World Dance Championship – What You Need to Know

Update March 2024: The WDC will not be in New Jersey in 2025!

Back when I was new to the world of competitive dance, I was puzzled by quite a few things. Having coached a dance team for Pop Warner for over a decade, we followed a rigid structure for local, regional, and national events. Our routine had to place first or second in order to advance to the next level, resulting in a true national champion.

But in the competitive dance world in which we now exist, the process is much different (any routine can go to a national event, and there are often several nationals per competition company). However, one of the few events that truly lives up to its name is the World Dance Championship. 

What is the WDC?

The World Dance Championship is an invitation-only event hosted by the Star Dance Alliance. It is traditionally held at the end of July each year, sometimes spilling over into the beginning of August. For as long as we have participated, it has taken place at the Meadowlands Exposition Center in Secaucus, New Jersey (for more specifics on the venue, check out Dancing at the Meadowlands). Only group routines perform at this competition (no solos, duos, or trios).

Dance teams from around the country travel to New Jersey for this prestigious event in the hopes of being crowned a world champion. In fact, teams from Australia, England, China, and Canada have joined the American teams in past years (before COVID). Having bested countless teams in an elimination-style structure, the winners can truly say they are the world champs!

How To Qualify

In order to qualify for the World Dance Championship, a routine must have received a “Golden Ticket” at a regional or national competition that year. The event could have been any of the SDA-affiliated competitions (DreamMaker, NexStar, Starpower, Revolution, Believe, or Imagine). There are multiple ways to earn one; we typically get ours by placing within the top three numbers at our regionals in each age division (only one is awarded per studio, per age division).

Other ways to receive one include:  placing first overall in two regional events, being awarded a “Wild Card,” or being invited to the Battle of the Stars or Big Show at a national event. For more clarity, you can visit the World Dance Championship’s website.

How It Works

Each day of the competition, specific divisions are scheduled to perform. For example, the novice petite and novice junior categories will compete on the first day of the event this year (2022). While not separated by genre, the routines are grouped together by size (small, large, and lines) and age:

• Petite = 8 and under
• Junior = 9 to 11
• Teen = 12 to 14
• Senior = 15-19

All eligible routines will perform their routine once; when all of them have gone, the semifinal awards ceremony will take place. All of the dancers from that category will take the stage at that time. In the past, the hosts have announced special awards (i.e., Excellence in Tap, Showmanship, Performance Quality, Hip-Hop, etc.) during the first awards ceremony. Unlike other Star Dance Alliance competitions, no adjudications are announced (5-star elite, Diamond, etc.).

Depending on the size of the division, the top 10 routines will be identified (this step would be skipped for smaller divisions). From there, the top five (known as The Final Five) will be announced (in no particular order) and asked to step forward. A representative from each routine will be asked to draw a large playing card to determine the order of performance for The Final Five. 

The Final Five

At this point, they will announce a break. The teams that did not “make” The Final Five can exit the venue while the qualifying teams can prepare to compete their routines one more time. After all five routines have performed, another awards ceremony begins to reveal the placement of The Final Five. From what we’ve experienced, all teams in The Final Five receive banners with the top three receiving large trophies. The “cup” trophy awarded to first place typically contains apples, which makes for a great photo opportunity if your team is lucky and talented enough to win one (we’ve had each dancer pretend to take a bite, and captioned the pic “How do you like them apples?!”). 

Other Things to Know

• Each routine is “done” within one day. 
• The event is free for spectators. With larger divisions, the seating can run out (some spectators bring their own folding chairs and camp out around one of the TV’s for a better view).
• Parking is free at the venue, but it can be tricky to get a spot in the garage (the earlier you get there, the better).
• There is a concessions stand that serves a variety of food.
• You can use one of two sets of bathrooms. The first is near the front of the building, near the concessions stand. The other is behind the warm-up area, located behind the stage.
• The emcees often interview the dancers before they perform their routines. These interviews are broadcast on the big screens in between numbers.
• Three warm-up areas (with dance floors) are located behind the stage.
• The dressing room is a large area on the side of the venue. The lighting is extremely poor, so you might want to bring a travel light (or lighted mirror). 
• Space can get VERY tight in the dressing room. The few tables get taken pretty quickly, as do the outlets.
• Star Dance Alliance merchandise is for sale in an area towards the front of the building.
• In the past, “outside” dance vendors (Sugar + Bruno, SoDanca, etc.) have areas to sell merchandise. Last year (2021), this was limited.
• The World Dance Pageant (a competition for soloists) often overlaps the World Dance Championship. If your dancer is participating in both, they may need to miss Pageant rehearsals and/or classes to compete in the WDC (mine did last year). Email the director ahead of time to notify them and make arrangements.
• The professional-level camera work, lighting, interviews, etc., may be overwhelming to first-timers. If you’ve never attended an event of this caliber, prepare to be wowed!

Is It Worth It?

As you’d expect, the answer to this question is “It depends.” By the time the World Dance Championship takes place, many studios have already moved on to next year’s choreography and/or training. Senior-level routines may need to reblock a number in order to perform it, as many graduates are ready to move on to college or other post-graduation plans. Families may find the expense and effort needed to travel to New Jersey to be too much to justify. For some teams, the juice isn’t worth the squeeze.

But no one that has experienced the thrill of being announced as a world champion could deny that it made for a memorable moment in their dancer’s life. And even if you don’t come home with that apple-filled cup, just knowing that you earned the right to dance on the same stage as the world’s best is an accomplishment in itself. 

In 2019, my daughters’ team won the World Dance Championship with their routine “River Deep.” It was the same number that bested the ALDC on Season 8, Episode 10 of Dance Moms at Fierce Dance Competition in Lancaster, PA. For more on that experience, see Abby Lee Miller: Friend or Foe to the Dance World?