Anystyle Tap Competition: What It Is, Where It’s Run and How It’s Judged

A tap dance in which the dancer or group chooses the style of tap, for example rhythm, musical-theatre or contemporary tap, performed as a solo, duo or trio, small group or large group and scored out of 100.

Anystyle Tap is a tap dance routine in which the choreographer is free to choose the style. It might be a rhythm-led piece built on sound and syncopation, a musical-theatre number with character and story, or a contemporary routine that uses tap with modern music. What makes it tap is that the shoes are played as an instrument: the sounds the feet make are part of the music, not just a by-product of the steps. It sits beside Slow/Straight Tap, Fast Tap and Waltz Tap on the same Sydney one-day dance challenge template this page is written from; those three fix the tempo or the time signature, while Anystyle Tap leaves the style open.

The template lists it in every entry type: solo, duo or trio, small group and large group, 56 groups in all. Entries are placed by age division, counted as at 1 January 2026, from 4 and under to 17 and over. Solo dancers are also placed into a section (Novice, Rising Stars, Open or Elite) according to earlier placings and weekly training hours, so a first-year dancer is not marked against a full-time one. Duo, trio and group entries use the age division only.

A round is one performance from start to finish. The entry is announced, the music plays and the adjudicator scores the routine out of 100 over five lines: Technique 30, Performance 25, Musicality 20, Choreography 15 and Overall Impression 10. The total gives a recognition level on the certificate, and medals for first to third place depend on the number of entries.

Time limits are printed by entry type: three minutes for a solo and for a duo or trio, four minutes for a small group and five minutes for a large group. Organisers run it as the open tap genre because it lets studios enter a routine that does not fit the slow, fast or waltz categories, and it gives the programme a varied, rhythmic item with plenty of audience appeal.

Where Anystyle Tap is run

On the template this page is written from, Anystyle Tap is one of four tap genres at an Australian one-day amateur dance challenge held in Sydney. Tap sections of this kind are common in studio dance competitions in Australia, the United Kingdom, North America and Ireland, where an open or any-style tap class often sits beside classes fixed to a tempo; this page asserts Australian use only from the data.

• Australia
• United Kingdom
• United States
• Canada

Key facts

• Entry types: solo, duo or trio, small group and large group; boys and girls compete together with no language requirement.
• Divisions: eight cumulative age divisions (4 and under to 17 and over); solos are further split into Novice, Rising Stars, Open and Elite sections.
• Time limit: 3 minutes for solo and duo or trio, 4 minutes for a small group, 5 minutes for a large group.
• Scored out of 100: Technique 30, Performance 25, Musicality 20, Choreography 15, Overall Impression 10.
• The style is the entrant’s choice, whereas Slow/Straight Tap, Fast Tap and Waltz Tap are separate genres on the same template.
• Idea starters, not rules: a rhythm piece that builds a pattern one dancer at a time, a short musical-theatre scene told through the shoes, a group routine where the taps answer a spoken or sung line.

On eTalenter, Anystyle Tap is filed under Dance and typically scored with Marks. It appears in 1 ready-made event templates — each one can adjust its time limit, age-group assignment and scoring setup independently.

Across the templates that use it, Anystyle Tap is most often entered as an Individual competition, typically scored out of 100, commonly time-limited to 3–5 minutes where a limit is set.

What judges look at in Anystyle Tap

What a Anystyle Tap panel is actually weighing up, and where the marks are usually won or lost:

• Technique (30): clean, clear sounds with every tap heard as intended, control of weight and posture, and steps that suit the dancer’s age and section rather than copying a harder routine.
• Performance (25): a routine that carries its chosen style through to the face and upper body, so that a character piece feels like one and a rhythm piece feels confident and relaxed.
• Musicality (20): taps that sit exactly on the beat or deliberately against it, with the accents, pauses and changes of dynamic that the music invites.
• Choreography (15): a clear idea in the chosen style, with contrasts of tempo and sound, good use of the floor and a start and finish that frame the piece.
• Overall Impression (10): a rehearsed, well-presented whole, with costume, shoes and staging that suit the style and a tidy entrance and exit.
• In duos and groups, unison of sound is judged closely: a single late tap is audible as well as visible, so tidy timing across the dancers wins marks.

Treat these as the judging focus, not a fixed rubric: publish your own weighted criteria for Anystyle Tap under Scoring Setup, or start from the full group dance judging criteria guide.

How to prepare for Anystyle Tap

How entrants and their teachers usually get Anystyle Tap right on the day:

• Decide the style first and say it in one sentence to the teacher, such as rhythm, musical theatre or contemporary, then choose music and steps that fit it, so the routine does not drift between styles.
• Check that the shoes are secure and the taps are tight before each rehearsal, because a loose tap changes the sound.
• Rehearse on a floor close to the competition surface, as sound changes noticeably between wood, sprung floors and stage boards.
• Practise the routine with the music turned low, so that the dancer hears their own taps and learns to keep time from the sound.
• Plan a quiet moment or a change of dynamic in the routine; a piece that is loud throughout gives the adjudicator less to reward under Musicality.
• For duos and groups, drill the sound of the unison sections on their own, counting aloud, before adding arms and expression.
• After a lower recognition level, read the adjudicator’s comments with the teacher and pick one sound and one performance point to improve before the next event.

Frequently asked questions

Is Anystyle Tap judged individually or as a team?

Across eTalenter’s templates it’s most often run as an Individual entry, though an organiser can set either participation type when assigning the item to an age group.

What is the difference between Anystyle Tap and the other tap genres?

The template also lists Slow/Straight Tap, Fast Tap and Waltz Tap as separate genres. Anystyle Tap leaves the style to the entrant, so it suits routines that do not fit those other three.

How long can an Anystyle Tap routine be?

Three minutes for a solo or a duo or trio, four minutes for a small group and five minutes for a large group, as printed in the syllabus.

Can a group enter Anystyle Tap?

Yes. It is offered as a solo, a duo or trio, a small group and a large group, each by age division.

How is an Anystyle Tap routine scored?

Out of 100 over five lines: Technique 30, Performance 25, Musicality 20, Choreography 15 and Overall Impression 10.

Want the full judging picture? Read the full group dance judging criteria guide, or browse every dance competition item.