Paws on Fire

Join us for Paws on Fire, Eurofurence's take on the popular "Floor Wars" dance battle!

Watch or participate as passionate dancers face off in thrilling one-on-one improvised dance battles. A jury will decide the winner of each round, with both fursuit and non-fursuit categories available. This means anyone can join in, whether they own a fursuit or not!

The tournament-style competition will see dancers eliminated each round until only one victor remains. Expect the finals to be a blazing hot showdown!

Are you ready to witness these brave contestants showcase their skills? Be there to cheer for your favorites as they set the dance floor ablaze with their Paws on Fire!

FAQ

General / Both Competitions

• How does sign-up work?
  You can register for our two dance competitions: Enter the Arena, the stage show and/or Paws on Fire, the dance battle show. You can register for one or for both, but you need to tell us your preference, so we can try to give more dancers a slot at at least one of the shows. We highly recommend to show us your experience and showmanship in your video and write a professional application (no emoji or childish writing) to increase your chances. All applications (written- and video part) will be reviewed by our panel of judges, together with the dancer’s biggest preferences we puzzle as many as possible dancers a spot into the shows. When the spots are full, we also keep a waiting-list and keep those dancers informed about their chances to still enter the show(s).
• When does registrations close?
  The registration closes late in June, depening on sign-ups.
• Do I need a Eurofurence ticket to register?
  Yes, you need a Eurofurence registered name and number
• Can I join both Enter the Arena and Paws on Fire?
  Yes, they will be on different convention days, but we want to give as many dancers as possible a spot. So we will ask in the sign-ups your biggest preference.
• Can I sign up as a judge?
  Yes. You can follow the sign-up form to show your interest in dancing, judging, or both.
• What will happen after my registration?
  You will receive a personal message when your registration was successful and you got a spot. You will be added to a Telegram group and a Telegram channel to keep up with the latest update and news.
  The Telegram group is open for chats with your fellow contestants, the Telegram channel is for important announcements you should not miss out on.
• Can I sign up and later cancel my attendance?
  We ask you to only sign up if you are 100% sure you are:

  1. going to attend Eurofurence main event days.
  2. not dropping out at a later point due to foreseeable circumstances. If we deem that your cancellation was not appropriate, we can issue precautions for the following edition.
• How long do the events take?
  The main events will be approximately 2-2.5 hours. But we do ask for an early arrival of the dancers which can make your arrival and departure time up to 4 hours. For dancers there will be a backstage area with additional support (water ect.) at the event.
• When and where will EtA and PoF take place?
  We will share the days and times as soon as we get them. If you’re not attending the main convention days, we ask you to be hesitant with signing up.
• What are the rules about dancing in what outfit and apparel?
  • Both competitions have their own rules about what’s allowed.
  • Fursuit, non-fursuit, partial, shoes, you can check per event what the rules are.
  • Overall, it needs to be SFW (safe for work).
• Will there be Fursuit lounges for the dancers at the events?
  There will be small fursuit lounges with drinks, snacks and fans on both events exclusively for the dancers. We have our own Fursuit Support Team to assist you.
• Can I bring and dress up in fursuit, backstage of the events?
  We don’t have the backstage space for lots of suitcases/bags or privacy. We advise you to arrive in your fursuit or outfit at the event and backstage. We will provide areas for you to sit and relax and partially undress. Of course you can bring a small bag with you for personal belongings.
• Can dancers get access to the video files of the official EF cameras afterwards?
  Unfortunately not possible. Luckily there are amazing dance competitions fans who share their recordings afterwards on Youtube.

Paws on Fire

• How does it work?

  Paws on Fire has two categories: fursuit and non-fursuit categories. They dance within their own category, so a fursuiter will not dance against a non-fursuiter and vice versa.

  You and your opponent will enter the dancefloor and start on your assigned floor markings.
  The DJ plays a sample of a song you two can dance to, you can both vote thumbs up (yes) or thumbs down (no) to the song.
  If the song gets the double no-vote, the DJ plays the next song.
  After the song is selected, the host will count down to start the battle, and the first assigned dancer is allowed to show their skills for 30 seconds.
  The host will start a countdown again after 30 seconds which indicates that the first assigned dancer gets back to their spot and the second dancer is allowed to dance their 30 seconds.
  Now the first dance battle is completed.

  Subsequently starts the process of song-voting (if the previous round did not skip a song) and dancing for the second round.
  In each duel you will dance two times to two different songs.

  Afterwards the jury votes who advances to the next round by sticking their hands to the winning dancer.
  The final two dancers will also dance for victory with the same above rules.

• What if I don’t know / don't like the song?
  Dancers can vote to skip a song. Here's how it works:

  • You can skip a song once per round (you vs. one contestant in 2 dances).
  • One thumbs up vs. one thumb down = the song will not be skipped and both dancers keep their vote.
  • Two thumbs down = the song will not be played and both dancers lose their vote.
  • Two thumbs up = the song played will be danced and both dancers keep their vote.
• How often can I skip a song?
  You can skip a song once per round (you vs. one contestant in 2 dances).
• Some other rules and notes during your dance battle:
  • You may not dance while it’s the other dancer’s turn.
  • You may move, cheer or vibe with your opponent while it is not your turn. But if you try to steal their spotlight, you will get warned or disqualified.
  • You may not touch the other dancer, judges, audience or host.
  • Watch out for the limits of the arena, there might be an audience and cameras behind.
  • You may not take your fursuit parts (head, paws, feet) off as part of your dancing act.
  • However: there are no consequences to losing parts by accident, just try to make sure it won’t happen.
  • If you leave a prop on the floor as part of your dance, remember to remove it when your turn (30 seconds) is over so it isn’t in the way of the other dancer.
• How many spots are available?
  Paws on Fire has two categories: fursuit and non-fursuit categories. They dance within their own category, so a fursuiter will not dance against a non-fursuiter and vice versa.
  Depending on the sign-ups per category, the amount of dancers can shift and are not set in stone prior to registration opening.
  In your registration you can choose between: Fursuit Dancer, Non-fursuit Dancer or Flexible between both.
• How much time does the event take for me as a dancer?
  The main event will be approximately 2-2.5 hours. But we do ask for an early arrival of the dancers which can make your arrival and departure time up to 4 hours.
  For dancers there will be a backstage area with additional support (water ect.) at the event.
• Do I need to fullsuit or can I also go partial?
  There are no rules on only full-suiters. You are free to dance in partial or outfits that are SFW. In doubt, contact us for more info. Wearing an easy danceable outfit may cost you the judges favor in advancing to the next round.
  We also have a non-fursuit category.
• Can I dance with (normal) shoes?
  Yes, but it might affect your scoring. Wearing an easy danceable outfit may cost the advance to the next round if the judge decides you have it easier than your opponent.

Enter the Arena

• How many spots are available?
  There are 20 spots available, spots are given by our panel of judges during pre-selection. All applications (written- and video part) will be reviewed by our panel of judges, together with the biggest preferences we puzzle as many as possible dancers a spot into the shows.
  After the 20 slots have been filled, the other dancers get offered a spot on the waiting list.
• How long can my dance performance be?
  We advise an average of 1 minute and 30 seconds for a dance performance.
  Your submitted song needs to be cut to the length you want to perform.
  2 minutes is the absolute maximum length, after that the music will be cut off.
• How big is my dance area?
  Enter the Arena will take place on the Main Stage / Hall 3.
  This is a stage with a left and/or right exit, with a one-side view to the audience.
  The judges will sit in front of the stage.
• Do I need to fullsuit?
  There are no rules on only full-suiters. You are free to dance in partial or outfits that are SFW. In doubt, contact us for more info.
  You’re also free to wear stylized outfits around your fullsuit, partial, or petsuit.
  Wearing an easy danceable or breathable outfit may cost you points in technique depending on the judges opinion in comparison to full suiters.
• Can I dance with (normal) shoes?
  Yes, but it might affect your scoring by the judges opinion.
• Can I do a performance that’s not judged by the jury?
  Depending on the sign-ups we have some time for intermittence performances. You can contact @wolvinny on Telegram for more information or discuss the possibilities.
• Can I dance as a duo or bigger group in the competition?
  Unfortunately over the years the amount of duo or groups that are active in the European furry fandom have not been big enough to create their own custom dance competition.
  The same as the non-judged questions above, we have some time for intermittence performances. You can contact @wolvinny on Telegram for more information or discuss the possibilities.
• Does the song need to be non-explicit?
  Eurofurence is an 18+ event, so curse words or strong language are allowed.
  We can deem the song inappropriate or discriminatory, if so we will contact the dancer and ask for changes.
• Can I dance with accessories?
  Accessoires are usually okay, however please talk to the producers beforehand to have a go ahead.
• How much time does the event take for me as a dancer?
  The main event will be approximately 2-2.5 hours. But we do ask for an early arrival of the dancers which can make your arrival and departure time up to 4 hours.
  For dancers there will be a backstage area with additional support (water ect.) at the event.