Oriental dance

REGULATIONS – ORIENTAL DANCE

1. Introduction to the Discipline

Oriental Dance (Raqs Sharqi in Arabic) includes the traditional dances of the Middle East and Arab countries, covering both folk styles and modern fusions with other genres.
Each performance is a narrative made of elegance, rhythm, identity, and cultural fusion.

2. Eligible Categories

The age categories are as follows:

Promozionale: 6–7 years
Mini: 8–9 years
Youth: 10–12 years
Junior: 13–16 years
Adults: 17–25 years
Senior: 25+

📌 Age is determined based on the age completed within the calendar year.
For groups, the average age is calculated. For duos, the older participant’s age is taken as reference.

3. Technical Requirements

✅ Accepted Styles:

Raqs Sharqi: veil use is allowed; traditional baladi and mejancé are also accepted
Folklore: Saidi, Khaliji, Traditional Baladi, Dabke, Ghawazee, Nubian, Iraqi, Shaabi, Street Shaabi, Eskandarani, Fellahi, Shamadan
Show / Fusion: tribal fusion, drum solo, flamenco-Arabic, belly-samba, oriental tango. Use of sword, fan veils, and Isis wings is permitted

🔸 Small scenic props are allowed if consistent with the performance theme, but must not obstruct the stage. At the end of the performance, the stage must be completely cleared.
🔸 Dangerous objects (e.g. open flames like candles during Shamadan performances) are strictly prohibited.

4. Music and Contents

Maximum duration:

Soloists: minimum 1:30 min – maximum 2:30 min
Duos: maximum 3:00 min
Groups/Formations: maximum 3:30–4:00 min

Contents:
Music choice is free, but must respect the chosen style.
Tabla solo must not exceed 1/3 of the total track duration.

Music submission will be required starting from October 1st, when the Secretariat will send registered schools the link to the Choreography Form.

5. Costumes, Scenic Elements and Safety

Costumes must reflect the selected style, age group, and competition category.

In folklore, the costume must accurately represent the selected tradition
For female performers: bras must be full coverage; skirts or pants must not be transparent
For male performers: pants + sash, top or shirt
In the Mini and Youth categories, tops are mandatory (not bras)
Shoes with heels above 1.5 cm are not allowed, except in Eskandarani style, where heels up to 5 cm are permitted
Sandals or bare feet are allowed

6. Evaluation and Judging Criteria

Performances will be judged based on 4 criteria:

Technique: posture, elegance, body control, musicality
Choreography: use of space, composition of movements
Stage presence: theme consistency, emotional expression, performance impact
Overall image: costume, hair, makeup

Scoring will be from 1 to 10, with half points and “+” marks allowed.

7. Additional Notes

Level classes:

B: beginner/intermediate experience
A: advanced experience
P: professionals/instructors

Competition units:

Solo
Duo
Group (3–5 performers)
Formation (6+ performers)

Selection system for Raqs Sharqi (if applied):
At the discretion of the organization, qualifying rounds may be held using music provided by the organizers. If so, the format will be:

30 sec. all dancers together
1 min. in groups of max 4 dancers
30 sec. all dancers together again
→ The top 6 finalists will perform using their own music

Disqualification may occur in the following cases: