Instructions to Judges, Becoming a Judge & Scoring Sheets

Instructions to Judges

• CONTACT: Judges must not discuss anything with the participants about their performance or participation until after the final competition or it will be considered coaching and the participant will be disqualified if they have made the finals. If you want to make a helpful comment to the dancer please make certain you include it on their preliminary judging sheet, as they will receive it before the final competition.
• MUSIC CHOICE: Performances must be primarily to Middle Eastern music. One piece of alternative (non "Middle Eastern") music may be included in any competition set and must total less than 1/2 of the total performance time. If alternative music is used, consider strongly whether the performer managed to somehow expand on it as a creative theme instead of appearing to have chosen it because they simply liked it or thought it would influence the audience on its own. If you do not like the style of music the contestant has selected, please try to be objective.
• PROPS: For the recorded preliminary competition any props may be included, though in the final live competition fire and animals may not be used. No extra points should be directly given for even difficult props (though incompetent handling of a prop should obviously hurt a score). Props can improve the overall entertainment quality, but giving points to someone for trying to do something is not reasonable when another dancer succeeds at a better performance without it.
• ZILLS: Well-played finger cymbals are eligible for a basic extra credit, as you will note on the score sheets. If they enhance or harm another area of their dance it is okay to let that affect other scores.
• STYLE: All styles of "Belly Dance" performer are accepted. Our goal is to find someone qualified with the ability to be a good International Ambassador to the general public for Belly Dance. You will be instructed in "the question" to consider the likely impact of the performer on general public opinion, and a favorable opinion can be made with any style of belly dance regardless of your own preferences. Please try to be objective.
• "THE QUESTION" : Please note that along with the usual standard types of competition criteria, you will be given the special criteria of being instructed to judge the performances based on the suitability of the performance as an International Ambassador of Belly Dance to the public. You will be asked to evaluate the performers with the specific question: "Is this performer someone you would want your boss, your grandmother, your children, your neighbor, your [someone important to you] to see for the first time as an example of what you do?" Your answer will be very subjective as different people have different backgrounds, experiences, and opinions... as do our audiences.  What I want you to focus on is evaluating if you would be proud (or at least fairly comfortable) to point at this performer and say: "YES! I DO THAT!" in a more sensitive situation. We are asking for your honest gut level evaluation. The performer will not be given your specific comments, just the numeric scoring for that segment of the judging sheet. The specific comments will be turned in with the judging sheets to ensure the judge can make some personal justification for the evaluation, and to help compile a list of tips for performers in future years. If a judge feels their specific personal objections or compliments should go to the performer then the judge must add them to the International Ambassador quality comments area on the score sheets that will be given to the performers.
• VIDEO QUALITY ISSUES: Judges are instructed to ignore the setting of the recorded performance and the quality of the recording and simply evaluate the performance according to the judging criteria, but if either of these factors distracts or detracts from viewing the content of the performance feel free to judge accodingly. Obviously you can't judge on what you can't see.  Try to avoid being influenced by the professionalism level of the videographer or the level of the equipment used. Try to be objective and aware of the impacts of the audience energy. This may be difficult to evaluate with recordings likely to range from live performances to stage performances to commercial recordings to recordings shot in the garage. But remember that although it often helps a performer to have a live audience, it also can distract the performer -- and conversely a good performer can project and be charismatic in an empty room.
• VIDEO EDITS: Video edits during the recorded performances are a cause for disqualification. If you see an edit that we have missed please note the performer and the time and email or call Saqra immediately. saqra@saqra.net or 253-813-8580 so it can be re-evaluated. The theory is that with many suspicious Judge's eyes on the recordings we won't miss much.
• COPYING & EXHIBITING DVDS: Do not copy, distribute, or exhibit the recordings presented to you for judging on DVD. This is a condition of judging. Anyone discovered or reported copying and/or distributing or exhibiting the recordings in any way now or in the future will be put on a public list of former judges who have done so, as well as their name being included in repeated public warnings about the issue and the person's involvement. REWARD: The first person turning in a judge for the confirmed violation of any of this request will receive a reward of $500 US. Names will be kept confidential. --- The YouTube recordings are protected by the YouTube process itself. Our intent is to make the attempt to assure the same kind of protection to the people submitting DVDs.
• GENERAL: Judges will receive the compiled recordings & list of YouTube addresses between Aug 25 and Sept 5. We will need you to view and judge the performances in your judging category by Sept 20 and then please immediately return the recordings and your judging sheets in the postage paid envelope provided.  Once again, please return the DVDs and all judging sheets on Sept 20 or earlier.
• SUGGESTIONS ON WATCHING RECORDINGS: It is not recommended you watch and judge all the performances in one marathon session. It is recommended you watch them in reasonably sized batches so you do not become to fatigued fairly compare performances. Before beginning to judge a batch of entrant's performances, please watch the extra video provided for preview (even if you have already seen it several times). This will tend to bring you back to the same viewpoint and mood you were in when you judged the last set of performances and allow you to judge as fairly and consistantly as possible.  And try to watch YouTube performances as a group and DVD performances as a group as the YouTube performance are all probably going to be more restricted in size and therefore more similar
• WATCH ALONE: Please watch and judge the performances alone if at all possible. Your 3 year old toddler won't turn you in for the $500 reward as your 10-year-old or dance student might, but anyone in the room can change your mood and perspective and break your attention and concentration. If you choose to take the chance and violate this, please remember that you were requested to Judge because your opinion is valued for whatever reason... for your experience, knowledge, skill, known ability to be objective ... and any person joining you in viewing the DVDs is likely to voice their opinion and modify yours. We only care about your opinion.

Becoming a Judge

• JUDGE MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS: DVD player, internet connection, mailing address, time you are willing to devote, ability and willingness to comply with the requests above. You may be any nationality, any gender, any age to be considered as a judge, though it is recommended you speak and write English or be aware you will need someone to assist you with this. Please advise if you are in a country that has limited access to YouTube so that we can make arrangements with the competitors to copy their performance to DVD for you. Our DVDs will be converted to non-region for judging and will be transferred to PAL if needed.
• BEING CONSIDERED AS A PRELIMINARY ROUND VIDEO JUDGE: Please contact Saqra at saqra@saqra.net or 253-813-8580 or mail your resume or bio to Saqra,  23625 41St Ave S, Kent, WA 98032 if you are interested in judging the video segment. Please tell her what category or categories you are interested in judging and/or feel qualified to judge. If Saqra definitely knows you personally and knows your qualifications then just being informed of your interest and willingness could be enough. If Saqra does not know you personally or does not know you well, you should consider contacting her with some information about yourself. Even if you think Saqra should know your qualifications, please be aware she does not keep track of everything everyone has done and you may be inadvertantly passed over in favor of someone who has presented their resume for the sake of expedience.
• Please be prepared to send a bio and photo suitable for the competition web site if you are selected and would like to be included as more than a name on the official web site info. Names of video judges will be announced on the web site after the preliminary judging is completed.
• BEING SCHEDULED/CONFIRMED AS A PRELIMINARY ROUND JUDGE: Will be announced to you as soon as the pool of judges is filled. There will be an attempt to coordinate the group of interested judges into areas where they are and/or feel best qualified and to attempt to minimize the sheer workload on any one judge by using the group most effectively.
• FINAL ROUND JUDGE: Preference will be given to judges of the preliminary competitions, but is not restricted to them. If you are interested in attending as a finals judge at the event in Oregon, please contact Saqra at saqra@saqra.net or 253-813-8580 or mail your resume or biography to Saqra,  23625 41St Ave S, Kent, WA 98032.
• If you are wishing to judge and also a workshop instructor please include information on your workshops.  We would like to showcase a portion of the judges in workshop as space is available in the schedule.
• Judges teaching workshops will receive the same hourly payment rate for their workshops as other invited instructors. We do not pay your travel and are unable to do extensive pickup and dropoff at the airport, though our volunteers will probably be able to assist you with some needed rides locally. It is quite reasonable to expect to be able to get to the event site and hotel (Hotel B - formerly the Red Lion) on your own from the airport on the MAXX train, and there are facilities and shopping within reasonalble walking distance of the event site. We will have a certain amount of lodging available for out-of-town judges, but do note you would be roomed with other judges as we do with our April workshop instructors.
• Finals Judges will also be given a vending table or a smaller portion of a vending table space if they desire.
• PLEASE NOTE: If any judge of preliminary or final competitions turns in scores that appear to be very significantly inconsistent either within their own apparent style of judging or when compared to the scores of all other judges, their scores will be removed from consideration. This subjective evaluation and determination will only be made by Saqra and will be final. The judge in question will still be included in the web site as a listed judge and the performer will still receive their completed judging sheets, but the sheets will be -- and will be marked that they were -- eliminated from the final scoring.

TENTATIVE Scoring Sheets

SOLOIST CATEGORIES

Contestant _______________ Judge ______________

APPEARANCE

Overall attractiveness of the performer should be considered but specific natural faults overlooked.

COSTUMING - Type and style are largely to be ignored.

N   Y   Y+    FITS WELL – is clearly correct size for the performer

N   Y   Y+    IN GOOD CONDITION – clean and appears to be in good repair

N   Y   Y+    IN GOOD TASTE – appropriate for a family venue

N   Y   Y+    GOOD CHOICE – for the body type and style of dancer

N   Y   Y+    APPROPRIATE FOR TECHNICAL ASPECTS OF DANCE – does not expose the dancer or fight the dancer during dance movements

N   Y   Y+    APPROPRIATE FOR MUSICAL ASPECTS OF DANCE – costume reflects musical content if alternative or specific ethnic musical choices are used

N   Y   Y+    DOES NOT DISTRACT FROM THE DANCING – overpowers the dancer, too busy, makes audience spend significant time speculating about undergarments

BEST QUALITIES:

COULD BE IMPROVED & SUGGESTIONS:

OTHER APPEARANCE ISSUES

N   Y   Y+    SUFFICIENT MAKE-UP – for the venue & lighting, for general interest

N   Y   Y+    HAIR – apparently clean, does not constantly detract from performance

N   Y   Y+    OTHER DETAILS – care given to selecting details as appropriate to style: nails, accessories, etc

BEST QUALITIES:

COULD BE IMPROVED & SUGGESTIONS:

APPEARANCE CATEGORY - Points Awarded (0-100): ______

TECHNICAL SKILL

N   Y   Y+     POSTURE

N   Y   Y+     USE / ISOLATION OF PARTS

N   Y   Y+     APPARENT EASE OF EXECUTING MOVEMENTS

N   Y   Y+     SMOOTH TRANSITIONS

N   Y   Y+     GOOD PRESENTATION & FRAMING OF MOVEMENT

N   Y   Y+     GRACEFULNESS & SENSE OF CONTROL

N   Y   Y+     SKILL AT HANDLING ANY PROPS USED

N   Y   Y+     GOOD USE OF FINGER CYMBALS (2 pts will be added to score for Y+ during calculations)

N   Y   Y+     QUALITY ENTRANCE & EXIT

N   Y   Y+     JUDGE'S SUBJECTIVE EVALUATION OF DANCER'S TECHNICAL SKILL

BEST QUALITIES:

COULD BE IMPROVED & SUGGESTIONS:

TECHNICAL SKILL CATEGORY - Points Awarded (0-100): ______

ENTERTAINMENT ABILITY

N   Y   Y+     CHARISMA & AUDIENCE CONNECTION – ability to reach the audience and elicit personal attraction/appreciation

N   Y   Y+     MAINTAINING ATTENTION – ability to keep the audience attentive to the entire performance

N   Y   Y+     COMMUNICATION SKILL – communicating the mood of the music by body and/or facial expression

N   Y   Y+     DISTINCT PERSONAL STYLE

N   Y   Y+     SENSE OF CONFIDENCE & POISE

N   Y   Y+     JUDGE'S SUBJECTIVE LEVEL OF ENJOYMENT – were you entertained, or did the dancer simply seem technically skilled (if that)?

BEST QUALITIES:

COULD BE IMPROVED & SUGGESTIONS:

ENTERTAINMENT ABILITY CATEGORY - Points Awarded (0-100): ______

ROUTINE CONTENT

N   Y   Y+     VARIETY IN MOOD – multiple moods presented

N   Y   Y+     VARIETY IN STYLE – multiple styles of music presented

N   Y   Y+     VARIETY IN STYLE SUPPORT – various styles were supported by an appropriate change in prop, costuming or dance

N   Y   Y+     ALTERNATIVE MUSIC – if used, were words understandable if dancer was acting upon them

N   Y   Y+     ALTERNATIVE MUSIC SUPPORT – was there a creative reason for the use of alternative music? Was it reflected in another way?  Movement choices? Costuming?

N   Y   Y+     VARIETY OF MOVEMENTS

N   Y   Y+     GOOD USE OF STAGE / SPACE

N   Y   Y+     FRESHNESS IN CHOREOGRAPHY OR IMPROVISATION – dance does not look

                                                                                                                          over-rehearsed

BEST QUALITIES:

COULD BE IMPROVED & SUGGESTIONS:

ROUTINE CONTENT CATEGORY - Points Awarded (0-100): ______

SUITABILITY AS AN AMBASSADOR

The goal of this competition is to find a highly skilled performer (or performers) with the ability to be a good ambassador to people who know little about this art form. Certain factors help this field to grow in appeal to the general public and eventually become a mainstream and generally accepted art form: presenting a high quality and entertaining performance, being personally appealing and therefore attracting people to try the art or be more interested in watching the art, and not offending the largest portion of a populace with a variety of life experiences and beliefs... a populace with a large variety of ages.

In awarding points the Judges are considering the following questions:

WHAT IMPRESSION DID THE DANCER GIVE ABOUT "BELLY DANCERS?"

WHAT IMPRESSION DID THE DANCER GIVE ABOUT "BELLY DANCING?"

BEST QUALITIES:

COULD BE IMPROVED & SUGGESTIONS:

SUITABILITY AS AN AMBASSADOR – Points Awarded (0-100):______

Tentative SCORING SHEETS

DUET/TRIO & TROUPE CATEGORIES

Contestant _______________ Judge ______________

APPEARANCE

Overall attractiveness of the performer should be considered but specific natural faults overlooked.

APPEARANCE

COSTUMING - Type and style are largely to be ignored.

N   Y   Y+    FITS WELL – is clearly correct size for the performers

N   Y   Y+    IN GOOD CONDITION – clean and appears to be in good repair

N   Y   Y+    IN GOOD TASTE – appropriate for a family venue

N   Y   Y+    GOOD CHOICE – for the body types and style of dancers as individuals and as a whole

N   Y   Y+    APPROPRIATE FOR TECHNICAL ASPECTS OF DANCE – does not expose the dancers or fight the dancers during dance movements

N   Y   Y+    APPROPRIATE FOR MUSICAL ASPECTS OF DANCE – costume reflects musical content if alternative or specific ethnic musical choices are used

N   Y   Y+    DOES NOT DISTRACT FROM THE DANCING – overpowers the dancers, too busy, makes audience spend significant time speculating about undergarments

BEST QUALITIES:

COULD BE IMPROVED & SUGGESTIONS:

OTHER APPEARANCE ISSUES

N   Y   Y+    SUFFICIENT MAKE-UP – for the venue & lighting, for general interest

N   Y   Y+    HAIR – apparently clean, does not constantly detract from performance

N   Y   Y+    OTHER DETAILS – care given to selecting details as appropriate to style: nails, accessories, etc

BEST QUALITIES:

COULD BE IMPROVED & SUGGESTIONS:

APPEARANCE CATEGORY - Points Awarded (0-100): ______

TECHNICAL SKILL

N   Y   Y+     DANCERS APPEAR WELL BALANCED IN SKILL LEVEL

N   Y   Y+     USE / ISOLATION OF PARTS

N   Y   Y+     APPARENT EASE OF EXECUTING MOVEMENTS

N   Y   Y+     SMOOTH TRANSITIONS

N   Y   Y+     GOOD PRESENTATION & FRAMING OF MOVEMENT

N   Y   Y+     GRACEFULNESS & SENSE OF CONTROL

N   Y   Y+     SKILL AT HANDLING ANY PROPS USED

N   Y   Y+     GOOD USE OF FINGER CYMBALS (2 pts will be added to score for Y+ during calculations)

N   Y   Y+     QUALITY ENTRANCE & EXIT

BEST QUALITIES:

COULD BE IMPROVED & SUGGESTIONS:

TECHNICAL SKILL  CATEGORY - Points Awarded (0-100): ______

ENTERTAINMENT ABILITY

N   Y   Y+     CHARISMA & AUDIENCE CONNECTION – ability to reach the audience and elicit personal attraction/appreciation

N   Y   Y+     MAINTAINING ATTENTION – ability to keep the audience attentive to the entire performance

N   Y   Y+     COMMUNICATION SKILL – communicating the mood of the music by body and/or facial expression

N   Y   Y+     DISTINCT PERSONAL STYLE – as a group. Variety & routine selection could be a factor.

N   Y   Y+     SENSE OF CONFIDENCE & POISE

N   Y   Y+     JUDGE'S SUBJECTIVE LEVEL OF ENJOYMENT – were you entertained, or did the group simply seem technically skilled (if that)?

BEST QUALITIES:

COULD BE IMPROVED & SUGGESTIONS:

ENTERTAINMENT ABILITY CATEGORY - Points Awarded (0-100): ______

ROUTINE CONTENT

N   Y   Y+     VARIETY IN MOOD – multiple moods presented

N   Y   Y+     VARIETY IN STYLE – multiple styles of music presented

N   Y   Y+     VARIETY IN STYLE SUPPORT – various styles were supported by An appropriate change in prop, costuming or dance

N   Y   Y+     ALTERNATIVE MUSIC – if used, were words understandable if dancer was acting upon them

N   Y   Y+     ALTERNATIVE MUSIC SUPPORT – was there a creative reason for the use of alternative music? Was it reflected in another way? Movement choices? Costuming?

N   Y   Y+     VARIETY OF MOVEMENTS

N   Y   Y+     GOOD USE OF STAGE / SPACE

N   Y   Y+     PRECISION DANCING – well rehearsed and together

N   Y   Y+     GROUP COHESION – dancers work as a unit to produce the group team performance instead of as soloists. Performance must appear to be a group effort.

BEST QUALITIES:

COULD BE IMPROVED & SUGGESTIONS:

ROUTINE CONTENT CATEGORY - Points Awarded (0-100): ______

SUITABILITY AS AMBASSADORS

The goal of this competition is to find a highly skilled performer (or performers) with the ability to be a good ambassador to people who know little about this art form. Certain factors help this field to grow in appeal to the general public and eventually become a mainstream and generally accepted art form: presenting a high quality and entertaining performance, being personally appealing and therefore attracting people to try the art or be more interested in watching the art, and not offending the largest portion of a populace with a variety of life experiences and beliefs... a populace with a large variety of ages.

In awarding points the Judges are considering the following questions:

WHAT IMPRESSION DID THE DANCERS GIVE ABOUT "BELLY DANCERS?"

WHAT IMPRESSION DID THE DANCERS GIVE ABOUT "BELLY DANCING?"

BEST QUALITIES:

COULD BE IMPROVED & SUGGESTIONS:

SUITABILITY AS AN AMBASSADOR – Points Awarded (0-100):______    

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saqra@bellydanceshowcase.com