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Furpoc Freestyle

Applications are not open!

Our event for 2024 has concluded and applications for 2025 are not open yet. The information on this page is accurate for 2024 and is still posted for reference. Stay tuned to our blog and social media accounts throughout the year for updates on application launches!

Furpoc Freestyle is a freestyle dance battle tournament where dancers are given a song randomly selected from a playlist that they have to battle to, and the winner gets to move on further in the bracket.

Rules

  • Tryouts
    • Tryout sign ups are available until October 31st, 2024 at 11:59 PM
      • There is no guarantee if at-door signups will be accepted, so please sign up online as early as possible
    • Furpoc Freestyle Tryouts will take place Friday afternoon, November 1st at 1:00 PM in the Lunar Lounge (Harbor Point Ballroom)
    • Tryouts will be open to spectators, expect the event to be recorded and posted publicly after the con.  Tryouts may or may not be streamed online.
    • Competitors should arrive 15 minutes prior to event start time for check-in.  Each dancer will be assigned a number based on their experience within the dance community.
      • Please make sure to attach your number to your clothing so that it is clearly visible.
    • Tryouts will consist of 2 rounds.  A detailed description of the Prelims method and score sheet can be found here: Freestyle Prelims v4.4
    • All competitors are guaranteed 2 battles in Round 1.  
    • 24 dancers will be selected to move onto Round 2 for another 2 battles.
    • Top 16 plus 4 standby dancers will be selected and announced as finalists at the end of tryouts.
    • All battles will be 1 song, each dancer will be given 30 to 35s of dance time, there will be no tiebreaker battles.  
      • The dancer that is new to the dance floor will start the battle.  They are allowed some time to listen to the music to feel out the groove.  The timer will start when they start.
      • Dancers will not be penalized if they choose to end their set early 
  • Finals
    • Furpoc Freestyle Finals will take place Saturday night, November 2nd at 5:30 PM in the Grand Ballroom
    • Finals will be open to spectators and streamed online
    • Finalists will be given the opportunity to arrive an hour prior to event start time for warmups, but please show up no later than 10 minutes prior to event start time
    • Finals will consist of a Top 16 1v1 single-elimination bracket.
    • All battles will be 2 songs, each dancer will be given 35 to 45s of dance time. Judges will vote on who the winner is based on left/right/tie voting. In the event of a tie vote, a tiebreaker battle will occur with one extra song.
      • It is up to the dancers to decide who goes first.
      • Dancers that go first are allowed some time to listen to the music to feel out the groove.  The timer will start when they start.
      • If neither dancers volunteer to go first, a bottle will be spun to decide
      • Dancers will not be penalized if they choose to end their set early 
    • If a Top 16 dancer is unable to compete at Finals, a dancer from the standby list will be called upon to compete in the bracket.
      • Standby dancers that don’t fill in bracket spots will be able to participate in showcase battles between quaterfinals and semifinals.
    • Dancers that lose their battles in the semifinals will be given the opportunity to battle for 3rd place before the grand final.
    • The dancer that wins the final battle will be crowned the winner of Furpoc Freestyle 2024
  • Feedback
    • Dancer Feedback Panel will take place Sunday afternoon, November 3rd at 3:30 PM in Panel Room 3 (Glen 3).
    • Furpoc Freestyle Finalists will be given the opportunity to hear detailed feedback from the judges on their battles.
    • Feedback panel will be closed to attendees that did not compete in the dancer events.
  • Music
    • You may find the battle playlist on Spotify and Youtube Music
      • “Wouldn’t that mean dancers can make choreo for the songs instead of freestyle dance?” – In theory yes, but good luck trying to make and memorize choreo for over 200 songs.
    • Expect to hear explicit language in some of the songs
    • We do not take song requests
  • Fursuit & Attire
    • Dancers have the option to wear whatever they want, you have the freedom to express yourself
      • Fursuit dancers are recommended to wear clothing where no skin is visible (sneakers/gloves are allowed in place of feetpaws/handpaws)
    • All dancers should avoid clothing with offensive language or overly sexual themes
    • Props are not allowed