There will be a preliminary hosted at the beginning of the event. Every dancer who has signed up will be in a fursuit and will freestyle for 30-45 seconds. Each competitor will be handed a running bib (a piece of paper with a number) and a clothespin to wear during the preliminary rounds to make communication amongst the judges easier. It is requested that you place your number in a visible location on your body so the judges can identify you. Every dancer will be scored based on the following:
Foundations: (The dancer showcases a basic understanding of the dance style they are using)
Vocabulary: (The dancer has an idea of how to execute the technique that applies to their dance style)
Musicality: (The dancer successfully blends their performance with the rhythm and feeling of the music that is played)
Keep these things in mind when briefing yourself before the event.
After every single dancer has gotten the opportunity to perform in a preliminary round, the judges will tally up their scores and place the top 8 dancers into a seeded single-elimination bracket. Why? Because fruit has seeds!
Their numbers will be called, and each of the 8 dancers will get a chance to cool down while we announce the first round match-ups of the bracket so every dancer will be prepared for when we begin.
The twist of this event involves the music: At the beginning of each round, a list of every single artist that has a song on our playlist will be available for the competitors (and the audience) to see. Each dancer will select one song each at the beginning of each battle, and a coin flip will decide which song plays first. Here's the catch: only the artist will be known. You will not know which song from that artist is going to play. The first song will start, and the first dancer will dance for 45 seconds. After they are done, the second dancer will then dance for another 45 seconds. Then, the second song will begin. That same format will repeat for the second song, and when both dancers have taken each of their turns, the music will stop, and the judges will select a winner who will move on to the next section of the bracket. This will continue until only two dancers are remaining, and those dancers will dance to three songs instead of two for the big finale.
Between the final two, the judges will announce the grand winner of Fruit Bucket, and that person will win a physical award, as well as additional prizes TBD.