Pop-Off! Rising: Kaigai and Debut Idol Showcase

Important Dates

• Application Deadline: April 15th at 11:59 PM
• Notification of acceptance, waitlist, or denial: April 25th
• Rehearsal: Friday July 17th 9 AM
  Event Check in Time: Friday 17th 5:30 PM

Rules

Pop-Off: Debut! And Pop-Off: Rising! are exposition events, not competitive. There will be no judging or ranking. Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis. As long as the application meets the criteria for participating in this event it will be considered for approval. We cannot guarantee approval as there are a limited number of performance slots. If you're attending as an audience member, make sure to bring your loudest cheers to support all our new performers as they take the big stage!

• Applicants may apply as a group or solo performer.
• Performance groups or soloists must have participated in 3 or fewer stage performances and have not won any awards.
• Performers competing in the Pop-Off! Live Dance Competition main event are not allowed to participate in Debut. You may apply for both but if you are accepted to Pop Off: Live! you will not be accepted to Debut. Performers applying for Rising as a Kaigai idol are allowed to also apply and participate in Pop Off: Live!
• Contestants must be at least 13 years old and must be registered convention attendees to perform.
• No professional dancers* may enter the Pop-Off: Live! Or Debut! Professional Idols/Dancers ARE allowed to apply for Pop-Off: Rising! If an individual that has applied for Live! or Debut! is found to be a professional, their entire group will not be allowed to perform. *A “professional dancer” is an individual who performs dance for monetary compensation as the majority of their income.
• Performances are limited to 5 minutes maximum at length.
• All dancers will perform one dance and a panel of professional judges will give you feedback at the end of the event.
• If accepted, you must arrive at the scheduled setup time for event-specific rules and instructions. Please follow all instructions given by event staff. Non-compliance may result in disqualification from the competition and future events.
• All times are subject to change as we finalize the schedule. Communications will go out once the schedule is finalized if times changed.

CHECK-IN & AUDIO REQUIREMENTS

We recommend submitting a Google Drive or Dropbox folder in your application to collect all your photos, videos, and audio in one place.

• Once participants arrive at the convention, all applicants must check in at Cosplay HQ to be able to perform. Anyone who is unable to check in before the event must contact the Event Coordinator as soon as possible.
• All performers will be asked to provide a professional photo of their dance group upon check in if they have not already provided one through email.
• All performers must email audio files ahead of time to programming@connecticon.org. Please use the .mp3 file format only and bring a backup copy of your file to the convention on a flash drive or CD. Audio will NOT be accepted at the event start, it must be submitted through Cosplay HQ upon check in.
• There will be no live microphones onstage for Debut. All audio must be pre-recorded. There will be the option of live mics or lip syncing for Kaigai Idols performing in Pop-Off: Rising!
• A block of rehearsal time will be available on the same day as the event for performers to walk the stage and run through their performance. If you are unable to attend the allocated practice time, you will not be allowed to perform and will be considered dropped from the event.