Rules & Regulations

Competition Rules

  • Studios must send a deposit in the amount of $500 in order to secure a position in the competition prior to the entry fee deadline.
  • Entries are accepted on a first come first served basis and are limited to the amount of time available. Book early to avoid disappointment! Registration deadline is December 31, 2010.
  • Entry fees must be paid in full prior to the competition start date. Any studio with outstanding fees one month prior to the competition start date will not be eligible to compete.
  • Entry fees are payable by either cheque or money order and should be sent to the following address: MOVE International Inc., 59 Portage Avenue, Toronto, ON M9N 3G8. Any returned or NSF cheques will be charged a $25.00 administration fee.
  • Studios must enter a minimum of 10 (ten) entries to be eligible for the Finals.
  • MOVE reserves the right to disqualify or refuse entries at their discretion. Fees will be refunded accordingly.
  • Dance studios may enter as many entries as they wish, however no routine may be performed more than once (with the exception of the finals) and no one dancer can dance in the same age category in the same dance form.
  • Schedules will be sent to each studio prior to the competition date. No refunds will be issued once the final schedule has been produced. Changes to the program will not be permitted one month prior to the competition. MOVE shall not be held responsible for misprints, errors or omissions in the program. MOVE will make every effort possible to produce the best final program possible.
  • There shall be absolutely no photography or video taping allowed during performances. Any person found taking pictures or video taping will be asked to leave by MOVE staff. Pictures and videos will be available for purchase on-site.
  • Under certain circumstances, MOVE may need to increase, decrease or cancel days of the competition.
  • All performers must be ready to perform one hour prior to the scheduled performance time. This rule will be strictly enforced in the event that the competition runs early.
  • The judges decisions are considered final. Every effort has been made by MOVE to ensure a fair judging and scoring process.
  • Once final schedules have been sent to confirmed studios, changes must be submitted within 48 hours. Any changes made after the allotted 48 hours are subject to $10 per change.

    Categories & Ages

    Novice – 7 & under; 8 to 10 years; 11 to 12 years

  • A dancer in the novice category has never competed in a competition before
  • A dancer in the novice solo category cannot be over the age of 12 years and is performing a solo for the first time. They may have competed in a duet/trio or group/line/extended line categories in other years.
  • A dancer in the novice duet/trio category cannot be over the age of 12 years and has not competed in solos, duet/trios in other years. They may have competed in group/line/extended line categories in other years.
  • 75% of the dancers in a novice group or line must not have dances in solos, duet/trio or group/lines.

    Pre-Competitive – 7 & under; 8 to 11 years; 12 to 14; 15 and up

  • A dancer in the pre-competitive category spends less than five hours per week in the dance studio.
  • A dancer in the pre-competitive category cannot be entered in more than four (4) routines.

    Competitive - 7 & under; 8 to 11 years; 12 to 14; 15 and up

  • A dancer in the competitive category spends five (5) hours and up per week in the dance studio.
  • A dancer in the competitive category cannot compete in the novice or pre-competitive categories.

    Finals Categories

    JUNIOR = 5 to 12 years

    SENIOR = 13 years and up


  • Proof of age must be provided should it be requested at the time of competition. Any requests for age not met will be disqualified from the competition with no refund.
  • Average age is defined as the contestant's age as at December 31, 2009.

    Solo: 1 Participant
    Duet / Trio: 2 or 3 Participants
    Small Group: 4 to 9 Participants
    Large Group: 10 to 15 Participants
    Line: 16 or more participants
    Extended Lines: Minimum 16 or more participants
    Production: Minimum 15 participants

    Time Limit Maximums

    Solos/Duets/Trios: 2 minutes 45 seconds
    Groups : 3 minutes
    Lines : 3 minutes 30 seconds
    Extended Lines : 5 minutes
    Productions: 10 minutes (includes set up and take down)

    Note: Please call us if set up and take down exceeds 2 minutes.
    • Register Now for MOVE - The Ultimate Dance Competition It’s time to get your MOVE on!
    Registration for 2011 is now open! Entries are accepted on a first come, first served basis. Register early to avoid disappointment! Registration deadline is December 31, 2010.

    The word on the Street about Move . .

    Hi Beatriz…we had a great time in Blue Mountain. Thanks for hosting such a nice competition.

    Heather Philippe, Vlad’s Dance Company / www.vladsdance.ca

    Congrats Shawn to you and your team. We had a great weekend; great comp and look forward to next year - from Studio Dance Pointe, St. Thomas. Your team was great - and we liked the enthusiasm along with you interacting with the dancers and parents. Loved the awards.

    Nancy, Studio Dance Pointe / www.studiodancepointe.com

    Beatriz and Shawn, I would like to extend our gratitude to you both for doing such a bang up job this past week-end. It was professional done and fun for both the students and their parents. Move will definitely be a top choice for our 2010 comp season.

    Jennifer Muhar, The Dance Centre

    Just wanted to say thank-you from all of us @ Just 4 Kicks. It was a great positive atmosphere this weekend! It was nice that Shawn had more than his name at the competition. He went out of his way to make personal connections with the Directors and students! The audio guys were amazing! They went out of their way to figure out the issues I was having and they got fixed. No stress! Professional! Thank you for listening when I had questions. You did an amazing job throughout the weekend. I'm sure it must have been tough at times, but it was one of the best we've been to! Anyways, make sure you have us down for next year! Thanks for everything!

    Wendy Laidlaw, Just 4 Kicks / just4kicks.ca

    It was a great competition! Very nice having a lot of friendly staff around to help with things.. that was a big plus! Overall the competition was run very well! Excellent atmosphere! Very good idea having the mc... he is very sarcastic and funny! The venue was excellent... the way everything was laid out was very good, very relaxing! You guys all deserve a big pat on the back for the hard work that you put into this thing!

    Jim Nagy, Pure Energy Dance Studio / www.pure-energydance.com

    Hi Beatriz, It was awesome meeting you! Thank you for everything. It was a great competition! Kudos to you & Shawn and all your supporting staff. The competition made a huge difference with our teams. They really enjoyed the whole weekend and so did we. Very entertaining! We are looking forward to next year's event for sure!

    Susan Prout, Elite Dance Academy / elite-dance-academy.com

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