Floor Wars

What is Floor Wars? It’s an all-styles dance battle event, first hosted by Last-Fur-One at Anthrocon 2012, that has inspired the furry fandom worldwide with similar events. Dancers compete against each other as they are given a variety of songs by the DJ to “battle” to, taking turns to show who’s got the better moves.

Interested in competing? Please read through each section carefully, as it will help you with what to expect and prepare for. The link to sign up will be included in the Competition Format section.

For Anthrocon 2024, we’re introducing a single crew battle division: bring your furry “crew” together of 3 to 5 members each, with at least ONE fursuit dancer in a crew. There’s no telling what will happen, but don’t get cozy if you have a full house - your crew might just get upstaged by a small-but-mighty crew!

Sign ups for this event will be open until June 23rd, 2024. There are no in-person sign ups.

preliminaries event - Friday, JUly 5TH

All crews will compete in a “showcase round” where we see the raw skill and talent of each team to a non-stop, continuous mix of music that can be any genre. These skill rounds will be between 30-45 seconds for each dancer in the team, so make sure you come ready to impress if your crew wants to qualify.

Main Event - Saturday, July 6th

If your crew qualifies for the Main Event, you will be automatically slotted into a battle bracket for the division.

• Crews will compete in a single-elimination tournament, where the winning crew advances to the next round.
• Each battle will be approximately five minutes, with each turn being around 30 to 45 seconds. This means if you have more than 3 dancers in a crew, be prepared to strategize.
• If a crew performs a routine, it will count as part of the round’s allotted time.
• In the event of a tiebreaker, each crew will choose one dancer to compete in an all-or-nothing round. There will be no second tiebreakers.

Judging guidelines

A brief example of some things that our judges look for in both the Preliminaries and Main Event:

• Team Synergy: Does your team compliment each other and combine skills or styles?
• Execution: How clean and polished do your moves look?
• Originality: Do your moves look unique and non-repetitive?
• Musicality: How well does your dance match the music?
• Dynamics: How dynamic and/or exciting is your dance?
• Response: Does your dance directly respond to the battle, and your opponent(s)?

Prizes: Historically, prizes have come in the form of plaques and/or medals distributed to the winning competitors. Additional rewards may be determined closer to the event. Floor Wars is an event to enjoy and celebrate the modern dance culture – we promote an environment that is focused on celebrating the furry dance community, rather than competing for status or reward.

The competition has been designated as a PG-13 event, due to the nature of Floor Wars and its audience. Please keep in mind that content may be rated as such, from music selection to theming. Malicious, inappropriate, or disrespectful content or behavior past the accepted PG-13 rating is not allowed under any circumstances.

1. For Anthrocon 2024’s Crew Battles, at least ONE member in each crew needs to be a fursuit dancer. This means a minimum costume of a fursuit head, hands, feet, and tail (unless your character does not have a tail by design).
2. No excessive, provocative or inappropriate contact with other competitors.
3. No interrupting other dancers’ sets (taking up floor space, interfering with their turn).
4. No props allowed (other than clothing on you).
5. No excessive “burns”, offensive gestures, signs, and/or logos – keep it civil.
6. No waiting out songs/requesting a song change.
7. ARRIVE ON TIME AND READY TO BATTLE (at least 30 minutes before the event start time). If you are not present at roll-call 15 minutes before event start-time (e.g. 6:45 pm for a 7 pm start time), you WILL be replaced or disqualified.
8. We are NOT responsible for injuries/damaged equipment/clothing.
9. HAVE FUN! (no salty feelings – we’re here to have a good time, regardless of the outcome. Cheer your friends on, and keep up the good vibes!)
10. For the Fursuit Division (if one is created), there are minimum fursuit requirements that are as follows:
    • Minimum fursuit requirements: Head, Hands, Tail, Feet. Your fursuit should stay on you at all times during your performance, unless in case of medical emergency.
    • Any “substitute” fursuit parts, such as Happy Feet (plush-shaped sneakers) or footwear specific for a dance style (i.e. ballet shoes, tap-dance shoes), can be used in lieu of fursuit feet with permission from the organizer.
11. The event organizer(s) reserve the right to make decisions for any performances in the event where necessary.

Am I allowed to participate if I’m a minor? Are there any age restrictions to the competition?

No, there are no longer any age restrictions for Floor Wars. However if you are a minor, you will need to follow the rules for minors requiring chaperones as outlined in our Minors 13 and Under section.

I don’t know who all the members of my crew will be. Can I still sign up, or do I have to find my crew first?

You don’t have to have your entire crew identified when you sign up, but you will need to have your crew assembled and ready by the time the preliminaries event starts.

I don’t have a certain fursuit part or accessory that is needed to compete. What should I do?

We acknowledge that it may be difficult for some competitors to meet the minimum requirements for our competition. In the event that you are missing a piece or part of a fursuit, such as hands or feet, we would recommend reaching out to your local community or furry network to see if you are able to borrow parts for the competition. Furries are very generous folks, and many are willing to lend a hand (literally) if you ask nicely!

What kind of music/genre/style can we expect for Floor Wars?

As an all-styles competition, all sorts of genres can and will be played! Check out the following list (and examples on YouTube) of some music genres you can prepare for:

• Funk/Disco/Soul
• Pop
• Hip-Hop (Old School and New School)
• Trap/Dubstep
• House
• Electronic
• …and much more!

Is the event livestreamed anywhere to watch?

Yes, we plan to have an official livestream on the Anthrocon channel for the in-person Main Event. Further details will be announced and posted to our website.

Will the Floor Wars host have to read more ridiculous team names?

Absolutely not.

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Disclaimer Notice

By signing up for the Anthrocon Floor Wars competition, you agree to adhere to all rules and regulations set forth in this document, and any others explicitly stated by the event organizer(s) during all stages of the event. The event organizers may also change or remove certain rules or stipulations depending on their collective assessment of situations, should they merit review. They also have the right to revoke a competitor’s registration and eligibility to the competition based on reasonable grounds.

All competitors also acknowledge and understand that their image, or likeness of image, may be used in media representations whether by individuals or media corporations that have been given explicit permission by Anthrocon Inc. during the Main Event. These representations will not be used for monetary profit, and simply for the promotion of Anthrocon and its affiliated events. Questions or concerns may be directed to the address below.

In addition to adhering to the rules of the Anthrocon Floor Wars competition, all registered participants also agree to adhere by all rules set forth by the Anthrocon Attendee Code of Conduct. All participants must be in good standing with Anthrocon Inc. and be registered with the convention in order to participate. Furthermore, all participants of the dance competition shall not hold Anthrocon liable for any damages/injuries to participants incurred at the convention and its events, including Floor Wars. Any complaints or concerns regarding this event, or with the venue hosted in, can be made to [email protected].