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.
AGE DIVISIONS
- 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.
If a dancer is 20+ in a group it will automatically be placed in the adult section.
GENERAL DIVISIONS
- Solo
- Duo/Trio (2-3 performers)
- Small Group (4-9 performers)
- Large Group (10 or more performers)
CATEGORIES
Novice
Novice is a category for students who are newer to competing. All styles will compete against each other and we accept solos, duo/trios and groups in the novice category. Competitors will receive medals (Platinum, Gold Plus, Gold, Silver depending on scores) but are not eligible for High Score Awards. 1st, 2nd and 3rd place trophies will be awarded in the Novice category.
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
Commercial/ Hip Hop
Urban based dance style often performed to hip hop or current music. Routines can include various styles of street including breaking, popping, locking, krumping, freezes, jazz and gymnastics or any new social dance.
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
(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
JUDGING SYSTEM
We take great pride in each and every one of our judges who are specifically chosen and are of the highest industry standard. Our judges are fully independent professionals.
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
PRIZES
- We award a 1st, 2nd, 3rd place in each performance category which is broken down by age, style and number of competitors
- winners receive one medal and or trophy per act and all contestants receive ribbons
TITLE COMPETITION
- 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 £5.50 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
- 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 15 or more entries to be eligible.
CRITIQUES
- 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.
Schedule
- 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.
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Please report stage five numbers before you are due to perform.
- We reserve the right to add or remove competition days depending on the breakdown of entries
REGISTRATIONS/ ENTRIES
- 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 at our regional events. A dance school is considered two or more dancers competing under one name. (If you qualify at a regional event with a dance school you may however attend our International Final as an Independent)
- 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.
- Entries can be added to the system as soon as the competition registration is open. Estimated routines are not considered entered. You must fully enter your routines onto the system to enter the competition. Note: competition entries are not fully reserved until payment has been made.
ONLINE REGISTRATION SYSTEM
- 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.
ENTRY CHANGES
- 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.
ENTRY LIMITS
- There is a limit of 3 solos per person
TIME LIMITS
- SOLOS are a maximum of 2 mins
- 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 is not permitted on solos and duo/trios and your music times will be checked before the competition. The system will not allow you to upload music that is longer than the permitted time and we do not allow a grace period for music.
MUSIC
- All music must be entered into your registration page no later than two weeks 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
- 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.
- You will find the link to upload your music in your registration account dashboard
EVENT PRICES
| UK Regional Competition | Price | Max Time Limit | Extended Time | Ext Time Fees per person |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Solo | £39.50 | 2:00 | N/A | |
| Duet/ Trio (2-3 performers) | £22 pp | 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 and Costume Award | £5.50 per entry | |||
| The Dance Off | £6 per person | |||
| Spectator Tickets | £7.50 pp all fees included | |||
| Teachers, dance competitors and children under 5 | Free |
- All prices above are inclusive of VAT
| Ireland Regional Competition | Price | Max Time Limit | Extended Time | Ext Time Fees per person |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Solo | €42 | 2:00 | N/A | |
| Duet/ Trio (2-3 performers) | €23 pp | 2:45 | N/A | |
| Small Group (4-9 performers) | €11 pp | 3:00 | Max 4:00 | €3pp |
| Large Group (10+ performers) | €11pp | 3:30 | Max 4:30 | €3pp |
| DESTINATION DANCE Title and Costume Award | €5.50 per entry | |||
| The Dance Off | €6 per person | |||
| Spectator Tickets | €7.50 pp all fees included | |||
| Teachers, dance competitors and children under 5 | Free |
- All prices above are inclusive of VAT and are priced in Euros. Please pay fees in Euros only
| International Final Competition | Price | Max Time Limit | Extended Time | Ext Time Fees per person |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Solo | £45 | 2:00 | N/A | |
| Duet/ Trio (2-3 performers) | £22.50 pp | 2:45 | N/A | |
| Small Group (4-9 performers) | £11 pp | 3:00 | Max 4:00 | £3pp |
| Large Group (10+ performers) | £11 pp | 3:30 | Max 4:30 | £3pp |
| DESTINATION DANCE Title and Costume Award |
£5.50 per entry | |||
| Spectator Tickets | £9.50 pp all fees included | |||
| Teachers, dance competitors and children under 5 | Free | |||
- All prices above are inclusive of VAT and are priced in GBP please pay fees in GBP only
PAYMENTS
- Destination Dance only accepts payments via BACS for UK events Ireland events payments are made via Revolute account.
- 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.
- When events are sold out you are not considered fully entered until payment has been received. 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
SPECTATOR TICKETS
- 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.