A group lyrical dance section for a large troupe of eleven or more dancers, using the full width of the stage to turn a song or a feeling into sweeping, expressive choreography within a five-minute limit.
A lyrical large troupe is a rehearsed group number for eleven or more dancers who move to the meaning of the music rather than only its beat. Lyrical borrows its line, turns and extensions from ballet and jazz, but the mood is softer and more personal, so the song or the emotion behind it drives every phrase. With a big team the picture on stage changes: instead of a handful of faces, the audience sees waves, diagonals, circles and layered levels that carry the feeling across the whole floor.
The craft of a large lyrical act is organisation. A choreographer usually divides the troupe into groups that take turns leading, so a ripple of arms can travel from one side of the stage to the other, a canon can build from a single dancer to the whole company, and a quiet solo or pair can be framed by the rest standing still. Sustained arm lines, balances, pirouettes, floor sweeps and travelling leaps are common, and the best acts keep the stage balanced so no corner looks empty and no cluster looks crowded.
On the entry form the act is a team entered in one age division. In the Sydney template that carries this section there are 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, decided by the average age of the troupe at 1 January of the competition year. Boys and girls may dance together, each division is marked out of 100 under the label Marks, and the time limit is five minutes. The syllabus defines a large troupe as eleven or more dancers and says small and large sections run only if entries are sufficient.
Organisers keep large troupes apart from small ones because the challenges differ. A twelve-strong team has to keep unison across wide distances and handle many transitions, while a four-dancer team is judged on closeness and detail; putting them in one class would favour one or the other. Lyrical is also kept separate from jazz and contemporary because it rewards story and emotional connection above attack or experimental floor work, so a coordinator should confirm the final class list once entries close.
Where Lyrical Large Troupe is run
In the eTalenter catalogue this section appears on two dance templates in New South Wales, Australia: an amateur two-day studio competition in Sydney, where lyrical runs as small and large troupe classes, and a September troupes-only competition in the same state, which sets a four-minute limit and its own troupe size bands (the larger band there starts at twelve dancers, not eleven). Lyrical and contemporary troupe 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 eleven or more dancers in the Sydney template, boys and girls together, in lyrical style
- Seven team age divisions there: 5/U, 6/U, 8/U, 10/U, 12/U, 14/U and 15/O, placed by the average age of the troupe at 1 January 2026
- Five-minute limit in the Sydney template; the September troupes template uses four minutes and counts twelve or more dancers as large
- Marked out of 100 (Marks); neither source syllabus prints criteria or placings, so organisers add their own
- Runs only if entries are sufficient, and sits beside the separate small-troupe section for four to ten dancers
- The troupe brings its own choreography and music
On eTalenter, Lyrical Large Troupe is filed under Dance and typically scored with Marks. It appears in 2 ready-made event templates — each one can adjust its time limit, age-group assignment and scoring setup independently.
Across the templates that use it, Lyrical Large Troupe is most often entered as an Team competition, typically scored out of 100, commonly time-limited to 4–5 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 Lyrical Large Troupe
What a Lyrical Large Troupe panel is actually weighing up, and where the marks are usually won or lost:
- Emotional connection: the whole company shows the feeling of the music in face and breath, so the story still reads from the back of the hall
- Musicality: phrasing follows the lyrics or melody, with movement that swells and settles with the music instead of only counting beats
- Unison and timing across distance: shared phrases land together even when dancers stand at opposite sides of the stage, and canons are deliberately offset, not accidentally late
- Spacing and formations: patterns are clean, evenly filled and well rehearsed, with no dancer hidden, crowded or searching for a spot
- Technique and line: turns, leaps, balances and extensions are controlled across the whole troupe, not only the strongest few
- Choreography and presentation: use of levels and stage, costume that suits the mood and age, and energy held to the final pose
Treat these as the judging focus, not a fixed rubric: publish your own weighted criteria for Lyrical Large Troupe under Scoring Setup, or start from our group dance judging criteria guide.
How to prepare for Lyrical Large Troupe
How entrants and their teachers usually get Lyrical Large Troupe right on the day:
- Count the troupe on the entry date, because eleven or more is a large troupe and losing two dancers to illness can drop the act into the small class
- Choose the music first and write one sentence about what the dance is saying, then test every section of the choreography against it
- Cut the track to fit inside the time limit with a few seconds to spare, since the organiser notice decides what a breach costs
- Tape or chalk the stage spots for every formation and rehearse transitions slowly before full speed, so a big team never bunches up
- Rehearse in sub-groups first, then add the whole troupe; large teams lose unison when only full run-throughs are practised
- Film from the front and from above if possible, because a gap or a late arm that is invisible on the floor shows clearly on video
- Teach reserve dancers the whole piece so one absence on the day does not rewrite the formations
- Check every dancer age against the cut-off date, 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 (2)
Frequently asked questions
Is Lyrical Large 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 large lyrical troupe?
In the Sydney template a large troupe is eleven or more dancers and four to ten belong in the small troupe. The September troupes template counts twelve or more as large, so always check the size rule for the event you are entering.
How long can a large lyrical troupe routine be?
Five minutes in the Sydney template and four in the September troupes template. A late finish can cost points, so the organiser notice is the one that counts.
Is lyrical the same as contemporary?
No. Lyrical follows the story or emotion of the music with a ballet-and-jazz line, while contemporary is freer, with floor work and abstract ideas. Many events judge them as separate sections.
Do we bring our own music and choreography?
Yes. A troupe brings its own choreography and music, and organisers normally ask for the track to be supplied in advance in the format they specify.
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.
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See every ready-made template that runs Lyrical Large Troupe, and install one as a live event — age groups, rules and scoring included.
