2025 competition applications are open!
Download 2025 Syllabus here
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Pay application fees here
- Closing date for applications: Thursday 28 November 2024
- Successful applicants notified by: Wednesday 11 December 2024
- First day of competitions: Wednesday 9 July 2025
C1. TRADITIONAL GROUP FOLK DANCE (Thursday 10 July 2025)
Prizes: 1st International Trophy and £550, 2nd £350, 3rd £200.
- Groups of at least 4 dancers.
- Up to 8 musicians and 2 flag-bearers are also allowed.
- Groups must perform a programme of up to 6 minutes showcasing the folk dance traditions of the group’s culture.
- Dancers must be aged 16 or over on the first day of the competitions.
- The programme must focus on the dance tradition, and not on instrumental numbers or dramatics.
- Groups may choose how many traditional dances to include, and costumes changes are allowed at the discretion of the group, as long as the dancing on stage is continuous.
- Staging and transitions must be carefully considered.
- Music performed live on traditional instruments is preferred, but pre-recorded tracks will be accepted. Pre-recorded tracks must be sent into the music office by 12th March 2025.
C2. CHOREOGRAPHED/STYLISED GROUP FOLK DANCE
(Friday 11 July 2025) Prizes: 1st International Trophy and £550, 2nd £350, 3rd £200.
- Groups of at least 4 dancers.
- Up to 8 musicians and 2 flag-bearers are also allowed.
- Groups must perform a programme of up to 6 minutes.
- Dancers must be aged 16 or over on the first day of the competitions.
- Groups are required to present creative, entertaining choreography based on their folk-dance traditions. The programme must focus on the dance, and not on instrumental numbers or dramatics.
- Groups may choose how many dances to include, and costume changes are allowed at the discretion of the group, as long as the dancing on stage is continuous.
- Originality and inventiveness is encouraged. Creative, innovative staging and transitions must be carefully considered.
- Music performed live on traditional instruments is preferred, but pre-recorded tracks will be accepted. Pre-recorded tracks must be sent into the music office by 12th March 2025.
LUCILLE ARMSTRONG DANCE AWARD
The winners of C1 and C2 will compete for this prestigious Lucille Armstrong trophy and £500 on the final night of competitions, Saturday 12 July 2025. It is, therefore, important that all dance groups competing in C1 and C2 stay until Sunday 13 July 2025. For this competition, groups are required to present an entertaining programme of dance lasting up to 6 minutes. If a group wins in both categories C1 and C2 it must perform the programme for which it obtained the higher mark, and the second highest scoring group from the other category will then go into the final.
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C3. CHILDREN’S TRADITIONAL GROUP FOLK DANCE (Wednesday 9 July 2025)
Prizes: 1st International Trophy and £350, 2nd £175, 3rd £100.
- Groups of at least 4 dancers under the age of 16 on the first day of the competitions.
- Up to 8 musicians and 2 flag-bearers are also allowed.
- Perform a programme of up to 5 minutes showcasing the folk dance traditions of the group’s culture.
- The programme must focus on the dance tradition, and not on instrumental numbers or dramatics.
- Groups may choose how many dances to include, and costume changes are allowed at the discretion of the group, as long as the dancing on stage is continuous.
- Staging and transitions must be carefully considered.
- Music performed live on traditional instruments is preferred, but pre recorded tracks will be accepted. Pre-recorded tracks must be sent into the music office by 12th March 2025.
C4. LLANGOLLEN DANCE-OFF (Saturday 12 July 2025)
Prizes: 1st International Trophy and £300.
- Groups of at least 4 dancers aged 16 or over on the first day of competitions.
- Up to 8 musicians and 2 flag-bearers are also allowed.
- A performance of up to 5 minutes in a traditional or contemporary style. Any genre of dance permitted.
- Entertainment value and engaging the audience is encouraged.
- The audience will be able to indicate their favourite group and this ‘vote’ will be noted by the official adjudicator.
- Music performed live on traditional instruments is preferred, but pre-recorded tracks will be accepted. Pre-recorded tracks
must be sent into the music office by 12th March 2025