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Registration & Payment
Studios should create and maintain their roster through the On Stage America registration portal. Once the roster is complete, routines may be entered. Schedules and routine numbers will be posted to the studio account.
Payment may be made online by credit card or by check. Credit card payments carry a 3% service fee, including payments made by phone. Checks should be payable to On Stage America (OSA). Checks received by the published deadline do not carry a surcharge.
Returned checks are subject to a $35 fee. After a returned check, future payment must be made by cashier's check or money order. Registration is not complete until full payment is received. Entry fees are non-refundable.
Competition schedules are generally available through the registration portal about 10 days before the event.
Open registration portal02
Refunds & Waivers
Refunds
Entry fees are non-refundable at both regional and national competitions. Gift certificates may be issued only in cases of documented injury or illness and will be issued directly to the studio.
Waivers
A signed parent or guardian consent form is required for every minor before the competition date.
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Late Entries
Late entries may be accepted up to three weeks before a competition when space is available. Entries received fewer than three weeks before the competition are subject to a late fee equal to 10% of the entry fees.
Payment submitted after the published deadline must be made by cashier's check, money order, or credit card. Mailed payments should use a tracked service that requires a signature and provides proof of delivery.
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Entry Divisions & Time Limits
| Division | Group size | Time limit |
|---|---|---|
| Solo | 1 performer | 2:45 |
| Duo/Trio | 2-3 performers | 2:45 |
| Small Group | 4-9 performers | 3:00 |
| Large Group | 10-19 performers | 4:00 |
| Line | 20+ performers | 5:00 |
| Production | 15+ performers | 8:00 |
- Time limits may be extended with prior approval from an OSA director and an additional fee.
- Solo and duo/trio dancers may not compete against themselves in the same category.
- Advanced dancers may enter up to three solos, intermediate dancers two, and novice dancers one.
- An entry performing outside its scheduled division is eligible for adjudication only and cannot receive high-score awards unless OSA scheduled the change.
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Competitive Levels
Novice
For dancers with no competition experience or first-year competitors. Mini dancers are exempt.
Intermediate
For dancers taking fewer than five hours of classes each week.
Advanced
For dancers training more than five hours each week.
Weekly training limits are placement guidelines. Studio directors are expected to use their best judgment when assigning each dancer's competitive level.
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Age Divisions
| Division | Age |
|---|---|
| Mini | 6 and under |
| Petite | 7-9 |
| Junior | 10-12 |
| Teen | 13-15 |
| Senior | 16-21 |
| OSA Adults | 22 and older |
Teachers: Anyone over age 18 receiving monetary compensation for services to a studio.
Pro-Am: A teacher performing in a routine with one or more students.
- All ages are calculated as of January 1 of the event year.
- For entries other than solos, average all performer ages and drop the decimal.
- Full names, ages, and birth dates must be included with registration.
- In small groups, large groups, and lines, no more than 50% of dancers may be older than the average age division. Otherwise, the routine moves to the appropriate older division.
- This 50% rule does not apply to Petite groups, Petite lines, or productions.
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Performance Music
Music must be uploaded at least five days before the event and associated with the correct routine. Studio teachers are responsible for confirming that every upload is complete, playable, and assigned correctly.
Studios must also bring backup music on a USB drive in a format playable on OSA computers. MP3 files with a bit rate of at least 128 kbps are preferred. Protected files, including some iTunes formats, may not play.
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Performance Categories
| Category | Description |
|---|---|
| Acro | Gymnastic passes, flexibility moves, or contortion combined with dance movement and choreography. |
| Ballet | Ballet technique, classical steps, and movements performed in soft shoes. |
| Character | At least 50% characterization, such as a clown or puppet, and 50% dance. |
| Cheer | Cheerleading, pom, drill team, or kick line. |
| Clogging | Clogging technique and style. |
| Contemporary | Ballet, modern, and jazz influences using movement and emotion to tell a story. |
| Hip-Hop | Primarily hip-hop technique and movement. |
| Jazz | Primarily jazz technique. A maximum of three acro or tumbling tricks is permitted. |
| Lyrical | Control, musicality, and techniques found in ballet and modern dance. |
| Modern | Interpretive dance patterned after modern technique, including Graham technique. |
| Musical Theatre | Musical comedy or Broadway-style dance. Mime and lip-syncing are permitted. |
| Pointe | The same criteria as ballet, performed in pointe shoes. |
| Song & Dance | Both live singing and dancing. Recorded lead vocals are not permitted. |
| Tap | Tap technique. |
| Vocal | Live singing only. Recorded lead vocals are not permitted. |
| Open | Any form of dance not represented by another listed category. |
09
Title Competition
Title competition is open to advanced soloists. Vocal solos are not eligible. Titles are awarded in the Mini, Petite, Junior, Teen, and Senior age divisions for Miss or Mr. On Stage America.
Judges may nominate up to 10 dancers in each age category based on showmanship, overall presentation, and technique. A score of Hi-Platinum or higher is required for eligibility, but does not guarantee a nomination.
Nominees re-perform approximately the first minute of their nominated routine during a designated title session. The emcee will fade the music near the one-minute mark. Performance order is selected by the judges, and dancers who are not ready during the title session cannot compete at another time.
Title winners receive a trophy and OSA dollars. The highest adjudication score does not guarantee the title.
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General Information
Costumes & Content
OSA is a family-oriented event. Costumes, choreography, and lyrics must be age-appropriate and suitable for family viewing. Suggestive or violent material may result in disqualification.
Props & Lighting
Props must be set and removed within a combined two-minute period. Baby powder, helium balloons, dangerous props, and outside backdrops are prohibited. Studio staff must immediately clean any material left onstage. Special lighting requests cannot be accommodated; routines perform under a full stage wash.
Photography & Recording
Cameras and recording devices are not permitted in the auditorium. Photography is allowed only during awards. Studio owners are responsible for communicating this restriction to parents and guests.
Incomplete Routines
A dancer who leaves the stage before completing a routine may perform again, but the second performance is eligible for adjudication only and cannot receive high-score awards.
Media Authorization
Contestants authorize OSA to use event photographs and video for promotional and advertising purposes.
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Schedule & Event Timing
Dancers must be checked in with the backstage manager and ready to perform one hour before their scheduled time. OSA events may run ahead of schedule.
The published performance order must be followed unless OSA approves a change in advance. Failure to follow the schedule may result in loss of eligibility for the awards ceremony or high-score awards. Studio owners should review schedules immediately and submit conflict requests through the teacher portal within the allowed correction period.
Dancers causing unwarranted delays may become ineligible for high-score awards. OSA reserves the right to extend or reduce competition days and to change the competition location when necessary.
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Adjudication & Awards
Scoring is based on a 100-point system. Trophies or plaques are awarded at each adjudication level, and special awards may be presented during each competition.
| Adjudication | Score |
|---|---|
| Diamond | 98.00-100 |
| Hi-Platinum | 94.00-97.99 |
| Platinum | 90.00-93.99 |
| Hi-Gold | 87.00-89.99 |
| Gold | 80.00-86.99 |
| Hi-Silver | 77.00-79.99 |
| Silver | 76.99 and below |
Best Choreography awards may be presented in the Petite, Junior, Teen, and Senior advanced divisions. Duo/trio and group dancers receive award ribbons. Studios receive a plaque listing each routine and its award; solo and duo/trio entries receive an individual plaque or trophy.
Top Choreography and Most Entertaining awards are presented for 12 & Under and 13 & Over. Individual group dancers receive a pin for each routine.
Top Student Choreographer
An Advanced Student Choreographer award may be presented when at least three different choreographers compete in the Student Choreography category.
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High Score Awards
High-score awards are issued as credit toward Nationals entry fees or another OSA competition taking place within one year.
| Entry | Award |
|---|---|
| Solo | $75 |
| Duo/Trio | $75 |
| Small Group | $100 |
| Large Group | $100 |
| Line | $100 |
| Production | $150 |
| Pro-Am Group | $100 |
- Vocal routines receive separate high-score awards.
- A soloist may place only once in the Overall Top 10 High Scores.
- Novice routines must earn at least Gold to qualify for overall awards.
- Intermediate routines must earn at least Hi-Gold to qualify for overall awards.
- Advanced routines must earn at least Platinum to qualify for overall high-score awards.
- All high-score awards are issued to the dance studio.
- Teachers and adult dancers are not eligible for high-score awards.
