Everything you need to know about our Dance Festivals
DANCE SEASON 2026
Here are our planned Dance Festivals for 2026 – complete the form to register your interest in any of our 2026 events and we’ll be in touch with more information.
Dance Festivals:
- Sherwood Park AB Mar 5-8, 2026
- Morinville AB (1st) Mar 19-22, 2026
- Grande Prairie AB Mar 26-30, 2026
- Calgary AB (1st) April 15-19, 2026 – FULL
- Morinville AB (2nd) Apr 23-26, 2026 – FULL
- Calgary (2nd) Apr 29-May 3, 2026 – FULL
- Lethbridge May 6- 10, 2026 – FULL
What you can expect from our events.
- A fun, encouraging experience for dancers. Beneficial feedback for ALL levels and ages.
- Awards based on marks AND awards based on performance value, heart and love of dance!
- Clear contingency plans and refund policies.
- Gratitude & appreciation for dancers, studios and dance parents!
General event information.
- We are committed to providing an encouraging and beneficial experience for your Dancers. Providing opportunities to showcase their abilities and love for Dance.
- Sportsmanship is incredibly important to ensure everyone has a positive experience. We expect dancers, parents, teachers and studio owners to be kind and cheer on everyone. We will not tolerate anything other than this, failure to comply could result in disqualification of dancers (or entire studio).
- We will do our best to stay on time! However please be present and prepared in the case that we are running ahead. We reserve the right to run 20 minutes ahead of schedule so be sure your dancers are ready to go if need be.
- Only registered Teachers & Studio Owners will be allowed backstage to minimize congestion and crowding. If you require an exception please contact us directly at dani@plieprep.com, thanks.
- Music will be uploaded in advance and played for you backstage. You will be able to direct the Plie Prep team member on when to start, stop, and volume control.
- PROMPTING: In our Purely Performance Categories prompting by the instructor(s) is allowed. In all other categories, we don’t advise prompting and discourage the dancers to rely on this. However, if a soloist forgets their choreo and looks into the wings for help- this is the discretion of the teacher. At the end of the day- We want the dancers to have a great experience.
- Re-Dances are on a case by case basis. If a dancer forgets their routine in the first half of the performance we will accommodate a Re-Dance, however if they have completed 80% of their routine we may decide this is not necessary. If you have a question please speak with a Plie Prep Staff member at the event. If there is a technical difficulty with the lighting/sound you can request a Re-Dance and it will be up to the discretion of the Plie Prep Staff.
- We do not allow any pictures or video in the theater (of performances or adjudication) due to safety concerns and provincial privacy laws. Plie Prep will provide FREE Photos & Videos of all routines (for your dancer) through the DanceBUG App. Thanks for your cooperation with this, failure to comply could result in disqualification of dancers (or entire studio).
- Scheduling will be done in January, draft schedules will be sent out at the beginning of February and you will have 10 days to review and send in any corrections, additions and changes. ANY CHANGES after the deadline are subject to a $15 fee PER change! Final Schedules will be sent at the end of February. Once the Final Schedules have been sent changes cannot be made to 1) Entries, 2) The Program or 3) The Schedule. Please go through the draft THOROUGHLY.
Adjudication:
- Adjudication will take place after each category, each lasting no longer than 75 minutes.
- The Adjudicator will comment and mark based on the dancer’s age, years of training and hours a week they dance. Taking everything into account the overall mark is based on:
- Performance: engagement with the audience, emotions evoked, enjoyment of the dancer.
- Technique: execution of choreography with correct technique/placement, level of difficulty (for age and level), as well as stage use, spacing and polish.
- Awards will be presented at each Adjudication based on high scores as well as Adjudicators Choice.
- Please refrain from speaking directly to the Adjudicators at the event regarding routines, marks, awards etc. If you have a concern or something you wish to discuss please go first to your Studio Owner or to the Plie Prep Staff present. Thank you for your cooperation with this.
Medals and Awards:
- Every routine will receive a medal placing as follows:
| 75-79.99 | Bronze |
| 80-82.99 | Silver |
| 83-84.99 | High Silver |
| 85-89.99 | Gold |
| 90-93.99 | High Gold |
| 94-100 | Platinum |
- Each category will receive:
- High Score
- Most Promising (NEW!)
- Adjudicators Choice
- Choreography in Group Categories
- Overall awards will depend on the amount of entries for each event, but will include:
- Top Solo(s)
- Top Duo/Trio(s)
- Top Group(s)
- Adjudicators Choice Choreography
- Adjudicators Choice Dancer(s)
Solo dancers:
- There is a Maximum number of 5 Solo’s per Dancer. They MUST be different disciplines, as we cannot accommodate multiple solo’s with the same dancers in the same exact category.
- Soloist’s Levels will be based on their hours of training for all Genre’s. So they will be entered in the same division for ALL of their solo’s.
- We require studios to adhere to a 3:1 Ratio for solo’s to groups
- If a Dancer is entering solo’s but not participating in Groups, there will be a $25 price increase per Solo. If this is an issue, please contact us directly at: dani@plieprep.com
Group sizes:
Entry Type | Entry Size | Time Limit | Time Allotted for Props* |
Solo | 1 Dancer | 3min Max | 1min for Prop on/off |
Duo/Trio | 2-3 Dancers | 3min Max | 1min for Prop on/off |
Small Group | 4-9 Dancers | 4min Max | 1min for Prop on/off |
Large Group | 10-15 Dancers | 5min Max | 1min for Prop on/off |
Extended Line | 16+ Dancers | 7min Max | 1min for Prop on/off |
*Please let us know if you need more time for setting up Props, we will accommodate the best we can, and additional minutes can be purchased for $20/min.
There will be spot checks for timing, please adhere to the time limits. If you have a routine that is over the time limit please let us know in ADVANCE so we can plan accordingly. If a studio has multiple routines over the time limits and has not communicated prior to the event, we will have to issue penalties of $50/routine.
Levels:
- AGE, will be based on the Dancers age (or the average age in the routine) as of Mar 1, 2026. *Rounding of Age for groups will be done by removing the decimal point.
- DIVISION, will be based on each dancer’s total weekly training hours, including all technique classes, choreography classes, private lessons, and training at any studio, school, or club. Accurate reporting is required to ensure fair and appropriate placement for all participants. Any dancer found intentionally misrepresented in a lower division will result in disqualification of all entries they participate in.
**Note: If a dancer has previously trained at a Division 3 or 4 level but has reduced their weekly training hours, they may move down by one division level, but never by two. For example, a dancer who trained 14 hours per week and has cut back to 5 hours may enter as Division 3, not Division 2.
|
DIVISION 1 |
0-3.99 hours per week |
|
DIVISION 2 |
4-7.99 hours per week |
|
DIVISION 3 |
8-11.99 hours per week |
|
DIVISION 4 |
12+ hours per week |
|
TEACHER |
Incl a teacher and does not want to be eligible for awards |
Genres:
- Ballet- A formal and graceful style of dance that focuses on technique, alignment, and storytelling through movement. Can include ‘Contemporary Ballet’ as well. Ballet shoes worn.
- Classical Ballet- traditional form of ballet based on structured technique and choreography. Ballet Shoes worn.
- Character Ballet- A theatrical dance style that blends ballet technique with stylized dancing. Ballet Shoes worn.
- Pointe– Comprising Ballet Technique, can include characterization or contemporary movement. Pointe shoes worn.
- Contemporary– Comprising Contemporary Technique and movements.
- Modern– Comprising movements expressing abstract ideas and pictures.
- Lyrical– Mixture of Jazz and Ballet technique, evoking emotion in the audience consistent with the ‘Lyrics’ in the piece.
- Jazz– Comprised of Jazz Technique and Syllabus
- Tap– Comprising Tap Technique and Syllabus. Tap Shoes worn (no pre recorded sounds)
- Musical Theatre– Theatrical dance including characterization, lip sync and/or live singing. Microphones will not be provided.
- Street Dance– Comprising Street styles and vocabulary, including but not limited to; Hip Hop, Popping, Breaking, House, Voguing, Waacking, etc. Running Shoes Recommended.
- National– Cultural Dance with historical origins (i.e) Highland, African, Bollywood, Ukrainian. Please note* our Adjudicator’s may not be well versed in the nuances and technique of each national or cultural style, but will give more generalized comments and feedback.
- Acro– Comprising Acro syllabus and technique. Mixing Gymnastics, Acrobatics and Dance movements.
- Open– Can be any combination of the above styles, or if you feel none of the above styles correctly fit, place the routine in Open.
- Pure Performance A category for Dancers who only want POSITIVE feedback from the Judges, and no medal placing (just a ‘participation medal’) Great for under 6 years or other dancers who just want to perform. Prompting from the wings, or teachers on stage is allowed in this category.
- Student Choreography a category for students who have choreographed the routine themselves (without the help of a teacher). Judges can comment on song choice, choreo, costuming as well as your technique and performance quality. One of our favourite categories!
ACRO TRICKS!!! Routines in all categories (except Acro & Open) are limited to a maximum of 5 Acro Tricks. If your routine includes more than 5 Acro Tricks please place it in an Acro or Open category. Thank you!
Purpose Showcase:
An exciting way to wrap up each event with a celebration of each studio’s highest scoring group* of the weekend! *Each participating studio will have the opportunity to either pre-select/nominate a group of their choosing or have their highest-scoring group of the weekend represent their studio. This is a chance to see the best of the best- come together in one unforgettable evening of talent and artistry.
Admission is by donation (we recommend a minimum of $5). All proceeds from the showcase will go directly to the winning group and the charity of their choice. Split 50/50.
Come cheer on your studio, support a great cause, and help us close the weekend with a celebration of community, creativity, and connection!
Safety:
The Safety of the Dancers comes first, always. We believe that the teachers and choreographers know the Dancer’s skill set and limitations better than anyone. WE REQUEST: that you choreograph accordingly for everyone’s safety. We cannot say what skills/tricks are ‘safe’ for your students, only you and your individual dancers know that. **Please remember that every stage and rehearsal space is different, and they can vary from day to day. Dancers will NEVER be penalized for changing a trick to a ‘safer’ version for themselves. Plie Prep Inc does not assume any responsibility or liability for what is in your choreography.
During the event the dancers are to be supervised by either their Parent/Guardian or their teacher(s). Under no circumstance is the Plie Prep team responsible for supervising youth under 18.
Thank you for your understanding and cooperation with this.
