Including State, Houstonfest,
Sprachfest, Winterfest
Folk Dance Rules and
Criteria for Judging
(Underlining
denotes changes or additions to previous rules)
****There will
be no required dance.****
The
group must have the following items:
a. list of dancers names(3 copies)
b. documentation of the dances (3 copies)
c. a c.d player
or tape player, extension cord, own music for dances.
A school
may enter only one dance group. There will be a minimum number of 6
people and no maximum number. There can be as few as 4 dancers on
the stage performing, and there can be 16 or more depending on safety
considerations. The idea is to have a large dance group to be having
fun and to be able to go out and perform in the community to get your German
program some attention. It is also good to have a larger group so that
many people can know the dances, and you will have larger numbers for
substitution in case of illness or other conflicts.
Judges
Qualifications: No judge shall be anyone who has taught any German folk dances
at a high school that is participating in the Texas Sate German Contests(Houstonfest,
Sprachfest, Winterfest and State) folk dance contest.
Time
Requirement: 10- 15 minutes maximum, which includes an
entrance and exit dance and transitions.
There
will be a 10 point penalty for going over the 15 minute time limit. There
will be a 30 second grace period.
Judging Points: based on 150 maximum points possible doing 5
dances which are all on level 3.
a. Precision: 20 points
b.
Coherence: 20 points
c.
Presence and Poise: 10 points
d.
Costume: 15 points
e. Authenticity: 10 points
f.
Level of Dance: 5-15 points assessed
per dance
Levels
of Dance
a.
Level 1: These are simple dances with
uncomplicated patterns and simple steps such as
walking or march. An example would be Hirtenmadl.
b.
Level 2: These are dances with
more complicated patterns and steps such as the mazurka and the pivot.
An example would be Die Alte Tirolienne
c.
Level 3: These are dances which
incorporate complex patterns and steps such as plattlers,
schottisches, and lifts. An example would be Kreuz
König, or Boarischer.
Explanation
of Categories:
a. Precision (20 points possible): Are
the dancers on beat? Are they doing the correct steps to the correct
music? Are the figures clean? Are the dancers doing what the notes say that
they are supposed to be doing? Is everyone in the correct position? Are steps
executed correctly within the dance?
b.
Coherence (20 points possible): Is
the group dancing as a whole? Do the patterns flow well with the whole
group?
c. Presence and Poise (10 points possible):
Is the group performing as if they know the dances? Do they maintain
order when the dance is over? Do they perform the dances with verve? Are they
enjoying what they are doing? Do they acknowledge that they are part of a
group rather than an individual performer?
d.
Costume (15 possible points):
Are the costumes authentic? Do the costumes blend well together?
Do the costumes add to the performance? Is there attention to extra
detail such as hats, scarves, ties, headbands, jewelry, socks and shoes? For
example, the boys shoes should be something other
than tennis shoes, and all matching.
e. Authenticity (10 possible points):
Is the dance truly a German folk dance? If any variations have been
made, do the variations retain the spirit of the genre of the dance, the region
the dance comes from, and the steps associated with German Volkstanz? For example, a dance could come from a regional
show that a teacher has seen or recorded from a trip to the region.
It is acknowledged that some folk dance groups performing for tourists have
made some variations on the traditional steps and music.