The Indiana State Dance Championships is an annual competition. If you have never participated in our event, we hope you will take this opportunity to give us a try. This year's event will be held at Southport High School on Saturday, February 16th, 2008.  We had a very successful and large event last year!  Depending on entries, competition may take place on Sunday, February 17th as well. 

We usually begin the day with a student Jazz Class taught by one of our judges. Class begins on stage at 8:00am at a cost of $10.00 per student. This year's class will be taught by Michele Utzig.  What a great way to wake up, warm up, and have some fun!

The Showcase is a wonderful opportunity for dancers and dance educators from all over the state to enjoy a shared performance and work together to provide a fabulous entertainment event. Please read the Showcase form for a full explanation of this exciting event. Both the Showcase and the student Jazz Class are designed to add educational balance to the State Championships. They are meant to promote unity among the teachers and students of the Dance Arts in Indiana. Participation in the Showcase is absolutely free!

We will continue to adjudicate the competition with comments from judges on cassette tapes made available to the teachers at the end of the event. In addition to their comments, judges give an overall impression score that will place the dancers in High 1st, 1st, High 2nd, 2nd, High 3rd, or 3rd place; there is also Honorable Mention. This form of judging allows for as many students to place in each level as the judges feel deserving. We will also continue with our "Special Awards" to recognize students for individual accomplishments or special talents (i.e., Most Energetic, Best Performance Face, Highest Kicks, Best Leaps, etc.). Be sure to notify our "Special Awards" Judge if you have someone who you would like to recognize that weekend for special effort or accomplishments at your studio. We also have a Noncompetitive category for students new to competition or who are not interested in receiving a score but would like our judges' comments.

Once again, we will not allow costuming other than the basic leotards and tights listed in the Rules & Regulations.(Participants will have an opportunity to display special costuming during the Saturday evening Showcase). This allows the judges to adjudicate based on technique and performance. It eliminates the cost and preparation of several costumes and time delays during the competition due to costume changes. This also helps to keep the dancers focused on the purpose of the day and puts all the dancers on the same footing. Check the rules concerning appropriate attire and adhere to these rules carefully. Infractions will cause points to be deducted from the participant's overall score.