Everything You Need To Know
Rules & Regulations
Check your age and division for the 2026–2027 season!
Enter birthdate below. Ages are determined as of January 1, 2027.
General Information
Hype DOES NOT accept independent students. All dancers must be registered with a studio.
Entry fees are per number and performer. Hype Dance Competition allows a ten second grace period for each routine. One point will be deducted every five seconds after the grace period.
Photography and Video photography is restricted due to copyrighted material. There is NO photography or video photography allowed during competition—this will be strictly enforced. Hype Dance Competition reserves the right to use any images taken during the competition for promotional purposes.
Creating the schedules for our events requires significant time and careful planning. Last minute changes create additional work and challenges on the back end. We kindly ask that all studios adhere to the deadline provided to make changes to your routines. Going into the 2027 season and beyond, the ONLY changes that we will be able to accommodate after the deadline will be routine name changes. All changes must be sent to our Competition Manager THREE weeks before the event. That is ONE week after you receive the schedule from our Competition Manager via email. Any changes sent after the deadline will incur in a $5 fee per routine change.
While we wish everyone a safe and healthy season, we know that injuries and illness may happen resulting in last-minute changes and these will be handled accordingly. We understand this is beyond your control.
Additionally, payment deadlines must be met. Late fees will be enforced and applied after the 30-day deadline.
Following our deadlines and guidelines allows us to keep the event organized and running smoothly for everyone. Thank you for your cooperation and understanding.
ADMISSION IS FREE! Reserved seating is available to teachers during competition. No coaching from audience. No use of fire, glass, liquid or live animals on stage.
Competitive Levels
Groundbreaking
Under 3 hours of dance class a week
This level is designed for competitors who participate less than 3 hours in dance class per week at their studios. Entries will be adjudicated and will receive High Score awards within the Groundbreaking Level. There is no cash/credit prize or Title competition at this level. Please note: Routines competing in the Groundbreaking Level that are obviously under placed may be elevated to the Cutting Edge Level of competition at the discretion of the judges. All judges' decisions are final.
Not eligible for title.
Cutting Edge
3 – 5 hours of dance a week
This level is designed for competitors who participate 3 – 5 hours of dance class per week at their studios. Entries will be adjudicated and will receive High Score awards within the Cutting Edge Level. There is credit prize & Title competition at this level. Please note: Routines competing in the Cutting Edge Level that are obviously under placed may be elevated to the Legendary Level of competition at the discretion of the judges. All judges' decisions are final.
Eligible for title and high scores.
Legendary
5+ hours of dance a week + strong competitive background
This level is designed for competitors who participate in 5+ hours of dance class per week at their studios and have a strong participation in competitive events. Entries will be adjudicated and will receive High Score awards within the Legendary Level. There is credit prize & Title competition at this level.
Eligible for title and high scores.
Age Divisions
Note: All ages are as of January 1, 2027.
Mini
Ages: 9 & Under
Junior
Ages: 10-12
Teen
Ages: 13-15
Senior
Ages: 16-21
Age averaging: To find the appropriate age category for your routine, add all the dancers' ages as of January 1, 2027 and divide by the number of dancers in the entry. Always remove the decimal point — e.g. an average of 15.8 becomes 15 (Teen Division, Ages 13-15).
Categories
Ballet
Consist of ballet technique with classical movement that reflects a ballet style.
Pointe
Consist of ballet technique with the use of pointe shoes.
Jazz
Primarily jazz technique with up-tempo music.
Lyrical
A combination of ballet and jazz technique in an emotional routine that encompasses around the music to drive feeling and rhythms.
Modern
A combination of modern and jazz merged together with a stronger emphasis on modern technique.
Musical Theatre
Consists of Broadway, movie or musical dance styles—may incorporate acting and/or costumes.
Contemporary
A contemporary jazz routine that draws from modern, lyrical and ballet movements.
Ballroom
An added style to Hype, this will include all styles of Ballroom. The most common being Foxtrot, Waltz, Rumba, Cha Cha and Swing.
Tap
Consists of tap technique. Any recorded tap sounds on the music track will be a deduction of five points. (Clogging routines should not be categorized as a tap entry but under “Specialty”)
Hip Hop
Routines consisting primarily of hip hop technique.
Acrobatic Dance
Routines consisting of controlled acrobatic and rhythmic gymnastic movements involving balance and flexibility–may contain gymnastic passes. While a majority of the routine must contain acrobatic moves, it must also contain choreographed dance movement. There is no category for pure acro/gymnastic routines and the use of mats is strictly prohibited.
Pom Pon
A routine utilizing pom pons at least 50% of the routine's duration. Acrobatic movement may be incorporated along with the dance steps and choreography.
Specialty
Clogging, ethnic/folkloric, character, novelty etc.
Open
Any combination of two or more of the fore-mentioned categories.
Title Competition
Each dancer in the Cutting Edge & Legendary Levels may submit up to three solo routines for Title per regional competition at an additional cost of $60.00 per Title routine registration. Title scores will be based on a performer's technique accompanied by their overall stage personality and entertainment talents.
Winner & runner-up qualifications: There must be at least 1 Title entry to qualify a winner in each division. There must be at least 3 entries to qualify a 1st runner up and at least 5 entries to qualify a 2nd runner up. Cutting Edge & Legendary title competition will have separate winners.
**Registration for Title is now through DanceCompGenie. No onsite registration will be accepted.
Title Divisions — all ages as of January 1, 2027.
Mini Miss & Mr. Hype
Ages: 9 & Under
Junior Miss & Mr. Hype
Ages: 10-12
Teen Miss & Mr. Hype
Ages: 13-15
Senior Miss & Mr. Hype
Ages: 16-21
Judging Criteria
Technique · Staging · Choreography & Musicality · Overall Performance
Evaluates the execution of movement, proper body position and fundamental basis of a routine.
Scoring
All entries are adjudicated by three judges. Each judge scores on a basis of 1 to 100 points. The combined score of the judges is the total score.
Competition Entry Fees
Entry fees are per number and performer.
| Category | Before Deadline | After Deadline | Max Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Solo | $190.00 | $210.00 | 3 min |
| Duo/Trio | $105.00 | $125.00 | 3 min |
| Small Group (4-9) | $75.00 | $95.00 | 3 min |
| Large Group (10-15) | $75.00 | $95.00 | 3 min |
| Line (16-24) | $75.00 | $95.00 | 4 min |
| Production (25-49) | $75.00 | $95.00 | 5 min |
| Extended Production (50+) | $77.00 | $97.00 | 7 min |
*A fee of $5.00 per dancer will be added if a routine goes over allotted time. Title competition: $60.00 per routine.
Studio Entry Limits & Requirements
- 1.Regional competition will be limited to the allotted available time. Entries will be received and accepted on a first-come, first-serve basis. If there are too many entries, solos and duo/trios must be available to compete on Friday starting as early as 7am. We will do our best to notify studios 7 days prior to event start date if an early Friday competition is likely to happen.
- 2.Registration for the competition is closed four weeks before the event. Entry information must be completed to be accepted. All contestants must be registered for the entire competition in order to compete.
- 3.The deadline for any changes in competition entries must be three weeks before the competition.
- 4.There are no restrictions as to how many numbers a performer can participate in.
- 5.Teachers who own more than one studio may submit entries for each studio, as long as both studios are registered separately for the competition.
- 6.Live props are not allowed. General props are welcome. No large scenery, dangerous or oversized props.
- 7.Judges may change the division and/or category of an entry, if warranted.
- 8.Competition entry fees are non-refundable. Returned check service fee $25.00.
- 9.All registered dancers may compete as long as they are not a teacher or professional.
- 10.Dancers may not register to compete under 2 different Studios at the same competition event.
Confirmations
If registered by the 4 week deadline, participants will receive a confirmation email detailing the registered competition numbers and payment information.
Music
Each studio must upload their music upon registering on DanceComp Genie in .mp3 format only. All music must be uploaded 7 days prior to event start date. To keep our events running smoothly, we will not be able to access music that is uploaded the week of the event. Hype also accepts USB drives. USB must have routine name and entry number properly labelled for each entry. Studios must submit all music and backup USB drives to the HYPE registration desk no later than two hours before the start of the competition. We will not accept music that is provided on devices such as mp3 players, or phones. Backup USB drives must have entries properly labelled within each folder (i.e. Entry Number – Entry Title). Hype Dance Competition does not accept CDs.
Awards
Special Awards
Discretionary judges' awards recognizing standout showmanship, artistry, and special achievements throughout the weekend.
Category Awards
Top-scoring routines in each performance category — Jazz, Lyrical, Hip Hop, Contemporary, and more.
Division Overall Awards
Highest overall scores within each age division: Mini, Junior, Teen, and Senior.
Overall Awards
The event's top overall high scores, awarded separately within the Cutting Edge and Legendary Levels.
Choreography Award
Honors exceptional choreography — see the Studio Awards page for full details.
Hype Award
Hype's signature spirit award celebrating energy and performance — see the Studio Awards page.
Safety & Other Liabilities
Please report all accidents and injuries to a Hype Dance Competition manager immediately.