Acrodance

DESCRIPTION OF THE DISCIPLINE

The Acrodance discipline combines dance technique, interpretation, expressiveness, and creativity with the addition of acrobatic elements.
There is no separate score for the acrobatic section; however, the jury will always include at least one expert judge in the field.

The choreography may include any dance style, except for:

Disco Dance
Techno Hip Hop
Break Dance

Acrodance can be performed to music of any genre, such as classical, jazz, modern, folk, disco dance, and others.

This discipline stands out for its expressiveness and the fluid transition between choreographic movements and acrobatic parts.
An Acrodance choreography must contain over 50% of choreographic movements compared to acrobatic content to be classified as such.

ACROBATIC ELEMENTS

Dancers are required to include acrobatic elements, which can be performed individually or in combination.
Acrobatic elements must be performed without repetition — only the round-off may be repeated multiple times to prepare for different acrobatic jumps.

Acrobatic combinations and balances are allowed.
Strength elements are not permitted — otherwise, a 3-point penalty will be applied for each occurrence.

Dance technique and choreographic variety hold the same value as the difficulty of acrobatic elements.
Each movement must be executed with technical precision and elegance, respecting the musical timing, fluidity, and breadth of movement, as well as artistic expression and controlled landings.

Acrodance is performed without tatami mats, using a dance floor.
Props, accessories, or scenography are not allowed.
An accessory may be part of the costume (e.g., a hat) but cannot be worn or removed during the performance.

In duo, small group, and formation categories, dancers must focus on:

Synchronization
Dance technique
Acrobatic elements
Gymnastic ability
Choreographic consistency
Stage presentation

Lifts and holds are permitted but are not considered acrobatic elements.

ALLOWED ACROBATIC ELEMENTS

Cartwheel
Forward roll
Backward roll
Bridge
Handstand
Pike
Round-off
Forward handspring
Back handspring
Head/neck/shoulder kip
Front walkover
Back flip
Aerial cartwheel (no hands)
Aerial walkover (no hands)
Flic tempo
Back tuck (with or without tuck position, no twists)
Front tuck (with or without tuck position, no twists)

COMPETITION CATEGORIES

Categories are divided by age group, number of dancers, and gender.

Age Groups

Mini: 8–9 years
Youth: 10–12 years
Junior: 13–16 years
Adults: 17–25 years
Senior: 25+

Number of Participants

Single
Couple
Duo
Trio
Small Group: 3–6 dancers
Large Group: 7–28 or more dancers

Gender

Female
Male

For Trio, Small Group, and Group, members may be mixed gender.

PERFORMANCE TIME LIMITS

Soloists – max. 2:30
Duo – max. 2:30
Small Group – max. 3:30
Large Group – max. 4:30

Acrodance RULES

Characteristics

The Acrodance discipline must show technique, interpretation, expressiveness and creativity of the choreography, with the addition of acrobatic elements. For this reason there are no specific scores for the acrobatic part, but on the jury there will always be at least one expert judge in the subject.

The choreography can be composed of any existing dance technique except: DISCO DANCE, TECHNO HIP HOP, BREAK DANCE.

Acrodance movements are expressed through the use of music from various genres such as: classical, jazz, modern, folk, disco dance etc.

Acrodance differs in its expressiveness from hip hop and break dance. A distinctive feature of acro dance is the transition from expressive movements to acrobatic parts. Furthermore, a routine must have a significant percentage (over 50%) of choreographic movements, compared to its acrobatic content, for it to be classified as acro.

Acrobatic Elements

Dancers are obliged to perform acrobatic elements which can be performed individually or combined with each other.

Acrobatic elements must be performed without repetition. Only the round can be performed several times to prepare different acrobatic jumps.

Acrobatic combinations are allowed, like balances, force elements are not allowed (they will be penalized with 3 points for each element performed)

However, dance technique and choreographic variety remain as important as the difficulty of the acrobatic elements performed.

The acrobatic element must be performed correctly with excellent technique combined with the elegance that distinguishes the dance.

An acrobatic element to be considered correct respecting the tempos of the music and the fluidity of the dance movements, amplitude of movement, technique and artistic execution, correct landing and balances.

The Acro Dance is performed without the use of the tatami, on the dance floor.

The use of objects or accessories and scenography are not permitted.
For example, a dancer can have a hat, but it must be part of the costume, i.e. it cannot be removed and/or put on during the performance.

In couples, duos, small groups and formations, dancers must construct their choreography by focusing on synchronism combined with dance technique, acrobatic elements, choreography, gymnastic skills and stage presentation.

Grabs and lifts are not considered acrobatic elements but can be performed.

Acrobatic elements allowed

1) Rotate
2) Somersault forward
3) Somersault behind
4) Bridge
5) Vertical
6) Team
7) Roundabout
8) Overhand forward
9) Reversed back
10) Head Kippe – Neck Kippe – Shoulder Kippe
11) Flipped forward
12) Flic flac
13) Wheel without hands
14) Handless overhead kick
15) Flic tempo
16) Jump behind, collected and tense, no twists
17) Jump forward, collected and tense, no twists