Broadway Jazz/Musical Theatre Solo Competition: What It Is, Where It’s Run and How It’s Judged

A single dancer performing one stage-show jazz routine in the style of a Broadway musical, in five age sections from 8 and under to 15 and over, at three levels, placed 1st to 3rd by the adjudicator.

Broadway Jazz/Musical Theatre Solo is a theatrical jazz class for one dancer. The routine borrows the sharp, rhythmic, character-led movement of the Broadway stage: strong shapes, clear storytelling, a performance face turned out to the audience and, often, music taken from a stage musical. It sits close to jazz, but the weight is on performance and character as much as on technique.

On the Dance Blitz Eisteddfod template, which this page is written from, the item starts at 8 and under; there is no 6 and under version, unlike Jazz Solo. It runs in five age sections (8 and under, 10 and under, 12 and under, 14 and under, 15 and over), and each section is run at three levels: Specially Restricted for dancers never placed in the style, Restricted for those placed but never first in Restricted, and Open for those who have previously won Restricted. The level records past results in this style, not age.

A round is one performance of up to three minutes including tags. The dancer is announced, the music starts and the adjudicator watches the whole routine before the section is placed. The template carries a default score out of 100, but the syllabus prints no marking criteria, so no scoring breakdown is claimed here.

For a coordinator using eTalenter this is a straightforward individual item: enter each dancer in the right age section and level, order the 15 groups, record the adjudicator mark and let the ranking give first, second and third. Boys and girls enter together and no language is needed.

Where Broadway Jazz/Musical Theatre Solo is run

In eTalenter data this item appears on one template, Dance Blitz Eisteddfod, an Australian solos and duos/trios eisteddfod held in New South Wales. It is a theatrical jazz class for older children and teenagers within that event. This page claims only what the data shows.

• Australia

Key facts

• Individual entry; boys and girls compete together; no language requirement.
• Five age sections from 8 and under to 15 and over, each at three levels: Specially Restricted, Restricted and Open (15 groups in all).
• Time limit: 3 minutes including tags.
• Not offered at 6 and under; the first section is 8 and under.
• No marks or criteria are printed, so the template carries a default out of 100 and no scoring breakdown.
• Idea starters, not rules: a number built around one stage character, a routine that starts frozen in a pose and releases on the first beat, a short story told through three contrasting moods.

On eTalenter, Broadway Jazz/Musical Theatre Solo 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, Broadway Jazz/Musical Theatre Solo is most often entered as an Individual competition, typically scored out of 100, commonly time-limited to around 3 minutes where a limit is set.

What judges look at in Broadway Jazz/Musical Theatre Solo

What a Broadway Jazz/Musical Theatre Solo panel is actually weighing up, and where the marks are usually won or lost:

• The syllabus prints no judging criteria for this item, so what follows is general guidance on what a jazz or musical-theatre adjudicator usually weighs, not a scoring table.
• Jazz technique: sharp, controlled isolations, kicks, turns and leaps finished cleanly and in time with the music.
• Character and storytelling: a clear sense of who the dancer is playing and what is happening, shown through the face as well as the body.
• Projection: energy that reaches the back of the room, with eyes and focus directed to the audience rather than the floor.
• Musicality: accents hit on the beat and phrasing that suits the show style.
• Suitability: choreography, costume and music chosen to fit the dancer age, rather than material that looks borrowed from an older section.

Treat these as the judging focus, not a fixed rubric: publish your own weighted criteria for Broadway Jazz/Musical Theatre Solo under Scoring Setup, or start from the full group dance judging criteria guide.

How to prepare for Broadway Jazz/Musical Theatre Solo

How entrants and their teachers usually get Broadway Jazz/Musical Theatre Solo right on the day:

• Check the level by past results in this style: Specially Restricted if never placed, Restricted if placed but never first in Restricted, Open if previously first in Restricted.
• Pick one character and one story moment, and make every step serve it; a clear idea beats a crowded routine.
• Cut the music to finish inside three minutes including the entrance and tag.
• Rehearse the performance face from the first run, not only in the last week, so it feels natural on the day.
• Practise the opening and closing poses carefully, as they are what the adjudicator sees most clearly.
• Run the routine on a large floor as well as in the studio, so the dancer learns to use the whole stage.
• Rehearse in the real costume and shoes at least twice before the day.
• After the section, ask for the adjudicator feedback if the organiser gives it and choose one thing to improve before the next event.

Frequently asked questions

Is Broadway Jazz/Musical Theatre Solo 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.

Is Broadway Jazz/Musical Theatre Solo the same as Jazz Solo?

No. On this template Jazz Solo is a separate item that starts at 6 and under. This item is the stage-show version, with character and storytelling, and starts at 8 and under.

How long can the routine be?

Three minutes including tags, as printed for solos in the syllabus.

What are the three levels?

Specially Restricted is for dancers never placed in the style, Restricted for those placed but never first in Restricted, and Open for those who have previously been placed first in Restricted in that style.

Is there a scoring table I can prepare against?

No scoring criteria are printed. The result is first, second and third place within each section and level.

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