Index   Dress Code Choreography competition rules Competing in front of your teacher Attending lectures & workshops Registration scheme Lost registration cards Dances at competitions 8 dance rule Championships Pre-championships Scrutineering             Section Effect on the dancer SOBHD Dress Code The SOBHD dress code (copy available on line by selecting the link at the left) provides guidance on the outfits that will be acceptable for dancers competing at competitions run under SOBHD rules.   The code lists different styles of outfits / accessories that will be accepted and does allow reasonable scope for personal taste.   It is worthy of note that male dancers can now wear a plaid to accompany the kilt and although a sgian dubh should not (suggestion ‘must not’) be worn whilst dancing (for safety reasons) a kilt pin is acceptable.   The following allowances for pre-premier competitors are also worthy of note:   Boys - Highland Dress   Hat is optional   Plain coloured or natural hose are acceptable   Jacket (and / or waistcoat) is optional   A tie may be worn instead of a bowtie       Girls - Highland Dress   White knee length socks are acceptable   A plain white shirt (tie optional) is acceptable       Non-compliance with the dress code may result in a judge deducting marks from the competitor.       The SOBHD dress code does not apply to choreography competitions (whether under SOBHD rules or otherwise).     Choreography competition rules The rules for SOBHD Group Choreography competitions are intended only to form a general basis on which such competitions could be organised. Accordingly there are only a few basic rules which can be summarised as follows:   All competitors must hold current registration cards with the SOBHD at the time of the competition   Movements to be (mainly) from the Highland, National & Jig & Hornpipe books   Dance to last a maximum of 5 minutes   Props may be used but live animals are not permitted   Music must be Celtic or Scottish in style   Judges must be SOBHD qualified judges   Teams can be from one dancing school only or comprise dancers from more that one school       The implications of the above rules are:   The general theme of the dance should be Scottish or Celtic   The dance must be based around, but is not exclusively restricted to, Highland, National, Jig or Hornpipe technique ie other movements are permissible but the majority of the movements must be SOBHD technique   Teams may comprise dancers from single or mixed grades, ie may include Novice & Premier dancers within the same team or within the same competition   Although all dancers must be SOBHD registered the normal registration scheme rules do not apply to choreography competitions – pre-premier category dancers will not have their cards stamped in the event of winning and dancers will not be forced to move up a category if they are competing with / against dancers of a higher category (ie Novice & Premier)   The rule that prevents a teacher from judging their own pupil still applies to choreography competitions       The rules do not apply to solo or duet choreography events (the SOBHD has not issued guidelines to cover these events).     Your highland dancing teacher is not allowed to judge you A judge is not allowed to judge their pupils or indeed to judge at any highland dancing competition where their pupils are competing.   It is not always the case that judges names are printed on the entry forms but normally, your teacher will notify you about which competitions they are to be judging and tell you not to enter. If you turn up at a competition and see that your teacher is judging then you should approach the organiser for advice but in most circumstances you will be informed that (because of the above rule) you can not compete that day.       Following on from the above, if a dancer leaves a teacher then that dancer is not allowed to compete at competitions where that teacher is judging until a period of 3 months has elapsed since the date of leaving.   It is not the responsibility of the teacher (adjudicator) to inform the ex pupil where they are to be judging and in many cases the dancer will only find out when they arrive at the competition. If you turn up at a competition and see that your former teacher is judging then you should approach the organiser for advice.     Attending lectures or workshops Until 31 December 2001 a dancer was not permitted to compete at an event judged by an individual who had taught at a workshop / lecture at which the dancer was participating until a period of 3 months had lapsed since the date of the workshop / lecture.   From 1 January 2002 this rule no longer applies and the only circumstances preventing a dancer from competing will be when their teacher (or former teacher see above - 3 momth rule from date of leaving) is judging.     Registration scheme   Background The SOBHD operates a registration scheme that is intended to allow dancers compete with dancers of a similar level of progression.   The categories (in order of progression) are:   Primary   Beginners   Novice   Intermediate   Premier Primary Dancers can remain in Primary section until they reach their 7th birthday but they can progress sooner if they chose.   Primary dancers are restricted to the following dances:   16 Pas de basques, Pas de basques & high cuts, highland fling, sword dance   Trophies should not be awarded to primary dancers Beginners This is the section immediately after Primary   Dancers can remain in this section for the longer of 6 months or 6 competitions winning 1st, 2nd or 3rd (but the can progress sooner if they chose)   Beginner dancers are restricted to the following dances:   Highland fling, sword dance, seann truibhas, reel, flora, lilt, trophy / special fling Novice This is the section immediately after Beginners   Dancers can remain in this section for the longer of 6 months or 6 competitions winning 1st, 2nd or 3rd (but the can progress sooner if they chose)   Novice dancers are restricted to the following dances:   Highland fling, sword dance, seann truibhas, reel, flora, lilt, trophy / special fling Intermediate This is the section immediately after Novice   Dancers can remain in this section for up to 1 year (but the can progress sooner if they chose)   Intermediate dancers are restricted to the following dances:   Highland fling, sword dance, seann truibhas, reel, flora, lilt, barracks johnnie, highland laddie, jig, hornpipe Premier This is the top section.   There is no progression after Premier.   Premier dancers can dance any of the dances listed below in the section 'Dances', subject to the 8 dance rule (also below)     Cards and progression from one category to another When a dancer progresses from one category to another it may be necessary (ie from Intermediate to Premier) to send the old registration card to the SOBHD and apply for a new card. Dancers can not compete without registration cards and so it might be advisable, wherever possible, to plan your progressions so that new applications do not conflict with important competitions.     Lost registration cards If a dancer loses their registration card then they should write to the SOBHD to explain the circumstances and ask the SOBHD for a replacement card. The SOBHD may at their discretion send out replacement cards (for which there may be a fee). Note: a dancer can not compete without a registration card.     Dances The dances commonly danced at competitions are:   Highland (= for Champsionships or pre-championships):   Highland Fling, Sword Dance, Seann Truibhas, Reel (Strathspey & Highland Reel, Strathspey & Reel of Tulloch, Strathspey & Reel & Reel of Tulloch, ½ Hullachan, Full Hullachan)   Nationals:   Barracks Johnnie, Highland Laddie, Flora, Lilt, Scotch Measure, Village Maid, Sailor’s Hornpipe, Irish Jig (Scottish Version)   Team dances:   Broad Swords, Cake-walk, Reels   Others:   Choreograph     8 Dance rule Dancers are not permitted to dance more than 8 solo dances at any one competition on any one day. (choreograph events are demmed to be non-solo events for this purpose)     Championships   Approval & status Championships are approved by the SOBHD.   Championships are either ‘open’ or ‘closed’. ‘Open’ championships are open to all SOBHD registered competitors (premier section only). ‘Closed championships’ can be restricted to dancers from a certain geographical area, or to dancers having won say regional championships, or to boys only or girls only.   Eligibility for entry to championships confined to a geographical area can be defined by area of a dancer’s birth or their current residence (the organiser can set this or may leave it optional). A dancer must chose for a whole calendar year which definition that they will use – they can not chose to enter a Scotland closed championship because they were born in Scotland and also enter a US closed Championship because they live in the US. Number of dancers For a Championship to be valid there must be at least 6 dancers taking part.   If 6 dancers start the Fling and one becomes injured and can not continue then the Championship is still valid (as 6 dancers started).   If only 5 dance the fling but 6 dance the swords, seann truibhas & reel (perhaps the dancer was late) then the Championship is still valid.   If 6 dancers were entered but only 5 turn up and only those 5 dance all the dances then the Championship is NOT valid. Set dances and steps The SOBHD prescribes which steps will be dances at Championships – the steps remain in force for the whole of the calendar year (world-wide).   A Championship must include the Highland Fling, Sword Dance, Seann Truibhas and one of the reels.   A copy of the steps for the current year is available on line by selecting the link at the left.     Pre-championships A pre-championship is a special category of competition for premier dancers only.   Entry is restricted to those dancers who have never won a pre-championship or a championship.   A pre-championship must include the Highland Fling, Sword Dance, Seann Truibhas and one of the reels but has no set steps and no set number of steps (in most cases fling 4 steps, swords 2 + 2, seann truibhas 3 + 1, a reel)     Scrutineering   Points awarded 1st 88   2nd 56   3rd 38   4th 25   5th 16   6th 10 Tied placing If there is a tie for a dance placing then:   all the dancers with that placing receive the points for that placing   the next placing to be awarded is not the next in order but skip the number of tied dancers   ie if 3 dancers share 1st prize then they all receive 88 points and the next prize to be awarded would be 4th prize Overall section trophies Scrutineering for overall section trophies (ie overall premier highland) should be as follows:   trophies can not be awarded across different sections (ie overall highland covering beginners, novice, intermediate & premier)   for trophies covering more then one age group within a section only the results from those dances with 6 or more competitors count towards the trophy Tied overall placings If there is a tie for an overall award (not a dance placing) in a Championship then the scrutineers should try to split the tie with the higher (higherst) placing awarded to the dancer with   the most overall 1st placings (not judges 1st’s) , if still a tie, then   the most dance points (from individual judges), if still a tie, then   the greatest number of overall placings Finals If there are 50 of more dancers competing in a dance then there should be a final. The number of dancers to be recalled is up to the organizer.     Note: The above comments represent my personal view and are intended only to be a general guide. Where specific guidance is required I would recommend that you seek the advice of your dancing teacher / dancing association / the SOBHD directly.