 Another school year is here, and I hope your dance programs are off to a great start! This Back-to-School National Newsletter is designed to make planning the year ahead a little easier with useful links to resources you can all use to create a fun year for your dance program. We're a nonprofit organization... and this newsletter is sent out every other month. My hope is that these updates become a quick resource for dance directors & coaches nationwide... to help us all stay informed, discover new opportunities, and build stronger connections across our industry. You’ll also find updates on our own Dance Team World Education Foundation events as we continue building new opportunities for school dance programs across the country.
Kind Regards, IN THIS ISSUE...
 Welcome to The Director’s Desk, a new recurring section featuring quick ideas and resources for the everyday work of running a school dance program. In coming issues, we’ll explore everything from fundraising and recruitment to performances, team culture, auditions, senior celebrations, professional development and more. FAST IDEAS TO KICK-OFF YOUR YEAR: 🏈 Make the Most of Friday Night Lights 📅 Build the Entire Year Now 🤝 Get Your Program Seen Have a resource or idea that other school dance directors should know about? 📅 PLAN YOUR 2026-27 COMPETITION SEASON Search Competitions OR Post Your Own Regional Event And just FYI, starting in December we will begin adding a camps/workshop locator to the master calendar as well!   UDA National Dance Team Championship (Varsity Brands) United Spirit Association Nationals (Varsity Brands)
Contest of Champions Nationals DTU National Championship CPD Hawaii National Showcase CPD Texas National Showcase DANCE TEAM WORLD NATIONAL EXPOSURE FOR DANCE TEAM SOLOISTS No Title Solo Regional in your state yet? This past season, soloists representing their state's title solo program competed at our first National Championship in Las Vegas. They also participated in an NFL Las Vegas Raiderettes workshop, UNLV Hip Hop Team workshop, earned academic scholarships for college/trade school, and formed lifelong friendships & connections. 🌎 Note: Each Dance Team World sanctioned title solo regional is independently operated, allowing every event to reflect the unique school dance culture of its state. Our approach gives each region the flexibility to celebrate dance talent in a way that feels authentic to its local dance team community while remaining connected to the larger nonprofit Dance Team World Education Foundation network. A DIFFERENT KIND OF NATIONALS EXPERIENCE  Dance Team World Nationals returns to Las Vegas March 19-21, 2027, offering school dance programs an exciting new choice on the national competition calendar. Produced by the non-profit Dance Team World Education Foundation, our championship is designed around more than placements and trophies. We are building an experience that combines high-quality competition with connection, education, inclusive opportunities, and a genuine sense of community for dancers and coaches from across the country. If you missed our earlier Nationals announcement, now is a great time to see what we’re building in Las Vegas.  💰 GET A HEAD START ON FUNDRAISINGThe beginning of the school year is the perfect time to map out how your program will fund costumes, travel, performances, workshops, team activities and other expenses before the calendar gets busy. A few ideas to get you started:
Have a fundraiser that has worked especially well for your program? Send it our way. We may feature your idea in a future issue! This will be an ongoing section each month... P.S. In our October Newsletter we'll be sharing a really incredible resource for parent-run dance booster organizations to assist your fundraising efforts. 🎓 HELP STRENGTHEN DANCE TEAM JUDGING The United States has an incredible dance community, but we also need more trained, qualified dance team judges and greater consistency in how our teams are evaluated. The National Dance Coaches Association (NDCA) is a national organization connecting and supporting dance team professionals, and its online Judging Credential Program gives coaches, choreographers, current judges and aspiring adjudicators the opportunity to study scoring, feedback, technique, bias and judging best practices used throughout the country.
More national participation in the NDCA can help the school dance team community build a stronger network of educated adjudicators and bring greater consistency, professionalism and shared best practices to competitions throughout our nation. BEYOND LIMITS ABILITIES PROGRAM Looking for an opportunity for dancers with ability challenges? Participants do not need to be members of their school dance program or dance team. Families can choose from a menu of activities, accommodations, and experiences based on each participant’s interests, comfort level, and individual needs. Click the banner above or button below to request more information about bringing this opportunity to students at your school, in your community, or within your family and friends network.  Visit danceteamworld.com to learn about our other non-profit programs:
 Dance Team World Education Foundation |
