Competitions

In-Person Competitions

Division Format / Tempo / Structure Awards

Open DRAW

$15 / person

Prelims

Heats to DJ music

2 songs per heat (~160 and 180 bpm)

About 1 min 30 sec each song

Semis

Heats to DJ music

2 songs per heat (~160 and 180 bpm)

About 45 sec each song

Finals

Spotlights to DJ music

Warmup: ~150 bpm

Spotlights: ~170 bpm about 1 min

All-skate finale: ~190 bpm

1st – $150
2nd – $100
3rd – $50

Advanced DRAW

$15 / person

Prelims

Heats to DJ music

2 songs per heat (~170 and 190 bpm)

About 1 min 30 sec each song

Semis

Heats to DJ music

2 songs per heat (~170 and 190 bpm)

About 45 sec each song

Finals

Spotlights to DJ music

Warmup: ~160 bpm

Spotlights: ~180 bpm about 1 min

All-skate finale: ~200 bpm

1st – $150
2nd – $100
3rd – $50

All-Star DRAW

$15 / person

Prelims

Heats to DJ music

2 songs per heat (~170 and 200 bpm)

About 1 min 30 sec each song

Semis

Heats to DJ music

2 songs per heat (~170 and 120 bpm)

About 45 sec each song

Finals

Spotlights to live band

Warmup: ~160 bpm

Spotlights: ~180 bpm about 1 min 15 sec

All-skate finale: ~215 bpm

1st – $250
2nd – $150
3rd – $100
Invitational DRAW

Spotlights to live band

Warmup: ~150 bpm

Spotlights: ~175 bpm about 1 min 30 sec

All-skate finale: ~215 bpm

1st – $400
2nd – $250
3rd – $150

Open Strictly

$30 / couple

Prelims

Heats to DJ music

2 songs per heat (~170 and 210 bpm)

About 1 min 30 sec each song

Semis

Heats to DJ music

2 songs per heat (~170 and 210 bpm), about 45 sec each song

All-skate 1 song ~210 bpm, about 1 min 30 sec

Finals

1st and 2nd place couples from each ILHC qualifier go straight to the Open Strictly finals


Jam format to live band

1 song: each couple dances 2 blues choruses (12x8s) at ~170 bpm, tempo change, then each couple dances 2 blues choruses (12x8s) at ~210 bpm, then all-skate 2 blues choruses (12x8s)

1st – $150
2nd – $100
3rd – $50

Advanced Strictly

$30 / couple

Prelims

Heats to DJ music

2 songs per heat (~180 and 220 bpm)

About 1 min 30 sec each song

Semis

Heats to DJ music

2 songs per heat (~180 and 220 bpm), about 45 sec each song

All-skate 1 song ~220 bpm, about 1 min 30 sec

Finals

1st and 2nd place couples from each ILHC qualifier go straight to the Advanced Strictly finals


Jam format to live band

1 song: each couple dances 2 blues choruses (12x8s) at ~180 bpm, tempo change, then each couple dances 2 blues choruses (12x8s) at ~220 bpm, then all-skate 2 blues choruses (12x8s)

1st – $150
2nd – $100
3rd – $50

All-Star Strictly

$30 / couple

Prelims

Heats to DJ music

2 songs per heat (~170 and 220 bpm)

About 1 min 30 sec each song

Semis

Heats to DJ music

2 songs per heat (~170 and 220 bpm), about 45 sec each song

All-skate 1 song ~230 bpm, about 1 min 30 sec

Finals

2nd place couple from each ILHC qualifier go straight to the All-Star Strictly finals


Jam format to live band

1 song: each couple dances 2 blues choruses (12x8s) at ~165 bpm, tempo change, then each couple dances 2 blues choruses (12x8s) at ~225 bpm, then all-skate 2 blues choruses (12x8s)

Top 3 are invited to the Strictly Throwdown


1st – $300
2nd – $150
3rd – $100

Invitational Strictly

Jam format to live band.

1 song: each couple dances 2 blues choruses (12x8s) at ~165 bpm, tempo change, then each couple dances 2 blues choruses (12x8s) at ~225 bpm, then all-skate 2 blues choruses (12x8s)

Top 3 are invited to the Strictly Throwdown


1st – $300
2nd – $150
3rd – $100

Strictly Throwdown

Top 3 of the All-Star Strictly, 1 couple from each ILHC qualifier, and top 3 of the Invitational Strictly compete in a jam format to a live band


Two songs, one mid-tempo and one fast-tempo. No airsteps or aerials are allowed in the mid-tempo round—support moves, such as drops, slides, and splits are allowed (but not required). Anything goes in the fast-tempo round.

Mid-tempo song: ~160 bpm, jam format, each couple dances 1 chorus (16x8s) and an all-skate chorus (16x8s)

Fast song: ~230 bpm, jam format, each couple dances 1 chorus (16x8s) and an all-skate chorus (16x8s)

1st – $600
2nd – $300
3rd – $200

NORMAlizer

$30 / couple

Prelims

Heats to DJ music

2 songs per heat (~220 and 240 bpm)

All-skate: ~260 bpm

About 1 min each song

Battles

ANNOUNCEMENT: The NORMAlizer will be done in a double-elimination battle format, until the final round. The top 3 couples from the prelims and the winners of the 2023 NORMAlizer.

Round 1 battles and 1st round elimination bracket: ~230 bpm, each couple dances 2 blues choruses (12x8s)

Round 2 battle and 2nd round elimination bracket: ~240 bpm, each couple dances 2 blues choruses (12x8s)

Final battle: ~250 bpm, each couple dances 1 chorus (16x8s), then each couple dances 2 blues choruses (12x8s), and 2 all-skate blues choruses (12x8s)

1st – $700
2nd – $300

Open Solo Jazz

$15 / person

Prelims

Heats to DJ music

2 songs per heat (~180 and 220 bpm)

About 1 min 30 sec each song

Semis

Heats to DJ music

2 songs per heat (~180 and 220 bpm), about 45 sec each song

All-skate 1 song ~230 bpm, about 1 min 30 sec

Finals

Jam format to live band

1 song: each dancer dances 2 blues choruses (12x8s) at ~180 bpm, tempo change, then each dancer dances 2 blues choruses (12x8s) at ~220 bpm, then all-skate 2 blues choruses (12x8s)

1st – $75
2nd – $50
3rd – $25

All-Star Solo Jazz

$15 / person

Prelims

Heats to DJ music

2 songs per heat (~180 and 230 bpm)

About 1 min 30 sec each song

Semis

Heats to live band

2 songs per heat (~180 and 230 bpm), about 45 sec each song

All-skate 1 song ~230 bpm, about 1 min 30 sec

Finals

2nd place couple from each ILHC qualifier go straight to the All-Star Solo Jazz finals


Jam format to live band

1 song: each dancer dances 2 blues choruses (12x8s) at ~180 bpm, tempo change, then each dancer dances 2 blues choruses (12x8s) at ~230 bpm, tempo change, then all-skate 2 blues choruses (12x8s) at ~245 bpm

Top 5 are invited to the Solo Jazz Throwdown


1st – $150
2nd – $75
3rd – $50

Invitational Solo Jazz

Dual jam format first song and jam format second song to live band

First song: ~180 bpm, two dancers at a time dance 2 blues choruses (12x8s), then all-skate 1 blues choruses (6x8s)

Second song: ~230 bpm, each dancer dances one at a time for 1 chorus (16x8s), tempo change, then all-skate 1 chorus (16x8s) at ~245 bpm

Top 8 are invited to the Solo Jazz Throwdown


1st – $150
2nd – $75
3rd – $50

Solo Jazz Throwdown

Top 5 of the All-Star Solo Jazz, 1st place from each ILHC qualifier, and top 8 of the Invitational Solo Jazz battle to a live band.


Round 1 (Sweet 16): ~225 bpm, 32-bar structure to DJ music. Eight songs / 8 battles. Both dancers dance at the same time for 1 chorus (16x8s)

Round 2 (Elite 8): ~235 bpm, 32-bar structure to live band. Four songs / 4 jam battles. One dancer dances for 1/2 chorus (8x8s), the other dances for 1/2 chorus (8x8s), and all-skate 1/2 chorus (8x8s)

Round 3 (Final 4): ~245 bpm, blues structure to live band. Two songs / 2 jam battles. One dancer dances 2 choruses (12x8s), the other dances 2 choruses (12x8s), and all-skate chorus (6x8s)

Round 4 (Finals): ~255 bpm, 32-bar structure to live band. Each dancer dances a 1/2 chorus (8x8s), a second 1/2 chorus (8x8s), a third 1/2 chorus (8x8s), and all-skate chorus (16x8s)

1st – $300
2nd – $150
3rd – $100

Pro-Am Strictly
(see pro and am descriptions below)

$25 / couple

Prelims

2-3 all-skate heats to DJ music

3 songs per heat (~170, 150, 190 bpm)

About 1 min 15 sec each song

Finals

Spotlights to DJ music

Spotlights: ~170 bpm about 1 min

All-skate finale: ~190 bpm

1st – $100
2nd – $75
3rd – $50

All-Star Classic

$30 / couple

Lindy Hop routine division. Competitors (1 lead and 1 follow) dance to music of their choice.

You may choose any song appropriate for lindy hop, including both modern and historical bands.

You CANNOT do the same routine in the virtual classic and an in-person classic.

No aerials, air-steps, acrobatics, or lifts in this division. “On the ground” moves (such as drops, slides, and splits) are allowed. Emphasis on partnering.

Songs should be 2 – 2.5 minutes in length (or cut or faded within the time allotted).

1st – $300
2nd – $200
3rd – $100
World Finals Classic

Top 5 from the previous ILHC Invitational Classic, 1st place from the previous ILHC All-Star Classic, 1st place from each ILHC qualifier, and invited dancers by the organizers.

Lindy Hop routine division. Competitors (1 lead and 1 follow) dance to music of their choice.

You may choose any song appropriate for lindy hop, including both modern and historical bands.

You CANNOT do the same routine in the virtual classic and an in-person classic.

No aerials, air-steps, acrobatics, or lifts in this division. “On the ground” moves (such as drops, slides, and splits) are allowed. Emphasis on partnering.

Songs should be 2 – 2.5 minutes in length (or cut or faded within the time allotted).

1st – $600
2nd – $400
3rd – $200

Lindy Hop Team

$100 / team

Lindy Hop routine division. Teams (3 or more couples) dance to music of their choice.

You may choose any song appropriate for lindy hop, including both modern and historical bands.

Songs should be 2.5 – 3.5 minutes in length (or cut or faded within the time allotted).

1st – $400
2nd – $200
3rd – $100

Virtual Competitions

Division Format / Tempo / Structure Awards

Virtual Solo Jazz

$10 / person

Competitors will submit TWO videos: a prelims video and a finals video. The prelims video will be reviewed by the judges and finalists will be selected. If the competitor becomes a finalist, the finals video will be reviewed by the judges and winners will be selected from the finalist videos. Choreography is allowed, but not required.

Videos must feature ONE dancer. Both videos submitted for this contest must feature the same dancer.

Videos must contain competitors dancing to the selected songs as provided by ILHC DJs.

Prelims Music – choose one of the following songs:

  • “H and J” by Count Basie
    Links: Spotify, YouTube, or iTunes
    Dance from 0:15 to 1:02, 20 eights (4x8s intro + 16x8s 1 chorus)
  • “Geronimo” by Jay McShann
    Links: Spotify, YouTube, or iTunes
    Dance from 0:00 to 0:41, 18 eights (18x8s 3 blues choruses)
  • “Bolero At The Savoy” by Elmer Fain and His Orchestra
    Links: YouTube or iTunes
    Dance from 0:00 to 0:47, 20 eights (4x8s intro + 16x8s 1 chorus)

Finals Music – choose one of the following songs:

  • “Gabriel Meets The Duke” by Erskine Hawkins
    Links: Spotify or YouTube
    Dance from 0:00 to 1:12, 36 eights (36x8s 6 blues choruses)
  • “Metronome All Out” by The Metronome All-Star Band
    Links: YouTube or Amazon
    Dance from 0:25 to 1:37, 35 eights (2x8s intro + 18x8s 3 blues choruses + 3x8s bridge + 12x8s 2 blues choruses)
  • “It’s Sand, Man” by Tiny Bradshaw
    Links: YouTube, Amazon, or iTunes
    Dance from 0:00 to 1:16, 37 eights (4x8s intro + 32x8s 2 choruses + 1×8 bridge)

Competition Registration Deadline is April 1, 2024!

Video submission deadline for both videos is April 15, 2024.

1st – certificate and $100 credit to ILHC 2025

2nd – certificate
3rd – certificate

Virtual Classic

$20 / couple

Lindy Hop routine division. Competitors (1 lead and 1 follow) dance to music of their choice.

You may choose any song appropriate for lindy hop, including both modern and historical bands.

You CANNOT do the same routine in the virtual classic and an in-person classic.

Competitors will submit ONE video and the video must feature TWO dancers.

No aerials, air-steps, acrobatics, or lifts in this division. “On the ground” moves (such as drops, slides, and splits) are allowed. Emphasis on partnering.

Songs should be 2 – 2.5 minutes in length (or cut or faded within the time allotted).

Competition Registration Deadline is April 15, 2024!

Video submission deadline is April 30, 2024.

1st – certificates and $200 credit to ILHC 2025

2nd – certificates
3rd – certificates

Virtual Solo Jazz Team

$50 / team

This is a solo vernacular jazz dance contest (non-partnered team dancing). Competitors dance to music of their choice.

You may choose any song appropriate for solo jazz, including both modern and historical bands.

Competitors will submit ONE video which must feature at least THREE dancers in the Solo Jazz Team.

You may compete in only 2 Solo Jazz Teams. Please be considerate of your fellow dancers!

Songs should be 2 – 2.5 minutes in length (or cut or faded within the time allotted).

Competition Registration Deadline is April 15, 2024!

Video submission deadline is April 30, 2024.

1st – certificates and $300 credit to ILHC 2025

2nd – certificates
3rd – certificates

Video Showcase

$20 / team

This is a Lindy Hop Contest. Competitors dance to music of their choice.

You may choose any song appropriate for lindy hop, including both modern and historical bands.

No-holds barred—all lifts, drops, aerials, airsteps and acrobatics are encouraged.

There are no restrictions for camera use or editing in this competition. Please consider: Is the video edited well? Does it make appropriate use of pacing and music? Does it drag on, or will it hold an audience’s attention? We strongly encourage creative editing, ideas, etc of your videos. Keep your videos short and punchy.

Competitors will submit ONE video and must feature no more than THREE dancers.

Routines may be a maximum of 2 minutes in length.

Competition Registration Deadline is April 15, 2024!

Video submission deadline is April 30, 2024.

1st – certificates and $200 credit to ILHC 2025

2nd – certificates
3rd – certificates

Youth Virtual Competitions

Division Format / Tempo / Structure Awards

Youth Solo Jazz

FREE entry

Competitors 17 and under. Competitors dance to music of their choice.

Routines must be a minimum of 1 minute and a maximum of 2 minutes in length.

Competitors will submit ONE video which must feature ONE dancer.

Competition Registration Deadline is April 30, 2024!

Video submission deadline is May 7, 2024.

1st – certificate
2nd – certificate
3rd – certificate

Youth Showcase

FREE entry

Competitors 17 and under. Competitors dance to music of their choice.

There are no restrictions for camera use or editing in this competition. You may include people from multiple locations as long as they are edited into the video before submission.

Competitors will submit ONE video which must feature TWO or more dancers. Couples and teams are allowed to participate!

Routines may be a maximum of 2 minutes in length.

Competition Registration Deadline is April 30, 2024!

Video submission deadline is May 7, 2024.

1st – certificates
2nd – certificates
3rd – certificates

Divisions

Open Division – Open to all dancers who have not placed in the top 3 of a high national/international competition and who do not compete regularly in high national/international competitions.

Advanced Division – Open to advanced dancers who compete regularly at high national/international competitions.

All-Star Division – Open to dancers who compete and place in the top national/international level competitions (to be determined by the organizers).

Invitational Division – Open to dancers determined by the organizers.

Multiple Entries

When submitting multiple entries for competitions, please note that each competition has specific rules and guidelines regarding entries across different divisions and roles. Here’s a breakdown:

  • Solo Jazz Comps: Participants are allowed only one entry into one division.
  • Strictly Comps: Competitors can enter one division per role (e.g., Open as a leader and Adv as a follower).
  • Draw Comps: Like Strictly Comps, participants can enter one division per role.
  • Classic Comps: Participants can enter one division. Participants may submit an additional entry on waitlist if they enter a different division, dance a different role with a different partner.
  • Teams: Competitors can participate in up to 2 Solo Jazz Teams and/or 2 Lindy Hop Teams.

In partner and team divisions, only 1 person needs to register for the division. Please be considerate of your fellow dancers and DO NOT register under two names. ALL TBD partners will need to be established and named by the deadline.

Virtual contests are treated separately and you may join both a virtual competition and an in-person competition.

Definitions

Virtual and In-Person Contests

You may compete in both in-person and virtual competitions. Our Virtual competitions are open to all levels and our in-person competitions have multiple level divisions.

Also, note that you CANNOT do the same routine in the Virtual Classic and an in-person Classic.

Draw Contests

Lindy Hop Draw contests are social dance competitions. In the preliminary rounds, leaders and followers are randomly paired together and dance to songs of varying styles and tempos but are judged as individuals. In the finals, leaders and followers are randomly paired again, but will be judged as a couple as they dance in a spotlight format.

Strictly Contests

Lindy Hop Strictly contests are social dance competitions. Dancers register as couples and will dance to music selected by ILHC. The finals will be danced in a jam format to a live band. Although choreographed sequences are not disallowed, the judges will be looking for spontaneity, creativity, and connection to the music.

Solo Jazz Contests

Solo Jazz contests are solo American vernacular jazz dance competitions. Dancers must include Charleston and vernacular jazz movements. Dancers will dance to music selected by ILHC.

Pro-Am Contests

This is a social dance, strictly competition. The Amateur will dance with a Pro dancer. Only the amateur will be judged. Pros are dancers who are competing in All-Star or higher level divisions at ILHC 2024 or who teach Lindy Hop as their main occupation.

If you are competing in All-Star or higher level divisions at ILHC 2024, or teach Lindy Hop as your main occupation, you CANNOT compete as an Amateur in the Pro-Am contest.

Each Pro is limited to 3 Amateur participants.

Classic Contests

In this division, competitors display their Lindy Hop choreographed creativity without aerials, air steps, acrobatics, or lifts. “On the ground” moves (such as drops, slides, and splits) are allowed. The emphasis is on partnering.

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