Competitions

Judges for all competitions: 
Aleksei Riaboshapka, Ukraine – Athena Najat, Greece/Turkey – Laura Zarey, Finland – Rachel Reynolds, USA/Italy – Rashida, Guatamala – Maizena, Denmark

Registration open 1 June 2023 and closes 31 August 2023 or when the limit of dancers is reached.
Please note the special registration for the soloist category as the dancers will have to choose music.
Announcement of dancers and dance order will be public no later than 15 September.
Dancers on the waiting list for all cateogories will be advised about their participation no later than 14 September.

Organizers can choose to change the limit of dancers in each category if possible (due to time tables, contracts with judges etc.). Only dancers involved will be advised.

Please read the rules before you register for the competitions. You can read the rules here (pdf). 

There are seven competition categories at Danish Open Bellydance 2023:

Tomorrow’s Stars (Semi-professional level / Saturday show)
Limit: Approx. 10 dancers

Oriental Freestyle, Soloists (Professional and semi-professional level / Saturday show)
Limit: Approx. 10 dancers

Tabla Solo Live (Professional and semi-professional level / Saturday show)
Limit: Approx. 12 dancers
Live music for the Tabla Solo Live will be played by Khader Ahmad.

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Groups (Professional and semi-professional level / Sunday show)
Limit: 6 groups

Grand Divas (Semi-professional level/ Sunday Show)
Limit: 10 dancers 

Oriental Freestyle, Groups (Professional and semi-professional level / Sunday show)
Limit: 6 groups 

Soloists Live – live music competition (Professional level / Sunday show)
Limit: 12 dancers
Live music for the: ‘Soloists Live’ will be played by Bilal Irshed and his band.

12 songs for 2023 to choose from. Green = availability:

1. Aziza – Mohammed Abel Wahab
2. Ibn El Balad – Mohammed Abdel Wahab
3. Zeenah – Mohammed Abdel Wahab
4. Nebtady Menein El Hekaya – Abdel Halim Hafez (From beginning) 
5. Leilet Hob – Umm Kulthum 
6. Abo Oyoun Garee’a – Abdel Halim Hafez
7. Alf Leila We Leila – Umm Kulthum
8. Khatwet Habibi – Abdel Wahab 
9. El Toba – Abdel Halim Hafez
10. Lesa Faker – Umm Kulthum
11. Daret El Ayam – Umm Kulthum
12. Tuta – Farid El Atrach 

Fees and other practical information

• It is required that all participants who have not entered the competition before send a link to a video (YouTube etc.) or send a video via e-mail with a small clip of a performance to mail@DanishOpenBellydance.dk. Shortly after you will receive an e-mail letting you know if can enter the competition and in which category. The video can be from a show or a short performance recorded in your living room.
  Please note: If you have competed in the competition before we will use your rank to guide you to the best category (Tomorrow’s Stars/Grand Divas/Soloists).
• A minimum of 3 dancers/groups is required before each category is conducted. If necessary there will be a maximum number of dancers/groups in each category.
• The entry fee for soloists and groups – please see price list here.
• Entry spots will not be guaranteed until all registration forms and fees are received.
• Contestants may enter in more than one category if they fit the criteria. No entries will be accepted at the door. Pre-registration is required.
• All amounts will be charged in DKK.
• If you have participated in Danish Open Bellydance before, please be aware that we will use a photo of you on Facebook, in the printed programme etc. taken at the competition.
  If you wish for us to use another photo, please feel free to send us the photo via mail@DanishOpenBellydance with your initial registration or no later than 7 days after you have registered.
• PLEASE NOTE: If you have not paid the competition fee on the date stated in your invoice, your participation will be cancelled. You will need to sign up again to enter the competition.

When you send the registration form you accept that

• The photos and videos taken of participants at the competition(s) may be used by Danish Open Bellydance to promote the festival e.g. on social media such as Facebook, Instagram etc. and on festival posters, flyers etc.
• You have read the PDF concerning scoring and rules.
  
• You will join our closed Facebook group for dancers participating in the competitions and you will be added to a mailing list ensuring that you can recieve information from us via e-mail concerning the festival and competition – unless you specifically say not to via e-mail.
• Registration is binding, no refund is given should you choose later on not to participate.
• You automatically become a member of the Danish Open Bellydance support association the following year.

Link to registration:

Competition registration 2023 – SOLOS

Competition registration 2023 – GROUPS

Shortly after we have received your application, you will receive an e-mail from the organizers. We will do our very best to answer you as soon as we possibly can. When your participation is approved, you will receive an invoice and further information regarding your participation.
Please do NOT make the payment before you have recieved confirmation and an invoice.

Judging
The judges at the Danish Open Bellydance competition are typically professional dancers. They are of course facing the stage and observe all of the dances. Each judge completes a score sheet for each routine by awarding points for various categories. Judges may also write comments on their score sheets for the benefit of the dancers and their choreographers.

Subjectivity
As in many other dance styles, judging in belly dance is inherently subjective. Although there may be a general consensus that one dancer “looks better” than another, it can be difficult to agree on what makes one dancer a 7 and another a 9 in a particular routine component. Over time, as judges, instructors, and dancers become more experienced with our scoring system, more consensus may emerge.

Therefore the dancer must expect differences in marks from different judges. This range of differences implies that “observer bias” determines some of the marks given by a judge. However, averaging over a number of scores from different judges will reduce the effect of this bias in the final score.