Miss Dance of Great Britain
Encyclopedia
Miss Dance of Great Britain is a stage dance
competition for girls, which is held annually in the United Kingdom
.
. The national finals are held annually at the Winter Gardens
in Blackpool
, England
. The finals also include the judging of the boys competition, Dance Master UK
, and the International Ballet Championships.
To enter a regional heat, competitors must be aged 16 years or over on the 31st of May in the year of 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
, character dance
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.
in Blackpool
. 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 Miss Dance title is awarded.
The winner of Miss Dance of Great Britain receives a trophy and a cash prize, with trophies also being awarded for the runner-up and 3rd places. The winner is given the title of Miss Dance of Great Britain, until a new winner is chosen the following year.
Being a prestigious competition, the winner of Miss Dance 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.
Concert dance
Concert dance is dance performed for an audience. It is frequently performed in a theatre setting, though this is not a requirement, and it is usually choreographed and performed to set music.By contrast, social dance and participation dance may be performed without an audience and, typically, these...
competition for girls, which is held annually in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
.
Overview
Miss Dance of Great Britain is a long running theatre dance competition for girls, established and organised 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...
. The national finals are held annually 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 the boys competition, Dance Master UK
Dance Master UK
-Overview:Dance Master UK was established in the late 1990s by the International Dance Teachers Association, as the male equivalent of their long running competition Miss Dance of Great Britain. Dance Master UK is a theatre dance competition for boys held annually in the UK with a national final...
, and the International Ballet Championships.
Qualifying
Entrants who wish to compete in the national finals of Miss Dance, 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 Miss Dance.To enter a regional heat, competitors must be aged 16 years or over on the 31st of May in the year of 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 Miss Dance 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 Miss Dance title is awarded.
The winner of Miss Dance of Great Britain receives a trophy and a cash prize, with trophies also being awarded for the runner-up and 3rd places. The winner is given the title of Miss Dance of Great Britain, until a new winner is chosen the following year.
Being a prestigious competition, the winner of Miss Dance 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 - Bethany Whittle of Elaine Milbourne Theatre Dance School
- Runner Up - Courtney George of Georgie School of Theatre Arts
- 3rd Place - Amy Bryson Smith of the Riley School of Dance
2010
- Winner - Yasmin Harrison of Phil Winston's Theatre Works
- Runner Up - Stephanie Thompson of the Hazel Bell School of Dance and Phil Winston's Theatre Works
- 3rd Place - Samantha Carson of the Riley School of Dance
2009
- Winner - Sophie Turner of the Riley School of Dance
- Runner Up - Stephanie Thompson of the Hazel Bell School of Dance
- 3rd Place - Amy Bryson Smith of the Riley School of Dance
2008
- Winner - Kirby Campbell of the Suzanne Stuart School of Dance
- Runner Up - Rachael McMahon of the Suzanne Stuart School of Dance
- 3rd Place - Samantha Carson of the Riley School of Dance
2007
- Winner - Alexandra Fern of the Riley School of Dance
- Runner Up - Rachael McMahon of the Suzanne Stuart School of Dance
- 3rd Place - Cherry Muir of the Val Armstrong Academy of Performing Arts