Welcome to A-List Dance!


The following rules must be read and understood before your entries are submitted. Registration of your acts to our event and submission of payment confirms that you have read and understood the following rules and agree to the terms and conditions provided to participate in our events. Any violation of the following rules may result in the performance(s) being disqualified and not being eligible for placement or awards, and/or being announced for adjudication purposes only. Your registration to our event demonstrates that you have read, understood, and fully accept the following terms and conditions that our competition adheres to for all events.


General Information

  • All online entries must be completed before the event deadline date listed on the website.
  • Entries will be accepted on a first-come, first-serve basis and will be limited to the amount of performance time available. 
  • Dance studios must submit all entries. Independent entries will not be accepted. 
  • When registering for an event, enter music titles, participant names, and studio names exactly as they should appear in the program. 

  • There will be NO refunds after your registration has been submitted and studio invoice has been paid.

  • General Admission to any A-List Dance event is FREE!

  • A-List Dance is not responsible for lost or stolen items

  • No food or drinks are allowed inside the competition performance area.

Age Groups

Petite: 8 & Under

Junior: 9-11

Teen: 12-14

Senior: 15-19


All age divisions will be determined by the ages of the performers as of January 1, 2023. To determine the age division, average the performers’ ages and drop the decimal. Example: 12.0-12.9 will compete in the 12-year-old age division. 

Bump Rule: Routines that include dancers of different age groups will compete no more than one division below the oldest dancer, regardless of the average age. Example: If the average age of a routine is qualified as a Junior routine, but the oldest dancer is a Senior, the routine will compete in the Teen category.  The Production category is the only exception to this rule. 


Entry Divisions

Solo: 1 Performer

Duet/Trio: 2-3 Performers

Small Group: 4-9 Performers

Large Group: 10-19 Performers

Line: 20+ Performers

Production: 20+ Performers (theme/storyline)


Time Limits

Solos – 2:45

Duet/Trios – 3:00

Small Groups – 3:00

Large Groups – 4:00

Lines – 5:00

Productions – 6:00

Extended Productions – 8:00


A deduction of one-tenth of a point (.1) per judge will be made for every 15 seconds (or any portion thereof) in excess of the allotted time limit. 

Run-Off Policy: If a solo performer chooses to run off the stage less than 30 seconds after the start of the performance, he or she may be granted one re-start. Run-offs occurring 30 seconds after the performance has started will not be eligible for a re-start. All run-offs will receive an automatic “Gold” adjudication and be disqualified from all awards/lineups. A-List Dance reserves the right to change or modify this policy at any time for any reason. 


Performance Levels

A-List will have 3 Performance Levels for ALL age groups (Petite, Junior, Teen, Senior). 

Novice Level: This competition level is for beginner dancers who have little to no experience competing. Novice dancers may only register in a maximum of 4 group routines. 

Intermediate Level: This competition level is for intermediate dancers, and recommended for dancers who have 2-4 years of competition experience. 

Elite Level: This competition level is for advanced dancers with strong technical ability, and recommended for dancers who have 5+ years of competition experience. An Elite dancer cannot perform in a Novice leveled performance. 


Soloists must compete in the same Performance Level for all solo performances. 

A routine with dancers of different levels should be entered into the Performance Level that applies to 50% or more of the dancers in the routine. 

Because no competition can possibly know how many hours a child dances or for how many years they have danced, it is left to the teacher’s own sound judgement when entering level placements for their students. Routines that are obviously under-placed into the wrong skill level can be moved into a higher skill level at the judges’ discretion. 


Performance Categories

Acro: Routine is comprised of gymnastic and/or acrobatic work that accounts for 50% or more of the routine in addition to dance choreography.

Ballet: Routine is choreographed utilizing formal classical ballet movements. Pointe shoes are permitted in this category. 

Character: Performers portray a recognizable character. This category may incorporate any style of dance. 

Contemporary/Modern: Routine is choreographed utilizing contemporary or modern techniques and movement. 

Hip Hop: Routine is choreographed utilizing street and/or jazz funk technique and movement.  

Jazz: Routine is choreographed utilizing jazz technique and movement. 

Lyrical: Routine is choreographed utilizing dynamic emotion and expressive movements demonstrated with fluidity, balance, and control. 

Musical Theater: Routine is theatrical in nature and utilizes music from Broadway or a Cinematic Musical. 

Open: Routine that contains any combination of dance styles or does not fall under any other Performance Category recognized or represented herein. 

Pom: Routine that utilizing Pom Pons and incorporates precise and definitive movements. 

Tap: Routine that utilizes tap shoes and demonstrates tap technique. No tap sounds are permitted in the music.


Acrobatic tricks are allowed in any category as long as the style of dance is predominantly the category entered. 

The same performer(s) cannot compete more than once in the same Performance Category and Age Group in Solo, Duet/Trio, or Group Competition.

If dance movements, music lyrics, or costuming are deemed to be too suggestive or otherwise inappropriate for our family audience, or if the music contains vulgar or inappropriate lyrics, the routine will be scored lower by the judges or disqualified from the competition. 


Props

The use of props is welcomed at all A-List events. Please be aware that transportation, set-up, and tear down of props is the sole responsibility of the studio utilizing said props. All props must be freestanding. Scenery or backdrops requiring use of theater fly bars may not be used. Props must be prepared and set-up and removed quickly. Judges may take excessive set-up or removal time into consideration. If the stage is “littered” in a routine, please be prepared to clean it up immediately at the conclusion of the routine. 

Fire, swords, weapons, and the use of live animals is prohibited. No form of liquid, gel, aerosol, glitter, or flammable materials are permitted. Props must be loaded in and out of the venue the day they will be used. A-List Dance will not be responsible for any props left overnight or unattended. Any props left at the completion of the show will be disposed. 


Music

All music must be age appropriate and free of any apparent profanity or vulgar language in an effort to preserve our family-friendly environment. Infractions of this rule may result in deduction of score or disqualification. 

All music must be submitted via audio upload through your studio account. All music must be uploaded at least one week prior to the start of your event. All studios are highly encouraged to bring and be prepared to provide backup music should any technical difficulties arise with your master copy. A-List Dance will not adjust the speed or make cuts to any music. All audio resources are the directors’ responsibility as no refunds will be provided for music that is not present or does not properly play.

 

Scheduling

A tentative schedule is released 2 weeks prior to each competition. Accompanying the releases of the tentative schedule will be an email outlining expectations of participating studios and deadlines by which requests for modification must be submitted. Performance schedules with approximate times will be made available solely to studio administrators. It is the responsibility of studio personnel to distribute the schedule to their participating dancers as A-List does not publicly post the schedules of any of our competitions. 

All dancers should be in the building at least 2 hours before their scheduled time. If a routine is late for check-in and found rehearsing or purposely holding, they will receive point deductions from the judging panel. For dancers who are scheduled to perform within the first 2 hours of the competition, they should be present when the doors open. Routines that do not perform during the awards session for which they are scheduled will be eligible for adjudication only. 


Photography/Videography

Photography and videography from audience members is prohibited. Repeat offenders will be asked to depart from the competition. Please understand that this guideline is to protect the dancers and the intellectual property of the choreographers. 


Safety

Any performer competing in dance competitions takes certain inherent risks. These include, but are not limited to, sprains, bruises, pulled muscles, and broken bones. Participation in this competition indicates the acceptance of such risks by performers. Therefore by virtue of entering this event, it is agreed that participants will not hold A-List Dance LLC; or its officers, directors, officials, staff or employees responsible for injuries sustained or illnesses contracted by them while in attendance and/or participating in any activity related to A-List Dance events. A-List Dance LLC, and the hosting facility are not responsible for personal injury to contestants or spectators. A-List Dance LLC is not responsible for lost or stolen property. Do not leave your property and valuables unattended in the event center, theater, or dressing rooms.