Rules and Regulations
Hip Hop Unite Belgium Championship Rules
Hip Hop Criteria – Short version
All movement must be appropriate to and reflective of the various Hip Hop styles and ‘moves’. The Choreography should display different styles with respect to all of the following criteria:
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– Technique and complexity
– Music Expression and Interpretation
– Variety and Creativity
– Formations and Visual Image
– Team Performance and Presentation
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Please keep in mind that the choreography should relate to the criteria and that each criteria is as important as the other.
‘Choreography is only as good as its technique, expression and performance’
Technique and Complexity
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• High level of technical ability and quality in all hip hop styles and movements
• Precise, purposeful placement and control of all movements and body parts
• Ease of movement
• Each style should be executed correctly with a high level of technique and in the original manner that the style was intended. It is advised to avoid styles that cannot be executed well by all crew members
• Using many parts of the body and many muscles together at one time
• High level of neuromuscular co-ordination
• Use of complex/difficult moves and styles specific to the various hip hop styles
• Ensuring movements and styles chosen are safe and executed well so as not to risk injury to any team member
Music Expression and Interpretation
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• Ability to express the music with the dance and styles chosen
• Expression of the culture of hip hop
• Use of music appropriate to the various hip hop styles
• Music and movements should be inseparable
• Good musical timing
• Use of the natural music structure and phrasing such as highs, lows, rhythms, counter tempos, and lyrics/text
Variety and Creativity
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• Creative, unpredictable movements using the entire body
• Use of a variety of different hip hop styles and moves
• Unpredictable original transitions when changing positions of crew members to create formations and a visual image
• Transitions from one style to another should be creative and flow as part of the choreography
• Unpredictable and creative changes in the vertical levels
• Variety in the use of the whole body
Formations and Visual Image
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• Use of the entire crew to create a visual image
• Use of entire floor space and orientations
• The visual effect of a crew when creating formations and using the vertical levels
• Tricks should be choreographed and not set up or recovered from
• Tricks should not be used to show off but have a purpose in building the choreography
Team Performance and Presentation
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• Same execution level of team members: All members should perform movements with the same precision
• Display of an over-all high standard in delivery of the entire choreography
• Dynamic energy and intensity throughout performance (selling the choreography)
• Ability to generate excitement, enthusiasm and the mood in relation to the culture of hip hop
• Interactive choreography with team members
• Staying in time with each other
• Solo performances are discouraged, team choreography is required
• Attire and appearance suitable to the hip hop/street culture
Unacceptable Moves
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Any movement that risks injury to a crew member. All moves and especially ‘tricks’, should be executed perfectly, without any danger/risk of injury to any crew member.
If in doubt of acceptance, consult the Head Judge prior to commencement of the preliminary round.
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ITS A HIP HOP DANCE COMPETITION – SO THE JUDGES WANT TO SEE DANCE
Categories and Divisions
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The competition has 3 categories to compete in:
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Duo
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Small Crew (5 - 9 dancers)
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Mega crew (10 - 25 dancers)
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In these categories, dancers are divided into age divisions. To keep the competition honest, there is an age limit set for each division. The age limit is set by year of birth, not by actual birthday. The ages of all crew members must adhere to the age requirements of HHU. A brief summary of the age divisions:
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Cadet: Ages seven (born in 2017) to thirteen (born in 2011)
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Junior: Ages twelve (born in 2012) to eighteen (born in 2006)
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Adult: Ages seventeen and older (born in 2007 or before)
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Senior: Ages 35+ and older (born in 1989 or before)
*1 member can be min. 25 years of age, or two members can be minimum 30 years of age​
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Crews must compete in their Age division, for example a Cadet Crew cannot compete in the Junior Age-Division, a Junior Crew cannot compete in the Adult or Cadet Age- Division.
A dancer can not compete in more than 1 crew or duo in the same division
(for example, a dancer can not compete in the Cadet Small Crew division with 2 different crews)
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Please consider your personal health if wishing to enter many times.
At national competitions, a current driver’s license, ID card or passport indicting date of birth are required.
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Official Rules, full version
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In the next document you can find the full rules of Hip Hop Unite. These rules apply to all HHU competitions in the world, including European and World Championships. They are the prerequisite to hosting an official HHU event, and must be followed by the organizing team in each country.
Rules for Hip Hop Unite Battles
The new battle concept of Hip Hop Unite Belgium has 4 categories.
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- kids Hip Hop 1-1 (age limit: 13y old or younger by year of birth, for 2024 born in 2011 or later)
- Hip Hop 1-1
- Funk and Clubstyles 1-1
- crew (minimum 3, maximum 5 dancers) battle all styles (all ages)
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For every category there are 4 rounds:
Round 1: Preselection
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All dancers must do a preselection round.
This round is a freestyle solo of 45 seconds on a song, randomly chosen by the dj, in front of the judges.
After each category the judges will choose the dancers who go on to the 2nd round.
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The crews will do a preselection battle.
They will do a crew preselection of 3x45s per crew. The crew can choose how they divide this time among theirselves, but there is a maximum of 2 routines per battle per crew.
They will get different styles of music per round, so the crew can show some of their diversity and qualities in all styles.
All dancers must be present during preselection.
A crew can NOT do a preselection without a full team.
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When there are just enough dancers competing in a category to fill the next round, each dancer or crew will still have to do a preselection round, even though they will all advance to the next round.
If you are not on time to do your preselection, you can not go on to the next rounds.
When the preselection of a category is finished, no new dancers can enter this category, even if they already enrolled in the competition.
Round 2: Top 8
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After the preselection, the judges will choose 8 dancers to compete in the top 8.
This time the dancers battle 1 round of 45s against another dancer in the same category. After each battle, the judges choose the winner of that battle. This dancer will go on to the next round.
The crews get 3 rounds of 45s. They can choose to let every dancer have his/her round or do crew pieces or duo's or ... , with a maximum of 2 routines per battle. After each round it is the other crew's turn. So each crew will dance 3 rounds of 45s, alternated with the rounds of the other crew.
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If a selected dancer from the preselections gets injured before the battles, or can't compete for another reason in the top 8 , the judges can select another dancer of the preselection to take her/his place.
If a crew in the top 8 of the crew battles has an injured dancer, they have to finish the battle with the remaining dancers, if this is allowed by the organization. BUT the injured dancer has to be present at the battle. If this is not possible, they will, again, have to discuss this with the organization.
If an entire selected crew is not present at the start of the top 8, they will be disqualified, and will be replaced by the next crew, chosen by the judges, from preselections.
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Round 3: Top 4
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The winners of the top 8 go on to the top 4. Here they battle 1 round of 45s against another winner of the previous round, after which the judges will choose the new winner to go on to the next round.
The crews get 3 rounds of 45s. They can choose to let every dancer have his/her round or do crew pieces or duo's or ... , with a maximum of 2 routines per battle. After each round it is the other crew's turn. So each crew will dance 3 rounds of 45s, alternated with the rounds of the other crew.
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If a dancer in the top 4 gets injured in the 1-1 categories, or can't compete for another reason before the top 4 , the judges can select another dancer of the top 8 to take her/his place.
If a crew in the top 4 of the crew battles has an injured dancer, they have to finish the battle with the remaining dancers, if this is allowed by the organization. BUT the injured dancer has to be present at the battle. If this is not possible, they will, again, have to discuss this with the organization.
If an entire selected crew is not present at the start of the top 4, they will be disqualified, and the 2nd battle will be a crew three way battle, where the judges will choose 1 winner to proceed to the finals.
Round 4: Finals
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The winners of the top 4 go on to the Finals. Here they battle 2 rounds of 45s against the other winner of the previous round, after which the judges will choose the winner of the battle per category
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The crews get 5 rounds of 45s. They can choose to let every dancer have his/her round or do crew pieces or duo's or ... , with a maximum of 2 routines per battle. After each round it is the other crew's turn. So each crew will dance 5 rounds of 45s, alternated with the rounds of the other crew.
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Again: if a dancer in the finals gets injured in the 1-1 categories, or can't compete for another reason before the Finals , the judges can select another dancer of the top 4 to take her/his place.
If a crew in the top 4 of the crew battles has an injured dancer, they have to finish the battle with the remaining dancers, if this is allowed by the organization. BUT the injured dancer has to be present at the battle. If this is not possible, they will, again, have to discuss this with the organization.
If an entire selected crew is not present at the start of the top 4, they will be disqualified, and the other crew will win by default.
Amendement
If the organization finds there are too many dancers registered in a certain battle, they can choose to add a Top 16 round.