Competition Team

If your child is looking to participate in Dance Competitions, then this is the place! Creative Steps offers a competitive dance experience without taking away from the culture or philosophy of our dance studio.

Please fill out this Competition Team Placement Form and a staff member will contact you with the next steps.

The Benefits Of Joining A Competition Team?

A dance competition can provide a lot of key elements that can help children grown into amazing humans. You will learn to present yourself in front of an audience, how to take constructive criticism and use it to improve yourself, and you will learn how to be a team player working together with your peers. These are all skills that go above and beyond the dance studio walls.

Of course it is fun too! Your child will get to compete and perform 2 times in the spring outside of our usual Dance Recital. So it is an extra performance opportunity for them.

The Competitive Team and our Performance Company will not have conflicting rehearsal times or show times so it is easy to do both!

Who Can Join A Competition Team?

All dancers enrolled at Creative Steps who are age 10 or above may join the Competition Team.

All dancers on the Competition Team must stay enrolled in 2 (or more) hours of regular dance classes per week.

Of that 2 (or more) hours of dance per week, you must take a matching style of dance to the style of your Competition Team. Example, a Lyrical Team Dancer must be taking a regular Lyrical Class.

What Is The Weekly Time Commitment?

Dancers may choose to join 1 or more Team. Each Team will be a different style of dance.

Each Team will require 1 group rehearsal per week. Group rehearsals are held on weekday evenings from 7:45-8:45pm (exception of Fridays begin at 5:30pm)

The 1 hour per team rehearsal will be added to your weekly hours danced and that is how we calculate your tuition. Taking 2 hours of regular class per week plus joining 1 team is a total of 3 hours per week. The more teams you join, the higher your weekly hours. Please see our Tuition Chart for pricing.

All dancers enrolled at Creative Steps who are age 10 or above may join the Competition Team.

All dancers on the Competition Team must stay enrolled in 2 (or more) hours of regular dance classes per week.

Of that 2 (or more) hours of dance per week, you must take a matching style of dance to the style of your Competition Team. Example, a Lyrical Team Dancer must be taking a regular Lyrical Class.

What Is The Absence Policy?

An absence policy must be followed to join the Competition Team. It is very hard to coordinate a group dance when there are students missing each week. We need everyone present in order to create a routine that works cohesively.

Each student is allotted 5 unexcused absences from September through May. You may use your absences for any need. Only a Dr note will erase your absence and not be tallied towards your allotted 5.

In April and May there are NO absences allowed. We will be attending the competitions these months and we really need all students in rehearsal to ensure we put our best foot forward. The only excused absence during April and May will be a Dr note, a religious commitment, or a graded school commitment. Missing for sports, school plays, etc will not be allowed and will jeopardize your placement in the group routine.
Absences are counted in your team practice rehearsal as well as your regular classes. Regular class is where you build your dance technique so they are equally important to your team practice class. Practice classes are solely for learning choreography. For example you may miss 5 Monday Team practices and 5 Tuesday Ballet classes (whatever you are taking).

Performance Time Commitment

Creative Steps will compete in 2 Competitions in the spring of each year. We will pick one weekend date in April and one weekend date in May. Dates will be set to a calendar in July of each year and given to all registered Competition Team students. Competition locations will be within a 1 hour drive to Newton. Dates will not be over April School Break Week.

Each Competition is a Friday, Saturday, Sunday all day long commitment. You must reserve the entire weekend. About 10 days prior to the competition date we will receive a schedule of appearance. You will then know the exact day and time your child will compete. If you are only in one dance you will only have 1 scheduled time to compete and will not need to attend all 3 days. Students in more than one dance will have a higher time commitment.

In Addition to the actual Competition Dates we will host a Family and Friends Showcase. This performance will be held at a local stage and will allow family and friends to come see the routines the dancers will compete with. It is a super fun evening and also allows the dancers to put these routines on a stage before attending the competition. It is a great practice run for them!
The last extra time commitment will be a few Full Team Sunday Rehearsals. These dates will be set in July. It will be a 2 hour long rehearsal on a Sunday afternoon. All teams, duets, trios, solos will come and rehearse in the same space at the same time. This will be our first chance at dancing for an audience and we will work on our performance skills.

What Are The Costs?

The weekly rehearsal costs are calculated into your regular monthly tuition. The 1 hour per team rehearsal will be added to your weekly hours danced and that is how we calculate your tuition. Taking 2 hours of regular class per week plus joining 1 team is a total of 3 hours per week. The more teams you join, the higher your weekly hours. Please see our Tuition Chart for pricing.

There will be a Competition Entry Fee for each dance your child is in:
- A group routine entry fee is $70 (per dance, per competition)
- A duet/trio entry fee is $80 (per dance, per competition)
- A solo entry fee is $130 (per dance per, per competition)
  
  For example your child is in 2 group routines, that is $140 for each competition, we compete at 2 so the total would be $280 for your season competition entry fee.
  
  These rates are set by the competitions and not by CSDS. The above rates are based on the 2024/2025 season. The new 2025/2026 season rates have not been announced yet, but should only increase minimally, if any.

You will also be responsible for purchasing a costume for every routine your child is in at $65 per costume. (this was the 2024/25 rate, 2025/26 rates have not been released by costume companies yet.

Want To Join?

Would you like to join our Competition Team?? Please fill out the Competition Team Wish List and Contract and a staff member will be in touch with you about setting up a placement class.