GENERAL INFORMATION:
Eligible high school drill team members may compete their 1 ½ -2 minute solo in the Miss Drill Utah Solo Championship. This is a competition for any eligible member of your high school drill team. However, only those soloists that are a competing member of their high school drill team are eligible for the Top Finals round and receiving the title of Miss Drill Utah. ALL competing team members are invited to compete a solo in this “Miss Drill Utah Solo Championship.” This solo event will be broken down into classification and style … Jazz, Lyrical, Contemporary, and Open (ballet, hip hop, acrobatic arts). Soloists may NOT enter more than ONE solo. This is to allow more soloists the opportunity to compete in this event. Soloists entered in our event will be judged according to their classification and style. Professional Judges including College, University, and Pro Team Coaches will be invited to come judge this event and give professional, helpful, constructive critiques for each soloist. For the over-all awards, Soloists will have their scores compared to one another and the TOP FINALISTS will move forward into the Finals round of the competition.
Solo Costuming – Any costume of your choice is acceptable. We do not penalize for any costume choices. HOWEVER, we encourage soloist to wear classy costumes that will allow the judges to really focus on the performance and quality of the movement. If you are choosing to wear a leo for your costume, we highly suggest that you invest in “body glue”. There are a lot of different kinds (“It Stays”, Suffolk , JOMI Body Adhesive, etc.. ) Any of these products are a good product to help keep your leo covering appropriate parts of your body. This will help your judges and your audience enjoy your performance much more.
Awards — Awards will be presented for each soloist that enters this event. The Top Five placements will be announced for each classification and category. Superior ratings will be given for each soloist not receiving a Top Five placement. All classification scores will be combined to adjudicate the “Over-All” scores and awards. Note: If there are not enough entries in a particular classification & category, then we reserve the right to combine classifications to help make the competition more successful. For instance: 1A/2A Jazz or 2A/3A Lyrical. There will also be a TEEN division offered if there are enough soloists entered that are under the age of 16yrs by the date of the event. The Teen division will have a Finals round for the Over-All highest scores. The number of finalists competing in the Finals round will depend on how many are competing in this division.
MISS DRILL UTAH FINALS ROUND – Finalists in the TEEN division and the MISS division will compete in the following 3 areas:
1- SPOTLIGHT – Each Finalist will showcase up to 30 seconds of movement which they choose. The Spotlight may NOT exceed 30 secs. The spotlight should showcase any dance skills/stylized movement/tricks/turns/leaps/jumps/floorwork/footwork/etc… This is NOT performed to music. The Finalists are welcome to travel around the stage area while performing their spotlight. It’s important to create a cohesive and continuous flow between your chosen skills and movements. Finalists are welcome to start their sequence anywhere on the stage that they wish. Be sure to hold the ending position so that the judges know when you are finished. Remeber to stay within the 30 second time allotment to avoid a penalty.
Spotlight Attire … All finalists need to wear a Black leo. It may be sleeveless, short sleeve, long sleeve, etc… as long as it’s black. Any style of leo is fine but no “bling”, sequin, or color enhancements. It MUST be All Black. You are allowed to have mesh or lace as part of the leo as long as it it BLACK. You can also choose to wear something black on the bottom half of your body including tights, leggings, bike shorts, or hot shorts. If you choose to wear something on the bottom half of your body, it must be form fitting (nothing baggy or “flare style”). You may also choose to wear a black unitard as long as it is form fitting and the midriff is covered with some sort of black material. Be sure to practice in your “spotlight attire” to make sure everything fits well and stays in place while you do your movements. NO Jewelry or hair pieces are allowed for the spotlight.
Dance shoes of your choice may be worn, but they must be either black or a nude/pale pink color. It is also acceptable to be barefoot if you so choose.
**The SPOTLIGHT is 15% of their Over-All Score.
2- Informal “On-stage Question” – All Finalist will be given their Informal Question as we begin the Onstage question portion of the competition…. It is the same question for all finalists and is a question pertaining to Dance/Drill. It is meant to be informal and fun. It allows the judges to see the Finalist’s personality, poise, confidence, etc… The time limit for the Finalists Question Response is a max of 30 seconds.
***NEW Attire requiremetns for Onstage Question
Informal Question Attire … All finalists will need to wear professional attire which can be a dress (not too short), a skirt outfit, dress pants and a blouse, or a pant suit. Anything you choose that will look professinal and classy is acceptable. No formal wear such as pageant gowns or ball gowns.
** The Informal Question is 15% of their Over-All Score.
3- SOLO ROUTINE – Each Finalist will re-compete their solo again for the judges panel. The solo must be the same solo that qualified during the “solo championship” round of competition.
Timing of the solo routine will start with the first beat of the music. A 2-point penalty will be given for being under 1.5 mins or over 2 minutes. Routine judging will be on routine construction, choreography, technique and showmanship.
** Solo Routine constitutes 70% of the total score.
MUSIC UPLOADS …. We require that every soloist email us the correct edit of your solo music prior to the competition date. 10-12 days prior to the event, an email with the link and instructions on how to upload your music will be sent to every participant. There will NOT be a music check at the event so be sure you upload the correct edit you wish to use for you solo routine. Always have a back-up source with you (on your phone) at the competition in case of a technical emergency.