a group of students huddled together for a photo

How to Clean a Guest Choreographer’s Work While Maintaining Its Integrity

Keeping competition routines in tip-top shape is always labor-intensive—but especially when the number is the work of a guest choreographer, who may have set it months ago and probably isn’t available to oversee the cleaning process. Here’s how to polish even the smallest details of a guest artist’s routine without altering the piece’s integrity.

a female wearing black with curly hair speaking into a microphone

How to Be a Fair and Constructive Competition Judge

Judging dance competitions demands a unique blend of skills, from articulating useful corrections on the fly to staying focused for hours at a time. With just a few minutes to see and score each routine, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed by everything you may want to say—or, worse, to have nothing to say at all. Here’s how to stay organized, alert, and constructive during long judging days.

3 dancers huddled downstage with other dancers dressed in black costumes surrounding them

Is Lip-Syncing a Do or Don’t for Competitive Dancers?

Facial expressions are a big part of competitive dance performances, and what dancers should be doing with their mouths onstage has long been a matter of great debate. Many teachers, choreographers, and judges are staunchly against lip-syncing of any kind, while others believe that it can be a light-hearted, appropriate form of expression.

a dancer performing a layout wearing black mesh tights and white button down shirt

How Their Years as “Comp Kids” Helped 3 Pros Land Broadway Shows

Dancing across a hotel ballroom in small-town America seems a world away from performing on Broadway, but for some students, competitions and conventions are an important step toward realizing that dream. Skills honed at these events—the ability to quickly learn choreography in a wide range of styles and perform it immediately afterward—are valuable in securing work in musical theater.