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Solo Eisteddfods
Solo eisteddfods are an option exclusive to our troupe team members.
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Unlike troupes, where the principal teacher decides which eisteddfods the team will enter, soloists are free to enter whichever eisteddfod they like. Dancers are responsible for submitting all entries for solos. Miss Sarah can help you get started with options (there are soooooo many!) & suggest several Facebook groups to help you stay up to date. You will find that 90% of the troupe days we go to, also hold solo/duo/trio days as well. A good jumping off point for 2026 would be entering solos in all of the Ulladulla eisteddfods we do this year. All eisteddfods have different entry prices so I can't even give you a guide, however I will drop the websites of all of the troupe eisteddfods we are entering this year below so you can check them out. Some eisteddfods don't have info websites, you have to follow them on socials for updates & you enter via online comps website. However, not all eisteddfods use online comps for entries, they do it via their own website. Hence why it takes a long time for me to compile our troupe dates each year.
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Your solo could be choreographed by any of our teachers - including guest choreographers. Miss Sarah (&/or the teacher who choreographed your solo) will always make their best effort to attend your first solo performance. Due to work & family, it is difficult for them to commit to any more than that. You will find that while at least one teacher from each studio attends troupes, very few make it to solo/duo/trio days (unless they happen to be on the same day).
Soloists generally start with a jazz routine. After that, your teacher will make decisions for 2nd, 3rd etc routines based on the strengths of each individual. As with troupes, some solo eisteddfods will have very small sections, so you want to be doing styles where you can guarantee you will have other competitors in your section. Most popular is jazz & lyrical. Hip Hop is often next, followed by all styles of tap - slow tap, fast tap, waltz tap. Classical ballet, demi character, song & dance. Broadway jazz/musical theatre has become popular in the last few years. There are so many & each eisteddfod is different, so you begin with the popular styles that each eisteddfod offers in their syllabus & you know will have competitors in your section. PLEASE NOTE: unlike troupe routines, dancers must be training in the style of dance in order to compete a solo - eg; if you do not train in lyrical, you will not be eligible to learn a lyrical solo.
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Solo routines require lots of technical elements - pirouettes, extensions, leaps - to be competitive. Solo dancers should be attending the weekly KLT conditioning lesson. As with troupes, adjudicators are looking for you to be nailing the technical elements. Many will tell you at eisteddfods - "until you're nailing the step, it shouldn't be in the routine."
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Teachers select music & choreography based on their eisteddfod experience. You are welcome to put in song requests, but please understand it will only be used if suitable.
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Eisteddfods also offer championships & improvisations. Dancers must specifically train for improvisation sections in their private lessons & championship/title entries are at the discretion of Miss Sarah.
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Routines are the same as troupes - the longer you keep them, the sharper & more competitive they become. It is not uncommon to keep the same solo routine for 2-3 years - pending it is still age appropriate & challenging. Again, each eisteddfod has different ages - some do even ages; 6U, 8U, 10U etc then there are those who do odd ages 5U, 7U, 9U etc. Some eisteddfods your age is taken as of the 1st January, other eisteddfods your age is taken as of the date of the eisteddfod. So if you turn 7 on the 1 Feb, you could compete in 6U, 7U or 8U that year, depending on each eisteddfods age rules.
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Solos also have different ability sections - you begin in specially restricted. Once you place in SR, you have to dance in Restricted. Once you place 1st in Restricted, you must then dance in Open. Eg; once you make it to open jazz, you stay in open jazz for the rest of your solo career - even when you move up an age group & even when you get a new jazz routine.
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Costumes are the same as troupes, we do our best to keep each one at around $65-$70, however with postage they could be up to $100. You will require a different costume for each routine.
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Lessons - private lesson tuition is like personal training, it is more expensive than a group lesson. We offer:
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20 minutes for $35 (generally for maintenance lessons, to rehearse before an upcoming eisteddfod)
30 minutes for $45
60 minutes for $75
Private lesson fees are pay on the day of your lesson, we do not invoice or add to direct debit for private lessons.
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Teachers like to choreograph solos quickly. In a few 30 min lessons or sometimes 1 x 60 min lesson. It is all dependent on the dancer & their ability to absorb choreography.
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Once you have had your first lesson, dancers cannot book a second lesson until they have rehearsed the choreography at home & do not need assistance from your practice video to remember it. Dancers need to show they have been studying the choreography to learn more & you do not want to be paying private lesson rates for your teacher to simply go over the steps again.
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Once a routine has been learnt, polished & performed for the first time, maintenance lessons once a fortnight/3 weeks should be booked. Pending the dancer is also rehearsing at home. If not, more frequent lessons will be required. Dancers will always need to book a lesson when they have an eisteddfod coming up that weekend. If your routine(s) aren't eisteddfod ready however due to lack of home rehearsal, Miss Sarah will let you know you are unable to compete that weekend - & eisteddfods do not refund entries. Please keep in mind you are representing Everybody Dance Now at every eisteddfod, every time you compete should be your best work.
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Days & times of private lessons will vary. They will also be dependent on teacher availability. It could be any of our teachers who choreograph your routine, but Miss Sarah will always do the polishing/maintenance lessons. Potential times could be 3:15/3:30 on a Monday, Tuesday or Wednesday (only 20-30 min lessons available at that time) or Friday afternoons (60 min lessons available on this day). It is unlikely private lesson timeslots will be available once group classes have finished for the evening.
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Much like personal training vs group training, private lessons really do help dancers excel at a much faster rate. A 20 minute one-on-one lesson is the equivalent of around 5 group lessons. Solos also help develop what I call a "dancers brain" - the ability to learn & store copious amounts of choreography. When a solo dancer has no one else in class/on stage with them, they adopt a much more serious approach to remembering choreography.
It is important that a parent always be present in the dance room (not just in reception) during your dancers private lesson. In this day & age, this is all teachers preference.
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Duos & Trios are an option, at Miss Sarah's discretion. Duo/trio partners need to have almost identical dance style, ability & work ethic in order to be competitive. With only 2-3 on stage, they are the most difficult to achieve absolute synchronisation. Duos & Trios will only be considered once each dancer has a year of solo experience. Teachers are responsible for pairing duo/trio partners.
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If your dancer is interested in beginning solos, please get in touch. If you have any questions, please pop them in the comments of the Team App news update (where you found the link to this page) as several of you may have similar questions & I can answer them all in one place.
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Vortex Dance Challenge Ulladulla
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Supreme Dance Experience Ulladulla
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Carnival Dance Challenge Ulladulla - currently not offering solos at Ulladulla, however when they realise they will not need the whole weekend for troupes, they may open up solos
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NSW Eisteddfods & Competitions (formerly Sydney And Surrounds) | Facebook