Jazz/Hip Hop Competition: What It Is, Where It’s Run and How It’s Judged

A dance section for the youngest entrants, and for pairs, in which the performer chooses jazz or hip hop movement for a routine of up to three minutes, marked out of 100.

Jazz/Hip Hop is a combined style section: the entrant may bring a jazz routine, built on sharp lines, kicks, turns and a strong sense of rhythm, or a hip hop routine, which draws on grounded steps, isolations, groove and street-influenced attitude. Organisers combine the two because at the youngest ages and in small duo fields the styles overlap heavily, and splitting them would leave sections with one or two entries. It sits in a programme beside the stand-alone Jazz and Hip Hop sections that older solo dancers enter.

A round is one routine on the floor, announced, performed to the dancer’s own music and judged as it happens. The adjudicator looks for energy that is controlled rather than frantic, steps that land on the beat, clear shapes and level changes, and a dancer who is obviously enjoying the piece. With very young children the judging leans on rhythm, memory of the routine and confidence on stage; with pairs it adds matched timing and how well the two dancers share the floor.

In eTalenter’s data the section appears on one Australian dance challenge. For the youngest solo group, Babies 5 and under, it is a solo for boys and girls together with a three minute limit. It is also a duo section across six age divisions, from 6 and under up to 16 and over, again three minutes each, and the same title is listed for the two youngest troupe divisions with a five minute limit. The marking is out of 100. The template prints no criteria for the item, so none are installed here and the adjudicator’s own sheet applies.

Organisers keep the section because it gives a small child a first stage experience without forcing an early choice of style, and lets a duo blend the two. For a coordinator using eTalenter the item is entered like any other: register the dancer or pair in the right age group, record the mark out of 100 and let the placings follow within the group.

Where Jazz/Hip Hop is run

In eTalenter’s data a section titled Jazz/Hip Hop appears on one Australian amateur dance challenge, as a solo for the youngest children, a duo section across six age divisions and a troupe section for the two youngest troupe divisions. Combined style sections of this kind are common in dance eisteddfods and competitions; this page does not claim wider reach than the template and well-established general practice support.

• Australia

Key facts

• A combined style section: the entrant chooses jazz or hip hop movement, or blends the two.
• Format on the template: solo (Babies 5 and under), duo (six age divisions, 6 and under to 16 and over) and small and large troupe (5 and under only).
• Time limits: 3 minutes for the solo and duo sections and 5 minutes for the troupe sections. Marks out of 100 under the label Marks.
• Boys and girls compete together and no language is required.
• The template prints no judging criteria for the item, so none are installed; the adjudicator’s own sheet decides.
• Idea starters, not rules: a routine built on a favourite animal or toy that moves in jazz style then freezes into hip hop poses, a duo that mirrors each other then swaps roles, or a short story of getting ready for a party.

On eTalenter, Jazz/Hip Hop 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, Jazz/Hip Hop is most often entered as an Team competition, typically scored out of 100, commonly time-limited to 3–5 minutes where a limit is set.

What judges look at in Jazz/Hip Hop

What a Jazz/Hip Hop panel is actually weighing up, and where the marks are usually won or lost:

• Rhythm and musicality: steps landing on the beat and a routine that follows the music’s energy rather than running ahead of or behind it.
• Technique and control: clean jazz lines, balanced turns and kicks, and hip hop moves that are grounded and sharp rather than loose or rushed.
• Style clarity: a jazz or hip hop identity that is clear from the first phrase, or a blend that is deliberate rather than accidental.
• Performance and confidence: facial expression, stage presence and enjoyment, which carry real weight with young dancers.
• Choreography and use of space: changes of level, direction and pace, with the floor used evenly; for duos, matched timing and awareness of each other.
• Presentation: costume and music edit suited to the dancer’s age, and a routine that finishes within the time limit.

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

How to prepare for Jazz/Hip Hop

How entrants and their teachers usually get Jazz/Hip Hop right on the day:

• Decide the style on purpose: choose jazz, hip hop or a clear blend before choreographing so the movement language stays consistent.
• Keep the routine age-appropriate and short enough to remember: a routine the child knows well beats a harder one they have to think about.
• Pick music with a steady beat the dancer can count, and edit it so it ends cleanly inside the time limit.
• Practise the entrance and exit as part of the routine, including walking on, taking the starting pose and holding the finish.
• For duos, rehearse spacing, entry counts and eye contact until the pair moves together without watching each other’s feet.
• Run the routine on a floor like the competition one and in the shoes that will be worn, so there are no surprises on the day.
• Rehearse the performance, not just the steps: smile, project and keep going if a step is missed.

Frequently asked questions

Is Jazz/Hip Hop 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.

Is Jazz/Hip Hop the same as Jazz or Hip Hop?

No. It is a combined section, so the entrant may choose either style or blend them. Older solo dancers on the same template enter the stand-alone Jazz and Hip Hop sections instead.

How long can a Jazz/Hip Hop routine be?

On the template the solo and duo sections have a three minute limit and the troupe sections a five minute limit. Check the organiser’s own syllabus for the event you are entering.

Is Jazz/Hip Hop judged individually or as a team?

It depends on the section. The Babies solo is judged on the individual dancer, a duo is judged as a pair and a troupe as a group, each marked out of 100.

Are there printed judging criteria?

The template prints none for this item, so the adjudicator’s own sheet applies. Typical areas are rhythm, technique, style, performance and presentation.

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