Grand Tournament Competition: What It Is, Where It’s Run and How It’s Judged

A solo dance final in which each dancer competes in one of six age divisions for the top placing of a national finals, scored out of 100 and banded into Blaze, Flame, Ember and Ignite.

The Grand Tournament is a title class rather than a style class. Where the other classes of a dance festival are named after what is danced (jazz, ballet, tap, hip hop), the tournament is named after what is at stake: the best solo of the age division, chosen from dancers who have already earned their place. In eTalenter data it appears on one template, the national finals of an Australian dance festival, where it sits beside the twelve style classes and is limited to dancers who reached the finals.

It is a solo contest with six age divisions, each with its own name: Be-Tiny for 6 and under, Be-Brave for 8 and under, Be-Lieve for 10 and under, Be-Tween for 12 and under, Be-Teen for 14 and under and Be-Yond for 15 and over. Age is counted as it stood when the dancer first took part in a regional round of that year, not on the day of the final. The template installs the six bands as whole-year groups that do not overlap, so a 12-and-under dancer is placed from 11 to 12 once the 10-and-under band is taken out. Boys and girls compete together and no language applies.

The organiser’s rule is that a dancer reaches the tournament by entering two solos at regional level. The data therefore treats the tournament as a second stage of the festival rather than a class anyone can walk into, and installs it as an individual entry. The rules sheet does not say what style the routine must be, so the data does not either: what a dancer performs, and whether it matches one of their regional solos, is a question for the organiser.

Each performance is marked out of 100. The marks are then banded: Blaze for 95 to 100, Flame for 86 to 94, Ember for 76 to 85 and Ignite for 75 and under. Placings run from first to fifth, with a trophy for the first three and a medal for fourth and fifth. The sheet prints no points for placings, so the template gives none. It also prints no time limit for this class and no judging criteria with marks, so neither is invented here.

Where Grand Tournament is run

The Grand Tournament exists in one template: the national finals of an Australian dance festival, run after a season of regional rounds. Nothing in the data shows it in any other competition, so this page does not claim a wider use. The idea behind it, a single title decided between the strongest soloists of each age division, is common in dance finals generally, but the rules, divisions and scoring on this page are the ones printed for that finals only.

• Australia

Key facts

• Individual entry: one dancer, one routine. Entry depends on having entered two solos at regional level, which the rules sheet prints as a qualifying rule rather than a field the platform scores.
• Six age divisions by name: Be-Tiny (6 and under), Be-Brave (8 and under), Be-Lieve (10 and under), Be-Tween (12 and under), Be-Teen (14 and under) and Be-Yond (15 and over). Age is taken at the dancer’s first regional of the year.
• Marked out of 100 with four bands: Blaze 95 to 100, Flame 86 to 94, Ember 76 to 85 and Ignite 75 and under.
• Placings first to fifth: trophy for first to third, medal for fourth and fifth. No bonus points are printed for placings.
• No time limit and no per-criterion marks are printed for this class. Boys and girls compete together and no language applies.
• Idea starters, not rules: choose the regional solo that scored best and tighten its ending; make the first eight counts the most memorable of the piece; plan one change of level or direction for the middle so a long stage is used; keep the costume simple enough to move in cleanly; rehearse a calm walk-on and a held final pose.

On eTalenter, Grand Tournament 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, Grand Tournament is most often entered as an Individual competition, typically scored out of 100.

What judges look at in Grand Tournament

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

• Overall command of the stage: in a title class the panel is choosing a winner, not grading a style, so the dancer who owns the space from the walk-on to the final pose usually reads as the strongest.
• Technical control for the age division: balance, extension, landings and clean finishes are judged against what is realistic for Be-Tiny or Be-Yond respectively. A younger dancer who does a simpler routine cleanly is ahead of one who attempts too much and loses control.
• Performance and expression: focus, facial engagement and energy through the last count. With no style to hide behind, a flat performance of a technically sound routine lands in the lower bands.
• Musicality and timing: phrasing with the track rather than only counting it, and a finish that ends with the music. The sheet prints no time limit for this class, so confirm the organiser’s limit before entering.
• Choreography and suitability: a beginning, a development and an ending that suit this dancer. A routine made for someone else’s strengths shows quickly in a final.
• Consistency with the regional solo: because entry depends on regional solos, the panel is likely to expect a routine at least as polished as the one that earned the place. Treat this as expectation, not a printed rule.

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

How to prepare for Grand Tournament

How entrants and their teachers usually get Grand Tournament right on the day:

• Confirm the qualifying rule with the organiser first: the sheet requires two solos entered at regional level. Check which regional results count and by what date, so the place is not lost on an entry technicality.
• Work out your age division from the rule, not the calendar: age is counted at your first regional of the year. A dancer close to a birthday should check which division they fall in before choosing a routine.
• Choose the routine that your best regional score came from, then remove anything that was shaky. A final rewards the cleaner version of a known routine more than a risky new one.
• Ask the organiser for the time limit, the music format and the rules on props and shoes. The sheet does not print a limit for this class, and the data does not model music file rules, pointe or tap shoe rules, so do not guess.
• Rehearse the walk-on and the final pose as part of the routine. In a final the first and last three seconds shape how the panel remembers the whole piece.
• Run the routine in the venue’s conditions: a different floor, a bigger stage, a short wait in the wings. Practise being calm before the music starts as much as the steps.
• Rehearse with a stopwatch and a phone filming from the front. Watch for the first lost count, drifting spacing, a late finish and any move that only works on a familiar floor.
• After the result, use the band as feedback: Ember to Flame is usually about control and clarity, Flame to Blaze about performance and commitment. Ask for any comments the organiser gives.

Frequently asked questions

Is Grand Tournament 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 a Grand Tournament in a dance competition?

It is a title class decided between the strongest soloists of each age division. In this template it is the finals class of an Australian dance festival, run beside the twelve style classes and open only to dancers who qualified through regional entries.

Can anyone enter the Grand Tournament?

No. The rules sheet says entry depends on having entered two solos at regional level, and the finals are limited to the festival’s top category. Check with the organiser which results count before you register.

What age divisions does it have?

Six: Be-Tiny (6 and under), Be-Brave (8 and under), Be-Lieve (10 and under), Be-Tween (12 and under), Be-Teen (14 and under) and Be-Yond (15 and over). Age is taken at the dancer’s first regional of that year.

How is the Grand Tournament scored?

Out of 100, banded as Blaze (95 to 100), Flame (86 to 94), Ember (76 to 85) and Ignite (75 and under). The sheet prints no per-criterion marks, so none are listed here.

How long can the routine be?

The rules sheet prints no time limit for this class, only 3 minutes for solos, duos and trios and Song and Dance in the style classes. Ask the organiser before you rehearse to a fixed length.

Is the Grand Tournament a team or an individual class?

Individual. It is installed as a solo entry, because entry depends on two regional solos, although the sheet does not print its entry type in so many words.

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