Competition Rules

SOAR RULES 2025/2026

SOAR Ability Levels: Solos, Duos & Teams

To keep things fair and fun for everyone, dancers must enter at the correct level based on their previous competition experience.

Newcomer

• First-time competitors only.
• For dancers who have never placed in any similar street dance competition (solo, duo, or team).
• If you place:
  • Top 3 in a Newcomer Team, or
  • Top 6 in a Newcomer Solo/Duo,
  • → you must move up to Novice next time or Inter with Duos.

Novice

• For dancers with some competition experience.
• Must enter here if you have placed as above in Newcomer.
• If you place:
  • Top 3 in a Novice Team, or
  • Top 6 in a Novice Solo
  • → you must move up to Intermediate next time.

Intermediate

• For dancers with a good level of competition experience.
• Must enter here if you have placed as above in Novice.
• If you place:
  • Top 2 in an Intermediate Team, or
  • Top 3 in an Intermediate Solo/Duo,
  • → you must move up to Advanced.

Advanced

• The highest level at SOAR.
• For experienced dancers who have:
  • Come Top 2 in an Intermediate category (meeting the minimum entry numbers above), or
  • Clearly demonstrated advanced skills.
• Advanced dancers may be required to perform solo spots.

✨ Why we do this:These levels are designed to keep competitions fair and avoid overly large Newcomer sections. It means everyone competes against dancers with similar experience.

TEAMS

Teams must be between 5-25 dancers

AGE, LEVEL CATEGORIES & TIME ALLOWANCE

6 & Under (Open Only) / 8 & Under / 10 & Under / 12 & Under / 14 & Under / 16 & Under / 17 & Over.

PARENT TEAM = NOVICE RULES

• Newcomers - No more than 2:00 minutes allowed.
• Novice – No more than 2:00 minutes allowed.
• Intermediate – No more than 2:30 minutes allowed.
• Advanced – No more than 3:00 minutes allowed.

Dancers CAN NOT compete in more than one team.

Teachers are able to dance in any team category (NEWCOMER/NOVICE/INTERMEDIATE/ADVANCED) BUT are only permitted to dance in advanced for solo and duo categories

Penalties will be used for the following:

• Swearing or any bad language in music
• Music over allotted time (5 second grace)
• Inappropriate movement & costumes
• There must be no more than 25% above the age category in the team.
• Soar Events Ltd have the right to condense their age and level category to ensure the smooth running of each event.

MEGACREWS

18-40 dancers are permitted in a Megacrew

• Megacrew routines can be up to a maximum of 4 minutes long.
• There is no maximum of song choices; Megacrews may dance to as many or as few songs as they like in one routine.
• 75% of the Megacrew must dance for at least 2 minutes of the routine.

There is no age or division categories for the Megacrew competition; all Megacrew will dance against each other regardless of age or ability.

Tricks are permitted.

SOLOS

Dancers must compete in their age & level category set out by SOAR rules. We advise and encourage all dancers to freestyle and NOT come with a set routine to compete in this category. Music will be played at random by our DJ.

Teachers MUST compete in Advanced.

Numbers will be collected from your teacher. If you are competing without your school, you can collect your number from the reception desk upon entry.

AGE & LEVEL CATEGORIES

6 & Under (Open Only) / 8 & Under / 10 & Under / 12 & Under / 14 & Under / 16 & Under / 17 & Over.

Newcomer / Novice / Intermediate / Advanced.

DUOS

Dancers must compete in the age and level category of the eldest and more experienced dancer of the 2 dancers competing.

For example: dancer 1 competes in 12 & under advanced and dancer 2 competes in 16 & under newcomers. The duo competes in 16 & under advanced.

Teachers MUST compete in Advanced.

Dancers will use the number that was allocated to them for their duo.

AGE & LEVEL CATEGORIES

6 & Under (Open Only) / 8 & Under / 10 & Under / 12 & Under / 14 & Under / 16 & Under / 17 & Over.

Newcomers / Intermediate / Advanced

BATTLES (REGIONALS)

House & Hip Hop (Varying on regional)

13 & under / 14 & Over

There is no more than 25 dancers per age category per battle competing. Each dancer will freestyle in a knockout round for the judge for 25 seconds. The judge will pick their top 8 for the 1v1 battle. Each dancer gets 30 seconds to battle it out against another dancer. In the final each dancer gets 2 rounds of 30 seconds each.

BRITISH, WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS & SUPER WEEKENDER

We add in 2v2 all-styles battles and 5v5 all styles battles

TRIOS/QUADS

There are 5 age levels 8 & under / 10 & under / 12 & under / 14 & under / 15 & over

The level is open

Dancers can have 1 person over or under the age category they dance in if they are in a quad.

Music will be selected by SOAR and given out 3 months prior to the event.

How to Qualify for SOAR Major Events

SOAR British Championships

Must have attended a SOAR regional event that year or season since the last British and competed in Solos, Duos, Teams or Megacrews.

• Battles. Must have placed top 4 at a regional.

SOAR World Championships

Must have attended a SOAR regional event that year or season and placed Top 6 in Solos, Duos, Teams & Megacrews or placed Top 7 at Soar British.

• Trios/Quads can qualify at Soar British Championships Only.
• Battles must place top 2 at a regional or top 8 at British or Super Weekender

SOAR @ The Super Weekender

2025 onwards. Anyone is welcome to compete in teams.

Solos must have qualified by attending a SOAR regional event that year or season.

Battles must have qualified by placing top 4 at a regional or top 8 at British or Worlds.

JUDGES TEAM CRITERIA

A Team consists of 5–25 dancers performing together in one routine.

1. Choreography

Judges assess the overall creativity and structure of your routine, focusing on choreography beyond foundational street styles.

You will be judged on:

• Cleanliness of movement across the team
• Precision of execution
• Synchronicity between dancers
• Overall ability of the team

(Note: If your routine is fully based on foundational styles, it will still be judged against the criteria above.)

2. Execution

This section looks at how well your team performs foundation styles within the set.

• Age and level will be taken into account.
• Diversity in movement vocabulary is encouraged.
• We recommend showing at least 3 foundation styles to give your set an authentic street dance base.
• However, there are no deductions or bonus points for the number of styles shown — single-style crews (e.g. locking crews) are not penalised.
• Focus should be on quality, not quantity.

Recognised foundation styles include:

Hip Hop | House | Poppin | Lockin | Krump | Waacking | Voguing | Breakin | Dancehall | Litefeet | Afro

3. Transitions

Judges look at how effectively your team moves across the floor and shifts between sections.

• Creative use of space and formations
• Clean shapes and formations
• Smooth position changes
• Original transitions and movement flow

4. Musicality & Creativity

This category rewards how your routine connects to the music.

• Interpretation of beats, lyrics, and phrasing
• Originality of choreography and movement
• Creative use of music choice and mix
• Complexity and layering of musical response

5. Performance

Judges consider the energy and stage presence of the team.

• Energy and commitment on stage
• Enthusiasm of every member
• Confidence in performance
• Engagement with judges and audience

Scoring Scale

Judges score each section on a 0–10 scale:

• 0–2 = Below Average
• 3–4 = Average
• 5–6 = Good
• 7–8 = Very Good
• 9–10 = Excellent

Scores may include increments of 0.25, 0.5, or 0.75.

Penalties

Points may be deducted for:

• Swearing or inappropriate language in music
• Music exceeding time limit (5-second grace)
• Inappropriate movement or costumes
• Teams with more than 25% of dancers above the age category

JUDGES MEGACREW CRITERIA

A MegaCrew is a large team of 18–40 dancers performing together in one routine.

Performance Guidelines

• Routine length: up to 4 minutes
• Multiple songs may be used in the mix
• At least 75% of the crew must be dancing for a minimum of 2 minutes
• No age or skill divisions — all Megacrews compete together
• Tricks are allowed
• Props are permitted, provided they are safe and do not interfere with the stage or following acts

1. Concept / Story

• A theme or storyline is encouraged, but not required
• Judges reward originality and creativity in how your MegaCrew presents the set

2. Execution of Technique & Choreography

• Execution, authenticity, and team synchronicity will be judged
• Judges encourage diversity of movement vocabulary
• While other dance styles may be included, your set should maintain a clear relationship with street dance culture

Recognised street styles include:

Hip Hop | House | Poppin | Lockin | Krump | Waacking | Voguing | Breakin | Dancehall | Litefeet | Afro

3. Creativity

Judges will look for how you use movement and staging to bring your set to life.

• Effective use of transitions, formations, levels, and accents in the music
• Smart and creative use of props (if used)
• Costumes that are appropriate for the audience and enhance the overall performance

4. Performance

Energy and stage presence are crucial in a MegaCrew performance.

• Confidence across the whole crew
• Stage presence and energy maintained throughout
• Strong synchronisation, even with a large group
• Engagement with the audience and judges