The Alive Experience is made up of 4 elements: The Convention, The Showcase, The Competition, and The Showdown. Think of The Convention and The Showcase as being paired together, and The Competition and The Showdown as being paired together.

The Convention is the first portion of the day. During this time, dancers will participate in master classes and learn from professionals in the industry. By registering for The Convention, you are automatically registered for The Showcase which will take place immediately following The Convention. The Showcase is an opportunity for all dancers to perform the pieces that they learned during The Convention in a casual, low pressure environment. Parents, guardians, and teachers are welcome to come to The Showcase and see what the dancers learned during The Convention.

After The Convention and The Showcase, there will be a brief break in the day - at this point, dancers who are not registered for The Competition and/or The Showdown are free to go home. Dancers who are registered for The Competition and/or The Showdown will get ready to perform and compete.

The Competition and The Showdown together make up Alive Dance Tour's very own dance show. The Competition is the first portion of the show. Solos, duets, trios, and groups can enter and perform routines. All routines will receive written feedback from Alive Dance Tours faculty members and be eligible for placement awards, special awards, and an overall top prize. Following The Competition, The Showdown will provide individual dancers the opportunity to improv in their favorite style. Dancers will choose a style (contemporary, jazz, or hip hop) and go head to head with other dancers in an improv competition.

Dancers will be taking classes in jazz, contemporary, and hip hop, so they should wear clothing that they feel comfortable dancing in for each of these styles. Dancers are more than welcome to add/shed layers from class to class (i.e. wearing sweatpants over shorts during hip hop and taking them off for contemporary, etc.). The most important thing is that dancers are comfortable taking class in what they choose to wear.

No, parents do not need observer bands to attend The Showcase. However, if they would like to watch any classes during The Convention, they would need to purchase an Observer band to do so.

Absolutely! Any dancer registered for The Convention can attend The Competition and The Showdown for no additional cost. They will simply show their wristband at the door.

The Competition and The Showdown are the competitive elements of The Alive Experience. Because of this, dancers may want to consider hair, makeup, and costuming for these elements.

Nope! We completely understand that improv is a very specific skill and that not all dancers are interested or feel comfortable freestyling on stage in front of other dancers. The Showdown is an optional add on for dancers who are interested. Dancers participating in The Competition but not in The Showdown will join the audience during that portion of the show.

While parents, guardians, and teacher do not need observer bands/tickets for The Showcase, they DO need an Audience Ticket to be in the audience during The Competition and The Showdown. Observer bands from The Convention include admission into The Competition and The Showdown.