How it Works
How the competition works
Dance schools from all over the world come to compete at Destination Dance. Whether you are a group, duo/trio or soloist and want to compete in any number of styles including jazz, hip hop, lyrical, contemporary, musical theatre or ballet Destination Dance is the event for you. Our competitions are second to none and offer dancers an experience that will last a life time.

- 8 & Under - Elementary
- Ages 9–11 - Junior
- Ages 12–14 - Teen
- Ages 15–19 - Senior
- Age 20+ - Adult
Age is determined by how old you are on the day of the competition
Duo/Trio and group ages are determined by the average age of all the dancers
- Solo
- Duo/Trio (2-3 performers)
- Small Group (4-9 performers)
- Large Group (10 or more performers)


Novice

Ballet
Includes classical steps and ballet technique, both soft shoes and point shoes are permitted

Contemporary
Interpretative dance category must be modern in style, can be a combination of jazz, modern and ballet technique incorporating balance, control and musical interpretation

Hip Hop/ Street
Urban based dance style often performed to hip hop or current music. Routines can include breaking, popping, locking, krumping, freezes, gymnastics etc. or any new social dance being introduced to the streets

Jazz
Incorporates various styles of dance and genres of music but distinguishes itself by its musicality with an emphasis on strong accents and characterization. Often includes Kicks, jumps, leaps, turns and isolations etc.

Lyical
A combination of Jazz and Ballet techniques to slow music, incorporating emotional and story telling elements

Musical Theatre (Song & Dance)
(Microphones may be limited) Requires dancing and singing. Should interpret a song from a West End, Broadway or movie musical (can include backing vocals)

Tap
Routine must consist of tap technique and primarily tap work (no tap sounds on track)

Open
This category is for any routine that doesn’t fall into any of our specific performance categories, can include acro, ballroom, disco, folk, cheerleading etc.
Dances in specific categories only compete against other dances in that category
For Example:
- 9-11 solo jazz only compete against other 9-11 solo jazz
- 15-19 large group hip hop only compete against other 15-19 large group hip hop
- 12-14 duo/trio lyrical only compete against other 12-14 duo/trio lyrical
We strongly believe that positive-reinforcement is an invaluable educational tool, essential to the goal of building a child’s self-esteem. Our judges strive to employ that philosophy in each of their evaluations.

Score out of 100 based on the following breakdown:
- Points Technique
- Points Musicality
- Points Choreography
- Points Overall Performance

Awards based on overall points
- Platinum Award 85-100 points
- Gold Plus Award 80-84 Points
- Gold Award 70-79 points
- Silver Award 50-69 Points
- Bronze Award 49 and below

- Destination Dance awards medals to all competition entries
- We award a 1st, 2nd, 3rd place in each performance category which is broken down by age, style and number of competitors
- Destination Dance hosts a title competition at each event, which will be incorporated into the solo competition.
- If you wish to have your routine judged for title, please check the attend solo title box when registering your solo.
- We accept title entries on the day, however they must be submitted no later than 30 mins prior to performance.

- All entries will be judged for Title during the performance of their chosen routine(s) during the competition.
- There is a £5 fee to enter
- Title Categories as follows (Junior Miss/ Mr Destination Dance (11 yrs and under)Teen Miss/ Mr Destination Dance (12-14yrs) Senior Miss/ Mr DESTINATION DANCE (15-19yrs)
- Costume Award entries can be entered no later than 30 mins prior to performing. All entries will be judged during performance of the nominated routine.
- Junior Solo Award (11 & Under)
- Senior Solo Award (12 years and above)
- Junior Duo/Trio Award (11 & Under)
- Senior Duo/Trio Award (12 years and above)
- Junior Group Award (11 & Under)
- Senior Group Award (12 years and above)


BEST IN SHOW AWARD
- One winner from every regional competition will be awarded 'Best In Show' for that competition. The winner is chosen by the judges and can be any age, dance style or competition category.

STUDIO CUP AWARD
- The studio cup will be awarded to the dance school with the highest number points per competition. Totals will be an average of all entries per dance school. You must have 20 or more entries to be eligible.

- Contestants will be judged by a panel of highly-qualified adjudicators, and all decisions of the adjudicators will be accepted as final.
- All critiques will be given as video feedback from the judges. Videos and scores will be available on your online account one week after the competition.
- Only online registration will be accepted
- Please visit our website registration page at https://www.destinationdanceuk.com/register/
- Only Dance Schools can register for Destination Dance and Independent entries are not accepted.
- All entries are accepted on a first come, first served basis and will be limited to the amount of performance time available. Our competitions are in high demand and most sell out well before the closing date.
- Our user friendly online registration system allows you to enter your competition dances, upload music and receive judges feedback, via your online log in.
- Trouble Shooting: Under State/Provence- simply enter your country, as the UK doesn’t have states.
- Please note that you can enter information and make changes up six weeks before the competition, after that NO changes will be permitted.
- Please do not complete your registration until you are sure you do not want to make anymore changes.
- Please ensure song titles, dancers names, ages and routines are entered correctly by the closing date.
- Delete or remove routines- If you cancel or delete a routine that has been entered on to the online registration system you will be charged a £5 administration fee. Please do not enter any routine on to the system which you do not intend to compete.
- There is a limit of 3 solos per person
- SOLOS are a maximum of 2 mins (with a grace period of 2 mins and 10 sec)
- DUO/TRIOS are a maximum of 2 mins 45 sec
- Small GROUPS are 3 mins
- Large GROUPS 3 mins 30 seconds
- You can purchase extra time for groups ONLY and is charged at £3 per person per
- Note: Overtime will result in automatic point deduction
- Schedules are subject to change but will be confirmed no later than 3 weeks before the competition date.
- Exact performance times will be released no later than 3 weeks before the competition and students must be prepared to compete on which ever day they have been assigned.
- Every competition schedule is set up based solely on the breakdown of entries by solos, duets/ trios and groups for that particular city. We do not have this breakdown until all entries have been processed and at that time we set up a schedule, which will best accommodate the people at that competition
- Destination Dance will assign a unique entry number to each act, this is for reference and identification purposes.
- Please report stage five numbers before you are due to perform.
- All music must be entered into your registration page no later than one month before the competition. Failure to do so may result in the act not being able to perform.
- WE DO NOT ACCEPT MUSIC ON THE DAY OF COMPETITION!
- You will find the link to upload your music in your registration account dashboard.
- Please bring back up music on a iPod, iphone, iPad or computer to the competition in case of emergencies.
- If your music stops due to a technicality in the theatre you will be allowed to dance again. However, you will not be allowed to dance again if you forget your dance.
- Please ensure all music is appropriate and does not contain swearing or explicit content. Violation will result in point deductions.
Regional Competition | Price | Max Time Limit | Extended Time | Ext Time Fees per person |
---|---|---|---|---|
Solo | £37 | 2:00 | N/A | |
Duet/ Trio (2-3 performers) | £45 per entry | 2:45 | N/A | |
Small Group (4-9 performers) | £10 pp | 3:00 | Max 4:00 | £3pp |
Large Group (10+ performers) | £10 pp | 3:30 | Max 4:30 | £3pp |
DESTINATION DANCE Title Awards | £5 per entry | |||
IT’S A KNOCK OUT Scholarship Audition | £5 per person | |||
Spectator Tickets | £5+VAT per person per session | |||
Teachers, dance competitors and children under 5 | Free |
- Destination Dance only accepts payments via BACS.
- All entries must be paid by bank transfer (with Dance School name) with out the dance school name we may not be able to trace your payment.
- We accept payments in instalments or in full (If you are making payments in instalments please make reference to the instalment number when making payment)
- Balance must be paid in FULL no later than 6 weeks before the competition. All entries that are not paid for in full by the closing date will not be allowed to compete.
- Payment instructions can be found in your online registration account under checkout.
- NO REFUNDS- Accept in the case of force majeure or cancellations due to government restrictions on public gatherings which will be fully refunded
- Dancers entered in the compeition, three teachers per dance school and children under 5 watch for FREE
- Ticket Sales are per session. Depending on the break down of entries there could be one or two sessions per day but never more than two sessions per day. The session includes an awards ceremony for the dancers who performed in that session.
- All tickets can be purchased through our website.
- Teachers please redeem your free tickets through the website link.
- Dance competitors will receive a wristband on the day of the competition which will allow you to watch the competition. Note you will only receive a wristband for the session you are performing in. If you wish to watch other sessions you can purchase tickets through the website link.