COMPETITION RULES AND INFORMATION

BLISS Choreography Competition 2026 Rules & Information

This an opportunity for choreographers to demonstrate their dance, showcase their talent and skills, and earn a spot on our BLISS 2027 instructor team. Registration opens on Saturday, April 25th at 12:00 PM PST. We will make a post at that time detailing how to register. Step sheets will be due no later than August 1st, 2026.

1. Competition slots are limited and are on a first-come, first-serve basis.

2. Competitors must have a full-weekend pass to enter (Full House Pass, High Roller Pass, or a Royal Flush Pass).

3. Only one choreography entry is allowed per competitor.

4. There are no restrictions on when the dance was choreographed.

5. There are no restrictions on the choreography experience of the competitor; everyone is eligible to enter.

6. Competitors MUST bring their music on a USB drive. We will print your step sheets for you to provide to the judges.

7. Competitors MUST attend the Competitor’s Meeting Thursday night of the event (approximately 7:00 pm).

8. *New: The BLISS Choreography Competition Prelims is scheduled to run on the Friday of the event. There will be multiple heats for the Prelims.

9. During the Friday Prelims, competitors will demonstrate their choreographed dance for up to 4 walls, then will teach their dance to the panel of judges, giving the judges the opportunity to learn the choreography themselves and assess the competitors’ teaching abilities.

10. Each competitor will be allowed a maximum of 20 minutes to demonstrate their dance and teach it to the judges. After the judges have learned the dance, everyone may dance it through completely.

11. For the Friday Prelims, up to 6 additional dancers can demonstrate your dance with you during your demo (for a total of 7 dancers).

12. Any level of choreography may be entered, but keep in mind the time restriction. It is important that the dance can be fully taught within the allotted timeframe.

13. *New: The Finalists of each Prelim heat will then demonstrate their dance one more time on Saturday to a new panel of judges to determine the Overall Winner. The Finals consist of only a demonstration of your dance (up to a maximum of 6 walls).

14. For the Saturday Finals, only the choreographer is eligible to demonstrate their dance to the panel of judges. This will allow the judges to focus on the choreographer and their choreography, without any distractions.

15. Scoring for the Prelims will be based on a combination of the competitor’s choreography and teaching ability, with choreography accounting for approximately 60% of the competitor’s overall score and teaching ability accounting for approximately 40% of the competitor’s overall score. The competitor(s) with the highest overall score(s) in their respective heats will move on to the Finals.

16. Scoring for the Finals will be relative placement based solely on the competitors’ choreography.

17. The Overall Winner will be announced Saturday night of the event and have the opportunity to teach their dance at a 10:00 am workshop on Sunday morning. The Overall Winner will also be invited back as an instructor for the 2027 BLISS event!

18. Competitors will receive their scores and feedback after the competition results have been announced. Scores and feedback are completely free!

19. Scoring categories include:

a) Creativity; originality; ingenuity; uniqueness of dance steps and movement

b) Flow of dance; logical sequence of dance moves and steps; ease of movement

c) Expresses the music and lyrics (musicality and lyricality); touches upon prominent parts in the music and lyrics

d) Artistic interpretation of the music; captures the essence of the music; compatibility of dance steps with the music; steps match classification and rhythm of the music

e) Step sheet writing ability – accurate, clear, and comprehensive step descriptions, correct terminology, accurate dance level and category

f) Public speaking ability – confidence, professional presentation, clarity of speech

g) Teaching ability – ability to clearly and accurately demonstrate and describe steps, ability to break steps down easily; ability to teach in a logical flow