Regulations

Festival Rules.

The competition is for amateurs and students who do not derive the main part of their income from the teaching or performance of dance.
Competitors attending full time vocational dance school are not eligible to enter the Festival.
The age of competitors is taken as on 1st September of the previous year of the Festival. In Duets, Trios, Quartets and Groups the age of the oldest competitor determines the class and fee.
The Committee reserves the right to return any entry without assigning a reason
All Private Entries must be accompanied by a supporting letter from their Teacher / Principal of Dance School.
The Committee may combine Sections or Classes when entries are small, divide when large and make other regulations or interpret or qualify any rules as occasion may arise.
The competition does not accept liability for the infringement of copyright, recording or performing rights arising out of any competitor's accompaniment or performance. It contributes to a Group License to cover payment of fees for the use of recorded music at its events. Teachers and choreographers using music created from commercial recordings are advised that they are responsible for seeking permission to re-record from the recording companies concerned.
Photography, film, video, or tape recording is prohibited in the performance hall. Mobile phones and electronic games must be switched off in the performance hall.
The Adjudicator’s decision is final, no discussion or correspondence concerning any decision may ensure. The Adjudicator may not award a place when it is his/her opinion that the standard is not sufficiently high, or when individuals infringe the rules.
Communication with the Adjudicator concerning any matters relating to the competition by competitors, teachers, and other interested parties prior to or during the competition is prohibited and may lead to disqualification.
The stage and wings are out of bounds to all except authorized persons and competitors about to perform. Competitors who have danced must leave and only return to the wings three numbers before the end of their class. Authorised persons include one assistant from each school who may accompany children under 8 years and others for the purpose of wardrobe or props. Please note that the stage will NOT be available for rehearsals during breaks.
Competitors must dance in correct program order, report to the stage official 15 minutes before they are due to dance, and be ready in the wings before their number is announced, absentees risk disqualification.
Music must be recorded on a good quality CD-R (not CR-RW or DVD) in “audio” format (not mp3 or any other format). The disk should have no scratches on the playing surface and must contain the required music as the first or only track. We recommend that you have a backup CD-R, preferably recorded on different equipment. The disc should be marked with the performer’s name. Music must be delivered to the Music Collection Desk at least 30 minutes before the start of the class.
Competitors may perform not more than once in their own age group for each
Solo Section and for each technique in a Duet , Trio or Quartet Section, but twice in their own age group for each technique in a Group Section. Younger competitors may perform out of their age group not more than once in each technique for a more senior Duet, Trio, Quartet or Group Section. A minimum of eight and a maximum of twenty four dancers constitutes a Group.
Time limits for dances must not be exceeded.
When requested in advance the Official will announce the title of the dance
and, when a story is obscure a short synopsis not exceeding 30 words.
The sound box is out of bounds to all except authorised personnel.
The quality of recordings and suitability of recorded vocals may be taken into
account by the Adjudicator.
Pre-recorded music used in Song and dance Sections must not include any
singing or chanting on the cassette. Pre-recorded music used in Tap Sections
must not include any recorded Tap or similar sound effect.
Pointe work is not allowed for any competitor under 13 years old.
Taps must be fixed, single sound and used only in Tap classes.
Additional information will be required for some classes prior to the Festival,
including:
- for Choreography classes (for which arrangements must be the unaided work of the competitor) a description of the dance
- for National classes the country/region of the dance
- for Groups the number of dancers in the Group
Failure to provide such information in the format and by the date specified in the syllabus will result in disqualification.
No food or drink (except bottled water) or smoking (including electronic cigarettes) is allowed in the auditorium.
Audience entry to the auditorium must not occur during a performance or adjudication, and is at the discretion of the stewards.
Audiences should show their appreciation of a performance by applause - cheering is not encouraged.
There will be no re-dances unless CD fails.
Not all classes will carry a trophy – allocation is at the discretion of the
Committee.
Trophies or other awards will not normally be awarded unless a mark of 84 or
above is achieved. The awarding of a trophy or other award is solely at the
discretion of the Adjudicator.
Trophy winners may have their name and the Festival year inscribed on the
trophy at their own expense, so long as the style is consistent with existing
inscriptions.
All trophies awarded at a Festival should be cleaned and returned in good
condition no later than the following 15th March.
If a trophy is lost/damaged or not returned on time the Committee reserves the
right to:
- charge the recipient for repair or replacement
- withhold presentation of further trophies to the recipient and/or the school.

Rules are imposed for everyone’s comfort and safety, and regulations regarding Health and Safety have to be strictly obeyed.
Competitors will be disqualified and not permitted to dance again during the Festival if behaviour is not that of the standard expected. Parents and Teachers are asked to set an example by acting in a friendly and courteous manner towards each other and all competitors, and are asked to ensure that children are not left alone to get bored and cause damage to property or annoyance to others.

Please keep the Foyer and Café areas clear – these are open to members of the general public and must not be used for make-up, rehearsals or picnics.

Thank you for your co-operation.

Safeguarding.

Creating Safer Festivals for Everyone

The Federation and its member Festivals use the following policies and procedures to create Safer Festivals for everyone:

A single, definitive Safeguarding Policy adopted by all Federation Festivals.
One or more designated Festival Safeguarding Officers (FSOs) appointed for each Federation Festival. The FSO of Southampton Stage Dance Festival is Mr Keith Taylor, telephone: 01489-600863.
Best practice advice in the form of Safe Working Practice and Festival Child Protection leaflets, with support and training for all Festival staff and volunteers. Including clear reporting procedures for anyone with a concern about a child.
Appropriate recruitment and induction procedures for all new Festival staff and volunteers responsible for providing safe environments for everyone attending / performing at a Federation Festival.
All Festival volunteers wear a Festival badge. All teachers/parents/guardians /carers are asked to report all incidents of any nature to anyone wearing a badge. All reported incidents will be handled in accordance with the Safe Working Practice and Festival Child Protection best practice advice. In addition we will ensure the availability of a quiet area / room where concerns can be expressed in private.
For the duration of a Festival all teachers/parents/guardians/carers are responsible for the continuous care and supervision of their own children/pupils. If they are unable to attend personally, they must delegate their responsibilities to an identified adult and ensure that their children/pupils are aware of the identity and name of the person responsible for their care. This includes supervision throughout all Festival venues, practice and changing areas that may be provided.
No unauthorised photography, audio or video recording of children and young people is allowed at our Festivals. Where parents/guardians/carers do not wish photos to be taken at all, then the responsible adult attending should ensure that their child is not included in official photos.
Some children and vulnerable adults may have specific needs in order to take part. If this is the case we ask the responsible teachers/parents/guardians/carers to contact the Festival prior to arrival. The Festival actively seeks wherever possible to meet these needs, but must know beforehand in order to prepare support – or to advise that help cannot be provided on this occasion.
The Festival’s Safeguarding Policy and approach to Creating Safer Festivals for Everyone is published explicitly in our Syllabus, Programme and on our website. By completing and signing the entry form all parents / guardians / carers and teachers of entrants under 18 confirm that they give (or have obtained) the necessary consents for the entrants to take part in the Festival. Without consent the entry to the Festival cannot be accepted.

Safeguarding Policy

The British and International Federation of Festivals for Music, Dance and Speech works for amateur festivals everywhere to help create thousands of educational performance opportunities for children and young people each year.

The Federation, and our member Festivals, are committed to ensuring safe environments for children and young people and believe that it is always unacceptable for a child or young person to experience abuse of any kind. We recognise our responsibility to safeguard the welfare of all children and young people, by a commitment to recommend best practice which protects them.

This policy applies to our Board of Trustees, paid staff, Adjudicator members, volunteers, students or anyone working on behalf of the Federation and our member Festivals.

We recognise that:

the welfare of the child/young person is paramount
all children, regardless of age, disability, gender, racial heritage, religious belief, sexual orientation or identity, have the right to equal protection from all types of harm or abuse
working in partnership with children, young people, their parents, carers and other agencies is essential in promoting young people’s welfare.
The purpose of the policy:

to provide protection for the children and young people who participate in our festivals, including the children of festival members
to provide staff and volunteers with guidance on procedures they should adopt in the event that they suspect a child or young person may be
experiencing, or be at risk of, harm
We will seek to safeguard children and young people by:

valuing them, listening to and respecting them
adopting child protection guidelines through procedures and safe working practice for staff and volunteers
recruiting staff and volunteers safely, ensuring all necessary checks are made
sharing information about child protection and safe working practice with children, parents, staff and volunteers
sharing information about concerns with agencies who need to know, and involving parents and children appropriately
providing effective management for staff and volunteers through supervision, support and training.
The Federation will review this policy each year in November in line with Safe Network guidance or sooner in light of any changes in legislation or guidance. All changes will be communicated to our member Festivals in time for the start of the new Festival year.

Data Protection.

The Southampton Stage Dance Festival is a registered charity (number 1032283) established to provide an educational dance platform for young people up to the age of 21.
The Festival maintains personal information on a variety of individuals for legitimate purposes:
- COMMITTEE MEMBERS, VOLUNTEERS, ADJUDICATORS and others: names and contact details for communications relevant to the running of the Festival
- TEACHERS/PARENTS/GUARDIANS of competitors: names and contact details for communications relevant to the running of the Festival and for the return of trophies
- COMPETITORS: names, dates of birth, classes entered and marks awarded for programme class lists, and any other information which may be required by Local Authorities for the purpose of child performance licensing
- PAST COMPETITORS: names to maintain an archive of trophy winners.
The information is kept securely in hardcopy and/or password-protected digital format
and is available only to authorised Festival staff for legitimate purposes on a strict 'need
to know' basis.
The information will not be shared with any third party except for competitor names to be
listed in the Festival programme, names of trophy winners to be published on the Festival website and other competitor information required by legitimate bodies for entry to National and International competitions or required by Local Authorities for child performance licensing.
You have the right at any time to review the information held for you and to request that it be modified or deleted. The Festival will endeavour to comply with such requests within 10 working days. Address requests to the Festival's Data Manager at southamptondancefestival@gmail.com
The information will be kept until such time as the Festival no longer needs it or you request us to remove it.
This policy will be reviewed periodically by the Festival Committee to ensure that it continues to meet the highest standards of Data Protection. This version issued November 2018.