Judging Procedures

Guided by fairness, consistency, professionalism, and high-quality judging standards.

Judging Panels

Panels include substantive judges and penalty panel judges based on the size of each competition.

Judging Philosophy

Judges maintain their own scoring curve and provide independent analysis of each routine.

Judge Selection

Judges are contacted, vetted, conflict-checked, and selected based on experience and expertise.

Judging Panels

Each competition has one or more panels of judges depending on the size of the competition. Each judging panel includes at least three substantive judges and one penalty panel judge.

Substantive judges score the performance and content of routines based on their experience and expertise. The penalty panel observes adherence to routine requirements and competition rules during performances.

Any potential rule violations are flagged for review by the Head Penalty Judge, who reviews possible penalties and determines whether a violation has occurred and whether a penalty should be assessed.

Penalty Review

The Head Penalty Judge is responsible for interpreting and implementing competition rules, reviewing possible penalties, and answering coaches’ rules questions before competitions.

Judging Philosophy

OSDTDA utilizes highly qualified judges and believes judges should maintain their own scoring curve while judging. Judges are expected to stay consistent with their own scores throughout a category or division.

OSDTDA does not require or expect judges to score the same as one another. Different scores may reflect each judge’s independent perspective, feedback, and analysis of the performance.

OSDTDA tracks scores during each competition and reviews scoring after each competition to ensure judges remain consistent and to identify any potential concerns.

Selection of Judges

The OSDTDA Judging Chair contacts, vets, and organizes judges for all competitions. Potential judges complete a conflict check to identify connections with competing teams, dancers, studios, schools, or coaches.

Once judges pass the conflict check, the Judging Chair organizes panels based on each judge’s experience and expertise. All State Championship judges are brought in from out-of-state, with the exception of penalty panel judges.

Judging Chair Information

The OSDTDA Judging Chair may not coach or choreograph for any dancer or team participating in OSDTDA competitions and may not be an immediate family member of any dancer, coach, or choreographer for a competing team or studio.

The Judging Chair handles judge selection, travel arrangements, accommodations, communication with judges, and serves as the liaison for the Head Penalty Judge and all competition judges.