Journey Dance Competition — US Studio Dance and Vocal Competition: 21 Categories, Three Levels, Six Age Divisions, Productions and a Solo Title

Cultural & Folk Festival · North America & Caribbean

Journey Dance Competition (New Jersey, United States) 2026 regional rules: 21 dance and vocal categories for solos, duo/trios, small groups, large groups, lines and productions by age division and Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced or Celebration level, scored by three judges out of 300 with Platinum Pro, Platinum, High Gold and Gold adjudications, plus the Featured Dancer Title.

A ready-made US studio competition for dancers and singers from toddlers to adults: twenty-one categories, three competitive levels plus an all-abilities Celebration section, solos to productions, scored by three judges on a 300-point adjudication scale.

This template sets up a studio dance and vocal competition built from one American organiser’s 2026 regional rules and regulations (version 3.1), read in full. It has 22 items: the 21 performance categories the rules print, which are Acro, Ballet, Ballroom, Baton, Character, Clogging, Contemporary, Folk/Ethnic, Hip-Hop, Jazz, Lyrical, Modern, Open, Pointe, Pom, Song & Dance, Student Choreography, Tap, Theatre, Vocal and Wild Card, plus the Featured Dancer Title. Every item has its own page on this site with the printed entry sizes, time limits and scoring, so this page concentrates on how the whole event fits together.

Entries are organised on three axes. By size there are five routine types and a production: a solo of one performer, a duo or trio of two to three, a small group of four to nine, a large group of ten to nineteen, a line, and a production of twenty or more. By age there are six divisions, Mini aged six and under, Petite 7 to 9, Junior 10 to 12, Teen 13 to 15, Senior 16 to 19 and Adult 20 and over; ages are taken on 1 January and a group competes at its average age with decimals dropped, while productions are placed only as 12 and Under or 13 and Over. By level there are Beginner, Intermediate and Advanced, plus Celebration for dancers with special needs or different abilities, who may not compete in any other level. The template installs 102 groups: 90 for the five routine sizes across six age divisions and three levels, six for the production by age band and level, and six for Celebration, one all-ages group per size.

Because the rules place a routine in whichever category best describes it and print no limit on which category runs in which division, every category is installed in every section, with one exception: Beginner dancers may not enter Pointe, so that category is left out of the Beginner groups. Vocal is installed under music rather than dance. The Featured Dancer Title is different: it is an extra award for Intermediate and Advanced soloists aged 19 and under, judged on overall performance and showmanship and scored apart from the adjudication, so the template gives it ten solo sections, five age divisions at two levels, and a default maximum of 100 because its scale is not printed.

Time limits as printed are 2 minutes 45 seconds for solos, 3 minutes for duo/trios and small groups, 4 minutes for large groups, 5 minutes for lines and 8 minutes for productions. Each routine is scored out of 100 by each of three judges on Technique, Difficulty, Execution, Choreography, Showmanship and Overall Presentation, and the three scores are added, so every routine carries a 300-point maximum. The total then maps to one of four adjudications: Platinum Pro from 291, Platinum from 279, High Gold from 267 and Gold from 255. The rules print no marks per heading, so no per-criterion marks are installed. Routine limits per dancer, higher-level dancer allowances, level-ups, the overall Top 3, 5 and 10 places, additional awards, fees, music and prop rules belong in the registration content the coordinator publishes, and rules change between seasons, so check the current edition before reusing groups or timings.

Where this event is run

Multi-style studio competitions that award adjudication bands to every routine and then rank routines within an age, size and level division are a well-established format in the United States, where dance studios enter soloists, small groups, lines and full-studio productions across a regional season. This template follows one organiser’s 2026 regional rules and suits any studio, convention or regional competition that wants three skill levels, an all-abilities section, every entry size from solo to production and a solo title in one structure, without hand-building a hundred groups.

• United States

Key facts

• 22 items: 21 performance categories (Acro to Wild Card, with Vocal under music) and the Featured Dancer Title
• 102 groups: 5 routine sizes x 6 age divisions (Mini, Petite, Junior, Teen, Senior, Adult) x 3 levels, productions by 12 and Under / 13 and Over and level, plus one all-ages Celebration group per size
• Levels: Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced and Celebration (dancers with special needs or different abilities, who compete only there); Beginner dancers may not enter Pointe
• Printed time limits: 2:45 solos, 3:00 duo/trios and small groups, 4:00 large groups, 5:00 lines, 8:00 productions; the title prints none
• Three judges score each routine out of 100, so the maximum is 300; adjudications are Platinum Pro (291-300), Platinum (279-290.9), High Gold (267-278.9) and Gold (255-266.9), and no marks per heading are printed
• Solos are Individual entries; duo/trios, groups, lines and productions are Team entries placed by average age

Age groups

102

Competition items

22

Competitions

2120

Grade bands

4

Rank awards

1

Age groups

Every candidate is placed into one of these groups by age, and competitions are run per group.

Solo Beginner Mini

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Candidates aged 3 to 6 compete in this group

Solo Intermediate Mini

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Solo Advanced Mini

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Solo Beginner Petite

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Candidates aged 7 to 9 compete in this group

Solo Intermediate Petite

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Solo Advanced Petite

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Candidates aged 7 to 9 compete in this group

Solo Beginner Junior

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Candidates aged 10 to 12 compete in this group

Solo Intermediate Junior

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Solo Advanced Junior

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Solo Beginner Teen

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Solo Intermediate Teen

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Solo Advanced Teen

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Solo Beginner Senior

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Solo Intermediate Senior

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Solo Advanced Senior

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Solo Beginner Adult

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Solo Intermediate Adult

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Solo Advanced Adult

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Duo/Trio Beginner Mini

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Duo/Trio Intermediate Mini

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Duo/Trio Advanced Mini

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Duo/Trio Beginner Petite

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Duo/Trio Intermediate Petite

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Duo/Trio Advanced Petite

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Show all 102 age groups

Duo/Trio Beginner Junior

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Candidates aged 10 to 12 compete in this group

Duo/Trio Intermediate Junior

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Duo/Trio Advanced Junior

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Candidates aged 10 to 12 compete in this group

Duo/Trio Beginner Teen

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Candidates aged 13 to 15 compete in this group

Duo/Trio Intermediate Teen

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Duo/Trio Advanced Teen

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Candidates aged 13 to 15 compete in this group

Duo/Trio Beginner Senior

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Candidates aged 16 to 19 compete in this group

Duo/Trio Intermediate Senior

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Candidates aged 16 to 19 compete in this group

Duo/Trio Advanced Senior

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Candidates aged 16 to 19 compete in this group

Duo/Trio Beginner Adult

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Candidates aged 20 to 120 compete in this group

Duo/Trio Intermediate Adult

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Duo/Trio Advanced Adult

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Small Grp Beginner Mini

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Candidates aged 3 to 6 compete in this group

Small Grp Intermediate Mini

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Small Grp Advanced Mini

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Small Grp Beginner Petite

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Small Grp Intermediate Petite

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Small Grp Advanced Petite

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Small Grp Beginner Junior

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Small Grp Intermediate Junior

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Small Grp Advanced Junior

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Small Grp Beginner Teen

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Small Grp Intermediate Teen

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Small Grp Advanced Teen

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Small Grp Beginner Senior

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Small Grp Intermediate Senior

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Small Grp Advanced Senior

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Small Grp Beginner Adult

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Small Grp Intermediate Adult

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Small Grp Advanced Adult

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Large Grp Beginner Mini

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Large Grp Intermediate Mini

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Large Grp Advanced Mini

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Large Grp Beginner Petite

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Large Grp Intermediate Petite

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Large Grp Advanced Petite

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Large Grp Beginner Junior

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Large Grp Intermediate Junior

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Large Grp Advanced Junior

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Large Grp Beginner Teen

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Large Grp Intermediate Teen

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Large Grp Advanced Teen

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Large Grp Beginner Senior

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Large Grp Intermediate Senior

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Large Grp Advanced Senior

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Large Grp Beginner Adult

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Large Grp Intermediate Adult

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Large Grp Advanced Adult

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Line Beginner Mini

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Line Intermediate Mini

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Line Advanced Mini

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Line Beginner Petite

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Line Intermediate Petite

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Line Advanced Petite

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Line Beginner Junior

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Line Intermediate Junior

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Line Advanced Junior

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Candidates aged 10 to 12 compete in this group

Line Beginner Teen

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Candidates aged 13 to 15 compete in this group

Line Intermediate Teen

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Candidates aged 13 to 15 compete in this group

Line Advanced Teen

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Candidates aged 13 to 15 compete in this group

Line Beginner Senior

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Candidates aged 16 to 19 compete in this group

Line Intermediate Senior

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Line Advanced Senior

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Candidates aged 16 to 19 compete in this group

Line Beginner Adult

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Candidates aged 20 to 120 compete in this group

Line Intermediate Adult

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Line Advanced Adult

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Prod Beginner 12&U

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Prod Intermediate 12&U

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Prod Advanced 12&U

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Prod Beginner 13&Over

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Candidates aged 13 to 120 compete in this group

Prod Intermediate 13&Over

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Candidates aged 13 to 120 compete in this group

Prod Advanced 13&Over

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Candidates aged 13 to 120 compete in this group

Celebration Solo

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Candidates aged 3 to 120 compete in this group

Celebration Duo/Trio

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Celebration Small Group

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Celebration Large Group

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Celebration Line

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Candidates aged 3 to 120 compete in this group

Celebration Production

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Candidates aged 3 to 120 compete in this group

Competition items

The events themselves — each with the category it belongs to and how judges score it.

Acro

DanceMarks

Ballet

DanceMarks

Ballroom

DanceMarks

Baton

DanceMarks

Character

DanceMarks

Clogging

DanceMarks

Contemporary

DanceMarks

Folk/Ethnic

DanceMarks

Hip-Hop

DanceMarks

Jazz

DanceMarks

Lyrical

DanceMarks

Modern

DanceMarks

Open

DanceMarks

Pointe

DanceMarks

Pom

DanceMarks

Song & Dance

DanceMarks

Student Choreography

DanceMarks

Tap

DanceMarks

Theatre

DanceMarks

Vocal

MusicMarks

Wild Card

DanceMarks

Featured Dancer Title

DanceMarks