Adjudicator Practice Labs:

Ballet, modern, and contemporary are familiar concert dance genres in the competition world — but adjudicating them well requires an understanding of the distinct foundations, priorities, and qualities that shape each one

Many adjudicators:

🎙️ Have limited formal training in modern, or haven’t revisited its foundations and vocabulary in years.

🎙️ Trained in ballet earlier in their dance career but haven’t recently taught, studied, or intentionally refreshed their technical knowledge.

🎙️ Understand contemporary broadly, but aren’t always confident identifying what distinguishes contemporary from modern, lyrical, or other adjacent styles.

🎙️ Know what they’re seeing but sometimes struggle to find the specific language to communicate it clearly and constructively.

🎙️ Want to avoid applying the expectations of one genre to another simply because the movement shares similar elements.