FLEX CHAMP
Frame Up × High Heels — International Dance Championship
Official Rules & Regulations
Experimental Space NoD, Prague · Championship: Saturday 14 November 2026 · Workshops: Sunday 15 November 2026
Version 1.1 — 20.09.2026
About Flex Champ
Flex Champ is an international dance contest for Frame Up and High Heels. One stage for the whole European heels community to share their art and compete.
1) Categories & Admission
| Category | Style / format | Video pre-selection required | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Solo Debut | Frame Up or High Heels · solo | ✓ | True stage debut only — never competed before. No teachers/instructors. May perform choreography created by their instructor. |
| Beginners | Frame Up or High Heels · solo | ✓ | Developing dancers, including those with some prior stage or competition experience. Instructors / professional teachers may not compete in this category. May perform choreography created by their instructor. |
| Frame Up Pro | Frame Up · solo | ✓ | Open to all levels. Flagship category. |
| Heels Pro | High Heels · solo | ✓ | Open to all levels. |
| Small Groups | Frame Up or High Heels (declare at registration) · duo/trio | ✓ | Group of 2–3 dancers. |
| Crews | Frame Up or High Heels · group | From 4 dancers onwards. | |
| Freestyle Solo | Any style · solo, experimental | New experimental category. Each contestant submits a song of their choice (any style, under 2:00) by the music submission deadline (Section 8) — the same deadline as every other category. On stage, every Freestyle Solo contestant draws a song at random from that shared pool of submitted tracks — it might be their own, or someone else's — and freestyles to whatever they draw. | |
| Battles | Frame Up or High Heels · 1v1 bracket | Draws some dancers who compete only in battles. |
General admission rules
- A dancer may enter more than one category. The pre-selection fee and entry fee apply separately to each category entered.
- Solo Debut and Beginners are not open to instructors/professional teachers. Solo Debut is also not open to any dancer who has previously competed in another dance championship.
- By registering, participants consent to being photographed and filmed for the event's own promotional use.
- Categories with a required video pre-selection charge a €10 fee (see Section 5 for the feedback guarantee that comes with it).
- Solo Debut vs. Beginners: Solo Debut is reserved for dancers with zero prior stage or competition experience — a genuine first performance, limited spots. Beginners is the broader developing-dancer group and may include dancers with some prior stage time.
2) Scoring Criteria
Soloists — Solo Debut, Beginners, Frame Up Pro, Heels Pro
| Criterion | Weight | What it covers |
|---|---|---|
| Choreography | 30% | Originality of movement, use of space and performance complexity |
| Technique | 30% | Dance level and quality of execution, floor work, acrobatics |
| Musicality | 20% | Interplay with musical layers and rhythm |
| Character & performance | 20% | Connection with the audience, storytelling and emotion, costume/look and style |
Small Groups & Crews
| Criterion | Weight | What it covers |
|---|---|---|
| Choreography | 30% | Movement and originality, use of space, creativity of formations, interaction between performers |
| Technique | 30% | Dance level and execution quality |
| Musicality | 20% | Interplay with musical layers and rhythm |
| Concept & image | 20% | Storyline, emotional delivery, costume/look and style |
Freestyle Solo
| Criterion | Weight | What it covers |
|---|---|---|
| Creativity | 30% | Adapting to music and vibe, use of freestyle concepts & routines, props, "wow" effect |
| Technique | 30% | Dance level and execution quality |
| Musicality | 20% | Interplay with musical layers and rhythm |
| Personality | 20% | Stage presence, character work, connection with the audience |
Battles
The weighted criteria above do not apply to Battles. Each round is judged head-to-head: the panel votes directly for a winner between the two dancers, rather than scoring against choreography/technique/musicality/etc. The knockout system will be announced on the day.
Bonus — Vibe
In every category, a performance can earn +3 bonus points added to its final score for its vibe — that undeniable, hard-to-score "it" factor. The bonus is awarded when a majority of the judging panel votes "yes" on the vibe check for an act that stood out and left a lasting impression — a way to reward dancers who bring something genuinely their own, beyond the scored criteria above.
Publication of results
Championship results are published after the event and are open to all participants: final placings and scores by category. Video pre-selection results are published in the same way — see Section 5.
3) Performance Timing
| Category | Maximum time |
|---|---|
| Solo Debut | 1:15 |
| Beginners (solo) | 1:30 |
| Frame Up Pro (solo) | 2:00 |
| Heels Pro (solo) | 2:00 |
| Freestyle Solo | 2:00 |
| Small Groups | 2:30 |
| Crews | 4:00 |
4) Entry Fees & Payment
How payment works
All competition fees are non-refundable, regardless of outcome.
For categories with a video pre-selection (Solo Debut, Beginners, Frame Up Pro, Heels Pro, Small Groups), payment happens in two steps. First, you pay the flat €10 pre-selection fee when you submit your application. If you're accepted, you then pay the outstanding entry fee balance to confirm your place — this is a separate, second payment, on top of the pre-selection fee, not included in it.
Freestyle Solo, Crews and Battles have no video pre-selection, so there's no first step — the full entry fee is paid in one go at registration.
Fee breakdown
| Category | Pre-selection fee | Wave 1 entry fee | Wave 2 entry fee |
|---|---|---|---|
| Solo Debut | €10 | €35 | €40 |
| Beginners | €10 | €35 | €40 |
| Frame Up Pro | €10 | €35 | €40 |
| Heels Pro | €10 | €35 | €40 |
| Freestyle Solo | — | €35 | €40 |
| Small Groups | €10 | €35 per participant | €40 per participant |
| Crews | — | €30 per participant (no wave pricing) | €30 per participant (no wave pricing) |
| Battles | — | €15 per participant (no wave pricing) | €15 per participant (no wave pricing) |
- Solo Debut, Beginners, Frame Up Pro and Heels Pro are priced per dancer — Wave 1 / Wave 2 pricing depends on which application window you register and get selected in (see the companion Key Dates document for the wave schedule), so applying early costs less. Freestyle Solo uses the same Wave 1 / Wave 2 pricing by registration date, but has no selection step.
- Small Groups' €10 pre-selection fee is charged once per entry (one video, one fee), but the €35/€40 entry fee is charged per participant — e.g. a duo pays €70 in Wave 1, a trio pays €105.
- Crews pay €30 per participant with no video pre-selection and no wave pricing — e.g. a crew of 5 pays €150, whenever they register.
- Battles pay €15 per participant with no video pre-selection and no wave pricing.
5) Video Pre-Selection
Applies to: Solo Debut, Beginners, Frame Up Pro, Heels Pro, Small Groups.
Reviewed by: Foxmakarova (@foxmakarova) and Nastia Djuna (@ddjunna). Every submission is guaranteed detailed feedback from both judges, regardless of the outcome.
Video requirements
- Only the registered dancer(s) appear in the video.
- No heavy editing.
- Full body clearly visible in frame throughout, filmed front-on.
- Doesn't need to be a stage performance — a studio or rehearsal space is fine.
- Maximum length: 1:30.
- Link to Instagram, Google Drive or YouTube (unlisted) and confirm the link is open access before submitting.
- The video cannot be swapped after the application is submitted.
- Solo Debut & Beginners only: the performance may use choreography created by the dancer's instructor (with the instructor's agreement) — every other category must be original or self-choreographed material.
Results & feedback
That feedback is published, not sent privately. Results go on a single page covering the whole wave, showing for each applicant: the name and stage name given at registration, whether the entry was selected, and both judges' feedback in full, exactly as written.
This is deliberate: the same standard is applied to everyone, and everyone can see it applied.
The results page is not indexed by search engines and is not linked from the website. The link is sent to each applicant with their result.
A dancer who would prefer their entry not to appear can write to hello@flexchamp.cz and it will be removed from the page.
6) Venue
Championship day (Sat 14 Nov): Experimental Space NoD, Dlouhá 33, 110 00 Prague 1. Stage working area: 8m × 7m.
Workshop day (Sun 15 Nov): separate class venue, capacity approx. 50–60. Follow the website and our social channels for updates.
7) Stage & Props
- No substances that could damage the stage floor or equipment: loose powder, oil, glitter, water, paint and similar.
- Any prop must be approved in advance with the organizing team via Instagram DM @flex.champ. Include the dancer/act name, category, and a photo or video of the prop with its dimensions (L×W×H).
- Damage to the venue's flooring, screen, sound or lighting equipment may be billed to the responsible participant by the venue.
8) Music Submission
| Deadline | Sunday, 1 November 2026 (two weeks before the event) |
|---|---|
| Format | MP3, sent by email |
| hello@flexchamp.cz | |
| Subject line | "MUSIC – [Full name / act name]" |
| File name | Full name – Category |
- Late submissions or track changes after the deadline: −3 points off your final competition score.
- Freestyle Solo entrants submit their song under this same deadline, in the same way — it goes into the shared pool contestants draw from live on stage (see Section 1).
- Battles are the exception: there is no music to submit. Battles are danced one-on-one to whatever the DJ plays and judged head-to-head (Section 2), so no track, deadline or late penalty applies.
- One deadline for every other category, no separate mechanism.
9) General Rules
- All decisions by the judging panel are final and not open to dispute.
- Registering for the championship means accepting these rules in full.
- The organizing team reserves the right to adjust category groupings, running order, or timing to keep the day on schedule.
- Any conduct that endangers dancers, judges, or spectators — on the dance floor or in shared spaces — may result in disqualification without refund.
10) Consent
Every applicant accepts the Rules & Regulations, Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy at registration, by checking all four boxes below.
- "I have read and agree to the Rules & Regulations and Terms of Flex Champ." — Terms & Conditions
- "I consent to the collection and processing of my personal data." — Privacy Policy
- "I understand that the participation fee is non-refundable under any circumstances."
- "I am ready to flex."