Contemporary/Open Solo Competition: What It Is, Where It’s Run and How It’s Judged

A solo in any non-classical-ballet style, danced to music of the dancer’s choice and marked out of 100 on technique and artistry together.

Contemporary/Open Solo is the free-choice half of a youth ballet and contemporary competition. Where the classical entry asks the dancer to perform a set piece from the ballet repertoire, this one accepts any solo that is not classical ballet: contemporary, lyrical, modern, jazz-influenced or a personal blend of styles. The word “open” in the title is deliberate. The dancer, or the dancer’s teacher, chooses the movement language, the music and the story.

In the one edition behind this page, a United States competition for dancers aged 9 to 20, soloists enter Classical Ballet, Contemporary/Open Dance, or both. The solo is danced in three age divisions: Pre-Competitive (9 to 11), Junior (12 to 14) and Senior (15 to 20). Boys and girls enter together, and the music does not have to be instrumental: tracks with suitable lyrics are allowed.

A round is short. The dancer registers either the recommended length of about two minutes or a longer option of up to two and a half minutes at an extra fee, delivers the music in advance under the file-naming rules, walks on with any props kept to a minimum and dances once, in front of a panel of usually three to five judges. Each judge averages a technical mark and an artistic mark, and the panel’s scores are averaged into a total out of 100.

Organisers run this item because a single classical list cannot show everything a young dancer can do. A free-choice solo lets a panel see composition, musical choices and personal movement style next to the classical work. In this edition it also carries weight beyond the day: the highest honours, the Hope, Youth Grand Prix and Grand Prix awards, are only considered for dancers who performed both a classical variation and a contemporary/open solo.

Where Contemporary/Open Solo is run

In eTalenter’s data Contemporary/Open Solo is carried by one template, a United States youth ballet and contemporary competition with three solo age divisions. The time limits, the 100-point marking and the finals rules described here are that competition’s own; other dance events run contemporary solos under different titles and different rules, so they are not covered on this page.

• United States

Key facts

• Individual entry, boys and girls together, in three age divisions: Pre-Competitive 9 to 11, Junior 12 to 14 and Senior 15 to 20, with age counted on a single fixed date for the whole season.
• Time limit: about 2:00 is the recommended length, and up to 2:30 is allowed for an extra fee. Music that runs over the limit can cost points or lead to disqualification, and extra time cannot be bought on the day.
• Scored out of 100. Each judge averages a technical mark and an artistic mark, and the total is the average of all judges; the rules print no mark weights per element.
• Style is open: any solo that is not classical ballet. Music may include lyrics, provided they are appropriate.
• A score of 96 or more in this category does not by itself guarantee a place in the finals. Junior and Senior dancers invited to the finals register one classical variation and one contemporary solo.
• Idea starters, not rules: a lyrical piece built on a single image such as water or wind, a floorwork-led solo that travels across the stage in one diagonal, a rhythmic piece that answers a percussion-heavy track, a quiet solo that ends in stillness.

On eTalenter, Contemporary/Open 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, Contemporary/Open Solo is most often entered as an Individual competition, typically scored out of 100, commonly time-limited to around 2 minutes where a limit is set.

What judges look at in Contemporary/Open Solo

What a Contemporary/Open Solo panel is actually weighing up, and where the marks are usually won or lost:

• Technical command: control through turns, jumps, floorwork and transitions, and clean landings. In an open style there is no repertoire to copy, so the panel judges whether the dancer’s own steps are executed with precision and safe, supported placement.
• Artistry and intention: the panel looks for a clear idea carried from the first movement to the last. A solo that wanders between unrelated moods reads as a collection of steps, while one built on a single intention scores higher on the artistic half of the mark.
• Musicality: movement that lives inside the phrasing of the track, using accents, silences and changes of pace rather than simply running alongside the beat. A lyric track invites interpretation; dancers who ignore the words are noticed.
• Choreographic structure: a recognisable beginning, development and ending inside about two minutes. Overloading the piece with every trick the dancer owns usually weakens the structure and the dancer’s control.
• Suitability for the age division: a Pre-Competitive dancer is judged against that division’s technical level, so a mature subject or a movement vocabulary beyond the dancer’s strength tends to show as strain rather than depth.
• Stage use and presence: choosing the space, using the full depth of the stage, owning the entrance and holding the final shape. With a score of 96 and above as the finals benchmark in this event, presence is often the margin between two clean technical performances.

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

How to prepare for Contemporary/Open Solo

How entrants and their teachers usually get Contemporary/Open Solo right on the day:

• Settle the concept before the steps. Write one sentence that says what the solo is about, then choose the music and the movement vocabulary to serve that sentence. Dancers who choose music first often end with a piece that has no centre.
• Choose the length at registration deliberately. The recommended two minutes suits most pieces and the standard fee; take the longer 2:30 option only when the choreography truly needs the extra half-minute, since a tight two minutes usually scores better than a stretched two and a half.
• Prepare the music file early and exactly: trim it to the time limit, name it by the rules the organiser prints, and carry a copy on two devices. Over-length music risks deductions or disqualification, and no extra time can be bought.
• Rehearse in layers: the structure and spacing first, then the technique that carries each section, then dynamics and facial focus, and last the performance quality. Add a full run-through in the actual costume and footwear at least twice a week in the final fortnight.
• Keep props and set-up to the minimum. The rules warn that backstage space is limited and that props are used at the dancer’s own risk, so a piece that depends on a large prop is a gamble on the day.
• Follow the footwork and pointe rules for the age division. In this edition dancers aged 10 and under who perform en pointe lose eligibility for a top-three placement at that venue, and 11-year-olds are strongly discouraged, so check the rule before choosing the shoes.
• Practise the first eight counts and the final held shape as separate exercises. After a disappointing result, read the judges’ written comments, pick the single weakest element and rework only that for the next event.

Frequently asked questions

Is Contemporary/Open 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.

What counts as a contemporary or open solo?

In the edition described here it is any solo that is not classical ballet. Contemporary, lyrical, modern and mixed-style pieces are all accepted, and the music is not limited to instrumental tracks, as long as any lyrics are appropriate.

How long can the solo be?

About two minutes is the recommended length at the standard fee. A longer option of up to 2:30 is available for an extra fee, chosen when registering. Music that goes beyond the limit can lead to point deductions or disqualification.

Do I have to enter the classical solo as well?

No. Soloists may enter Classical Ballet, Contemporary/Open Dance or both. However, Junior and Senior dancers who qualify for the finals must register one classical variation and one contemporary solo, and the top awards are only considered for dancers who performed both.

Does a score of 96 or more send me to the finals?

Not automatically in this category. A score of 96 or higher in Contemporary/Open does not guarantee selection for the finals, and places are given relative to the other performances in the category. Pre-Competitive dancers can qualify with 96 or higher for any solo.

Are boys and girls judged separately?

They enter the same item, but the judges may announce the categories separately or together. If fewer than six male soloists compete in an age division, the male and female soloists are combined in that division.

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