Dance Festival Rules

STATUS Entrants must be bona-fide amateurs and not be full time vocational students. For the purpose of this festival an amateur is defined as someone who does not derive his/her livelihood from the branch of performance, defined by the class title, in which he/she seeks to enter the festival. In any ensemble, all members must adhere to that principle.  The Entry Secretary reserves the right to decide whether any entrant is qualified to compete under this rule and to accept/refuse any entry.

2. ENTRIES

  • All entries must be made through the Festival’s website Buglefestival.org
  • Payment must be made at the time of entry and is non refundable
  • Music must be uploaded at time of entry and it is suggested that a back up version is held on a phone or USB stick
  • The committee will not be held responsible for entries made in the wrong classes
  • No competitor may enter the same class more than once in their own age group, for each solo section and twice in a duet or trio section
  • No competitor may enter a class that is above their own age group unless their duet/trio/quartet partners are entitled to enter that age group
  • Solo dancers may not be substituted but in the unavoidable absence of a partner, one substitute will be allowed in a duet and two in a trio/quartet. The Entry Secretary must be informed a minimum of two hours before a class
  • A minimum of 5 dancers constitutes a group (please ensure you have checked the All England Dance rules on group size if you are seeking qualification in an All England year)
  • Any competitor withdrawing from the competition should notify the entry secretary before the commencement of their class. No refund for this can be given
  • The festival committee reserves the right to refuse any entry without giving any reason
  • A dancer entering the Performance Class may not enter any other solo, duet or trio or quartet but may appear in groups

3. A timetable of classes will be published on our website at least 2 weeks prior to the Festival.

4. AGE LIMITS are reckoned as at 1st September 2023.

5. PERFORMANCE ORDER Competitors should perform in the order given in the programme. Any competitors who are missing at this time are called at the end of the class. Any performer who has insufficient time to change their costume will also be called at the end of the class. 

Performers must be ready to dance thirty minutes prior to the advertised time.  Any performer not ready (except when due to costume change) may run the risk of disqualification.

6 ADJUDICATION REPORTS Adjudicator’s written remarks will be available for all competitors. These sheets will contain the relevant grade and be accompanied by a certificate. All adjudication sheets and certificates may be collected after the end of each class from the certificate desk. Please note that certificates may not be immediately available and whilst we will endeavour to ensure minimal delay, those who are collecting certificates are asked to be respectful and patient as necessary.  Any adjudication sheets/certificates not collected on the day may be obtained from the Certificate Secretary on receipt of an A4 stamped addressed envelope.

7. SAFEGUARDING POLICY It is necessary for parents, teachers and carers to be aware of the Festival’s Child Protection Policy Statement and Safer Festivals Statement which can be found within this syllabus. Completion of the on line entry process confirms that the policy has been read. When an entry is made by a child under 18 the on line entry must be authorised by a parent/guardian/responsible adult.

8. PHOTOGRAPHY We may have an official photographer taking photographs throughout the festival which will be available to purchase. Photographs may also be taken by a committee member for publicity purposes.  The on line entry process  confirms permission for photographs to be taken. Where an entry is made by a child under 18 the entry must be confirmed by a parent/guardian/responsible adult.  Where a teacher/parent/guardian does not want a child to be photographed, it is their responsibility to ensure it does not happen. 

All audience members are strictly prohibited from taking any photographs or video recordings of performers.  This includes doing so on mobile phones and tablets as well as cameras.  Anyone caught doing so will be asked to leave the auditorium and will not be allowed to return.  Entrance fees will not be refunded.  Performers being filmed will risk disqualification.

9. RECOGNITION OF PERFORMANCE

    • All classes will have recognition for best performance
    • Where trophies are awarded, they must be signed for before leaving and should be included in the household insurance policy. Winners are responsible for having their names suitably engraved if they so wish.
    • Trophies should be returned, securely packed by 20th March 2024, to the Trophy Secretary, whose details are on page 3. If a dancer does not return a trophy awarded in 2023 by the deadline, the committee reserves the right to not award further trophies to that dancer in 2024. If a trophy is returned to the cup secretary in a damaged state, the committee reserves the right to make a charge of £50.00 per trophy to contribute towards the cost of replacement.

10. ADDITIONAL NEEDS/SAFETY OF PERFORMERS The festival welcomes entries to all classes from performers who have additional needs, but notification of the nature of need must be sent to the Entry Secretary when entries are submitted, in order that adequate provision may be made. It is necessary for parents/carers and teachers to be aware of their responsibilities in entering any performers with limited physical capabilities or additional needs, bearing in mind the limitations imposed by the stage and surrounding environment. Please ensure that detailed information is given in advance for all dancers entering the Performance Class. The Performance class has been introduced to support dancers who wish to perform but not compete. All entrants will receive a certificate of performance. We will make adaptations to ensure the safety and comfort of performers in this class, for example, parent/carer/teacher in the wings or on stage with the performer, dimmed lights, silent applause etc. Please ensure you let us know as you enter this class what specific adaptations are required.     

11. COMMUNICATION During the festival, competitors and their representatives may not communicate directly with the Adjudicator. Any necessary communication should be made via the Adjudicator’s Scribe or to a Committee Member during an official break.

12. COPYRIGHT  The Festival does not accept liability for the infringement of copyright, recording or performing rights. Teachers and choreographers using music created from recordings are advised that they are themselves responsible for seeking permission to re-record. Performers or teachers with queries on how to obtain copyright permission for performance items should contact Festivals House on 09063021302 before making their entries.   

13. The stage and stage wings are out of bounds to all except authorised personnel and those about to perform or those supporting with props. Authorised persons are Bugle Festival personnel and one parent, teacher OR carer if the child is 8 years or under or with additional needs or in the Performance Class.

If a performer has additional needs that require them to be accompanied side stage, the Festival Chair needs to be informed prior to the start of the festival.

14.       All props should be hand held and manoeuvrable onto the stage by the dancer where possible. Please note that we reserve the right to reject the use any oversized prop

Parents, Carers & Teachers who refuse to follow the rules about being side stage, run the risk of their child/pupil being disqualified.

15. Unfortunately, in fairness to all we will be unable to take scheduling requests.

16. Please note that, the Under 10 Groups will be on Saturday, Under 14 Groups on Sunday and Under 21 Groups on Monday.