Choreography Competition

Mandatory Team Meeting

• All teams should arrive at the mandatory meeting with many dance themes and songs in mind. Theme selection order will be determined by the spin of a wheel. No two teams may have the same theme, as determined by the Director and Assistant Director of Choreography. Each organization will be judged on dress and music meeting the specific theme/guidelines.
• Stage dimensions will be as follows: (40 ft. x 24 ft.)

Admission to the Competition

• Student Organization wristbands for competition teams will be provided to teams at the Mandatory Rehearsal. Organizations have a maximum of 225 block seats for their members.
• General Admission tickets are $15, faculty/staff $12, students $10, children $8 and will be on sale starting October 1. Visit Registration to purchase tickets. Guests with general admission tickets will need to print or download their Electronic Ticket and bring it with them to be scanned at the entrance.
• We cannot guarantee there will be unsold tickets and highgly recommend tickets be purchased in advance. If tickets are sold on site, they will also be sold via the online portal only, no cash will be accepted.

Rules

• All choreography must be original. If we find that the choreography has copied or is identical to any outside work, professional or not, disqualification will occur.
• No props (i.e. backdrops, special effects, weapons, fog, strobe lights, signs, skates, roller blades). However, extra clothes may be allowed if they remain in hand. May have hats, bandanas, and sunglasses but must stay on the person.
• Costumes will have a monetary limit of $40 per costume. A receipt with prices will need to be submitted with sketches. Must have receipts of each item, the total cost of the entire purchase, and the individual cost of each item.
• Outfit sketches must be turned into the Director of Choreography electronically by 11:59 p.m. Friday, October 10. Sketches should consist of pictures of items or screenshots from a store’s website. Director and Assistant Director of Choreography, Director of Rules and Regulations, Executive Director and any advisor have the right to suggest/require any costume change.
• All costumes must be appropriate. Absolutely no exposed midriffs. Spaghetti straps and v-neck attire not recommended; Director and Assistant Director of Choreography, Director of Rules and Regulations, the Executive Director of Homecoming, and any advisor have the right to disqualify teams who do not adhere to this rule. All costumes will be reviewed for appropriateness at the official Choreography Practice.
• No Greek letters, student org, or group identification may be worn or referenced in music.
• All organizations must have an alternative group name to be used during the performance for their team.
• Choreographers/Coaches must be a current UA Student and active member of the participating student organization/chapter. All dance resources and competition components (including choreography, paid or unpaid professional assistance, cleaning dances, etc.) must come from within the chapter/student organization. Any outside help will result in point deduction or disqualification. (Does not include music mix)
• No more than 3 choreographers are permitted and must all be registered as a part of the submitted online registration. They must be listed as a part of the registration form to be permitted as choreographers.
• All organizations will submit documentation of the location and times in which they will practice. This information will be collected electronically by Friday, October 10 at 11:59 p.m. and will be kept confidential. This information must be in the Box before practices may begin.
• Practice dates and locations are official once submitted, if they are to change both the Director and Assistant Director must be notified at least 36 hours in advance. Failure to adhere can result in a point deduction.
• Practices must be at a location on UA campus. No practices are permitted in the Coleman Coliseum or any other adjacent space/athletic facility. This also includes off-campus spaces, facilities, gyms, and dance studios (exceptions are at the discretion of the Director and Assistant Director). Failure to adhere to this rule will result in a 25-point deduction per occurrence or disqualification.
• An official rehearsal time will be provided for review of your choreography. The practice will be held at the University Recreation Center on Wednesday, November 5 or Thursday, November 6, and is not counted as part of your 15 practices.
• Choreography must be performed “full out” at the mandatory practices.
• No practices are to be held before Monday, October 6 at 8 a.m. The roster, practice times, and locations must be submitted to begin practicing.
• Each organization is allowed a maximum of 15 practices. There may be no more than one practice per day.
• No practice shall last longer than 2 hours and may not begin before 5 a.m. or continue after 12 a.m.
• The entire performance and music mix may not exceed 2 minutes and 45 seconds. Teams will be allowed to enter the stage at the start of their introduction video, and their music mix will begin immediately after the video concludes. Teams must quickly exit the stage the moment their music ends. Exceeding the time limit will result in a point deduction.
• Groups must enter and exit the stage as directed by choreography team members and to maximize the flow of the event.
• Only individuals who are participating in the on-stage portion of the contest will be allowed on the Coliseum Floor at any time. Choreographers, makeup artists, assistants, etc. are not permitted on the floor.
• A spin of the wheel will determine the order of appearance. You will be told your group number at the mandatory choreography meeting.
• No throwing anything on to gym floor or floor of the stage.
• Possession and/or consumption of alcoholic beverages are prohibited, as it is at all University events. Presence or smell of alcohol will result in disqualification.
• All team members must have a homecoming waiver on file.
• Director and Assistant Director of Choreography, Director of Homecoming, Director of Rules and Regulations, or any advisor has the right to disqualify a group if they are failing to follow the theme or are found to be cheating in any way.
• A disqualified group will not be scored in the Choreography Competition the year following their disqualification, though they may be allowed to perform.
• At the mandatory practice, one member must be in full costume, and the dance will be filmed, which means your group is required to do the choreography “full out.” Failure to allow filming will result in disqualification. Any changes other than those suggested by the Director and Assistant Director of Choreography, Director of Homecoming, Director of Rules and Regulations, and any advisor, to the dance after this time will lead to point reduction or disqualification.
• Your group must be present at your assigned time for practice, or your group will not be allowed to perform in the competition. Full Groups do not have to be in costume for practice, but one member must bring a costume and wear it throughout dance and for photo documentation. Costumes on the day of the competition must be identical to the photo taken at practice, unless changes were requested. Requested changes should be implemented.
• A group’s individual theme will be selected on the night of the mandatory meeting, and each organization will have to incorporate their specific theme into their preparations or music construction (whichever requested). Organization’s dress and music must represent the guidelines provided.
• The choreography committee and directors hold the right to drop into any practice at any time.

Submission Guidelines

• Electronic music files must be ready for the practice on Wednesday, November 5 or Thursday, November 6. Group name must be in file when sent electronically. No explicit lyrics are allowed. Each mix has a limit of 6 songs. Because of the possibility of malfunction, please bring an extra copy on the night of the performance if it is needed.
• Each organization must submit their chosen team’s name, selected music and lyrics electronically to the Director/Assistant Director of Choreography and Executive Director by Friday, October 10 at 11:50 p.m. CST.
• Each organization is allowed one re-submission of their team name/music without deduction or fine if it is ruled inappropriate by the Director and Assistant Director of Choreography, Executive Director, Director of Rules and Regulations, or any homecoming advisor. At that point, it is the expectation that all items requested for change are modified for the music to get in compliance.
• After one re-submission, each additional change will result in a $150 fine to that organization. All changes requested, should be resubmitted for review within 24 hours of notice.
• A $50 fine and a 10-point deduction will follow for any group that does not resubmit changes in a timely manner or that resubmits a tape without modifying the requested changes. Upon receiving their third fine, a team will be disqualified from competing.
• Changing a practice time, date, or location without updating it on their schedule or calendar in the Box will result in a 25-point deduction.

Dance Moves/Mechanics

• The following guidelines apply to moves that are not permitted. While this list may be specific, it is not exhaustive and the Director of Choreography, Rules/Regulation, Exec Director, and/or Advisor have the right to suggest or remove other moves, if deemed necessary or a potential danger risk. Here are a few not permitted:
  1. No dancer may be lifted off the floor by another dancer(s).
  2. No Stunts/ Lifts
  3. No Tumbling (ariels, back handsprings, layouts, etc.)
  4. No Kip ups
  5. No Headstands
  6. No Headsprings
  7. No Rubber bands
• Dance routines should reflect the character of their organization and the diversity of our audience who will be in attendance on the night of the show.
• Director and Assistant Director of Choreography, Director of Homecoming, Director of Rules and Regulations, and any advisor has the right to suggest changes if the feel that choreography is dangerous, inappropriate, or would lead to disqualification. Be aware that not implementing a requested change may result in deductions per infraction or possibly disqualification.

Seating and Coliseum Behavior

• No one is allowed into the Coleman Coliseum until an hour before the competition. (5 p.m. Tuesday, November 11). Disorderly conduct or behavior by any organization upon entering the Coliseum will result in disqualification.
• No individuals/groups are allowed to line up and wait outside the Coliseum until 4:30 p.m. or they will be disqualified.
• Each competing team will be given equal time on stage on the day of competition to familiarize dancers with the size and feel of the stage, with exact timing TBA closer to date of competition.
• No glitter on any signs/people. No confetti. No making signs at the Coliseum. No paint allowed on person’s that may get on seats, etc. (body paint, sign paint, etc.); No throwing items onto the gym floor or in stands.
• A block seating system will be implemented at the choreography event. All participating organizations will have a set number of reserved seats. Prior to 5:45 p.m., any person seated in another organization’s block seating area will be asked to move. After that time, any remaining empty seats will be made available to all audience members.
• Posters, spirit wear, etc. at the competition if left will be a 5 pt deduction for each left.

People’s Choice

• After the competition, the People’s Choice award link will go live on the Homecoming Instagram along with the videos of each team’s performance.
• It will be a form that allows only one submission per person.
• The form will close at 11:59 p.m. CST on Thursday, November 13, and the winner will receive 25 points.

New for 2025 – Introduction Video

• Each team will be required to film an introduction video explaining the theme and ideas that formed your choreography. The video must be submitted in the Box by 11:59 p.m. on Friday, October 31.
• This video must be unedited, filmed in one take, and less than 30 seconds long.
• Everyone must wear all black.
• There must be no sorority identifiers or letters in the background or any part of the video. A retake will be requested if found.

Scoring

The following ten categories (each bulleted item) will be scored on a scale from one to five, with one being “poor” and five being “best.”