While there is more than one dancer on the platform at the same time, they are judged individually. The judges watch for deportment, timing, style and technique. Deportment includes their behavior and appearance. Timing is whether they are executing the movements according to the rhythms specified by history and by their evaluating school. Style points are given for the dancer's ability to show the proper character and expression of the dance.
Technique is the greatest portion of evaluation.
Each step uses specified positions of the feet, hands and head on specified beats of the music. Executing each step correctly according to the historical accuracy of the dance is an accomplishment that takes years of hard work and attention to detail. The dancers are divided into competitive categories, based upon experience. These categories are Primary, Beginner, Novice, Intermediate, and Premier. Inside each of these categories, the dancers are divided into age groups, based upon the number of dancers entered in each category.