Competitions

There are seven competition categories at Danish Open Bellydance 2021:

Judges for all competitions: 
Kathreen Derouet, Czech Republic – Maizena, Denmark – Jillina, USA – Laura Zaray, Finland – Luna, Mexico – Esmaralda Colabone, USA – David Abraham, Argentina

Live music for the: ‘Soloists Live’ will be played by Bilal Irshed and his band.
Live music for the Tabla Solo Live will be played by Khader Ahmad.

Registration closes 10 September 2021 or when 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.

Organizers can choose to change the limit of dancers in each category if possible (do to timetables, contracts with judges ect.). Only dancers involved will be advised.

Soloists Live – live music competition (Professional level / Saturday show)
Rules and scoring – Soloist (pdf)
Limit: 10 dancers

• • 10 songs to choose from. Green = availability:
    1. Zeenah By Mohammed Abdel Wahab
    
    زينه – محمد عبد الوهاب
    
     
    2. Aziza By Mohammed Abdel Wahab
    
    عزيزه – محمد عبد الوهاب
     
    3. Ibn El Balad By Mohammed Abdel Wahab
    
    ابن البلد – محمد عبد الوهاب
     
    4. El Toba By Abdel Halim Hafez – Instrumental.
    
    وانا كل ماقول التوبه ـ عبد الحليم حافظ
     
    5. Aololo By Abdel Halim Hafez – Instrumental
    
    قولوله ـ عبد الحليم حافظ
     
    6. Tota By Farid el Atrach
    
    توته ـ فريد الاطرش
     
    7. Alf Leelah By Oum Kolthoum – Short version of intro
    
    الف ليله وليله ـ ام كلثوم
     
    8. Leelat Hob By Oum Kolthoum – Short version of intro
    
    ليله حب ـ ام كلثوم
     
    9. Kharmanah By Farid el Atrach
    
    كهرمانه ـ فريد الاطرش
     
    10. Ala Remsh Ayonha By Wadee2 el Safi – Instrumental 
    
    على رمش عيونها ـ وديع الصافي/ بليغ حمدي

Grand Diva (Professional and semi-professional level/ Saturday Show)
Rules and scoring – Grand Divas (pdf)
Limit: 12 dancers

Tabla Solo Live (Professional and semi-professional level / Saturday show)
Rules and scoring – Tabla solo live (pdf)
Limit: 12 dancers

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Tomorrow’s Stars (Professional and semi-professional level / Sunday show)
Rules and scoring – Tomorrow’s stars (pdf)
Limit: 12 dancers

Oriental Fusion, Group (Professional and semi-professional level / Sunday show)
Rules and scoring – Oriental Fusion (pdf)
Limit: 6 groups

• • Oriental Fusion: It is expected that the dancer will perform a routine. The routine must have movement elements from oriental belly dance. Examples of fusions could be Spanish/Arabic dance, Belly Funk and much more. As long there are elements of oriental belly dance you are welcome to combine all sorts of styles.

Oriental Fusion, Solo (Professional and semi-professional level / Sunday show)
Rules and scoring – Oriental Fusion (pdf)
Limit: 10 dancers

• • Oriental Fusion: It is expected that the dancer will perform a routine. The routine must have movement elements from oriental belly dance. Examples of fusions could be Spanish/Arabic dance, Belly Funk and much more. As long there are elements of oriental belly dance you are welcome to combine all sorts of styles.

Group (Professional and semi-professional level / Sunday show)
Rules and scoring – Groups (pdf)
Limit: 6 groups

• • • Groups: This is an all-encompassing category for Middle Eastern belly dance styles (baladi, saidi, classical oriental, maleya, khaleegi, shaabi etc.) but not tribal, fusion, or gothic. Regardless of the chosen style, the groups will be scored on the basis of the same criteria. Correct costumes should be worn for folkloric style dancing.

The winners of each category will be announced the same evening they are conducted.
Prizes will be awarded to 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place for solo categories and for 1st and 2nd for group categories.

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 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 notice: If you have competed in the competition before we will use your rank to guide you to the best category (Tomorrow’s Stars/Soloist).
• 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 in all categories is: DKK 200 / €27.
• The entry fee for one Group is DKK 200 / €27 per group member. This also applies to groups in the Oriental Fusion category.
• If a dancer enters two or more categories there will be a discount (see entry form).
• 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 registred.

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 on e.g. social medias such as Facebook, Instragram ect. and on festival posters, flyers ect.
• 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 mail-list ensureing that you can recieve information’s from us via e-mail concerning the festival and competition – unless you specificly 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.

Competition registration 2021 (pdf) – please click here

Please fill out the application form. You can write directly in the pdf. Remember to save your copy before returning it to us.

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.