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Official Rules, Terms & Conditions

For those that are competing in any Floor Wars events in any category, this is the official statement for the rules and regulations for participating in Floor Wars. These are not just guidelines, they are actual rules we will enforce to make sure that everyone has the best experience and most fun they can out of our events while respecting fellow competitors, the audience, and the event as a whole.

Disclaimer for Floor Wars

  1. Personal Injury/Damages. By signing up for “Floor Wars”, a performance event run by the group ‘Ohayocon’, you agree to be solely responsible for any kind of injury that may occur to yourself or your person(s) during the event. This is including but not limited to physical and emotional injuries or damages, destruction or damaging of clothing articles and/or Cosplays used, and equipment brought by yourself to the event. You also agree to not hold ‘Ohayocon’ and the respective convention which “Floor Wars” takes place not accountable for any reimbursement for damages.

  2. Media Consent. By participating in “Floor Wars”, a performance event run by the group ‘Ohayocon’, you agree to consent to being part of any media coverage or promotional material that includes Floor Wars. The group ‘Ohayocon’ will maintain all respect towards sensitive material and person(s) that may be offended by material displayed on media, but cannot be held liable for media released by third parties, including but not limited to public press, television, and independent videographers. All disputes regarding sensitive or inappropriate material relative to “Floor Wars” will be dealt with the group directly, with the exception of material released by other parties.

  3. Behavioural Consent. By participating in “Floor Wars” in any form or manner, you agree to behave in a manner that conforms to all rules set forth by the Floor Wars Official Rules, Terms & Conditions document, the host convention’s Code of Conduct, and all applicable policies relevant to the event. As an attendee of our event and at conventions, you are inherently an ambassador of your peers and the community as a whole, and we wish to maintain a positive image about our community. Please treat your peers, and the environment around you with the same respect you want to be treat with. Any belligerent, dangerous, or disrespectful behaviour may result in disqualification from the event, as well as further repercussion at the discretion of the convention organizers.

Clothing/Attire for Competitors

  • No revealing articles of clothing. Offensive logos & graphics are not allowed to be worn. Loose articles of clothing/accessories must be secured or taken off.

  • Non-clothing props (e.g. toy swords, hammers, etc.) are not allowed. Clothing articles that you wear such as hats are allowed as long as they are not thrown.

  • Remember, this is a PG-13 event. Please respect the fact that we are trying to promote a clean, fun environment.

  • Full body costumes are allowed and encouraged so long as they follow the rules above.

Registration

Each competitor may only sign up once and will be selected at random for a bracketed division. This is to create a fair selection system for our competitors, as well as promoting the honesty and equality in our dance community. Competitor lists for Floor Wars will be released no later than two weeks prior to its scheduled date.

If there are any questions, changes, or cancellations that need to be made prior to the event, contact us as soon as possible. If you cancel your registration for Floor Wars, you will not be able to revoke it afterwards. You will be placed in the waitlist should you wish to re-register.

Anyone found cheating the registration system for Floor Wars to increase their chances of participation will instantly receive a ban from the event. We do not tolerate unfair conduct in a community that promotes fairness and equality.

Rules

  1. No touching your opponent(s). We do not want to have any physical contact between opponents due to liability issues, and plus it’s rude. Even if you’re friends, keep your hands to yourself for the duration of your battle.

  2. No interrupting your opponent. Let your opponent finish their round, or until they are counted out by our MC. This is out of respect for your opponent, as well as the format of the event in general.

  3. No independent props allowed. By ‘independent’ we mean things that are not on your body/clothing such as canes, water guns, pois, cups, etc. This is not only to prevent liability issues, but also because it gives an unfair advantage to competitors who use them. However, clothing articles such as hats, scarves, shoes, glasses may be used as long as they are not thrown.

  4. No excessive cussing/insults. This is a rated PG-13 event which means that we are not allowed to be vulgar. Not only that, your fellow competitors, judges, and audience will not appreciate it in any way. “Burns” that are executed during the battles are perfectly fine, but keep it moderated and under control.

  5. No waiting out/choosing songs. We understand that everyone has different song preferences and dance styles, but the point of an all-styles dance battle is to test your ability to apply what you know to the music you are given. In any case, we have compiled a broad variety of music to suit everyone’s needs for at least one round.

  6. Arrive on time! We cannot stress this rule enough, as out of respect for your fellow competitors and the event we must ask you to arrive at least 30 minutes prior to the event. We will do roll call 15 minutes before event start-time and if you are not here, you will be replaced with a substitute from the waitlist. There are NO exceptions to this rule.

    NOTE: If you are going to miss roll call, please inform Ohayocon Con Ops before the event. Even with prior notification, we cannot guarantee you will retain your spot.

  7. Don’t get salty! (this isn’t Overwatch) Even though this is a battle-competition with judging and other things, we’re all here to have fun. Encourage your fellow dancers and cheer for ‘em as loud as you can!

  8. We are not responsible for any injuries that may occur during the event. Please remember to know your limits and dance within it – we do not condone taking risks that may result in injuring yourself or your fellow competitors. Furthermore, dancing in Cosplay for several rounds is exhausting – please ensure that you are well-hydrated during the event and rest up when you are not battling.

That’s all the rules there are. I know it may seem like a lot for such a lax, fun event, but with several problems arising in the past there has been a need to establish these rules. Furthermore, breaking these rules can result in penalties, such as a disqualification from your battle and other penalties deemed necessary. Please, stay within the rules! We don’t want to have to disqualify anyone.

Battle Format

For those that have watched/participated in a Floor Wars event before, the format is the exact same as most. However, for newcomers it is really simple:

  • Each competitor is randomly matched up against another dancer from the same category.

  • When you battle your opponent, you will have two rounds of around 30 seconds to show your stuff to a randomly-selected song by the DJ. These two rounds will be alternated back-and-forth between you and your opponent, like in a battle.

  • The song will change after each of you has gone out one round. As with Rule #5, you cannot ask to skip a song – just make do with what you have. One of the essential elements of all-styles battles such as Floor Wars is being able to work with any music to the best of your ability!

  • At the end of each battle, the judges will choose who will move onto the next bracket right on the spot.

Judging Categories (D-O-P-E-R)

  • Dynamics: Moves have crowd & judge appeal, difficulty is prominent.

  • Originality: Moves are unique and not repeated, shows advanced knowledge/creativity.

  • Personality: Dancer shows character and their own flavour/style with their dance.

  • Execution: Moves match with the tempo/style of music, no sloppiness/crashes.

  • Response: Dancer(s) show active response to the music or their opponents – moves create a “battle” against the music and/or opponents

(Note that while these are the general judging categories, each of our judges may use their own criteria in order to determine their vote. The categories listed above are guidelines and not the only system of judging in effect.)

Thanks for reading, and see you at the event!