Dance Master UK
Encyclopedia
Overview
Dance Master UK was established in the late 1990s by the International Dance Teachers AssociationInternational Dance Teachers Association
The International Dance Teachers Association is a leading dance teaching and examination board based in Brighton, England. Operating internationally, the IDTA is one of the largest dance teaching organisations in the world and currently has over 7,000 members in 55 countries...
, as the male equivalent of their long running competition Miss Dance of Great Britain
Miss Dance of Great Britain
Miss Dance of Great Britain is a stage dance competition for girls, which is held annually in the United Kingdom.-Overview:Miss Dance of Great Britain is a long running theatre dance competition for girls, established and organised by the International Dance Teachers Association. The national...
. Dance Master UK is a theatre dance competition for boys held annually in the UK with a national final held at the Winter Gardens
Winter Gardens, Blackpool
The Winter Gardens is a large entertainment complex in the town centre of Blackpool, Lancashire, England. It has twelve different venues, including a theatre, ballroom and conference facilities. Opened in 1878, it is a Grade II* listed building, incorporating various elements built between 1875 and...
in Blackpool
Blackpool
Blackpool is a borough, seaside town, and unitary authority area of Lancashire, in North West England. It is situated along England's west coast by the Irish Sea, between the Ribble and Wyre estuaries, northwest of Preston, north of Liverpool, and northwest of Manchester...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. The finals also include the judging of Miss Dance of Great Britain
Miss Dance of Great Britain
Miss Dance of Great Britain is a stage dance competition for girls, which is held annually in the United Kingdom.-Overview:Miss Dance of Great Britain is a long running theatre dance competition for girls, established and organised by the International Dance Teachers Association. The national...
, and the International Ballet Championships.
Qualifying
Entrants who wish to compete in the national finals of Dance Master, must first qualify for the competition by winning a regional heat. Heats are held at dance festivals nationwide throughout the year. The majority of these festivals are independently run and must apply to the IDTA in order to stage a heat of Dance Master.To enter a regional heat, competitors must be aged 16 years or over on the day of the competition and must be amateur dancers or be in full time training. Professional dancers are not permitted to enter.
In the heats, each competitor performs a three minute solo dance in a modern theatre or cabaret style. This may include jazz, tap, song, dialogue, instrumentation or comedy, with dance as the dominant discipline. Classical Ballet
Classical ballet
Classical Ballet is the most formal of the ballet styles, it adheres to traditional ballet technique. There are variations relating to area of origin, such as Russian ballet, French ballet, British ballet and Italian ballet...
, character dance
Character dance
Character Dance is a specific subdivision of Classical Dance. It is the stylised representation of a traditional folk or national dance,mostly from a European country, and uses movements and music which have been adapted for the theatre....
or national dance styles are not permitted. The IDTA requests that competitors present a solo that has been specially choreographed for the competition. Should a competitor win their regional heat, they must perform the same solo, without changes, at the national final.
To qualify for the national finals, a competitor must win their heat with a score of 85 marks or more, and they then represent that festival at the finals. A runner-up place is also awarded and the runner-up may compete at the national finals if they have scored a qualifying mark and only if the heat winner is unable to compete. It is very common for dancers to compete in numerous regional heats throughout the country in order to qualify for the national finals.
The Finals
The national finals of Dance Master are organised by the IDTA and are held annually at the Winter GardensWinter Gardens, Blackpool
The Winter Gardens is a large entertainment complex in the town centre of Blackpool, Lancashire, England. It has twelve different venues, including a theatre, ballroom and conference facilities. Opened in 1878, it is a Grade II* listed building, incorporating various elements built between 1875 and...
in Blackpool
Blackpool
Blackpool is a borough, seaside town, and unitary authority area of Lancashire, in North West England. It is situated along England's west coast by the Irish Sea, between the Ribble and Wyre estuaries, northwest of Preston, north of Liverpool, and northwest of Manchester...
. During the finals, the competitors compete in a series of dance-offs, judged by a panel of specialist adjudicators. This narrows down the number of competitors to a selection of 7 finalists. The finalists then perform again for the judges in the grand final and the winner of the Dance Master title is awarded.
The winner of Dance Master UK receives a trophy and a cash prize, with trophies also being awarded for the runner-up and 3rd places. The winner holds the title for one year, until a new winner is chosen the following year. The title holder may compete to retain the title, but do not automatically qualify for a place at the national finals.
Being a prestigious competition, the winner of Dance Master will normally enjoy a number of other benefits including dancing at various IDTA seminars and events, and being invited to perform at the IDTA's annual howcase gala at a major UK theatre.
2011
- Winner - Rio Samuels of the Dawn Dawson Academy of Dance and Dolphin Dance Studios
- Runner Up - Connor MacLeod of the Georgie School of Theatre Arts
- 3rd Place - Dex Lee of the Morgan Aslanoff School
2010
- Winner - Matthew KoonMatthew KoonMatthew Koon is an English stage actor and dancer. He is most noted for participating in the Sky One television series Got to Dance, in which he reached the final, finishing in 3rd place.-Career:...
of the Centre Pointe School of Dance - Runner Up - Josh Kinsella of Phil Winston's Theatreworks
- 3rd Place - Connor McLeod of the Georgie School of Theatre Arts
2009
- Winner - Billy George of the Armley School of Dance
- Runner Up - John Stevenson
- 3rd Place - Will Botting of the Premier Dance Academy
2005
- Winner - Joseph Connor of the Dupont Dance Stage School
- Runner Up - Craig Moffat
- 3rd Place - Matthew Croke of the Maureen Law & Sharon Berry Schools