Choreography Contest


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Introduction

The choreography contest for the 2025 ShimmyMob is now open. Please be sure to read and understand the following instructions before you start creating your choreography. If you have any questions, don't hesitate to  contact us; we're here to help.

Your music

Choose a fun, catchy and upbeat song (it can be a drum solo).

The music must be available for purchase (i.e., it must be downloadable via Amazon, iTunes or similar site).

The music must comply with all copyright laws. Any edits made to the original music will invalidate your entry.

Your choreography

Your entry should be:

  • fun and upbeat
  • accessible to dancers with little or no experience
  • visually interesting (include a variety of moves so as to appeal to our global audience)
  • free of props (no veil, no canes, no zills, etc.)
  • your original work

Submit your entry via email. Include a link to the video file(s) (do not upload publicly to sites such as YouTube, Vimeo, etc.).

There are no restrictions on the number of entries you submit, provided that you adhere to the process detailed in the How to Enter section.

Your submission

Please provide the following:

  • A studio-quality photo plus a short bio (one or two short paragraphs)
  • A maximum of six (6) videos with a clear explanation of the choreography (ideally with individual short videos for each section, both with music and with count)
  • Written choreography notes.

For added clarity, videos must be taped from two points of views: front and back. Only one version is necessary if the video is shot from behind in a mirrored studio, and the moves are clearly seen in full from both front and back.

All videos must be landscape; the picture and sound must be clear and of good quality (1920x1024, or better). Ensure that your entire body (legs and feet, arms and hands) is visible within the frame at all times.

Music already used

  • 2011 - Shisha by Naked Rhythm
  • 2012 - Moon Over Ala Nar by Naked Rhythm
  • 2013 - La Musa by Shine
  • 2014 - Indina Basmi by Emad Sayyah
  • 2015 - Zay Al Asal by Various Artists
  • 2016 - Smatron by Balkan Beat Box
  • 2017 - El Akkale by Gizira Band
  • 2018 - Take a chance on Bellydance by Emad Sayyah
  • 2019 - Jimaal Am Tourkos by Emad Sayyah
  • 2020 - El Binti Beida by Arabesque Dance Company Orchestra
  • 2021 - Boos Talata by the Cairo Tabla All-Stars
  • 2022 - Yalla Ya Gamilla by Emad Sayyah
  • 2023 - Bellydance by Edvin Marton
  • 2024 - Rrrakateka by Artem Uzunov

How the judges evaluate your submission

Each of the following criteria is assigned a specific weight (e.g., "1" for "poor", through to "5" for "excellent"). The final score is the sum of the various weights as decided by each judge. The submission with the highest score across the board wins the contest.

  • Musicality: the extent to which the overall dance and individual dance moves match and complement the music
  • Choice of Music: how engaging it is to mainstream (note that any lyrics, if present, must be appropriate to the global listener)
  • Audio/Video: the video focus, lighting, etc., together with the audio clarity, nees to be of the hignest quality possible
  • Movement Visibility: the dance moves must be fully visible at all times (front and back, hands and feet), performed in a clutter-free ednvironment
  • Clarity of Instruction: the dance instruction must be clear and must conform to standard, belly-dance vocabulary as closely as possible
  • Overall Visual Appeal: the choreography must engage the viewer
  • Accessibility: easy to modify and to adapt for beginners or non-dancers

How to Enter

Submissions must be emailed to: shimmymob(at)gmail.com

Incomplete entries will not be considered.

The winner(s) will receive full acknowledgment on the ShimmyMob website for one full year and will have free registration for 2025 ShimmyMob worldwide event.

We do appreciate any comment or suggestion that you may have to help make the contest run more smoothly.

The contest ends on Sunday, 22 December 2024 at 11:59 PM PST. The winner will be announced close to the end of early-bird registration (i.e., late January 2025).

This Contest is conducted by ShimmyMob (the "Sponsors") and is open to all. Note that entrants under the age of 13 years require the consent of a parent or legal guardian.

All information provided by the entrant must be complete and accurate.

By Entering The Contest, You:

  • AGREE NOT TO SHARE DETAILS OF THE CONTEST, CHOREOGRAPHY, MUSIC INFORMATION WITH ANYONE. This rule applies and includes posting and sharing videos (or written notes) choreography, sharing it with friends, public etc.
  • AGREE TO KEEP COMMUNICATION OPEN WITH SHIMMYMOB HEADQUARTERS SHOULD YOU HAVE QUESTIONS AND TO FOLLOW THE GUIDELINES AS OUTLINED
  • CONFIRM YOU HAVE FULLY READ THE TERMS AS OUTLINED HEREIN

The contest Sponsors reserve the right to disqualify any participant or winner and may refuse to award any prize and prevent future participation in future events to a person who has violated this agreement.

The official ShimmyMob 2025 choreography will be chosen by the members of the ShimmyMob organizing team. The Sponsors have the right to modify the final choreography, if necessary.

Terms & conditions

  • Entrants agree to be bound by the decisions of Sponsors, made at their sole discretion, which shall be final and binding in all matters relating to the Contest. Entrants who have not complied with these Official Rules are subject to disqualification.
  • Sponsors are not responsible for late, delayed, lost, stolen, damaged, misdirected, mutilated, garbled, illegible, destroyed, corrupted or incomplete entries. All entries become the property of the Sponsors, will not be acknowledged as received and in no case shall be returned to the entrant or sender.
  • Choreography: By submitting an entry, entrants thereby represent and warrant that the submitted work or information does not and shall not infringe on any copyright, any rights of privacy or publicity of any person, or any other right of any third party, and the entrants the right to grant any and all rights and licenses granted to the contest Sponsors herein, including but not limited to, all necessary rights under copyright, free and clear of any claims or encumbrances.
  • The contest Sponsors are not liable for any lost or stolen entries, prizes or contest information.
  • All entries submitted will be considered for the official ShimmyMob 2025 final choreography. If not chosen, each entry is automatically eligible for selection as the official EASA choreogrpay or for inclusion in the Bonus Choreographies pool.
  • By entering the Contest, all entrants, - (those under the age of majority, his/her parent or legal guardian), consent to the use of their name, address (city and province) and/or likeness, without further compensation, worldwide and in perpetuity, in any and all forms of media, now known or hereafter devised, including the Internet, in any publicity or advertising carried out by the Sponsors relating to the contest.
  • By claiming the prize, the winner authorizes the use, without additional compensation, of his or her name and/or likeness and/or voice/photograph and municipality of residence for promotion and/or advertising purposes in any manner and in any medium (including, without limitation, radio broadcasts; newspapers and other publications; television or film releases; slides; videotape; distribution over the Internet; and picture date storage) the contest Sponsors may deem appropriate.
  • By participating in the contest, participants agree to be bound by the decisions of contest Sponsors personnel. The contest Sponsors reserve the right to disqualify any participant or winner and may refuse to award any prize to a person who is ineligible or has violated any rule, gained unfair advantage in participating in the contest, or obtained winner status using fraudulent means. The contest Sponsors will interpret these rules and resolve any disputes, conflicting claims or ambiguities concerning the rules or the contest and contest Sponsors decisions concerning such disputes shall be final. If the conduct or outcome of the contest is affected by human error, any mechanical, technical, electronic, communications, telephone, computer, hardware or software errors, malfunctions or failures of any kind, intentional interference or any event beyond the control of the contest Sponsors, the contest Sponsors reserve the right to terminate this contest, or make such other decisions regarding the outcome as the contest Sponsors deem appropriate. All decisions will be made by the contest Sponsors and are final. The contest Sponsors may waive any of these rules in their sole discretion.
  • By participating in the contest, each participant and winner waives any and all claims of liability against the contest Sponsors, and their employees and agents, their respective employees and agents, for any personal injury or loss that may occur from the conduct of, or participation in, the contest, or from the use of any prize.
  • By participating or attempting to participate in the present contest, all individuals release the contest Sponsors, its advertising and promotional agencies, their employees, agents and representatives from any damage that could be incurred due to their participation or attempted participation in the contest.
  • The contest Sponsorsreserve the right to withdraw or terminate this contest at any time without prior notice.
  • Entrants acknowledge and agree that the contest Sponsors shall have no obligation to post, display or otherwise make publicly available any work submitted by the entrant, and may, in their sole and unfettered discretion, remove, edit, modify or delete any work that the entrant submits.

Contest Prizes

The winner of the 2025 ShimmyMob choreography contest receives the following:

  • paid registration for all 2025 ShimmyMob events
  • the official 2025 ShimmyMob t-shirt
  • a dedicated page listing on the ShimmyMob website with links to your website, social media platforms, etc.
  • an official ShimmyMob announcement on all ShimmyMob media platforms (website, Facebook pages, etc.)
  • a special mention in the ShimmyMob newsletter that goes out to our entire database of subscribers

The ShimmyMob contest winner will have his/her choreography credits announced and listed on the Official website. The ShimmyMob 2025 contest winner will receive full acknowledgement and listing for one full year on the ShimmyMob website with direct links to winner's website.

ANY ATTEMPT BY AN ENTRANT OR ANY OTHER PERSON TO DELIBERATELY DAMAGE ANY WEBSITE OR UNDERMINE THE LEGITIMATE OPERATION OF THE CONTEST IS A VIOLATION OF CRIMINAL AND CIVIL LAWS AND SHOULD SUCH AN ATTEMPT BE MADE, SPONSORS RESERVE THE RIGHT TO SEEK DAMAGES FROM ANY SUCH PERSON TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW.

Happy Mobbers

Thanks for all you do to make this event happen.

Erica F.

Thank you for being a partner in our work to end violence in our homes and community.

Estelle Murphy, Executive Director "Safe Nest"

What an awesome experience it was to be involved in such a great thing!!! Thank you and look forward to more ShimmyMob!

Lyn P.

2025 International Shimmy Mob

Registrations open in December 2024

We at Shimmy Mob wish to thank our generous sponsors:

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