A solo dance class judged on entertainment value rather than technique, carried on one Australian dance series template with a three-minute limit, a mark out of 100 and a single winning place.
The Outstanding Entertainer is a showcase solo class for the dancer who holds an audience best. Unlike most dance classes, which reward technical command of one style, it asks a simpler question: who was the most entertaining performer on the stage? A dancer can bring any style they like, and the piece succeeds through personality, timing, connection with the audience and the sense that the performer enjoys every second.
In eTalenter data the item appears on a single template, a multi-location Australian dance competition series. It offers two divisions, Juniors 12 and under and Seniors 13 and over, each with a three-minute limit. It is an individual item, boys and girls together, with no language requirement and a maximum score of 100. The series’ own rules describe it as judged on entertainment value rather than technique, with no written critique and only first place awarded.
Because the series does not print a technical mark sheet for this class, the template carries no judging criteria for it, and none are invented here. What it does carry is the structure: two divisions, a time limit, a mark out of 100 and a single winner. Adjudicators therefore score by overall impression, so the result depends on how clearly the performance lands with the room.
For organisers, the class runs like any individual item. Register each dancer in the right division, record every adjudicator’s mark and let the ranking produce the winner. Any entry conditions the series applies, such as which dancers may enter or how the class is scheduled, are the series’ own rules and are not enforced by the software, so check eligibility at entry.
Where Outstanding Entertainer is run
In eTalenter data Outstanding Entertainer appears on one Australian dance series template. Showcase and entertainer awards exist in many dance competitions and concerts, but this page describes only what that template carries.
- Australia
Key facts
- Individual entry; boys and girls compete together; no language requirement is printed.
- Two divisions: Juniors 12 and under and Seniors 13 and over.
- Time limit: three minutes in both divisions, longer than the two minutes of the scholarship classes on the same template.
- Maximum score is 100; the series judges it on entertainment value, not technique, and prints no criteria or critique for it.
- Only first place is awarded in the series, unlike troupes and championships which place first to third.
- Idea, not a rule: build a three-minute piece around one strong character or mood, with an opening that grabs attention and an ending the audience can applaud.
On eTalenter, Outstanding Entertainer 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, Outstanding Entertainer is most often entered as an Individual competition, typically scored out of 100, commonly time-limited to around 3 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 Outstanding Entertainer
What a Outstanding Entertainer panel is actually weighing up, and where the marks are usually won or lost:
- Entertainment value is the whole brief: the panel is asking whether the dancer held the room from the first beat to the last pose.
- Connection with the audience: eye line, facial expression and energy that reaches the back row, not just the judges’ table.
- Showmanship and personality: a clear character or story that is the dancer’s own rather than a copy of a famous routine.
- Pacing across three minutes: variety of tempo and mood so the piece builds rather than repeating one idea.
- Confidence under pressure: a mistake carried off with a smile costs less than a dancer who visibly loses focus.
Treat these as the judging focus, not a fixed rubric: publish your own weighted criteria for Outstanding Entertainer under Scoring Setup, or start from the full group dance judging criteria guide.
How to prepare for Outstanding Entertainer
How entrants and their teachers usually get Outstanding Entertainer right on the day:
- Read the organiser’s rules to see how entries to this class are made, since conditions are the series’ own and not enforced by the software.
- Choose a style the dancer is comfortable in; this class rewards ease and enjoyment more than the hardest trick.
- Pick music with clear changes of mood so there are natural places for surprises, quiet moments and a big finish.
- Time the whole piece, including entrance and exit, and finish a few seconds inside three minutes.
- Rehearse facing an audience of friends and ask them what they remember afterwards; that is what an entertainer is judged on.
- Practise the first ten seconds and the last ten seconds more than any other part, because that is when impressions are formed.
- Choose a costume that fits the character and moves safely, and rehearse in it.
Ready-made templates that already include this competition. Installing one sets it up for you.Events that run this (1)
Frequently asked questions
Is Outstanding Entertainer judged individually or as a team?
Across eTalenter’s templates it’s most often run as an Individual entry, though an organiser can set either participation type when assigning the item to an age group.
How long is the Outstanding Entertainer?
On the template that carries it the limit is three minutes in both the Juniors 12 and under and the Seniors 13 and over divisions. Check the organiser’s own rules for the event you are entering.
Is it judged on technique?
Not in the series that carries it. Its rules describe the class as judged on entertainment value rather than technique, and it carries no written critique or criteria.
How many places are awarded?
The series awards first place only for this class, while troupes and championships on the same template are placed first to third.
Is it judged individually or as a team?
It is an individual item, boys and girls together. Group dances are separate classes such as the troupes.
Want the full judging picture? Read the full group dance judging criteria guide, or browse every dance competition item.
Try Outstanding Entertainer in eTalenter
See every ready-made template that runs Outstanding Entertainer, and install one as a live event — age groups, rules and scoring included.
