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

A dance-studio competition item in which a soloist or group performs a routine in the modern dance style, built on weight, breath and the floor, to music within a set time, and the panel marks it on printed criteria such as technique, stage presence, musicality and choreography.

Modern is the studio-competition name for dance that grew out of the twentieth-century concert-dance tradition rather than from ballet, jazz or street styles. Where ballet lifts and lengthens, modern tends to use weight: the back curves and releases, the dancer falls toward the floor and recovers, the breath drives the phrase, and the floor is a partner rather than something to leave as quickly as possible. In a multi-style dance competition it is entered as one class among several, so a studio with a strong modern programme can put its dancers up against others who train in the same vocabulary.

Every template that carries this item is based in the United States, and the shape of the class varies a good deal from one to the next. Some run it as a full set of formats (Solo, Duet/Trio, Small Group, Large Group and Line) with age bands from the very youngest dancers through to adults; one runs it for teams only, as a studio or school class; others split each age band into ability levels such as Beginner, Intermediate and Advanced. Boys and girls compete together and no language applies. Because the formats, bands and levels differ so much, the safest reading is that Modern is a style label on a routine, not a fixed set of rules.

A routine is a performance of a single piece, normally between about two and a half and four minutes for a solo or small group and longer for a large line or production. What the audience sees is usually a choreographed work with a clear idea behind it: a theme such as gravity, loss, pressure or release, expressed through contrast between heavy and light, still and moving, grounded and suspended. Costume is often plain and unfussy so that the shape of the body stays visible, and the music may be instrumental, a vocal piece with strong phrasing, or even silence broken by a few sounds.

The most closely documented version on the platform marks each routine out of 100 on four printed criteria: technique 40, stage presence and performance quality 30, musicality and timing 20, and choreography and staging 10. Several of the other templates score out of 300, which usually means the marks of three judges added together, but their individual criteria are not printed in the data, so this page does not claim a split for them. Whatever the rules sheet says, the pattern is consistent: control of the movement earns more than the number of tricks.

Where Modern comes from

The modern dance tradition began in the early twentieth century, when choreographers in the United States and Europe moved away from the rules of classical ballet and built their own techniques around breath, weight and the use of the floor. Several of those techniques are still taught in studios today, which is why the style carries distinct names from one school to another.

Where Modern is run

In eTalenter data Modern appears on eight dance and talent templates, all of them United States competitions: regional multi-style dance championships, studio-and-school contests, and community talent shows with a dance section. Some run it for every format and age band, one only for studio and school teams, and others split it by ability level. Time limits, age bands and score totals therefore differ from sheet to sheet, so the numbers on this page come from the closest-documented template and organisers should set their own.

• United States

Key facts

• Individual and team: the main template offers Modern as a Solo, Duet/Trio, Small Group (4 to 9 dancers), Large Group (10 to 19), Line (20 or more) or Grand Line (25 or more). One US contest runs it only as a team class.
• Age divisions differ by template. The main one uses Foundations 4-6, Junior 7-9, Intermediate 10-12, Teen 13-15, Senior 16-18 and Adult 19 and up; others use bands such as Mini, Petite, Junior, Teen, Senior and Adult, sometimes with Beginner, Intermediate and Advanced levels. Boys and girls compete together; no language applies.
• Maximum times on the main template, with no minimum: Solo 2:30, Duet/Trio 2:30, Small Group 2:45, Large Group 3:00, Line 5:00, Grand Line 7:00. Across the eight templates the class limits run from 2:00 for the shortest class up to 8:00 for a large production.
• Marked out of 100 on the main template: technique 40, stage presence and performance quality 30, musicality and timing 20, choreography and staging 10. Four of the eight templates use a total of 300 (three judges added together) instead.
• Highest score in an age division takes first place on the main template; the printed rules give no points for placings, and second and third are given only with ten or more entries.
• Idea starters, not rules: a solo built on one fall and recovery repeated in three different directions; a trio that passes a single shape from dancer to dancer; a line that begins in silence and adds one sound at a time; a piece about a heavy object that gradually becomes light.

On eTalenter, Modern is filed under Dance and typically scored with Marks. It appears in 8 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 is most often entered as an Team competition, typically scored out of 300, commonly time-limited to 2–8 minutes where a limit is set.

What judges look at in Modern

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

• Technique (40 on the main template): control of the movement from the centre of the body, the use of breath and weight, clean falls and recoveries, and how the dancer moves into and out of the floor. Slipping, rushing the descent or landing heavily by accident costs marks here first.
• Stage presence and performance quality (30): commitment to the idea of the piece. A modern routine without focus looks like a collection of shapes; one danced with intent holds the eye, even when the steps are simple.
• Musicality and timing (20): phrasing with the music rather than only counting it. Modern pieces often breathe against the beat, so a dancer who lands exactly on every count can still lose marks for ignoring the shape of the music.
• Choreography and staging (10): a clear beginning, development and ending, good use of the whole space, and movement that suits the dancers on stage. A routine that pushes a young dancer past what they can do cleanly usually scores worse than a simpler one done well.
• Group unison and spacing: in Duet/Trio, Small Group, Large Group and Line entries the panel reads the whole picture, so dancers who release, fall and recover at different speeds make the routine look untidy even when each one is individually strong.

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

How to prepare for Modern

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

• Start with one idea for the routine and let it decide the music, the costume and the movement. A modern piece with a clear idea is easier for the dancers to commit to and easier for the panel to follow.
• Spend time on the floor work as separate drills before putting it into the routine. Falls, rolls and recoveries should be quiet and controlled; practise them on the surface the competition will use if you can.
• Rehearse with the music from the first bar and with a stopwatch. Check your rules sheet for the time limit on your format and aim a few seconds under it, so a slow recovery or an extra breath does not push the finish over.
• Work on breath as part of the choreography. Mark where the dancer breathes in and out in the key phrases, and teach the group to move on the same breath so their timing matches without relying on counts.
• For team entries, film the run from the front and from above. Most lost marks in group modern come from uneven spacing and dancers who recover from a fall a beat later than the rest.
• Choose a costume that lets the body show and allows safe movement on the floor. Loose layers, long hems and slippery fabrics can catch or slide during a fall; check the rules for any restrictions and practise in the costume.
• After a result, ask for the scores by criterion. A low technique mark points to control and floor work; a low musicality mark points to phrasing and listening practice.

Frequently asked questions

Is Modern 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.

What is modern dance in a dance competition?

It is a style class for routines in the modern dance tradition, which uses weight, breath and the floor rather than the lifted lines of ballet. It is entered alongside classes such as jazz, lyrical and contemporary, and each is judged on the criteria printed for that event.

Is Modern the same as Contemporary?

Not on these templates: they are separate classes with their own entries. Modern leans on the older concert-dance techniques and a strong sense of weight, while contemporary tends to blend in other influences such as ballet and release technique. The criteria are normally the same, so ask your organiser how they tell the two apart.

How long can a modern routine be?

On the main template the maximum is 2:30 for a Solo or Duet/Trio, 2:45 for a Small Group, 3:00 for a Large Group, 5:00 for a Line and 7:00 for a Grand Line, with no minimum. Other templates set their own limits, so check your rules sheet.

Do dancers have to be barefoot?

The templates do not say. Many modern dancers work barefoot or in light foot coverings, but this page does not claim a rule, so confirm footwear with your organiser before the day.

Is Modern judged individually or as a team?

Both. A Solo is judged on the one dancer, while a Duet/Trio, Small Group, Large Group or Line is judged as a single routine, including how well the dancers match each other. One US contest on the platform runs Modern only as a team class.

Why do some templates score out of 300?

Several of the templates add the marks of three judges together, so a perfect score is 300 rather than 100. The individual criteria for those templates are not printed in the data, so confirm them with the organiser.

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