A solo title for intermediate and advanced dancers aged 19 and under in one US studio dance series, judged on overall performance and showmanship and scored separately from the ordinary adjudication.
The Featured Dancer Title is a title award run alongside the solo sections of a US studio dance series. It is not a dance style. A soloist who is already competing in one of the series’ ordinary solo categories is judged for it as well, and the title result is kept apart from the medal adjudication that every routine receives.
Entry is limited to dancers registered at the Intermediate or Advanced performance level who are 19 and under. The beginner level and the special-ability Celebration level are not part of it. Because the series places soloists in five age divisions (Mini 6 and under, Petite 7 to 9, Junior 10 to 12, Teen 13 to 15 and Senior 16 to 19), the title is installed for each of those five divisions at both eligible levels, which gives ten sections in all. The Adult division (20 and over) is outside the age limit and has no title section.
What makes the award different from the routine’s medal score is the way it is judged. The rules describe it as judged on overall performance and showmanship, and it is scored apart from the adjudication score. A dancer can therefore earn a top adjudication band for technique and still not take the title if another soloist in the division simply holds the room better. For that reason a title like this tends to reward presence, projection and finish rather than the hardest single trick.
The rules print no time limit, no marks per criterion and no scale for the title, so eTalenter’s template records it as a score out of 100 with no time limit and leaves any finer split to the organiser. Where a published scale or a time limit matters to you, check the organiser’s current rules before the event rather than relying on that default. The rest of the series’ rules, such as age being taken on 1 January and entries being made through a studio, apply as normal.
Organisers run a title like this because a long programme produces a very large number of medal results, and a single featured soloist per age band gives the day a clear, memorable crowning moment. For parents and teachers it also sets a different goal from the medal chase: the aim is to be the dancer the judges would feature, not only the dancer who ticks every technical box.
Where Featured Dancer Title is run
In eTalenter’s data this item belongs to a single template, a US studio dance and vocal series for studios that runs regional events. Featured-soloist and “title” awards for young dancers exist in other competition programmes too, but the eligibility (Intermediate and Advanced levels, 19 and under) and the separate scoring described here are this series’ own, so this page does not claim them for any other event.
- United States
Key facts
- Individual solo. Boys and girls are installed together (Both), in five age divisions: Mini (6 and under), Petite (7–9), Junior (10–12), Teen (13–15) and Senior (16–19).
- Open only to Intermediate and Advanced level soloists aged 19 and under, so the Adult division, the beginner level and the Celebration level have no title section.
- Judged on overall performance and showmanship and scored apart from the routine’s medal adjudication score.
- No time limit, scale or per-criterion marks are printed for the title; the template records a 100-point maximum and no time limit.
- Ten sections in the template: five age divisions at each of the two eligible levels.
- Idea starters, not rules: choose the solo with the strongest audience connection, plan a clear opening shape and a held final pose, and rehearse the walk on and walk off as carefully as the steps.
On eTalenter, Featured Dancer Title is filed under Dance and typically scored with Marks. It appears in 1 ready-made event templates — each one can adjust its time limit, age-group assignment and scoring setup independently.
Across the templates that use it, Featured Dancer Title is most often entered as an Individual competition, typically scored out of 100.
What judges look at in Featured Dancer Title
What a Featured Dancer Title panel is actually weighing up, and where the marks are usually won or lost:
- Overall performance: the first named criterion. The panel is judging the whole performance as one impression, so a routine that is clean from the first count to the last beats one with a single spectacular moment and weak sections around it.
- Showmanship: projection, eye line, energy and the ability to make the audience and the judges’ table feel the routine. A technically safe dancer who performs inward loses ground to a slightly less polished dancer who performs outward.
- Separation from the medal score: because the title is scored apart from the adjudication, a strong medal band is not the same thing as a title. Think of them as two different questions: how well was it done, and who should be featured.
- Age-appropriate delivery: the same words mean different things at Mini and at Senior. A young dancer is rewarded for confident, joyful, clean performance; an older dancer is expected to add control, dynamics and risk. (The rules print the two headings only; these notes are advice, not printed rules.)
- Finish and presentation: costume, grooming, entrance and exit. These are not named separately in the rules, but they shape the overall impression that a title is decided on.
Treat these as the judging focus, not a fixed rubric: publish your own weighted criteria for Featured Dancer Title under Scoring Setup, or start from the full group dance judging criteria guide.
How to prepare for Featured Dancer Title
How entrants and their teachers usually get Featured Dancer Title right on the day:
- Check eligibility first. The title is for Intermediate and Advanced level soloists aged 19 and under, and age is taken on 1 January, so confirm the division and level before planning.
- Choose the solo that performs best, not the one with the most difficult steps. The title is about showmanship, so a routine that gets a strong reaction from an audience is usually the better choice.
- Ask the organiser how the title is entered and run at your event. The rules print no time limit or scale for it, so do not assume details that are not published.
- Rehearse in front of three or four people and ask where their attention dropped. Fix those moments first, because they are exactly where a panel looking for a featured dancer will lose interest.
- Practise the entrance, the first pose and the final pose until they are automatic. They are the first and last things the panel sees and set the showmanship impression.
- Treat the medal and the title as two separate jobs. Technique work earns the adjudication score; projection, pacing of energy across the whole routine and stage presence earn the title.
- Wear the full costume and hair for the last two rehearsals so that nothing about the presentation is new on the day.
- Use a loss as feedback. If the routine medalled well but missed the title, film it from the judges’ viewpoint and work on energy and focus before changing any choreography.
Frequently asked questions
Is Featured Dancer Title judged individually or as a team?
Across eTalenter's templates it's most often run as an Individual entry, though an organiser can set either participation type when assigning the item to an age group.
Is the Featured Dancer Title a dance style?
No. It is a title award for soloists, judged on overall performance and showmanship. The dancer still competes in one of the ordinary solo categories such as jazz, lyrical or contemporary.
Who can enter?
Intermediate and Advanced level soloists aged 19 and under. The beginner level, the Celebration level and the Adult division (20 and over) are not part of it.
How is the title scored?
It is scored apart from the adjudication score and judged on overall performance and showmanship. The rules print no marks per criterion and no scale, so eTalenter’s template records a score out of 100.
What is the time limit?
The rules print none for the title, and the template records no time limit for it. Check the organiser’s current rules or entry form for the length of the performance.
How many age divisions are there?
Five: Mini (6 and under), Petite (7 to 9), Junior (10 to 12), Teen (13 to 15) and Senior (16 to 19), at each of the two eligible levels.
Want the full judging picture? Read the full group dance judging criteria guide, or browse every dance competition item.
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