Cardinal Clash

Official Rules

This is an official statement for the rules and regulations for participating in Cardinal Clash. These are not just guidelines, these are actual rules that will be enforced throughout the event so we can make sure everyone is having a fun and safe time while respecting fellow competitors, audience, and the event as a whole.

Disclaimers

1. Personal Injury/Damages

By signing up for ‘Cardinal Clash’, a performance event run by ‘AnthrOhio’, you agree to be solely responsible for any kind of injury that you 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 fursuits/cosplays used, and equipment brought by yourself to the event. You also agree to not hold ‘AnthrOhio’ and the respective convention space where ‘‘Cardinal Clash’ takes place accountable for any reimbursement for damages.

2. Media Consent

By signing up for ‘Cardinal Clash’, a performance event run by ‘AnthrOhio’, you agree to consent to being a part of any media coverage or promotional material that includes Cardinal Clash. ‘AnthrOhio’ 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 ‘Cardinal Clash’ will be dealt with the group directly, with the exception of material released by other parties.

3. Behavioral Consent

By participating in ‘Cardinal Clash’ in any form or manner, you agree to behave in a manner that conforms to all rules set forth by the Cardinal Clash 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 nmaintain a positive image of our community. Please treat your peers, and the environment around you with the same respect you want to be treated with. Any belligerent, dangerous, or disrespectful behavior may result in temporary or permanent disqualification from the event, as well as further repercussions at the discretion of the convention organizers.

Clothing/Attire

Non-suit: 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.

Fursuit: Shoes are allowed. Head and handpaws MINIMUM for a competitor. Please try to minimize skin exposure. Those who show up without the required equipment will be asked to change, or otherwise forfeit their spot in Cardinal Clash.

Non-clothing/props are not allowed. Clothing items 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.

Registration (Sign-Ups)

We will announce each registration for Cardinal Clash events approximately one to two months ahead of time. Sign-ups for Cardinal Clash will be submitted in a google form. Preliminaries will occur if needed, and the top 16 competitors/teams will be selected for finals. Each competitor/team may only sign up once, and may only sign up in one division. This is to create a fair selection system for our competitors, as well as promoting honesty and equality in our dance community. If there are any questions, changes, or cancellations that need to be made prior to the event, e-mail [email protected] as soon as possible. IF YOU CANCEL YOUR REGISTRATION FOR CARDINAL CLASH, 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.

Rules

No non-clothing props allowed. By “non-clothing”, 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.
No excessive cursing/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.
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.
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. If you are going to miss roll call, please inform Shayde, the dancerfur telegram chat, or an AnthrOhio staff member before the event. Even with prior notification, we cannot guarantee you will retain your spot.
Don’t get salty! 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! For pair/team situations, even if your partner doesn’t perform as well or you don’t feel like you have a lot of dance chemistry, cheer each other on and congratulate each other on your performance!
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 fursuit for several rounds is exhausting — please ensure that you are well-hydrated during the event and rest up when you are not battling.

Battle Format

For those who have watched or participated in a dance battle (‘Floor Wars’) event before, the format is the exact same as it has always been. However, for newcomers it is really simple:

Each competitor/team is randomly matched up against another dancer/team from the same category
When you battle your opponent, you will have two rounds of approximately 45 seconds to dance to a randomly-selected song. These two rounds will be alternated back-and-forth between you and your opponent, like in a battle.
In the case of a team battle (e.g. 2v2, 3v3), you and your partner(s) will have 30 seconds each. One partner will go out on one side, then the other side will send out one member. After the song switch, the other member of each respective side must dance. Each partner must go out at least once.
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 Cardinal Clash is being able to work with any music to the best of your ability!

FAQ

What is the finals format?

This year is a typical freestyle/all styles 1v1 battle in tournament form. There are no nonsuit or fursuit divisions.

Can I Battle in Fursuit?

Definitely! But fursuits are not required. Check back in the clothing/attire rules to see what is required for wearing a fursuit in Cardinal Clash.

What is the preliminaries format?

Preliminaries will be similar to the final event with a 1v1 battle. But there will only be one round per battle.

When will we get results?

Results with the top 16 finalists should be posted no later than 1-2 hours before the event. We will have a small waitlist as well if the amount of sign-ups allows it.

Judging Guidelines

Dynamics: Moves have crowd & judge appeal, difficulty levels are higher

Originality: Moves are unique and not repeated, shows advanced knowledge and/or Creativity

Personality: Dancer shows character and their own flavor/style with their dance

Execution: Moves match with the music, no sloppiness and/or mistakes

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 guidelines, each of our judges may use their own criteria in order to determine their vote. The categories listed above are guidelines and not the definitive system of judging in effect)

If you have any questions or concerns about the event, please send us an e-mail at [email protected].