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National Dance Honors - Preliminary Info

Mitchel Federan

Mar 21, 2024

Elite & Pre-Pro

Hello Elite & Pre-Pro Families!


Registration for National Dance Honors has officially opened and we have started the process of adding our competition entries into their system. We wanted to send over as much information as we have right now, all of which can also be found on the NDH website. Please read this e-mail fully before sending any questions. 


We will continue to e-mail nationals info as it becomes available. Please know that we do not have more information than what we give you. Since it is our first time at this nationals, it will be a learning process for us all!


ENTRY FEES 

July 9-14 - National Dance Honors: Orlando, FL (ELITE & PRE-PRO)

Entry Fees Due: May 5, 2024 (Updated)

NDH Fees: Convention - $425, Groups - $95 per dancer per group, Duets/Trios - $105 per dancer, Solos - $215


*Additional fees are included under each add on opportunity listed below.


Entry Fee Notes:

  • Add On Experiences (Honored Dancer, Video Crew, Senior Experience) must be decided upon by April 1st. Please e-mail us to confirm which add-ons (if any) your child would like to partake in. More information on each add on can be found below.

  • National entry fees are always more expensive than regionals. The convention fee is higher due to the 4 days of classes, with an optional 5th day as well. 

  • The following groups receive free entry into Nationals based on their placement at Adrenaline: California, The Louvre, The Chain, Down Stage Crew, Blue Crew, Up Stage Crew, Americano, and I’m The Man.

  • Honored Dancer Nominees & Elite Honored Dancer Nominees receive free convention for Nationals.

  • Entry fees will be added to your Payment Portal account by April 15th.

  • Please make sure to turn in all National entry fees by cash/checks no later than May 5th. Checks should be payable to Center Stage.

  • If you plan to pay by credit card, please let us know before May 5th so we can add the 3% credit card processing fee to your balance.


Transportation & Lodging:

  • The host hotel and event venue for NDH is the Caribe Royal Orlando: 8101 World Center Dr., Orlando, FL 32821.

  • If you are flying roundtrip to Orlando, we suggest booking your airline tickets soon. Please read the Days to Arrive at Nationals and Leaving Nationals sections below before purchasing tickets.

  • Any questions about hotel options and help with booking hotels can be sent to Joanne Smith at joanne.smith@memoriesandmomentstravel.net


Solos for Nationals:

  • All Elite & Pre-Pro dancers are allowed to compete ONE solo for nationals. Click on the Nationals tab of our Solos/Duets/Trios Sheet and let us know which solo your child would like to compete or if it should be changed or removed. 

  • Honored Dancer Nominees can compete up to TWO solos at Nationals: one for the honored dancer competition and one for the Nationals competition (for overalls). An Honored Dancer Nominee may not compete the same solo for both competitions, but may choose to only compete in the Honored Dancer competition. More info on Honored Dancer Nominees can be found below and will be e-mailed separately as well.


Nationals Practices:

  • We will hold Nationals Practices on June 30th, July 1st, July 2nd, July 3rd, and July 5th. Times will range from 10:00 am - 9:00 pm.

  • Please do not leave for Nationals before July 6th, so your child does not miss any Nationals Practices.

  • We will finish with a Pep Rally on the evening of July 5th at Lee Eaton Elementary Park after practices.

  • We will rehearse longer with each group this year vs. last year. We want our groups to look their absolute best because of how far this Nationals is and how important it is to our studio!

  • We are working on the nationals practice schedule and will send it out when it is complete.

  • Solo privates will be scheduled around group rehearsals, but know that group rehearsals are the priority.


Days to Arrive at Nationals:

  • Please do not leave for Nationals before July 6th, so your child does not miss any Nationals Practices.

  • Monday, July 8: All dancers competing a solo at Nationals should arrive in Orlando by Monday, July 8th, as all solos competing in the Nationals competition perform on Tuesday, July 9th. If your child does not have a solo, there are optional convention classes on Tuesday, July 9th as well that they can take.

  • Tuesday, July 9: ALL remaining Elite & Pre-Pro dancers must arrive in Orlando by the evening of Tuesday, July 9th. Wednesday, July 10th starts with convention classes in the morning, which are mandatory for all CSDS dancers. 


Leaving Nationals:

  • Please expect to stay at the venue until 5:00 pm on Sunday, July 14th. We will not know which of our dances will be re-competing in the NDH Gala until we are at the event. Because of this, it is important that our families DO NOT book flights to leave before this time. 


ADD ON EXPERIENCES

Honored Dancer Experience: For dancers who received the Honored Dancer Nominee or Elite Honored Dancer Nominee scholarship at Adrenaline.

Video Crew: ALL Elite & Pre-Pro dancers who are not a part of the Honored Dancer Experience may choose to participate in the Video Crew Experience. 

Senior Experience: All graduating seniors may participate in this experience. It does not overlap with the Honored Dancer or Video Crew experiences. 

*Please let us know by April 1st if your child will be participating in any of the following three experiences.


Honored Dancer Experience:

  • Mini, Junior, Teen, and Senior dancers who received an Honored Dancer Nominee scholarship at Adrenaline during the 2023-2024 regional season are invited to participate in the Honored Dancer Crew Experience (additional fees apply). 

  • Participants learn a production number from the faculty that will be performed in the final gala. 

  • The fee to participate in the Honored Dancer Experience is $475. The fee includes Honored Crew rehearsals & performance, Honored Dancer solo entry fee, an Honored Crew t-shirt & jacket, and an Honored Crew bag. 

  • Honored Dancer Nominees & Elite Honored Dancer Nominees receive free convention for Nationals. This scholarship does not include the Honored Dancer entry fee.

  • Dancers are unable to participate in both the Honored Dancer Experience and Video Crew as rehearsals overlap.

  • The top Honored Dancer finalists will re-compete their solo for the NDH Faculty in the Honored Dancer Final Competition. Scores will be wiped clean giving all dancers a chance at the title.

  • National solos cannot be the same as a registered Honored Dancer Solo. We will be e-mailing our Honored Dancers to find out if they will be competing two solos at Nationals, need to have a solo or second solo choreographed before Nationals, or will not be competing in either the Nationals solo competition or the Honored Dancer Experience. 


Video Crew Experience:

  • The Video Crew experience is overseen by the Amplified Media Team and select Faculty members. This exciting opportunity is open to all Mini, Junior, Teen, and Senior dancers not participating in the Honored Dancer Crew Experience. 

  • The fee to participate in the Video Crew is $225. Regional Video Crew scholarships may be applied towards this fee, however a scholarship is not required for participation in Video Crew. 

  • Video Crew is designed to give participants a sampling of what it's like to be on set for a professional video shoot. The experience will involve dance and movement on camera, as well as acting, and lessons in camerawork, shot selection, blocking, lighting, etc.

  • The Video Crew will be filmed over the course of the week during dedicated shooting blocks that can be found on the NDH event schedule. 

  • There will be an edited feature as well as a deliverable following the NDH event. Those involved in the shoot will be granted access to the edited Video Crews and behind-the-scenes photos.


Graduating Senior Experience:

  • All dancers from the graduating class of 2024 are invited to perform during the NDH Gala in the Graduating Senior Experience. 

  • Dancers must be registered for the full workshop and attend all scheduled rehearsals to participate. 

  • There is no fee to be part of this experience and it can be combined with either the Video Crew or the Honored Dancer Experience.


*We will potentially have multiple groups re-competing in either the Honored Studio Competition on Saturday, July 13th or the final Gala on Sunday, July 14th. This is why it's important that our dancers do not leave nationals early. Read about these opportunities below:


Honored Studio Competition:

  • One of our biggest goals in attending NDH is getting the opportunity to compete for Honored Studio - the studio of the year competition at Nationals. 

  • In order to be considered for this competition, our studio must have 1 group represented in both the 12 & under and 13 & over age groups in each of five categories: Contemporary, Jazz, Hip Hop, Tap, and Ballet. We will be having two Ballet groups choreographed for nationals for this very reason, and the dancers who have been asked to be in these dances have already been e-mailed. 

  • We have not chosen the groups that will represent us in the other categories and will be waiting to do so until after our final regional competition of the season. 

  • We will not know if we are chosen for the Honored Studio Competition until our groups compete at Nationals. The top-scoring studios will be entered into the competition. 

  • The Honored Studio Competition takes place on the evening of Saturday, July 13th. 


Honored Performance:

  • If we have a top-3 scoring group routine from an age division, that group will be invited to re-compete in the final night gala. There is a limit of 1 routine per age group per studio.

  • This must be a group that is NOT an Honored Wildcard or a routine performing in the Honored Studio competition.


Honored Wildcard:

  • We will be choosing 1 group routine to represent us in the Wildcard Competition during the final night gala. 

  • This must be a group that is NOT an Honored Performance finalist or a routine performing in the Honored Studio competition.


Convention Schedule: Tentative Orlando NDH Schedule

Competition Schedule: Sent 7-10 days before the event


You are welcome to read through the NDH Rules & Regulations Packet, which reiterates much of the information in this email.

We appreciate you doing your best to take in all of this information before reaching out with questions :) Please direct all questions to Ari (company@centerstageohio.com) as she will be registering our entries for Nationals. 


Thanks!

-Mitchel, Ari, & Alyssa

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