2024 Dance Competition
The VancouFur Fursuit Dance Competition is an exciting event where dancers in the fandom show off a variety of dancing styles and performances as they compete for their chance at the top!
This high octane event is one of the most popular events at VancouFur in recent years!
The VancouFur dance competition is open to both solo and group sign ups. Please review the rules below before submitting the application.
Rules
Stage Specs
VancouFur’s Dance Competition stage is a 18’x18′ stage. Performers will have an audience in front of them, but also on stage left and stage right. When creating a routine, it is recommended to utilize the full stage and to perform to all audience members.
Sign ups
Online signups must be completed by before 11:59 Pacific March 1, 2024. Sign ups may be completed before this date without an audio file, but the audio file must be submitted by this deadline. If the audio file is not submitted by this date, then the signup will be disqualified and rejected.
A confirmation email will be sent to the submitting participant. If the submission does not have an audio file attached to the submission, a confirmation email will still be sent with a clause recognizing that the audio file still needs to be sent.
All sign ups must be submitted online. At-con signups will not be available.
If a participant is unsure they will be able to compete, it is recommended to register for the dance competition. If said performer does not show up to rehearsal, or notifies organizers in advance, the entry will be dropped.
Participants shall sign-up for either Solo Division or Group Division. Performers are not allowed to sign up for both.
Group Entries
One member of a group will submit a single sign-up form for a group entry and will be responsible for communication between the dance competition organizers and their group. All members of the group and the group name should be listed in the submission. If there are three or more groups that enter, the competition will be split into Group Division, and Solo Division for awards.
Music Submission
Audio files must be submitted in a .mp3 format. The file shall be submitted in the following naming format:
“DANCERNAME-VF2024.mp3”
“GROUPNAME-VF2024.mp3”
Files must be submitted via Google Drive link, or Dropbox link. Solo performance audio tracks shall be limited to 2:00 minutes (120 seconds). For Group performances, +30 seconds shall be added for every member added to the group with a hard cap at 3:30 minutes (210 seconds).
All songs must be a “clean” version or PG-13 censored / radio edit. Profanity is to be removed from the song mix. If a performer does not know how to do so, they are recommended to email Dance Events organizers and they will help with their audio mix submission – events@vancoufur.org
Video Submission
Dancers may choose to submit an “online audition” via video submission. More details below under ‘Preliminaries‘.
Performer Rules and Requirements
Costume
Competitors must perform in Fursuit. The fursuit must consist of, at minimum, the following:
- Head/mask which fully encompasses the user’s head
- Hand-paws
- Feet-paws (“Happy feet” oversized plush “shoes” are allowed in place of feet-paws)
- Tail
- No skin should be showing
If other kinds of footwear are required for a performance, exceptions can be made for specific footwear. Performers must contact organizers to discuss exceptions.
Choreography
Performers must have their own original choreography, or improvised freestyle for their dance. Limited use of copied choreography may be used on a case-by-case basis. Organizers should be made known of this during sign in, or preliminaries.
If a performer uses choreography they used in a previous Vancoufur Dance Competition, this performer will be barred from future Vancoufur Dance Events.
Props
Props may be permitted at organizers discretion. All props must be disclosed in initial signup. Objects that are heavy, such as bats, golf clubs, staffs, stilts, and unicycles, will not be allowed unless substantial control of said prop is shown during preliminaries, although these cases will be extremely rare.
Appropriate Attire
Competitors must wear appropriate clothing and costumes. Performers wearing clothing with profanity or inappropriate accessories may be dismissed at the discretion of the competition organizers. For more information on what is appropriate, please refer to the Vancoufur Code of Conduct.
Preliminaries
Audition shall be done in one of the following ways. Either Video Audition, or in-person At-Con Audition. Which form of audition a performer will do should be specified in the signup form.
Video Auditions
Auditions may be submitted online via video submission. A link will be given in which a performer may upload their entry video. Music should also be included with the video submission. Video auditions will be judged the same way as in-person auditions.
The video audition must be limited to the first minute of the performance. If the video is longer than 1 minute, only the first minute of the video will be judged.
Video submissions must be done in one continuous shot of your performance in full costume as the performer would be on stage. A performer may overlay their audio mix over the video audio, but other editing effects are not recommended. Video submissions that are deemed “over-edited” will not be accepted.
Video must be submitted as either a .MP4, .MOV, .AVI, .WMV formats. The video is recommended to be submitted horizontally or in “landscape”. It is not recommended to film a video submission in a vertical fashion.
Link to the video should be viewable by the judging team. When uploading to platforms such as Youtube, Twitter, Instagram, Google Drive, Drop Box, and other media sharing services, make sure to check the privacy settings to ensure that anyone with the link can view the video.
If a group is to do an online video submission. The group must be together when doing so. Due to group members often living in separate regions, it is highly recommended that groups do in-person preliminaries at the convention itself. If this is the case, a group must indicate in the form that they are going to do an in-person tryout.
At-Con Preliminaries/Auditions
Single competitors will be called one by one to perform the first minute (60 seconds) of their mix. Group competitors will have the first 1 and a half minutes (90 seconds) of their mix played due to the longer final duration of their performance. Performers are required to be in full costume, and perform as they would on stage. Once done, the performer or performing group is free to leave.
Preliminaries are a closed door event. Only competitors, competitor handlers, parental guardians, and Convention staff and organizers. A performer may designate a handler or parental guardian to film their routine if desired for personal use only. Photography and filming of other competitors is strictly not permitted.
Preliminary Judging
A panel of preliminary judges will rate each performance and collectively decide which performances will move to the finals. Prelims judges will be different then the finals judges. Even so, the preliminary judges will use the same scoring system as the finals judges. (See ‘Finals’ section for further information about scoring)
Finalists
Finalists will be announced via Vancoufur social media along with signage outside of the main stage.
Finals
Arrivals
The fursuit dance competition will be held on the Main Stage. Finalists are to arrive 45 minutes prior to the event with full costume either in-hand, or worn. A handler/ guardian is permitted to accompany finalists. In the time prior to the event, the following will happen:
- Finalists will be given their performance order by Dance Competition organizers.
- Finalists will verify with A/V that their audio track is correct during Sound-Check.
- Finalists will discuss “cue-in” (when to start music) for the start of the performance with A/V and Dance Competition Organizers.
- Warm-up stretches led by event organizers. (optional)
- Finalists will be allowed to practice their routine on stage. (optional)
- Initial “Roll-call” and final “Roll-Call”.
If a finalist is not accounted for in the final roll-call, they will be dropped from the competition list. After final roll-call, all finalists will be called back stage 5-10 minutes before the doors open for the general public. There will be a backstage setup to accommodate performers before and after their performance.
Finals Format
Finalists will be called out to perform in a predetermined order. Performers will be called to “stand-by” two performances prior to their own, and will be called “on-deck” on the performance before their own. Dancers are expected to be ready and in full costume by the time they are called on-deck.
It is generally assumed that music will begin once the performer reaches and takes position on the middle of the dance floor. However if there is an alternative cue-in for when music should start, this should be made known to both A/V and Event Organizers prior to the start of the event.
After a performance, the judges will give comments and the performer(s) will return backstage.
Judges
Finalists will be judged by a panel of multiple judges at the front of the dance floor. Judges will be evaluating each performance individually based off of the following criteria:
- Foundation: Ability to employ fundamental dance concepts such as levels, floor work, angles & use of the provided space.
- Technicality: Quality of the approach to movements used. The degree of body control and awareness. Cleanliness and readability.
- Musicality: Demonstration of good timing matching different parts of the music. Illustration in musical literacy.
- Expression: Use of emotion, energy, intensity, and confidence displayed in a performance. Storytelling through movement.
The top scoring finalists will be announced for 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place. In the case of a tied score, The judges will deliberate and decide on the final placements.
Have a question about the competition? Email: events@vancoufur.org, subject “Fursuit Dance Competition”