India Festival 2008 Dance Competition Rules and Regulations
Revised as of July 24th 2008 Eligibility a. Participants must be residents of USA. Visitors to USA are not permitted to participate. b. Competition is confined to amateurs only. Professional teams are not permitted to participate. A professional who directs/choreographs for a fee, may not participate in his/her own team. Teams and Dance Forms a. Only Classical and Folkdances of India in a team format are allowed. See Entry Form. b. Each team must have a minimum number of participants as specified in the dance specific rules. c. Maximum participants per team are limited to 16 members (18 for minor/junior teams). d. No Minimum participants required for dance competition. e. Each choreographer may only bring 3 items. Divisions a. b. c. d. e.
Minors (ages 5 to 9yrs) – of whom 25% may be out of age Juniors (ages 10 to 14yrs) - of whom 25% may be out of age High School (ages 15 to 18yrs) – of whom 25% may be out of age College (ages 18 to 25yrs) – of whom 25% may be out of age Adults (25 and older only)
Cut-off date for age is December 31st January 1st will be valid throughout the year regardless of birthdates in between or date of competition. 9 years and 11 months on January 1st is still considered 9 years. Participants may take part in more than one competition item. However, it is the responsibility of all involved directors to notify the entries team of this instance. Entry Forms, Submittals and Deadlines a. Registration should be completed via the online registration form at http://www.gujaratisamaj.org/if2008entry.htm. b. The participating team may be required to submit proof of age eligibility with the Entry Form. The director will be notified as to which participants will need to submit this information. c. Deadline for registering teams is Friday October 17th 2008. You will also be required to submit your team song and participant proof of age by this date. If the required information is not received by this date your entry will be subject to forfeit. Exceptions to this rule will be made in EXTREME circumstances only. d. The participating team must mail a CD to Malti Pandya, 11301 Carrollwood Dr, Tampa, FL 33618. e. The deadline for CD submission is October 17th 2008. India Festival is not to be held responsible for late submissions. f. A cassette player will NOT be available at the event.
Song Selection a. Lyrics should be in one of the Indian languages representing the region of India. Raas and Garba should be in Gujarati. b. Traditional instruments that are appropriate for the song and dance form are encouraged. c. Music without lyrics will be accepted. Provided that it reflects on a particular community or in traditional instrument. NO MOVIE SONGS. Timings and Scheduling a. Each dance item shall be limited to 6 minutes for both competitive and non competitive items. If the time limit is exceeded, 10 points per minute will be deducted from the competitive team final score. b. Only 2 minutes are allowed for stage preparation (includes general introductions) before performance, and only 1 minute allowed after performance to clean the stage. Props and Lighting a. No special effects: steam, disco balls, smoke, etc. are allowed. b. Props hanging from the ceiling will not be allowed. c. At no time will the Sun Dome lights be shut off or dimmed. d. Each team should have a representative overseeing curtain opening, closing, and audio playback. Dressing Room and Backstage Rules a. Team should be present backstage at least 30 minutes prior to its assigned time. “No shows” will forfeit their chance to participate. b. Assignment sheet will be placed backstage for the directors to sign upon arrival. If a team has not signed in they will forfeit their chance to participate. c. Safety Code: No glass bangles, colors, confetti, grains, or any other small/breakable objects allowed on stage or in dressing rooms. This safety code will be strictly enforced. Master of Ceremony (MC) a. MC will only announce only the division, category and the assigned item number. b. Names of the team members will be announced at the trophy presentation only. Evaluation and Scoring a. A panel of 5 professional judges from outside of Florida will evaluate all items. b. Entry and exit limited to 2 minutes only. c. Highest and lowest total scores in each competition will not be counted. d. The scoring decisions will be made using the following: Entry: Exit/Conclusion: Originality/Innovation: Action (facial expression): Coordination & Synchronization: Costume/Jewelry: Lyrics (appropriate song): Steps, Choreography, Rhythm: Overall Impression: TOTAL 25 points 25 points 50 points 50 points 50 points 50 points 50 points 100 points 100 points 500 points
Judges a. b. c. d. Professional judges will be selected by the committee. Judges shall refrain from discussion. All judges should be in receipt of the rules and regulations For fairness, a judge should disclose participants of immediate family members in the competition item
Grievance Committee a. The judge’s decision is final. b. The Grievance committee of 3 members will settle any complaints or disputes received in writing within 24 hours. Scoring and Accounting Committee a. This committee will consist of an accountant and a timekeeper. b. Only official printed forms obtained from the rules and regulations committee shall be used by all judges. c. The accounting committee shall assign the numbers 1, 2… etc to each item in order of presentation on the stage for every division as well as the letters A, B… etc for each judge. Thus, the forms given to each judge should only show the division, the number of the item in that division and the letters of the alphabet assigned to the judge. Trophies and Awards a. Trophy shall be given to the 1st and 2nd placed teams in every division and category. b. Certificate of participation or token trophy will be given to all participants. c. If there is a tie, a tiebreaker will be implemented by adding columns for steps, coordination, innovation and actions. d. One trophy shall be given to the Best Costume in every division and category. If there is a tie, a tie-breaker will be implemented by “overall impression” score. e. One prize shall be given to the best choreographer. If there is a tie, a tiebreaker will be implemented by adding coordination, innovation and actions. f. Monetary prizes are available to the first place winners of each category in the college division only to be in accordance with national competition standards. Prizes will be given in the form of a check on the day of India Festival as the winning teams are announced. Category and Dance Specific Rules Garba Garba is part of the unique cultural heritage of Gujarat and has been handed from generation to generation. The word Garba is derived from “Garbhadeep” which is a diya (lamp) inside an earthen pot. Garba has two forms Ancient (Prachin) and Modern (Arvachin). Both types of Garbas are performed in a circle. Prachin Garba is traditional and is presented collectively by moving in a circle around a lit earthen pitcher. The pitcher is called “Garbha” and is a symbol of Mataji and her divine powers. Prachin Garba songs are more devotional and refer to many family members and folk settings of the villages in their songs. Claps and snaps with hops and vigorous steps are part of Prachin Garba style. Cotton, embroidered, or mirrored chaniyas would be considered an appropriate costume for this style of Garba. Costuming is in traditional colors, textile and embroidery.
Arvachin Garba is presented as a piece of art which requires special training and which displays artistry, variety of subjects and new experiments. Garba retains its originality in this style as well as and is rendered in a circle but with more of a stylish aura or imagination. Songs can be from a variety of subjects. These types of Garba can incorporate new experiments in body and hand gesture choreography together with the claps and clicks and circular formations. Costuming may be in any combinations of colors, textiles and decorations but should still maintain a Gujarati style of form. Classical Garbas can incorporate new experiments etc. as with Arvachin Garbas but are performed on song with a classical musical base with body and hand gestures that are classical in form and should still have circular formation with hand claps and clicks. They are executed slowly, and in a graceful manner. India festival invites and allows combination of Prachin and Arvachin style of Garbas and creativity from choreographers. Some basic rules of understanding and knowledge of Garba should be applied. Below are some rules and guidelines. Garba forms include ancient (Prachin) and modern (Arvachin) and classical. All types of Garbas must include hand claps and clicks, choreography and are performed in a circle. To encourage creativity, Fogana has opted to allow the breaking of the circle and proceeding from one circle to multiple circles and vice versa. However, units of dance in straight lines and patterns formations which do not immediately end up in a circular motif will be subject to penalty points by the judges. Feet ornaments: Ghungrus are part of classical dances and may not deem appropriate for Garba or folk Garba or folk dances. Kada and zanzer are more acceptable forms of jewelry for the ankles. Head ornaments borlas are worn in Rajasthan, tikas are worn in Gujarat. Even though in actuality a Garba is a folk dance whose essence is claps, clicks and circular formations where the mandh and the diwa is used sometimes in traditional Garba performances. For the sake of the logistics of a competition evaluation, Fogana has opted to categorize all prop use (including mandh and diwa) as being defined as a folk category. Only girls may participate in Garba. Garbi Is similar to Garba except only boys partake in this dance. The team must consist of boys, with a possible 25% of girls dressed as boys for which all rules and regulations for folk dance applies. Raas Raas is performed with dandias (small sticks) held in participants hands at all times. Many varieties exist, some that are full of masculine vigor, whirling speed, and hops and jumps that are specific in style. Although steps and moves that are innovative are welcome, choreography should be set in the right cultural root that is Gujarati in flavor. Thus, Bhangra steps, gymnastics, acrobatics & cheerleading moves will not be accepted by Fogana as it takes away from the essence of authenticity. Choreography that includes lines, variety of formations and patterns is acceptable. Typically most of Raas should have partnership choreography that includes keeping the dandias in the hands that strike those of their partners in tune to the rhythm of the music. Raas can be performed by all boys, all girls or boy/girl partners. Lines, variety of formations and patterns are allowed in Raas using small sticks. Use Dong-Lila of Rajasthan (long sticks) is not acceptable. All dandias must be held in hands without the aid of attached
hoops, strings etc. Use of dholi is allowed for entry only. After the entry and during the exit no instrument carrying performer will be acceptable. Music should not be re-dubbed with a super-imposed dandiya beat. Disco dandiya, enhanced remixes and other fusion music is not acceptable. Song Selection Selected song must be in Gujarati lyrics and the rhythm should match with the choreography. Mixed songs are allowed only if they are traditional songs in their own category. No movie songs will be accepted. The song must be no more than 6 minutes. Superimposed dandia in Raas music is not allowed. Song must be submitted through the registration link provided by the entries committee in mp3 format. Solo dancing in folk dance is not permitted.
Folk Gujarati folk dance can be of many varieties which can be performed with many different props. Folk dances can be done for religious, social, vocational, tribal and marital reasons and can be done with many different combinations. Folk dances can be performed without a prop, e.g. Bhil Dance. Here are a few guidelines for some of the folk dances of Gujarat. Tippani – is a vigorous & unique vocational dance. Tippani is performed with long sticks that has a round flat block attached at one end used by workers who beats the stick to smooth and level roads and floors of houses. The coordinated lifting of the sticks, the rhythmic beating and agile body movements creates a novelty dance. This dance is done by villagers and construction workers so the costumes are embroidered and/or mirrored chaniya pulled up on side and tucked in at the waist or a modern version of it is called the jimmy and a “kapadu” is worn as the blouse/top. Bhil (Tribal) Dance – is performed without any props. It is a group dance from the tribes of the Panchmahal district of Gujarat. People of the Bhil community are like gypsies. Most Bhil dances are done in a line formation. They have intricate foot steps but use less hand movements. Many times they keep their hands around each other’s waists or shoulders creating motifs horizontally and vertically on the dance floor. Costumes for these dances are simple without much embroidery. This dance traditionally has simple cotton chaniyas sewn with much flare and which are worn in a dhoti style. Supada Dance – is from the ancient times since women have been doing housework. To recreate themselves while they work, they created a dance using a variety of instruments. The Supada dance was created from the simple affair of cleaning the grains. The dance is performed artistically by creating a variety of concepts and moverments relating to this chore. Any modern costume and chaniya choli can be worn for this dance. Diva Dance – is done with artistry and classical movements with the Divas as a symbol of power. This dance is done as a prayer from Mataji and many varieties of modern style costumes can be worn from this type of dance. Many formations are possible and for creativity. Other props like manjeeras and kartals can be used innovatively. Duff Dance – is done to celebrate the Holi festival. In parts of Saurashthra and Northern Gujarat, Duff is used as a small drum and creates a unique beat while dancing. Many varieties of songs, fast beats and
choreography can be used for this dance. Costumes can be modern attire or embroidered costumes can be worn. The rumaal (handkerchief) can be used as a prop for a combination with Duff. Bhangra – is folkdance from Punjab is performed by men and women with accompaniments such as dholak. The dancers snap their fingers, do balancing tricks, and indulge in acrobatic feats. They recited witty couplets known as “bolis” and out of sheer exuberance make sounds such as “hoay hoay”. The dancers are dressed in lungis and turbans. The drummer usually takes his place in the center of the circle. Often individual dancers or pairs detach themselves from the group and perform while the rest keep clapping in rhythm. Bharatnatyam (Classical) - For this classical dance, minimum participants required per team is 5 members. Other varieties include: Bedlu or Ghada Aahir (Milkman) Dance Manjeera Goff Gunthan Rumaal Costumes While wishing to promote and encourage creativity and realizing that esthetic senses is highly individual, the designer should take care that the apparel depicts and resembles the one word in the region from which the dance comes from e.g. Bhil or Aadivasi dance should depict from Gujarat and not Andhra. Dang costume should not be from Madhya Pradesh or Assam etc. Costume change on or off stage during the performance is not allowed. Many tribal costumes are worn high on legs. Ghaghara and Chaniya lengths should be worn six inches below the knee as norm. For some unforeseen circumstances, the rules and regulations chair can give a waiver. Props No more than 3 props can be used. If props are used in hands, no more than two sets per item will be acceptable e.g. Supada-Valonu, tambourine, handkerchief, sword or shield. Use of props is not mandatory. However, used props must be used for 60% of the dance performance. No props on stage or special effects e.g. steam, smoke, lighting machine or disco balls can be used.