A group hip hop section for a small troupe of four to ten dancers, performing a choreographed routine built on grooves, tight hits and street-dance vocabulary within a strict five-minute limit.
A hip hop small troupe is a rehearsed group routine for a modest-sized team, typically a studio class, a school crew or a community group. With at least four dancers there is room for formations, call-and-response phrases and moments where the group splits into pairs and trios, yet the stage is never so full that a single dancer’s slip goes unseen. The routine is set in advance, and the troupe supplies its own choreography and music.
Hip hop dance grew out of the street and club culture of New York in the 1970s, and competition routines still borrow from that source: grounded bounces and rocks, sharp isolations, popping-style hits, footwork, freezes and character-led attitude. A strong small-troupe number chooses a clear concept or mood, matches its movement to the beat and the lyrics, and uses changes of level and direction so the pattern on stage keeps moving.
On the entry form the act is a team entered in one age division. The template that carries this section uses seven team divisions: 5 and under, 6 and under, 8 and under, 10 and under, 12 and under, 14 and under and 15 and over, taken from the average age of the troupe at the start of the competition year. Boys and girls may dance together, and each division is marked out of 100 under the label Marks. The source syllabus defines a small troupe as four to ten dancers and sets a five-minute limit for every troupe.
Organisers add a separate small-troupe class so a ten-strong act is not judged against a twenty-strong one, and because a crew-style number reads very differently with a big cast. The syllabus says the small and large sections run only if entries are sufficient, so a coordinator should confirm the final section list once entries close.
Where Hip Hop Small Troupe is run
In the eTalenter catalogue this exact section appears on one template, an amateur studio dance competition in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, where hip hop is one of eleven troupe styles and runs in small and large classes. Hip hop troupe or crew classes are a regular part of studio, school and eisteddfod dance programmes in many countries, usually split by age and by group size.
- Australia
Key facts
- Team entry of four to ten dancers, boys and girls together, in hip hop style
- Seven team age divisions: 5/U, 6/U, 8/U, 10/U, 12/U, 14/U and 15/O, using the average age of the troupe at the start of the competition year
- Five-minute limit for every troupe in this template; the source syllabus attaches a five-point deduction to an act that breaches the time limit
- Marked out of 100 (Marks); the syllabus prints no criteria or placings, so organisers add their own
- Runs only if entries are sufficient, and is separate from the large-troupe section for eleven or more dancers
- The act brings its own choreography and music, and a troupe may not dance more than twice in a troupe section
On eTalenter, Hip Hop Small Troupe 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, Hip Hop Small Troupe is most often entered as an Team competition, typically scored out of 100, commonly time-limited to around 5 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 Hip Hop Small Troupe
What a Hip Hop Small Troupe panel is actually weighing up, and where the marks are usually won or lost:
- Rhythm and musicality: movement lands on the beat, accents follow the music, and the troupe stays together through tempo changes
- Hip hop technique: grooves, bounces, isolations, footwork and freezes are clean and controlled rather than loose or rushed
- Style and character: the routine reads as hip hop, with genuine attitude and individual swagger rather than generic jazz or aerobics movement
- Choreography and formations: transitions, level changes and patterns use the whole stage and suit the size of the troupe
- Unison and spacing: shared hits are exactly together, deliberate offsets look intentional, and nobody is crowded or hidden
- Performance and presentation: energy and eye contact held for the full routine, with costume and music that suit the age group
Treat these as the judging focus, not a fixed rubric: publish your own weighted criteria for Hip Hop Small Troupe under Scoring Setup, or start from our group dance judging criteria guide.
How to prepare for Hip Hop Small Troupe
How entrants and their teachers usually get Hip Hop Small Troupe right on the day:
- Count the troupe before entering, because four to ten dancers is a small troupe and one extra dancer moves the act to the large class
- Cut the music to fit well inside five minutes, since a breach of the time limit costs five points in this template’s source syllabus
- Drill the foundation moves on their own, such as grooves, bounces and footwork, until the whole troupe produces the same shape and weight
- Mark floor spots for every formation and rehearse the transitions slowly, then at full speed, so no dancer needs to look for their place
- Film full run-throughs and check hits frame by frame; hip hop accents are short, so a half-beat gap shows clearly
- Choose music with age-appropriate lyrics and a clear beat, and make a clean backup copy for the day
- Build in one moment of contrast, such as a freeze, a slow section or a solo spotlight, so the number has a shape and not only a speed
- Check every dancer’s age against the cut-off date before entry, because the whole troupe is placed by its average age
Ready-made templates that already include this competition. Installing one sets it up for you.Events that run this (1)
Frequently asked questions
Is Hip Hop Small Troupe judged individually or as a team?
Across eTalenter’s templates it’s most often run as an Team entry, though an organiser can set either participation type when assigning the item to an age group.
How many dancers make a small hip hop troupe?
In this template a small troupe is four to ten dancers and eleven or more belong in the large troupe. Always check the organiser’s own definition for the event you are entering.
How long can a hip hop troupe routine be?
Five minutes in this template. Other events use different limits, and a late finish can cost points, so the organiser’s notice is the one that counts.
Do we choose our own music?
Yes. A troupe brings its own choreography and music, unlike a solo or duo elimination where the organiser may allocate the track.
How is the age division decided?
By the average age of the troupe at the start of the competition year in this template, so one older or younger dancer does not move the whole act.
Similar competitions
Items whose names share a word with this one — usually the same discipline in another form.
Want the full judging picture? Read our group dance judging criteria guide, or browse every dance competition item.
Try Hip Hop Small Troupe in eTalenter
See every ready-made template that runs Hip Hop Small Troupe, and install one as a live event — age groups, rules and scoring included.
