A small-ensemble dance item in a national performing arts festival in Jamaica, where exactly four dancers perform one routine together, with four minutes on the clock and a score out of 100.
Dance – Quartet is a category in the Dance discipline of the Jamaican national performing arts festival that this template is rebuilt from. The name sets the size: a quartet is four dancers, no more and no fewer. It sits on the template between the larger group items (the popular dance categories, Dance Drama and Dance Skit) and the smaller ones that follow it in the list, Trio, Duet and Solo, so it is the point where a group becomes small enough that every single dancer is visible all the time.
That visibility is what makes the category its own. With four people there is nowhere to hide a late count or a weak line, but there is also real choreographic freedom: four can split into pairs, form a diamond, a line or a square, pass movement from one dancer to the next in canon, or break into two duets and come back together. A strong quartet uses all of those options on purpose instead of simply copying one dancer three times.
The extract used to build the template lists the category and its limits but prints no definition, no style requirement and no marking table, so this page does not claim what the festival demands. Organisers who run the category should say in the entry notice whether the routine must be in a single style or may mix styles, whether all four must be on stage throughout, whether props are allowed, and whether the four may be of mixed ages and genders within a class.
On the template the item is offered in all seven classes, from the youngest children (ages 3-6) through adults (20 and over) and the combined class. Every class has the same limits: four minutes with a warning bell at three, a score out of 100, both genders in one list, English as the language. One detail worth knowing before you set up registration: the template records the entry type as a single (individual) entry in every class rather than as a team, which suits a fixed group of four registered under one entry, and an organiser should decide how the four names are captured on the entry form.
A typical performance opens with all four in a clear starting shape, builds one or two ideas that make use of the small size, such as a pass-the-movement sequence or a split into pairs, and finishes with a held final picture that all four reach on the same count. Organisers like the category because it gives schools, studios and families a way to enter a small group that is too big for a duet but not big enough to fill a full-stage piece.
Where Dance – Quartet is run
On eTalenter this item is used in one template, the Jamaican national performing arts festival template, where it is assigned to all seven classes (six age bands from 3-6 up to adults aged 20 and over, plus a combined class) inside the Dance discipline. Fixed-size dance categories such as solo, duet, trio and quartet are a common way to organise dance competitions in school festivals, studio showcases and community arts events around the world, because they separate small ensembles from large groups; each event sets its own age bands, time limits and style rules, so read the notice of the event you are entering instead of assuming these limits.
- Jamaica (the national performing arts festival the template is built from)
Key facts
- Exactly four dancers perform one routine together; the size is what defines the category
- Open to both genders in a single list, with the language set to English
- Offered in all seven classes, from Class 1 (ages 3-6) to Class 6 (adults, 20 and over) and the combined class
- Four-minute limit with the warning bell at three minutes
- Scored out of 100 on the template; the festival awards medals against published mark bands, not first, second and third
- The template stores the entry type as a single (individual) entry in each class, so decide how the four dancers’ names are recorded on the entry form
- Sits beside Dance – Trio, Dance – Duet and Dance – Solo on the same template; the extract used for the template prints no definition and no per-criterion weights, so none are asserted here
On eTalenter, Dance – Quartet is filed under On Stage 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, Dance – Quartet is most often entered as an Individual competition, typically scored out of 100, commonly time-limited to around 4 minutes where a limit is set.
What judges look at in Dance – Quartet
What a Dance – Quartet panel is actually weighing up, and where the marks are usually won or lost:
- The source does not print this category’s marking table, so what follows is organiser guidance for agreeing yardsticks with the panel, not rules from the source
- Unison and ensemble: when the four move together, the timing, height, angle and finish of each movement match, and the group breathes as one
- Use of the four: formations, levels and pairings are chosen on purpose, with a reason for every split and regroup, rather than four people repeating the same steps in a row
- Spacing and floor pattern: the distances between dancers stay even and the diamonds, lines and squares are clean, including when the group travels
- Technique and quality of movement: each dancer’s control, posture and finish are strong enough that no one is the weak link in an exposed group of four
- Presentation and discipline: costume that looks like one piece, music edited to the piece, a clear opening and closing picture, and a finish inside the four-minute limit
Treat these as the judging focus, not a fixed rubric: publish your own weighted criteria for Dance – Quartet under Scoring Setup, or start from the full group dance judging criteria guide.
How to prepare for Dance – Quartet
How entrants and their teachers usually get Dance – Quartet right on the day:
- Ask the organiser in writing whether the four must stay in one style and whether all four must be on stage throughout, and keep the answer with your entry paperwork
- Choose four dancers of similar level and height where you can, because mismatches show up quickly in a group this small
- Design the routine around the number four: try canon, pairs and mirrored halves, and give each dancer a short moment at the front
- Mark the stage with tape in rehearsal and learn the pattern by counts and positions, then run it from every spot so the formation survives a different stage
- Film rehearsals from the front and compare the four bodies frame by frame to fix timing and arm height differences that the mirror hides
- Cut the music to a timed edit that ends on a definite last beat, and run it against the three-minute warning so the ending is a cue rather than a surprise
- Plan for a missing dancer: know who could step in and how the formation changes, since there is no larger group to cover a gap on the day
- With younger classes, keep phrases short and patterns simple, and rehearse the entrance and exit as carefully as the dance
Ready-made event templates that include Dance – Quartet
Open any template to preview it in eTalenter and install it as a live, editable event.
| Template | Category | Score label | Competitions |
|---|---|---|---|
| JCDC National Performing Arts Festival (Jamaica) | On Stage | Marks | 7 |
Frequently asked questions
Is Dance – Quartet 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.
What is a dance quartet?
A dance item for exactly four performers who present one routine together. The extract used for this template gives no further definition, so check the organiser’s notice for style and staging rules.
How is a quartet different from a trio or a duet?
Only by the number of dancers: four, three and two. The template lists Dance – Quartet, Dance – Trio and Dance – Duet as separate categories with the same limits, so register the group under the one that matches its size.
Is a quartet judged individually or as a team?
The four are judged together as one routine. The template stores the entry type as a single entry in each class, so the group is registered once; decide with your organiser how the four names are recorded.
How long can the piece be?
The template sets four minutes with a warning bell at three. A tighter routine that finishes cleanly inside the limit is better than one that fills every second.
How is it marked?
The template scores out of 100. The festival awards medals against mark bands, and the extract used for the template prints no per-criterion weights for this category, so an organiser using it should agree and publish their own.
Want the full judging picture? Read the full group dance judging criteria guide, or browse every on stage competition item.
Try Dance – Quartet in eTalenter
See every ready-made template that runs Dance – Quartet, and install one as a live event — age groups, rules and scoring included.
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