Ella choreography competition

The choreography competition is back again this year, with the theme of Ella Fitzgerald’s repertoire. The aim of the competition is threefold:

1- encourage authentic jazz dancers (Lindy hop, Solo jazz) to choreograph
2 – explore Ella Fitzgerald’s repertoire and select a piece with choreographic intent
3- present your work to the judges and the Montpellier public.

Scheduled for the evening of Friday, July 18, 2025, the conditions for participation are organized into 2 main stages: remote pre-selection and face-to-face qualification.

Preselection

=> Register as a solo, duo or team – online registration: Solo: 15€ / Duo: 25€ / Group: 40€ (link below)
=> You’ll receive confirmation of your registration by e-mail, along with a link to a private file where you can submit your video before June 10
=> On June 20, 2025, the teams invited to compete in Montpellier will be announced.

Qualifications

=> on Friday, July 18 at 7pm, the qualifying rounds: 6 teams, 6 duos and 6 solos compete
=> on July 18 at 9pm, the finals are held in front of a packed audience! 2 teams, 2 duos and 2 solos face off in the final
What’s in it for us?
=> feedback from our artistic director who makes the pre-selections
=> Price money – The winners receive €400 for the team, €250 for the duo and €150 for the solo
=> visibility – The winners present their choreography on Saturday evening, Saturday, July 19, 2025, at the opening of the teachers’ show
=> the Jury Prize “Emerging Artist” => the jury is free to decide whether or not to award this prize to a dancer or a couple of dancers. The artist awarded the prize joins the Swinging Montpellier Festival line-up the following year.

Participation rules

3 categories: Solo, Duo, Group (from 3 to 30 people)
– Choreography between 1’30 and 2 minutes
– All styles welcome: solo jazz, Lindy hop, contemporary, hip-hop…
– Video in horizontal wide shot
– Acrobatics, lifts and props authorized
– Please introduce yourself at the beginning of the video and indicate the reason for your choice of piece (editing between intro and choreography authorized)
– Send your videos until June 10, 2025 at 23:59 CEST
– Announcement of qualifiers on June 20, 2025