Modern Dance Competition: What It Is, Where It’s Run and How It’s Judged

A solo or group modern dance performance, described as hip hop and jazz, danced to music within a set time limit and rated on choreography, musicality and movement.

Modern Dance is the class for entries built on current, studio-taught styles rather than a traditional or classical form. The category is described as hip hop and jazz, so a dancer or team may bring a groove-based hip hop routine, a sharp jazz piece with isolations and kicks, or a blend of the two, as long as the piece is clearly modern in feel.

In eTalenter’s data the item belongs to an international youth performing arts championship held in Malaysia, where it is the third of the dance categories. It runs as Solo, a single dancer, and as Group, a team, each in age bands from Under 6 up to Open age. The template carries sixteen assignments for it, one for every band in each format, open to boys and girls together, with no language requirement. The time limit is set to the printed maximum: 3 minutes for a solo and 5 minutes for a group.

A round is one stage performance. The dancer or team is announced, the track starts and the panel marks the piece as it unfolds, using the same three-part scheme as every dance category in this championship. Music, costume and any short entrance are the organiser’s matters; the template prints no rule on them.

Organisers run Modern Dance because it is the class most dance-school students already train for, and because a single marking scheme lets a six-year-old’s first solo and an Open-age crew be ranked fairly within their own bands. For a coordinator using eTalenter it is entered like any other item: register each soloist or team in the right age band, record the panel’s marks out of 100, and ranking and awards follow within each band.

Where Modern Dance is run

In eTalenter’s data this item appears on one template, an international youth performing arts championship run from Malaysia, listed under the Dance category. Other modern-style dance classes exist elsewhere in the data under different titles; this page describes only the format that this template defines.

• Malaysia (host of the grand final), with qualifying stages in several countries

Key facts

• Two formats: Solo (individual) and Group (team), each in age bands Under 6, 8, 10, 12, 14, 16, 18 and Open.
• Described as hip hop and jazz, so both styles are accepted.
• Boys and girls compete together; no language requirement.
• Maximum time in the template: 3 minutes for a solo and 5 minutes for a group.
• Rated out of 100 on three criteria: Choreography 40, Musicality and Rhythm 20, Movement and Performance 40.
• Idea starters, not rules: a routine built around one hip hop groove, a jazz piece with a clear storyline, a crew formation piece with a surprise change of level, a mashup of two tempos.

On eTalenter, Modern Dance 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, Modern Dance 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 Modern Dance

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

• Choreography (40%): an opening that catches the eye, moves that build rather than repeat, formations and levels that use the whole stage, and a clear finish.
• Musicality and rhythm (20%): hits on the beat, accents that match the track, and a pace the dancer can hold to the end without rushing.
• Movement and performance (40%): clean execution of the style, control in isolations and freezes, energy, facial expression and confidence.
• Style clarity: a hip hop entry should read as hip hop and a jazz entry as jazz; a muddle of unrelated moves is harder to mark well.
• Age fit: moves the dancer can do cleanly at their age band score better than difficult tricks that go wrong.
• In a group, sync and spacing: matching timing, even lines and quick, tidy transitions between formations.

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

How to prepare for Modern Dance

How entrants and their teachers usually get Modern Dance right on the day:

• Choose one clear style and build the routine around two or three signature moves rather than a long list of different ones.
• Edit the track to the time limit with a few seconds in hand, and rehearse with the exact file you will bring.
• Plan the first eight counts and the final pose carefully, because the panel remembers the start and the finish.
• Work on stamina: run the full routine twice back to back in training so the last thirty seconds are as sharp as the first.
• In a group, count aloud in early rehearsals, mark positions with tape and practise transitions slowly before adding speed.
• Film a run-through and watch it three times, once for each criterion: shape, timing, then technique.
• Check footwear, grip on the stage surface and costume movement before the day, and carry a spare copy of the music on a second device.

Frequently asked questions

Is Modern Dance 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 Modern Dance the same as Contemporary Dance?

No. This template runs them as separate categories, each with its own page and age bands. Modern Dance is described as hip hop and jazz; Contemporary Dance is a different class in the same championship.

Can I mix hip hop and jazz in one routine?

The category names both styles and the template prints no rule against blending them. Ask the organiser if you want to be certain, and keep the mix clear enough for the panel to follow.

How long can a Modern Dance performance be?

In this template the limit is 3 minutes for a solo and 5 minutes for a group. The organiser’s own rules also print a lower limit, which the template does not carry, so check it when you enter.

Is it judged individually or as a team?

Both formats exist. A solo is an individual entry and a group is a team entry, each ranked within its own age band.

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