Dancers that wish to compete for Best Dancer titles must win an eligible scholarship, during the 2024-2025 season, at either: JUMP DANCE CONVENTION (VIP Winner or Runner-up), NUVO DANCE CONVENTION (Breakout Winner or Runner-up) or 24 SEVEN DANCE CONVENTION (Non-stop Dancer Winner or Runner-up).

Awards

BEST DANCER WINNERS ALSO RECEIVE:

• Opportunity to perform their winning solo at any regional JUMP, NUVO, 24 Seven city during the 2025-2026 season.
• Invitation to perform as a special guest at The Best Dancer Dance-Off 2026 in Las Vegas and/or Orlando.
• Lifetime Workshop Scholarship to any JUMP, NUVO, 24 Seven & The Dance Awards.
• Invitation to the Best Dancer Welcome Weekend in Los Angeles (dates to be announced by end of August). This three day event will include exclusive classes and training to best prepare dancers to help assist, demonstrate and perform on DanceOne weekends. The Welcome Weekend also includes a professional photo shoot, lunch with the DanceOne Artists, seminars and more! This event is free. One Teacher, Parent or Guardian is required to accompany each dancer.
• Teen & Senior Best Dancer Winners are invited to be a Demonstrator at a minimum of 5 DanceOne cities, as long as pre-approved by their studio owner. DanceOne will provide a $500 travel stipend. One Parent or Guardian is required to accompany each dancer if under 18.
• Free tuition to a DanceOne Summer Intensive, Summer 2026.
• Senior Best Dancer Winners are invited to perform their winning solo in the 2025 Dance Awards Show.

SENIOR BEST DANCER RUNNERS-UP ALSO RECEIVE:

• Senior Best Dancer Runners-Up who have graduated high school and are no longer competing with their studio will be invited to the Best Dancer Welcome Weekend in Los Angeles (dates to be announced by end of August). This three day event will include exclusive classes and training to best prepare dancers to help assist, demonstrate and perform on DanceOne weekends. The Welcome Weekend also includes a professional photo shoot, lunch with the DanceOne Artists, seminars and more! This event is free. One Teacher, Parent or Guardian is required to accompany each dancer.
• Senior Best Dancer Runners-Up who have graduated high school and are no longer competing with their studio will be invited to be a Demonstrator at a minimum of 5 DanceOne cities, as long as pre-approved by their studio owner. DanceOne will provide a $500 travel stipend. One Parent or Guardian is required to accompany each dancer if under 18.

BEST DANCER TOP 10 RECEIVE:

• Free workshop Scholarship to all JUMP, NUVO and/or 24 Seven regional cities during the 2025-2026 season.

Teen & Senior Best Dancer Finalists

The Teen & Senior Best Dancer Finalists will be performing the opening and/or closing number in The Dance Awards Show. Throughout the week, the Teen & Senior Best Dancer Finalists will be working in rehearsals with a DanceOne Choreographer. Costumes will be provided by The Dance Awards, however each dancer will be asked to bring a few basic items from home. More info on costumes, rehearsals, schedules, etc. will be provided two weeks before the event. This experience is only available to the Teens & Seniors who are competing and who have paid the Best Dancer Fee.

Best Dancer Fees

All Best Dancer Finalists have received free tuition to The Dance Awards Workshop. If a dancer chooses to compete for the National Best Dancer Title, there is an additional fee:

The Best Dancer fee includes a custom Best Dancer goody-bag, Best Dancer Jacket, solo competition fee participation in the audition class, Best Dancer Dance-Off (if applicable), and rehearsals and costumes (for Teens & Seniors)

* PLEASE NOTE: Best Dancers who opt in for the “jacket only” option will only receive the Best Dancer jacket and not the custom Best Dancer goody-bag.

Fine Print

• Age Divisions: Senior (16-19), Teen (13-15), Junior (11-12), Mini (8-10). PeeWee Dancers (5-7) that won an eligible scholarship at a regional DanceOne city during the 2023-2025 tour season are able to “age up” and compete in the Mini Best Dancer Category.
• To participate in the Best Dancer Competition, you must be registered for the entire Dance Awards Workshop. Dancers can only vie for the Best Dancer Title at one location - either Las Vegas OR Orlando. HOWEVER, a dancer may attend both workshops.
• Participation and etiquette in workshop classes & rehearsals will be monitored throughout the event. Although there won’t be an official score for this, the artists and directors will be aware of how the Best Dancer Finalists are taking class, showing up for class and interacting with their peers. Missing class for studio rehearsal or any other reason (including medical) may result in a point deduction at the discretion of the Event Director.
• Best Dancer solo can be in any style, no longer than 3 minutes. Best Dancer solo may NOT be the same solo a dancer competes in the Finals Solo Competition.
• Best Dancer Finalists must compete a "new" solo that has not previously competed in the Best Dancer OR Finals Competition during a past Dance Awards or 2020 Dance Awards LIVE event.
• At the Best Dancer Dance-Off, the Top 3 soloists must re-compete the same solo they originally competed during the Best Dancer Solo Competition.
• Ties will NOT be broken. This may result in more than a Top 10, Top 3, etc.
• When calculating Best Dancer placements, scores are first rounded to the nearest .00 decimal point.
• For all Best Dancer Competition (Solos, Auditions & Dance-Off) there will be 50% DanceOne judges and 50% “outside” judges (professionals with no full-time ties to DanceOne).
• During the Closing Show, all TOP 10 Best Dancers from each age division, male and female, will be presented with an award onstage. The TOP 3 dancers from each age division will then be announced, followed immediately by the announcement of the 2025 Best Dancer Winners and remaining Runners-Up. The Senior Best Dancer Winners will then be asked to re-perform their solos later in the show.
• Best Dancer Finalists do not need to have a registered teacher with them to compete in the Best Dancer competition; however, they MUST get permission from the studio they qualified with at regionals. For example, a dancer is not able to qualify at regionals under "Miss Becky's School of Dance" and then register at The Dance Awards as "Independent".
• Independent dancers ARE NOT allowed to participate in the Best Dancer title competition.
• If you have previously won a Best Dancer title (not Runner-Up or TOP 10), you are not allowed to compete to be a Best Dancer again until you are in the next age division up. Best Dancer Winners must also wait at least one year after winning before competing for a Best Dancer title again.
• All Best Dancer Finalists are asked to provide a 2” x 2” headshot photo for the souvenir program. These photos must be uploaded during the online registration process on Dance360.com.
• Parents are not permitted to observe the Audition. Registered Teachers and Studio Owners are permitted.
• If attending The Dance Awards with their studio, a Best Dancer does not need to submit a separate Best Dancer registration. Studios can submit all of their Best Dancer information online at the same time that they complete their studio's registration.
• The Dance Awards will most likely sell out! Registration is on a first-come, first-served basis.
• The Jazz & Ballet Audition will be weighted equally with the Solo.
• All eligible male dancers and male identifying dancers may compete in the Male Best Dancer categories. All eligible female dancers and female identifying dancers may compete in the Female Best Dancer categories.
• If you win a Best Dancer title with your studio, you cannot switch studios or go "Independent" within a full year of winning title, or your Best Dancer scholarship and tour privileges will be rescinded. The Dance Awards firmly believes in a dancer's studio training and convention and/or National Titles should never replace or in any way interrupt training at your dance studio.
• All awards privileges won by Best Dancers are with the sole permission from the dance studio you won with.
• Please remember, everyone will need a ticket to the show. Teen & Senior Best Dancers performing in the show will also need to purchase tickets if they would like to watch the show from the audience any time before or after they are on stage.
• If a dancer wins 2025 Elite Protege (Winner, 1st place) at Radix Nationals, they will not be eligible to compete for Best Dancer at The 2025 Dance Awards.