Competitions
What are competitions?
Competitions are a wonderful way of building confidence and performance ability, they are held at a local, regional or national level. You choose where and how many competitions you enter. Most children start with one dance and add more later, all entry forms are posted here or on the studio notice board.
What do I need to do if I am interested?
Talk to your teacher about learning a dance, they will advise you on what style is most appropriate, and what competition is the best goal.
Teachers Available for Solo/Duo Competition Work
We have many teachers who would love to help you with any questions or choreography:
Alison Pond
Brooke Roydhouse
Shelley Easton
Nicola Morrison
Danika Woodroofe
Camden Woodroofe
Sarsha Forbes
Louise Baker
Alaina Sims
Charlie Gilmour
Georgia Lunn
Competition Etiquette
When you are competing in Solo/Duo/Trios or groups you are competing for DanceWorks Studios.
Everyone who is competing in 2024 is required to read and sign the Competition Etiquette Contract in order to compete.
You can find the link to this contract below. Each person will only need to sign this once for 2024 and it will cover you if you are in a Performance Plus group for 2024 also.
Solo's and Duo's what you need to know...
Private Lessons
- New Dance - If you are considering getting a new dance you will need to approach the teacher you would like to choreograph. You should always approach the teacher who teaches you first, if they do not have time or cannot choreograph for you then they will let you know who you could go to. The teacher who choreographs your dance will provide you with a copy of your cut dance music. It is the students responsibility to have this in the correct format and submit to the competitions.
- Changing your dance - If you have chosen to get a new teacher to choreograph for you, you must advise the teacher who choreographed your current dance that you will be retiring their dance and when the dance will be last performed.
- Private lessons - If you are getting private lessons to practice your dance, in the first instance you must go back to the teacher that choreographed the dance. If they are not available, ask them who you should approach to practice with.
- Please be prepared for your lesson having revised and rehearsed the previous practice well in advance. Watching your dance once before you arrive at your lesson is not satisfactory preparation
- Booking a private lesson - Students cannot book another private lesson if they have an outstanding fee with a teacher. All private lesson fees are to be paid on the day of or before the lesson. There will be a no show fee charged if the lesson is cancelled later than 24 hours prior to the lesson. (unless sickness, injury or bereavement)
- Choreography is the property of the teacher who choreographed it. The choreography should not be changed by another teacher, unless agreed to, or given to another student. Letting another student use the choreography is something only the choreographer can do. (The choreographer can gift the choreography to a student when the dance is retired if they wish to do this)
- All solo, duo and trio dances to be performed should be seen by the teacher who choreographed the dance, or someone the choreographer recommends, before the dance is put on stage at every competition. In order to compete in a solo dance you need to be taking the same genre dance class. When a dance is put on stage it is not only special to the dancer(s) but also the choreographer and they do not want it on stage if it hasn’t been practised enough or if it is not ready
- Parents watching. Whilst choreography is being created please only watch and film the final 5/10 mins of lesson so there is no distraction.
- Music. Please ensure you have copies of music in cd, mp3, in your emails, google drive for competitions.
Costuming
Your teacher will talk to you about what they think will suit the dance, costumes can be borrowed, hired or made for you by a seamstress.
Costumes need to be approved by the teacher before they go onstage to ensure that they are appropriate for the dance.
The recommended seamstress is Lauren and her details can be given to you on request.
Entering into Competitions
Entering competitions is like trying to buy tickets to a popular concert!
Most competitions have online entry forms you will need to fill in. We put links to these up on the DWS parents Facebook page when we get emailed them so that everyone knows when and how to enter them.
It is important you read the syllabus for each competition as they all vary.
You will need to enter all the information for your child including the studios information then select the dances they will be competing in.
PACANZ - 2017
This was our mixed genre performance at nationals we had 37 performers on the stage!
Such a highlight.