Festival Rules. |
1. The competition is for amateurs and students who do not derive the main part of their income from the teaching or performance of dance.
2. Competitors attending full time vocational dance school are not eligible to enter the Festival.
3. The age of competitors is taken as on 31st August of the previous year of the Festival. In
Duets, Trios, Quartets and Groups the age of the oldest competitor determines the class and fee.
4. The Committee reserves the right to return any entry without assigning a reason
5. All Private Entries must be accompanied by a supporting letter from their Teacher /
Principal of Dance School.
6. 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.
7. 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.
8. Photography, film, video, or tape recording is prohibited in the performance hall.
9. 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.
10. 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.
II. 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.
12. Competitors must dance in the correct program order, report to the stage official at least 15 minutes
before they are due to dance, and be ready in the wings before their number is announced. Absentees risk disqualification.
13. Music must be uploaded to our online platform which for 2024 will be Play and Perform. This should be uploaded by 15th April at the latest. Competitors/teachers/parents will be asked to check all music on check-in at the festival but please ensure there is a back-up available, preferably on CD, in case of technical difficulties.
14. 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. 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 FIVE and a maximum of THIRTY dancers constitutes a Group.
15. Time limits for dances must not be exceeded.
16. When requested in advance the official will announce the title of the dance and when obscure, a short synopsis, not longer than 30 words, can be provided.
17. The sound box is out of bounds to all except authorised personnel.
18. The quality of recordings and suitability of recorded vocals may be taken into account by the Adjudicator.
19. Pre-recorded music used in Musical Theatre sections must not include any singing or chanting. Pre-recorded music used in Tap Sections must not include any recorded Tap or similar sound effect.
20. Pointe work is not allowed for any competitor under 13 years old.
22. Additional information will be required for some classes prior to the festival:
a. Titles for Narrative/Character, Global and Greek sections and Contemporary if appropriate.
b. The numbers of dancers in groups.
23. No food or drink or smoking (including the use of eCigarettes) is allowed in the auditorium.
24. Audience entry to the auditorium must not occur during a performance or adjudication, and is at the discretion of the stewards.
25. Audiences should show their appreciation of a performance by applause only - cheering and whooping is not encouraged.
26. There will be no re-dances except in the case of technical failure or at the adjudicators discretion.
27. Not all classes will carry a trophy - allocation is at the discretion of the Committee
28. 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 and where marks are tied the adjudicator which select the performer to receive the trophy. There will be no shared awards.
29. 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 engravings.
30. All trophies awarded at the festival should be returned by no later than the 15th March in the following year and should be in good, clean condition.
31. If a trophy is lost/damaged or not returned on time the Committee reserves the right to:
a. Charge the recipient for repair or replacement
b. Withhold presentation of further trophies to the recipient and/or 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.
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:
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 Tracy Barnes.
- Best practice advice in the form of Safe Working Practice leaflet, and Festival Child Protection leaflet, and other guidance produced by the Federation. The advice is supported by support and training for all Festival staff and volunteers. Guidance includes clear reporting procedures for anyone with a concern about a child.
- Appropriate recruitment and induction procedures for all new staff and volunteers responsible for providing safe environments for everyone attending / performing at a Federation Festival.
- All Festival personnel wear a badge to identify their roles. All teachers/parents/guardians /carers are asked to report all incidents of any nature to anyone wearing a Festival 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 Creating Safer Festivals for Everyone 2 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. The Festival cannot take any responsibility for property left unattended.
- We do not permit any unauthorised photography at our Federation Festivals. For further information on what is and is not authorised, please contact the Festival Safeguarding Officer or anyone wearing a festival badge. If any child, young person or parent/carer is concerned about any photography or recording taking place at an event, please contact the Festival Safeguarding Officer, who will be pleased to discuss this matter with you.
- Some children and vulnerable adults with support needs may need help in order to take part. If this is the case we ask the responsible teachers/parents/guardians/carers to contact the Festival organisers prior to arrival. The Festival aims to meet these needs wherever possible but must know beforehand in order to prepare support - or to advise that help cannot be provided on this occasion.
- The Festival’s Child Protection Policy and its approach to Creating Safer Festivals for Everyone are published explicitly in our Syllabus, Programme and Website.
By completing and submitting the entry form all parents / guardians / carers and teachers of entrants under 18 (or adults of any age who may require additional support) 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.
Please not the Festival Committee strongly advice that parental/guardian consent is gained before posting any images of children, participating in the festival, on social media.
Child Protection Policy
The British and International Federation of Festivals for Music, Dance and Speech (BIFF) 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.
It has been drawn up on the basis of relevant law and guidance that seeks to protect children and young people, and its purpose is to set out the overarching principles that guide our approach.
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
• appointing a Federation Head of Safeguarding and, for each festival, at least one Festival Safeguarding Officer
• adopting child protection guidelines through procedures and safe working practice for staff and volunteers
• working within the legislation and guidance that specifically addresses the needs of young performers (specifically, the Children and Young People Acts 1933 and 1963, and the Children (Performance and Activities) (England) Regulations 2014
• adopting a safe and balanced approach to the issue of creating and using photography and images of children and young people at our festivals and in our communications • 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
Last Reviewed: May 2022
The British and International Federation of Festivals for Music, Dance and Speech (BIFF) 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.
It has been drawn up on the basis of relevant law and guidance that seeks to protect children and young people, and its purpose is to set out the overarching principles that guide our approach.
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
• appointing a Federation Head of Safeguarding and, for each festival, at least one Festival Safeguarding Officer
• adopting child protection guidelines through procedures and safe working practice for staff and volunteers
• working within the legislation and guidance that specifically addresses the needs of young performers (specifically, the Children and Young People Acts 1933 and 1963, and the Children (Performance and Activities) (England) Regulations 2014
• adopting a safe and balanced approach to the issue of creating and using photography and images of children and young people at our festivals and in our communications • 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
Last Reviewed: May 2022
Privacy |
Statement
GDPR stands for General Data Protection Regulation and replaces the previous Data Protection Directives that were in place. It was approved by the EU Parliament in 2016 and came into effect on 25th May 2018.
GDPR states that personal data should be ‘processed fairly & lawfully’ and ‘collected for specified, explicit and legitimate purposes’ and that individuals data is not processed without their knowledge and are only processed with their ‘explicit’ consent. GDPR covers personal data relating to individuals. Southampton Stage Dance Festival is committed to protecting the rights and freedoms of individuals with respect to the processing of children’s, parents, visitors and staff personal data.
The Data Protection Act gives individuals the right to know what information is held about them. It provides a framework to ensure that personal information is handled properly.
GDPR includes 7 rights for individuals
1) The right to be informed
Southampton Stage Dance Festival is a registered Dance Festival with the British & International Federation of Festivals and as so, is required to collect and manage certain data. We need to know parent’s names, addresses, telephone numbers, email addresses. We need to know children’s’ full names, addresses, date of birth. We are requested to provide some or all of this data to The British and International Federation of Festivals and other external examining boards, competitions for entries into correct categories and Hampshire county council areas for performance licences should they be required.
Southampton Stage Dance Festival is required to hold data on its Teachers; names, addresses, email addresses, telephone numbers, date of birth, bank details. This information is also required for Disclosure and Barring Service checks (DBS) through the DDC.
Southampton Stage Dance Festival uses Cookies on its website to collect data for Google Analytics, this data is anonymous.
2) The right of access
At any point an individual can make a request relating to their data and Southampton Stage Dance Festival will need to provide a response (within 1 month). Southampton Stage Dance Festival can refuse a request, if we have a lawful obligation to retain data but we will inform the individual of the reasons for the rejection. The individual will have the right to complain to the ICO if they are not happy with the decision.
3) The right to erasure
You have the right to request the deletion of your data where there is no compelling reason for its continued use. However Southampton Stage Dance Festival has a legal duty to keep children’s, parents and teachers details for a reasonable time, Southampton Stage Dance Festival retain these records for 3 years after leaving the school. At this point, all data will be deleted from our database.
4) The right to restrict processing
Parents and teachers can object to Southampton Stage Dance Festival processing their data. This means that records can be stored but must not be used in any way, for example reports or for communications. In this instance, other plans must be discussed with the individuals for the set up of receiving information about their classes and emergency contact.
5) The right to data portability
Southampton Stage Dance Festival requires data to be transferred from one IT system to another; such as from Southampton Stage Dance Festival to the Local Authority, for performance BOPA licences, and dance Associations for examinations. These recipients have their own policies and procedures in place in relation to GDPR.
6) The right to object
Parents and staff can object to their data being used for certain activities like marketing or research.
7) The right not to be subject to automated decision-making including profiling.
Automated decisions and profiling are used for marketing based organisations. Southampton Stage Dance Festival does not use personal data for such purposes.
Storage and use of personal information
All previous paper copies of children’s and staff records are kept in a locked file along with timetable of the festival, which includes the children's names for use of the staff at the festival. From this point forward all information will be taken electronically.
This software is password protected on all devices.
Processors of data will have a data processing contract with Southampton Stage Dance Festival to protect your data. These include teachers, back stage helpers and workshop leaders as below.
During performances or workshops data may be printed out to create a register with medical information and emergency contact numbers for workshop leaders or back stage helpers. This is for the children’s safety and will be shredded after the event has ended.
A published programme will be made available each year which the public can buy. This will only contain the childs full name and no other information.
Southampton Stage Dance Festival collects a large amount of personal data every year including; names and addresses of those on the waiting list. These records are deleted if the child does not attend or added to the child’s file and stored appropriately.
GDPR means that Southampton Stage Dance Festival must;
* Manage and process personal data properly
* Protect the individual’s rights to privacy
* Provide an individual with access to all personal information held on them
This Policy was created in November 2023