Structure:

• 5–25 dancers per team

Rules:

• Dancers may compete in one team only
  
• No more than 25% of the team may be above the stated age category

Team Music / Routine Time Limits

• Newcomer / Novice – maximum 2 minutes
• Intermediate – maximum 2 minutes 30 seconds
• Advanced – maximum 3 minutes

Team Ability – Majority Rule

• A team’s ability category is determined by the majority of dancers within the team.
• At least 51% of the dancers must be eligible for the ability category entered.
• If the majority of the team are Newcomer, the team may compete in Newcomer.
• If the majority of the team are Novice, the team must compete in Novice or above.
• If the majority of the team are Intermediate, the team must compete in Intermediate or above.
• If the majority of the team are Advanced, the team must compete in Advanced.
• Where there is an exact 50/50 split between two ability levels, the team must compete at the
  higher level.
• A team must not be entered into a lower category simply because some dancers within the
• team compete at a lower individual level.

Newcomer Team Progression – Immediate

• A Newcomer team must move to Novice for its next competition if it achieves 1st place in a
  category containing a minimum of 5 teams at any recognised street dance competition.
• This progression is immediate. The team cannot continue competing in Newcomer once this
  result has been achieved.
• This applies whether the qualifying result is achieved at a SOAR event or another recognised
  street dance competition.
• Schools are responsible for informing SOAR of relevant results achieved outside of SOAR and
  entering their team at the correct level.

Consistent Competition Success

• Where a team achieves 1st place at three recognised street dance competitions within a 12-
  month period, SOAR expects that team to progress to the next appropriate ability category.
• This applies across Newcomer → Novice, Novice → Intermediate and Intermediate → Advanced.
• The three 1st-place results may be achieved across SOAR competitions and/or other recognised
  street dance competitions.
• For Newcomer teams, the immediate progression rule takes priority. A Newcomer team does
  not need to achieve three wins if it has already achieved 1st place in a category containing 5 or
  more teams.

Time Within an Ability Category

• Teams may generally remain within the same ability category for up to one competitive year
  while they develop, unless a progression rule requires them to move sooner.
• Remaining within a category for a year is not an automatic entitlement. Schools should
  continually review the ability, experience, competition results and overall standard of their
  teams.

Changes to Team Line-Ups

• SOAR recognises that team line-ups can change throughout a competitive year.
  Where the majority of a team’s dancers change, schools should reassess the team’s appropriate
  ability category using the Majority Rule.
• A team that has progressed should not automatically move back down because individual
  dancers leave the team.
• Where there has been a significant change in team composition and a school believes a different
  category is appropriate, the school should contact SOAR before entering.

SOAR Recommended Progression

• SOAR reserves the right to recommend that a team progresses to a higher ability category based
  on performance level, competition results, consistency, the overall ability of the team and
  feedback from SOAR judges.
• SOAR may contact a school where we believe a team is competing significantly below its
  appropriate ability level.

Teacher Participation

• Teachers may perform within team categories.
• Teachers are only permitted to compete in:
  Intermediate
  Advanced
• Teacher participation must also be taken into consideration when determining the appropriate
  ability category for the team.

Category Adjustments

• SOAR reserves the right to combine categories where there are three teams or fewer.
  Where categories are combined, this does not automatically change the registered ability level
  or future progression status of the teams involved.

Parent Teams

• Parent teams follow Novice rules.

Fair Play, Trust & Sportsmanship

• Street dance competitions do not currently operate under one governing body or universal
  competition progression system.
• SOAR therefore relies on trust, honesty and good sportsmanship from dance schools and
  teachers.
• Schools are responsible for entering teams into the appropriate ability category, considering the
  ability and experience of the dancers within each team, keeping track of relevant competition
  results, progressing teams when required and informing SOAR of relevant results achieved at
  other street dance competitions.
• SOAR cannot monitor every team’s participation and results across every street dance
  competition. We therefore expect schools to follow these rules fairly and in the spirit in which
  they are intended.
• Where a team is consistently achieving success, good sportsmanship means allowing that team
  to progress and be challenged at the next appropriate level.
• SOAR reserves the right to discuss an entry with a school where we believe a team has been
  entered significantly below its appropriate level.
• These rules are designed to protect genuine Newcomer and Novice teams, encourage
  progression, create fair competition and give dancers an appropriate challenge as they develop.