2022-2023 Team Auditions

Dance Conventions:
We take classes from amazing teachers and grow technically as dancers! Oh, and we meet other dancers from teams across the mid-Atlantic!

DDC Spring Ballet:
A chance to dance onstage with professional ballerinas!

Hershey Park:
A fun day with friends performing onstage and riding all the best roller coasters!

Regional Competitions:
We take the stage to compete against other local, amazing dance teams!

DDC June Recital:
A family-friendly showcase to celebrate an amazing year with all the District Dance dancers!

National Dance Competition:
Every other year, we travel to the beach to soak up the sun and compete as a team on a national level!

Optional travel events – NY or DISNEY WORLD:
Every other year, we attend a magical event where we dance on a Broadway stage or down Main Street in the Magic Kingdom! This is an experience not to miss!

Parades & Community Events:
Smile and wave! We love to connect with our community!

White House Christmas Program:
A magical day dancing in front of the White House Christmas tree! Grab your hot chocolate and enjoy the beautiful backdrop of the White House while we entertain you with holiday classics!

1. Dance friends make the #bestfriends

It’s not just a hashtag, it’s true! Through hard work in the studio, you’ll work together with the same group of teammates to perfect your dance choreography for the next performance. You’ll laugh, cry, sweat, and build amazingly strong bonds. The relationships built during team rehearsals, competitions, and events are the relationships you’ll cherish for a lifetime!

2. Dancers “turn out” better
Pun intended! Not only are competitive dancers physically strong and skilled, but they also develop skills that will help them for the rest of their life. Some examples of life skills include discipline, time management, how to take constructive criticism, teamwork, goal setting, and learning how to win and lose gracefully. Sounds like hard work! It is – but hard work always makes you better in the end. Competitive dancers learn how to work towards specific goals while trusting and relying on the support of their teammates. Now, that’s a life skill you can take anywhere!

3. You’ll have “once in a lifetime" experiences!
Have you ever danced down Main Street in Disney World’s Magic Kingdom with Mickey and friends? We have! Danced on a Broadway Stage? We are (coming summer 2021)!! As part of the District Dance Competition Teams, you’ll participate in countless exclusive and magical moments throughout the year. You’ll travel to fun places, meet celebrity dancers and learn about their amazing careers, dance onstage with professional ballerinas, and so much more!

4. ...It’s FUN!
Seems obvious right? Obvious or not, competition is fun. Comradery, once-in-a-lifetime experiences (see #3), meeting new people, and experiencing this adventure with all of your closest dance team friends – what more could you want? Oh, and did we mention glitter, and sleepovers, and cartwheels down hotel hallways? It’s all part of the package!

5. Become #UNSTOPPABLE (aka Confident!)

Performing with a team requires that you get on a stage... in front of large crowds... in new places – and step outside your comfort zone. Both in classes and rehearsals, you’ll learn to push your body to do new and challenging things. Onstage at performances and competitions, you’ll learn to push yourself into the spotlight; this is where the magic happens! You’ll build skills in self-presentation, public speaking, and strengthen your self-esteem. On a competitive team, with the encouragement of your teammates and coaches, you’ll learn that you can do so much more than you ever thought possible. You’ll also learn that being scared or nervous is ok and a normal part of life - you’ll make it through with the support from your coaches and teammates. Those moments ultimately make you stronger and better suited for a world filled with unknowns.

We’re here to help every dancer realize their full potential, inside and outside of the studio. We’re thinking B-I-G transformations, and this is one small leap on your journey to wherever you want to end up. Whether you want to be a scientist, teacher, lawyer, or President of the United States, we can help give you the skills to be a leader in our community and across the world!

Each team is required to attend weekly technique classes. As a dancer gets more advanced, additional technique classes are required in order to remain competitive and focused on their growth as a dancer.

Below are the current requirements for all competition teams.

Mini Team - One team jazz class

Regional Team - One ballet class and one team jazz class

Travel Select Team - Ages 8-11: One ballet, one jazz, and two elective classes | Ages 12 and up: Dancers must be enrolled in our Limitless Plan.

TIME

Each season will start with auditions in June, continue with classes and choreography camp in August, and culminate with an exciting competition at Nationals in late june-early July. Team members are required to commit to the ENTIRE season. National competitions require rehearsals after our annual recital.

SUMMER CAMP

All competition team members (except our mini team) are required to attend our Competition Team Camp held in August. During this camp, we will learn choreography for the upcoming year, bond as a team, and start the year off right with our technical training.

ALL team members ages 7+ are strongly encouraged to take our summer intensive held the week prior. Our intensive is a great opportunity to work towards technical excellence, greater flexibility, and stronger, more athletic bodies. Our intensive is also a wonderful chance to learn from new teachers who are leaders in the dance industry. Our Travel Select team members are required to attend the Intensive.

ATTENDANCE

The most important consideration for team members is attendance. We expect dancers to attend all team-related classes, rehearsals, and performances. While we understand that on occasion unexpected things happen, we expect dancers to make attendance their highest priority. Pre-planned vacations and other important family events (such as a wedding) are acceptable if the director and choreographer are made aware of this with enough notice to make necessary changes to dances, formations, etc.

COSTS

We have outlined the costs associated with our competitive dance program in our team packet. All families are required to review and sign the packet prior to auditioning each season. We will give families as much information as we can so that they can make an informed decision about whether a DDC team is right for their child.