2 adjudicators prior to the Provincial Festival, with winners announced during the Festival. There will be a $500 grand prize and $200 cash awards for winners of each class (200 +300) at the discretion of the adjudicators at BC Performing Arts Festival In JUne 2023. ( Please note : the $500 and $200 winnings are not part of Festival Du Ballet )
Rules:
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Only selections performed, adjudicated and recommended from Festival Du Ballet are accepted
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Groups must achieve a mark of 85 or higher to be recommended.
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Ages are determined as of December 31 preceding the festival. The average age of the groups is submitted to assist adjudicators assessment, not category division. In the Duo/Trio classes, age is determined by the age of the oldest Dancer. To find the average age, add all ages and divide by the number of Dancers in the group.
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Only average ages of 10 years old through average 20 years old, will be considered. No performer may be over the age of 20.
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Total Time limit for any duo trio or group is 5 minutes.
Note:
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Participation is limited to amateur Dance groups, performing at Festival Du Ballet
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Should the winners at Festival Du Ballet of the Group Class Section wish to submit video from another competition later in the dance season this will be considered by FDB after reviewing the new video.
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All winning entries will be submitted by Festival Du Ballet.
Please note: If you have dancers or know of a dancer who are under 20 years old and not a professional dancer, they can compete in level 3 Provincial Rep, Provincial Excellence and the Virtual Group Section. No group participation is required.
No performer may be over 20 years old.