The three captions
Most panels score a routine on three broad things. Technique is how correctly the movement is danced — alignment, turns, leaps, control, extension, and the style-specific skills of the genre. Performance is how the routine is sold — energy, projection, facials, character, and connection with the audience. Choreography is the composition — musical interpretation, difficulty, use of space, transitions, formations, and originality. The genre shifts which caption carries the most weight.
Adjudication tiers vs. overall placement
Dance scores do two jobs. First, a routine’s total earns an adjudication tier — a score band with a name like gold, high gold, or platinum — so many routines can earn the same high tier (it recognizes quality, not just rank). Second, routines are ranked overall against each other within their age, size, and level division for placements (1st, 2nd, 3rd, and so on). A routine can earn a top tier and still place mid-pack in a deep division.
Deductions and time
Points come off for things like going over the time limit, props or lifts that break a brand’s rules, costume or safety violations, or a dancer stepping out of bounds. Because there is no universal rulebook, exactly what draws a deduction — and how big it is — is set by each production company. Coaches confirm the rules with the event before choreographing.
Why there is no universal sheet
Studio competitive dance has no governing body, so each production company publishes its own scoresheet: its own caption names and weightings, its own adjudication tier names and cutoffs, and its own deduction rules. That is why the same routine can score differently at two competitions — they are literally using different sheets. Read the specific competition’s published criteria; our scoring hub explains the shared framework and links what brands publish.
More questions, answered
Who judges dance competitions?
Panels of experienced dancers, teachers, and choreographers, usually each watching assigned captions (technique, performance, choreography). Their scores are combined into the routine’s total. Panel size and how scores are averaged vary by production company.
Is technique or performance more important?
It depends on the genre and the brand’s sheet. Technical genres like ballet and pom lean on execution and precision; performance-forward genres like musical theatre and hip-hop reward showmanship. Most sheets score both, so a top routine needs clean technique and a sold performance.
Why did the same routine score differently at two competitions?
Because studio dance has no universal scoresheet — each production company weights captions, names adjudication tiers, and sets deductions its own way. Different sheets produce different totals for the same routine, which is normal in dance.
What causes deductions in dance?
Commonly going over the time limit, illegal props or lifts, costume or safety violations, or stepping out of bounds. The exact deduction rules and values are brand-specific, so check the competition’s published rules before choreographing.
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