The Dance Championships

BUFFALO

new york

Welcome to the 25th Annual Dance Championships, the dance competition industry's premiere local dance competition. Since 1989, we have been featuring quality, competitive dance throughout upstate New York.

Has today’s economic recession had a negative effect on your family budget and compromised your ability to meet the high-priced demands of our national competitors? We, at the Dance Championships, believe that you shouldn’t have to compromise the quality you’ve come to expect for your investment. Since we are a family-owned and operated business, we can afford to satisfy your high expectations while saving you 37 to 55 percent off the national averages. Furthermore, for those who register on or before the early registration deadline, we’ve frozen entry fees for the third year in a row. We understand the major impact that a minor increase can have on your continued participation in competitive dance.

Highlights for 2013

History

The Dance Championships is a family-owned and operated business that has been entertaining children and families in upstate New York since 1988. The Dance Championships continues to deliver on its core principles of family convenience and affordability while providing dancers valuable performing experience in an organized, energetic and fun environment. "Dance competitions were becoming increasingly cost prohibitive and most ran behind schedule," says parent and competition co-founder, Gary Kilborn, "In response, we constructed this competition with special attention to the sacrifices made by parents and their children."

Affordability

The Dance Championships continues to provide the most affordable experience within the dance competition industry. For a comparative analysis, click here. There you will find a complete list of national dance competitions along with their published entry fees and the significant savings offered by The Dance Championships. Furthermore, there is no pre-qualifying workshops or obligation to attend future regional or national finals.

Considerate Planning

The Dance Championships is renowned for its ability to stay on time. This very important, but often ignored, virtue is a signature of our careful and considerate scheduling for each event. We begin with a weekend program that schedules adequate time for each routine. We also evaluate the age of the children competing and adjust the schedule accordingly; young children generally do not compete late in the evening and especially late on Sunday when out-of-town families need to return home. The names of competitors are also carefully scrutinized to reasonably accommodate costume changes. Finally, judges are scheduled a break no more than three hours apart, keeping them mentally fresh and engaged.

Simplicity

Dance competitions used to thrill competitors and the audience alike with difficult routines in crowded dance categories and suspense regarding final placement. In recent years, such thrill has been tempered by a dizzying number of new dance categories, skill levels and placement options. These dance categories offer little competition and predictable results. The Dance Championships preserves the intensity of competition and the glory of victory by organizing into traditional dance categories with 1st, 2nd, 3rd and honorable mention placement.

Accessibility

The Dance Championships is owned and operated by individuals who live in the local dance community, thereby allowing all studio directors, teachers, dancers, parents and friends direct and immediate access to the competition organizers. This level of accessibility highlights an unrelenting commitment to providing the most personal and responsive customer service in the dance competition industry.

Informed Improvements

By listening carefully to the concerns and comments of participating studio directors, teachers, dancers, parents and friends, The Dance Championships has satisfactorily adapted to the evolving preferences of our loyal customers.

Studio Recognition

Each city has its own unique personality; The Dance Championships compliment these differences by localizing our efforts to improve and strengthen the local dance community. To celebrate the diversity in local offerings and to encourage the support of local dance studios, our website and competition programs identify participating studios and indicate recital dates and locations as well as a link to your studio website, where available.

Throughout the year, we will be updating our website with helpful information, including competition forms and other documentation, results and photographs from each of our events, stage dimensions and layout, driving directions, participating studios and recital dates and locations and other multimedia. Please register online to receive the most up-to-date information as it becomes available and visit our Facebook page to ensure you receive all current information and announcements!

If you have any questions or require additional information, please do not hesitate to contact us. We look forward to starting new friendships and working with you soon.

Sincerely,

Derek Kilborn,

Jennifer Gargiulo,

Natalie Andrzejewski

Directors

THE DANCE CHAMPIONSHIPS

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Buffalo, New York

Long Island, New York

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Hall of Fame

Buffalo, New York

Rochester, New York

Syracuse, New York

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Buffalo, New York

Long Island, New York

Proposed

Tampa Bay, Florida

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Official Dates:

Buffalo, New York - May 17-19, 2013

Long Island, New York - March 2-3, 2013

Long Island: For the first time in our 25-year history, the Dance Championships is excited to announce a new competition for our friends in the regional Long Island area. We look forward to starting new friendships and building a long legacy within the local dance community.

25th Anniversary: Established in 1989, the Dance Championships has exceeded all original expectations. This year, we celebrate 25 years of successful competition within the local dance community. We look forward to offering a number of unique and specialty contests and prizes through our social networking opportunities and during the weekend event.

Video Judge: In 2012, the Dance Championships started using Video Judge, a state-of-the-art technology that records judges comments over a video of the dance routine.

Online Registration: In 2011, the Dance Championships activated its online registration program. We encourage each of you to register your studio online; if you have previously registered online, existing student lists and birthdates will automatically update for 2013.

Scholarship Opportunities: The Dance Championships continues its unique fundraising partnership with Dancers Give Back, a local charity. Last year, convention scholarships were awarded to “The PULSE on Tour” and "Be Discovered." Additional prizes were coordinated with DanceSpirit Magazine and Apple iTunes. Similar awards and opportunities are being evaluated for the 2013 season.