Style Blending
Open / Variety / Improv
Competition categories that allow mixed-style routines or styles that don't fit other categories. 'Improv' specifically refers to spontaneous, unrehearsed dance done in competition settings.
What it is
Open and Variety are the catch-all entry categories almost every competition offers for routines that don't fit a single named genre. An Open routine blends styles intentionally — a contemporary-hip-hop fusion, a jazz-tap combination, an acro-lyrical hybrid — while Variety/Specialty often covers novelty, props, character, or production concepts. "Improv" is a separate format: dancers respond to music they haven't heard before, demonstrating freestyle skill and creativity in real time.
What defines the category
- No single required genre — versatility is the point
- Intentional style-blending rather than a "default" bucket
- Often where the most experimental and personal choreography lives
- Improv variants reward spontaneous musicality over set choreography
- A common home for fusion pieces that bridge career paths
Key skills for improv
- Strong technical foundation across multiple styles
- Musicality (hearing AND responding)
- Freestyle vocabulary (a "toolkit" of movements to draw from)
- Confidence under pressure
- Personality and stage presence
How it's judged
Open and Variety routines run through the same two-track system as every other entry — an absolute adjudication tier (Gold / High Gold / Platinum / Diamond, named differently at every company) plus relative Overall placements within an age and skill bracket. Because there's no genre yardstick, judges weigh technique, musicality, choreographic risk, and how convincingly the blended styles cohere. Improv is typically scored live on creativity, musicality, and control.
On our directory
Studios that emphasize cross-training and fusion work often list under our "Open" genre. The studio finder maps the Open/Variety filter to those programs so you can find versatile, multi-style studios near you.
Who it's for
Versatile dancers who refuse to be boxed into one genre, choreographers experimenting with hybrid forms, and dancers building toward commercial or convention careers where adaptability is the whole job. It rewards range over specialization.
Common misconceptions
- "Improv is just making it up" — false; strong improv requires extensive training
- "Open category is for confused choreography" — false; when done well, style blending is sophisticated
- "Variety means anything goes with no standard" — false; it's judged on the same tier and overall ladder as every other category
Go deeper
Open and Variety run on the same adjudication-plus-overalls model as the rest of the circuit — see how dance scoring works — and appear across most events on our competitions directory.
Find Open / Variety Studios
Browse studios that emphasize versatility and multi-style training, pre-filtered for the Open category.
Find Studios Near You