A solo dance section for the youngest entrants, where a little dancer performs a short routine in whatever style they choose, marked out of 100 by the adjudicator.
Babies Any Style is the entry point for very young competitors in a dance festival. Rather than being tied to jazz, tap or ballet, the child performs a short routine in any style the teacher has prepared, so a first-time dancer can take part without needing to qualify for a style-specific section. It exists because small children are judged against other small children, not against older dancers with years of training.
A round is one solo. The child is announced, walks or is led to the starting spot, the music begins and the adjudicator watches a routine that is only a couple of minutes long. At this age a good entry is simple and secure: a clear opening pose, steps the child knows well, a sense of enjoyment and a finish that lands with the music. Perfect technique is not expected; being able to start on time, stay in the routine and finish confidently is already an achievement.
On the Shine Bright Dance Challenge template, which this page is written from, the item is offered in two babies groups, Under 4 (ages 3 to 4) and Under 5 (age 5). Boys and girls compete together, no language is needed, each solo runs to two and a half minutes and every entry is marked out of 100 under the label Marks. A second Australian template, Bravery Buddies Song & Dance Challenge, carries the same item in a single Babies 5U group (ages 3 to 5) with a three-minute limit. The source syllabus prints no marking criteria for the section, so none are installed here and the adjudicator uses their own sheet.
Organisers offer it because a babies section gives families a gentle first stage experience and keeps the competition inclusive. For a coordinator using eTalenter it is entered like any other item: register each child in the right age group, record the mark out of 100, and placings follow within the group.
Where Babies Any Style is run
In eTalenter’s data Babies Any Style appears on two Australian dance templates: the Shine Bright Dance Challenge solos day on the Central Coast of New South Wales and the Bravery Buddies Song & Dance Challenge. Dance eisteddfods and festivals commonly run a babies or tiny-tots section for the youngest age band; this page does not claim wider reach than the two templates and that general pattern.
- Australia
Key facts
- Solo only, with boys and girls competing together and no language requirement.
- Open to any style, unlike the older babies section for Under 6 on the same template, which lists named styles.
- Shine Bright template: two groups, Under 4 (ages 3-4) and Under 5 (age 5), each solo up to 2 minutes 30 seconds.
- Bravery Buddies template: one Babies 5U group (ages 3-5), up to 3 minutes.
- Marked out of 100 under the label Marks; no judging criteria are printed in the source, so none are installed.
- Idea starters, not rules: a short routine to a nursery-rhyme tune, a dance about an animal or toy, a simple skipping-and-twirling piece, or a routine built around one favourite action repeated to the beat.
On eTalenter, Babies Any Style is filed under Dance and typically scored with Marks. It appears in 2 ready-made event templates — each one can adjust its time limit, age-group assignment and scoring setup independently.
Across the templates that use it, Babies Any Style is most often entered as an Individual competition, typically scored out of 100, commonly time-limited to 2–3 minutes where a limit is set.
The scoring method the templates attach to this item, and what that scale means. The category this competition is filed under when a template is installed. Others in this category: Classical Dance, Folk Dance, Western Dance, Group Dance, Solo Dance, Cinematic Dance, Fusion Dance eTalenter matches an item to its criteria on the words in its name, and creates exactly these when the template is installed. No criteria match this name, so none are created automatically — judges score it on the event’s own criteria instead.How it is scored
Where it sits
Judging criteria installed for it
What judges look at in Babies Any Style
What a Babies Any Style panel is actually weighing up, and where the marks are usually won or lost:
- Confidence and enjoyment: a child who walks on willingly, smiles and stays in the routine is already scoring well at this age.
- Memory of the routine: steps in the right order from the opening pose to the finish, with minimal prompting.
- Rhythm and timing: moving with the beat of the music and starting and stopping with it.
- Basic technique for the age: tidy arms, feet and posture in the style chosen, judged against the child’s age, not against older dancers.
- Presentation: a costume that is comfortable and suits the music, and a clear start and end position.
Treat these as the judging focus, not a fixed rubric: publish your own weighted criteria for Babies Any Style under Scoring Setup, or start from the full group dance judging criteria guide.
How to prepare for Babies Any Style
How entrants and their teachers usually get Babies Any Style right on the day:
- Keep the routine short and repeatable; a simple routine the child can do every time beats a clever one they forget.
- Practise walking on, finding the starting spot and holding the opening pose until the music starts.
- Choose bright, steady music with a clear beat so the child can feel when to move.
- Rehearse in the costume and shoes so nothing is a surprise on the day, and make sure the child can move freely in them.
- Run the routine against the clock so it fits the section’s time limit, which is 2 minutes 30 seconds on the Shine Bright template.
- Agree in advance what the parent or teacher does if the child freezes; check the syllabus for its prompting rules before entering.
- Make the day positive: arrive early, let the child watch another babies section, and praise the effort whatever the result.
Ready-made templates that already include this competition. Installing one sets it up for you.Events that run this (2)
Frequently asked questions
Is Babies Any Style 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 does Any Style mean in a babies dance section?
It means the child is not limited to one named style. The routine can be jazz-flavoured, lyrical, tap-inspired or a simple creative piece, as long as it suits the child’s age.
How long is a Babies Any Style routine?
On the Shine Bright Dance Challenge template each solo runs up to 2 minutes 30 seconds; on the Bravery Buddies template the limit is 3 minutes. Both are marked out of 100.
What ages can enter?
On the Shine Bright template the groups are Under 4 (ages 3 to 4) and Under 5 (age 5). Bravery Buddies uses one group for ages 3 to 5. The organiser’s syllabus confirms how age is calculated.
Is it judged individually or as a team?
It is a solo section, judged individually and ranked within the child’s age group.
Similar competitions
Items whose names share a word with this one — usually the same discipline in another form.
Want the full judging picture? Read the full group dance judging criteria guide, or browse every dance competition item.
Try Babies Any Style in eTalenter
See every ready-made template that runs Babies Any Style, and install one as a live event — age groups, rules and scoring included.
