2013 Rules, Regulations, and Guidelines

Schedule

Friday, May 24
7pm - 40th Anniversary Celebration
Benefit for Girls Raks Bellydance & Body Image Program
Hosted by Radiance
278 4th Street, Oakland, California

Saturday, May 25
11:00am - Doors Open
12:30pm to 5:00pm - Troupe, Duo/Trio, Grand Dancer, and Tribal Ensemble
5:00pm to 6:30pm - Dinner Break, Doors Will Remain Open
6:30pm to 10:30pm - Belly Dancer of the Year and Tribal Soloist of the Year

Sunday, May 26
11:00am to 3:30pm - BDOY Workshops at Radiance
7pm - Dinner Show at El Morocco
2203 Morello Avenue, Pleasant Hill, California

General Guidelines For All Categories
These guidelines apply to all six categories: Belly Dancer of the Year, Troupe, Duo/Trio, Grand Dancer, Tribal Soloist, and Tribal Ensemble.

Acknowledgment, Liability, and Release
Please take some time to read the General Liability, Acknowledgement, and Releases before registering to compete. All competitors, including each member of every duet, trio, troupe, and ensemble, will be required to sign a hard copy upon checking in at the competition.

Notice to All Participants:
Please be advised that you are participating in the 2013 Belly Dancer of the Year Pageant (hereinafter, “Pageant”) at your own risk. You are solely responsible for any and all expenses related to injuries and/or loss or damage of personal property incurred in connection with your participation in the Pageant.

Acknowledgement and Releases:
By signing this document, I acknowledge that I am participating in the Pageant at my own will and at my own risk.

I represent that I am in good health and am physically able to participate in the Pageant. Should I be injured during the Pageant, I hereby grant permission to the Pageant and its officials to arrange for my transportation to a hospital and/or administer immediate first aid as deemed necessary.

I agree to hold El Cerrito High School Performing Arts Center, West Contra Costa Unified School District, Belly Dancer of the Year Pageant, its directors, officers, employees, representatives, and agents harmless from and against any and all claims, losses, damages, expenses (including attorneys’ fees and all court and litigation costs) and liability resulting from injury of any person or damage to or loss of any property arising out of my participation, or lack thereof, in the Pageant.

I hereby authorize Belly Dancer of the Year Pageant to use my name and/or likeness, by way of photograph and/or résumé, to publicize the Pageant in any manner deemed appropriate by Pageant officials.

I acknowledge and agree that any videos and/or motion pictures taken of me by Pageant officials during or in connection with the Pageant, whether captured by way of film, or digital media, are the irrevocable and exclusive property of Belly Dancer of the Year Pageant. I agree that digital photographs taken of me by Michael Baxter will be non-exclusively licensed to both me and to Belly Dancer of the Year Pageant. I further consent that the scope of allowed uses is limited to no use whatsoever involving the slandering of any person or party.

Age & Gender
There are no gender restrictions. At the time of performance, competitors in the Grand Dancer category must be 45 years of age. At the time of performance, competitors in the Belly Dancer of the Year, Troupe, Duo/Trio, Tribal Soloist, and Tribal Ensemble categories must be 16 years of age. There is no age maximum.

Competition Entry Fees
The entry fee for each category is $100. Entry fees must be paid through PayPal. Please note that we no longer accept checks for entry fees. Competitors may withdraw within forty-eight (48) hours after receiving notification that their application was accepted. If the withdrawal is timely, then competitors are entitled to a full refund of entry fees. After forty-eight (48) hours, there will be no refunds of entry fees.

Judges & Scorekeeping
A panel of distinguished judges (10 minimum) is selected by BDOY Officials and includes solo dancers, troupe dancers, and musicians. Judges are selected to reflect the style of dance that they are judging. We do not allow competitors to sit on the judging panel for categories they are not competing in. All BDOY judges remain anonymous. This is critical to maintaining the fairness and integrity of the competition. If you approach a judge, score keeper, or BDOY volunteer and request information regarding the identity of the judges, you will be disqualified and/or stripped of your title. Decisions made by the judging panel are final and may not be appealed. The judging panel is announced on or before April 1 and listed on Judges page.

Music
In keeping with the theme of the Belly Dancer of the Year Pageant, competitors must use Middle Eastern or North African music, or music that is clearly inspired by the region. All music must be on CD with a second back-up CD. Any fading of music must be done on the CD. Please note that the theater sound system does not support MP3 format. Burn tracks in .cda format only. Remember to "normalize" all tracks and "finalize" your CDs.

Performance Standard
All performances must be family and child appropriate. If your performance is deemed inappropriate, the lights and your music will be faded out. You will be disqualified and we will introduce the next competitor.

Photos & DVD of Your Performance
The authorized BDOY photographer, Michael Baxter, will take multiple photos of each performance and you may obtain a copy of your photos on disk. Each performance will also be recorded on DVD. We will send you details about ordering photos and DVDs closer to the event.

Props
No fire or incense is allowed in the theater or building. Solo categories may not include a second person. Musical instruments may be used, however, the musician(s) must also dance. Belly Dancer of the Year Pageant, Belly Dance!, Leea Aziz, El Cerrito High School Performing Arts Center, The West Contra Costa county Unified School District, and the City of El Cerrito are not responsible for personal items that may be lost or stolen.

Stage Dimensions & Layout
Dimensions and details about the theater stage: ECHS Stage Layout (pdf)

Tickets
Competitors in the Belly Dancer of the Year Pageant are not required to purchase a ticket for the segment of the show in which they are performing but will need to purchase tickets for any other segments.

Timing
Each performance will be timed by stopwatch. Any dancer(s) not ready to perform when announced will be disqualified. Time commences with the start of the music and ends when the dancer(s) exits the stage or the music stops, whichever comes last. There is a penalty for every second a performance exceeds the time limits.

Categories

Belly Dancer of the Year
Time Limits: 7 minutes maximum
This is a solo category open to dancers whose work is rooted in dances from the countries and regions belly dance is from. This includes, but is not limited to, Egypt, Lebanon, and Turkey, as well as American cabaret styles developed in the United States. Folkloric forms from these regions also fall into this category. The winner is required to dance in the BDOY Dinner Show at El Morocco Restaurant on Sunday evening. The length of performance is the winner's choice. The winner is also invited to return the following year to judge the competition and teach in the BDOY Workshop. There is no longer a preliminaries round for this category.

Troupe of the Year
Time Limit: 9 minutes maximum
This category is open to troupes whose work is rooted in dances from the countries and regions belly dance is from. This includes, but is not limited to, Egypt, Lebanon, and Turkey, as well as American cabaret styles developed in the United States. Folkloric forms from these regions also fall into this category. At least four dancers must be on stage at all times during the performance. No solos, duets, or trios are permitted in this category. Not all the dancers on the stage must be dancing at any given time. Normal breaks between dance numbers are permitted. Musical instruments may be played, but musicians must also perform as dancers.

Duo/Trio of the Year
Time Limit: 8 minutes maximum
This category is open to duets and trios whose work is rooted in dances from the countries and regions belly dance is from. This includes, but is not limited to, Egypt, Lebanon, and Turkey, as well as American cabaret styles developed in the United States. Folkloric forms from these regions also fall into this category. For duets, two dancers must be dancing at all times. For trios, three dancers must be dancing at all times. Normal breaks between dance numbers are permitted. Solos are not permitted in this category.

Grand Dancer of the Year
Time Limit: 6 minutes maximum
This is a solo category open to dancers whose work is rooted in dances from the countries and regions belly dance is from. This includes, but is not limited to, Egypt, Lebanon, and Turkey, as well as American cabaret styles developed in the United States. Folkloric forms from these regions also fall into this category. This category is also open to dancers who perform American Tribal Style, Improvisational Tribal Style, and Tribal Fusion belly dance. Grand Dancers must be at least 45 years of age at the time of performance.

Tribal Soloist of the Year
Time Limit: 7 minutes maximum
This is a new solo category open to dancers who perform American Tribal Style, Improvisational Tribal Style, and Tribal Fusion belly dance. The winner is required to dance in the BDOY Dinner Show at El Morocco Restaurant on Sunday evening. The length of performance is the winner's choice. The winner is also invited to return the following year to judge the competition.

Tribal Ensemble of the Year
Time Limit: 9 minutes maximum
This is a new group category open to dancers who perform American Tribal Style, Improvisational Tribal Style, and Tribal Fusion belly dance. At least two dancers must be on stage at all times. No solos are permitted in this category. Not all dancers must be dancing on stage at any given time. Normal breaks between dance numbers are permitted. Musical instruments may be played, but musicians must also perform as dancers.

Awards

Belly Dancer of the Year
Winner - $500, Trophy, Invited to Judge* and Teach a Workshop at 2014 BDOY
1st Runner Up - Trophy
2nd Runner Up - Trophy
3rd RunnerUp - Trophy
4th Runner Up - Trophy

Tribal Soloist of the Year
Winner - $500, Trophy, Invited to Judge* at 2014 BDOY
1st Runner Up - Trophy
2nd Runner Up - Trophy

Troupe of the Year
Winner - $250, Trophy, Invited to Perform at 2014 BDOY
1st Runner Up - Trophy
2nd Runner Up - Trophy

Tribal Ensemble of the Year
Winner - $250 and Trophy
1st Runner Up - Trophy
2nd Runner Up - Trophy

Duo/Trio of the Year
Winner - $250 and Trophy
1st Runner Up - Trophy
2nd Runner Up - Trophy

Grand Dancer of the Year
Winner - $250 and Trophy
1st Runner Up - Trophy
2nd Runner Up - Trophy

* In the interest of fairness and integrity, dancers will not be accepted as judges for some categories if they are competing in others.