Which Instrument will you become?
YOUR Stage is Set for 2025!
STEP 1 – Click the link above to register for all of your competition divisions (opens March 1)
Early bird pricing for competition entry fees ends on Saturday May 31st, 2025.
In advance pricing from Sunday June 1st to Monday August 25th, 2025.
Entry fees are non-refundable.
STEP 2 – Purchase your Event Pass or Full Pass via the Tickets page on our site.
ALL competitors MUST be paid attendees at the Musicality World Dance Competition and must purchase an Event Pass or Competitor Event Pass or the Full Pass or Full Competitor Pass. No exceptions.
STEP 3 – If competing in a choreography division, submit your music by August 1st (link will be posted by May 1st below)
STEP 4 – Onsite at the venue, check in for your competition divisions based on the schedule posted on our schedule page. Checking in means going to the competition table to receive your competitor number and ensure that you are listed in the correct divisions. If you are competing on multiple days and times, you only need to check in once.
Important: Spots in the competition divisions are limited due to time constraints and may sell out. Your spot will only be reserved once payment has been received. Please register early to avoid disappointment.
DEFINITIONS:
1. Musicality means to connect with the music, to feel the music and to be a part of the music, to experience it on one’s skin and to be fully transported by allowing it to enter and guide our emotions. The dancer’s body becomes the translated language of music and the combination of emotions is translated into movement.
2. Free Art Musicality Division means that any of the following genres of dance and music can be chosen/played: Classical, Latin, Urban, Jazz, Blues, Pop/Rock or Afro.
3. Toque: Santería religious practice is mainly centered on the worship of the orishas. Addressed to the orishas is the ritual of Toque de santo, which allows the deities to be invoked through song, dance and the rhythm of the batá.
4. A couple is defined as one male dancer and one female dancer.
5. A duo is defined as two dancers of the same gender.
6. An Amateur dancer is defined as a hobby dancer that has not taught a class nor assisted in workshops or classes.
7. A Professional dancer is defined as a dancer that gets paid to teach or to perform. Dance is their profession (or their part time profession).
8. A Pro-Am couple is defined as a professional dancer or dance teacher dancing with their student or an amateur dancer.
9. The judging panel at the Musicality World Dance Competition will consist of both professional dancers and professional musicians.
10. For team choreography divisions, a team must have a minimum of 3 dancers and a maximum of 10 dancers.
11. The level of all team divisions is open. The dancers on a team can be any level – all amateur dancers or all professional dancers or a mix of amateur and professional.
12. A choreography division means that the dancers will each perform a prepared choreography to a recorded song of their choice.
Maximum time 1:30 minutes for solos, couples and duos.
Maximum time for teams 2:30 minutes.
13. For the Free Art Choreography Division, any genre of dance and music can be used.
14. For 15 and Under divisions, the dancer must be 15 years old or younger on the day of the competition.
15. In all divisions, the costume can be any style but should represent your personality because it is important that the competitors feel 100% themselves.
The Musicality divisions will have a pure focus on improvisation and will be conducted to a live orchestra.
The concept for the division: WHICH INSTRUMENT WILL YOU BECOME?
The costume can be any style but should represent your personality because it is important that the competitors feel 100% themselves.
SALSA MUSICALITY SOLO, COUPLE & SAME GENDER DUO DIVISIONS:
QUALIFYING ROUND:
*Please note the below rules apply to all Salsa Improvisation divisions (solos, couples & duos)
1. The competitor(s) comes onstage for their improvisation round and announces to the judges which instrument they will become (Piano, bass, trumpet, congas, timbales, drums, batá).
2. The DJ will play a Salsa song randomly selected from a list of songs decided upon in advance by the organizers. This list of songs will be posted on the website by June 1st.
3. The competitor(s) will not know which song they will be dancing to until the song begins.
4. The competitor(s) will improvise to the song being played. After approximately 30 seconds of general dance improvisation, the DJ, using software created for the Musicality World Dance Competition, will isolate the instrument that the competitor chose. This is when the dancer(s) will “become” that instrument in their improvisation. They will improvise to the isolated instrument for 20 seconds. The competitor’s goal is to improvise exactly to the emphasis and musicality of the solo instrument, to express and reflect all of the musicality that they hear from the instrument through improvisation.
5. The competitor will then finish with another 30 seconds of general dance improvisation. The total time the competitor(s) will be dancing/improvising is approximately 1:30 minutes.
After the qualifying rounds, the results of who will advance to the semi finals will be published and announced on stage.
Then the pairs of dancers that will duel against each other in the semi finals will be randomly selected out of a hat and announced.
SEMI FINAL ROUND:
1. For the semi finals, the 2 competitors dueling will each choose randomly out of a hat the instrument that they will become (Piano, bass, trumpet, congas, timbales, drums, batá) and who does the first solo.
2. The orchestra will play a Salsa song randomly selected from a list of songs decided upon in advance by the organizers. These songs will be published on the website by June 1st.
3. The two competitors dueling will not know which song they will be dancing to until the orchestra starts playing.
4. Competitor #1 will improvise to the song being played, facing the judges and the audience. After approximately 20 seconds of general dance improvisation, the musician playing the first chosen instrument will start their solo. The musician will present the melody and the first phrases to competitor #1. Competitor #1 will pay careful attention to the solo musician for 4 measures (ie 4 counts of 8, 4 basics or 4 clave). NOTE: the competitor can continue dancing basics or can stand and listen. The competitor will not be judged on their dancing during the listening phase. The musician will then replay the same phrases and this is when Competitor #1 will “become” that instrument in their improvisation. The competitor’s goal is to express and reflect all of the musicality that they hear from the instrument through improvisation.
5. Competitor #2 is watching during the first solo.
6. Once the first solo by competitor #1 is complete, Competitor #2 will then have their first turn to improvise, repeating the exact same format listed above to the instrument that Competitor #2 chose.
7. Competitor #1 is watching during competitor #2’s solo.
8. Competitor #1 and #2 will duel 2 times,repeating the 20 seconds of general dance improvisation and then dancing to the solo musician – always for 4 measures at a time and always to the instrument they each chose randomly at the start.
9. The total time each competitor will be dancing/improvising is approximately 1:30 minutes.
10. In each duel, one competitor will be chosen by the judges to move on to the final round and one competitor will be eliminated.
11. NOTE: If a competitor is eliminated in the semi final duel round, and they feel they deserve to be in the finals, they can apply to the judging panel for a second chance. If the majority of the judges say yes, then that competitor will be allowed to do a solo improvisation one more time. The song will be randomly selected and could be a recorded song from a list of songs pre selected from the organizers or could be the orchestra playing live. If the majority of the judges say yes for that competitor to then move to finals, they advance. If not, they are eliminated. This second chance will be determined by a simple yes or no (not marks).
FINAL ROUND:
1. The orchestra will play a Salsa song randomly selected from a list of songs decided upon in advance by the organizers. These will be different songs than the ones used in the qualifying rounds. These songs will NOT be published in advance.
2. The competitor will not know which song they will be dancing to until the orchestra starts playing.
3. No specific instrument will be chosen by the competitor.
4. The competitor will improvise to the song being played. After approximately 30 seconds of general dance improvisation, the orchestra will present and play 4 measures (ie 4 counts of 8 or 4 basics or 4 clave). The competitor will pay careful attention to the orchestra for 4 measures (ie 4 counts of 8, 4 basics or 4 clave). NOTE: the competitor can continue dancing basics or can stand and listen. The competitor will not be judged on their dancing during the listening phase. The orchestra will then replay the same 4 measures and the dancer will “become” the instruments and the music in their improvisation. The competitor’s goal is to express and reflect ALL of the musicality that they hear from the full orchestra during their improvisation.
5. This will be repeated 2 more times (for a total of 3 mini improvisational solos by the dancer).
6. The competitor will finish with a final 30 seconds of general dance improvisation to the whole orchestra.
7. The total time the competitor will be dancing/improvising is approximately 1:30 minutes.
8. The dancer that becomes the music – with their expression, their passion, their soul, with the accents, the breaks, the musicality and creativity – that dancer will be the winner.
SALSA MUSICALITY DIVISIONS:
Salsa Musicality Solo Female, 15 years & Under
Salsa Musicality Solo Male, 15 years & Under
Salsa Musicality Solo Female, Amateur
Salsa Musicality Solo Male, Amateur
Salsa Musicality Solo Female, Professional
Salsa Musicality Solo Male, Professional
Salsa Musicality Couple, 15 years & Under
Salsa Musicality Couple, Amateur
Salsa Musicality Couple, Professional
Salsa Musicality Same Gender Duo Female, 15 years & Under
Salsa Musicality Same Gender Duo Male, 15 years & Under
Salsa Musicality Same Gender Duo Female, Amateur
Salsa Musicality Same Gender Duo Male, Amateur
Salsa Musicality Same Gender Duo Female, Professional
Salsa Musicality Same Gender Duo Male, Professional
AFRO CUBAN DIVISIONS: SOLOS
QUALIFYING ROUND:
1. The orchestra will play a toque (these will be shared on the website by June 1st).
2. The dancer will then need to identify and state which toque it is.
3. The orchestra will repeat the toque and the dancer will improvise and interpret the toque for 45 seconds.
SEMI FINAL ROUND:
1. For the semi finals, the two competitors dueling will listen to the orchestra play the toque.
2. Each competitor will identify and state the toque.
3. The orchestra will then repeat the toque and competitor #1 will improvise and interpret the toque for 45 seconds.
4. The orchestra will repeat the same toque and competitor #2 will then improvise and interpret the toque for 45 seconds.
5. The competitors will dance facing the judges and the audience.
6. Competitor #2 is watching during the first solo and vice versa.
7. In each duel, one competitor will be chosen by the judges to move on to the final round and one competitor will be eliminated.
8. NOTE: If a competitor is eliminated in the semi final duel round, and they feel they deserve to be in the finals, they can apply to the judging panel for a second chance. If the majority of the judges say yes based on the competitor’s technique and interpretation, then that competitor will be allowed to do a solo improvisation one more time. The Afro Cuban song will be randomly selected and could be a recorded song from a list of songs pre selected from the organizers or could be the orchestra playing live. If the majority of the judges say yes for that competitor to then move to finals, they advance. If not, they are eliminated. This second chance, will be given a score of simply yes or no (not marks).
FINAL ROUND:
1. The dancer will listen to the orchestra play the toque.
2. The dancer will need to identify and state which toque it is.
3. The orchestra will then repeat the toque and the dancer will then improvise and interpret the toque for 1 minute.
AFRO CUBAN DIVISIONS:
Afro Cuban Solo Female, 15 & Under
Afro Cuban Solo Male, 15 & Under
Afro Cuban Solo Female, Amateur
Afro Cuban Solo Male, Amateur
Afro Cuban Solo Female, Professional
Afro Cuban Solo Male, Professional
FREE ART DIVISIONS – SOLOS & DUOS
These are improvisation divisions and dancing will be to a live orchestra.
In the Free Art Division, any genre of music can be played including Classical, Latin, Urban, Jazz, Blues, Pop/Rock, or Afro.
The concept of the division: BECOME THE MUSIC
QUALIFYING ROUND:
1. The competitor comes onstage for their improvisation round and selects a genre of music randomly from the hat (Classical, Latin, Urban, Jazz, Blues, Pop/Rock, or Afro).
2. Once the genre has been chosen, the competitor will then choose a number (1 through 5) randomly from the hat.
3. The orchestra will play the song associated with the genre and the number chosen.
4. The competitor will improvise to the song being played for 1 minute.
5. Note that the organizers will list on the website 5 songs per genre ahead of time and the orchestra will play one of the songs from the list. The 5 songs per genre will be well known/popular songs. The songs will be published on the website by June 1st.
After the qualifying rounds are finished, the results of who will advance to the Semi finals will be published and announced on stage.
The pairs of dancers that will be dueling in the semi finals will be randomly selected and also announced on stage.
SEMI FINAL ROUND:
1. For the semi finals, the 2 competitors dueling will dance to the same genre and song.
2. Competitor #1 will randomly choose a genre out of the hat.
3. Competitor #2 will randomly choose a number from 1-5 out of a hat (associated with the song choice).
4. The MC will randomly select from the hat which competitor will be the first to dance.
5. The orchestra will play the song associated with the genre and number chosen for competitor #1. 6. The competitor will improvise to the song being played, facing the judges and the audience, for 1 minute.
7. Competitor #2 is watching during the first solo.
8. Once competitor #1 has danced, competitor #2 will then do their improvisation to the same genre and song, also for 1 minute.
9. Note that the organizers will list on the website 5 songs per genre ahead of time and the orchestra will play one of the songs from the list. The 5 songs per genre will be well known/popular songs.
10. The two competitors dueling will not know which song they will be dancing to until the orchestra starts playing.
11. In each duel, one competitor will be chosen by the judges to move on to the final round and one competitor will be eliminated.
12. NOTE: If a competitor is eliminated in the semi final duel round, and they feel they deserve to be in the finals, they can apply to the judging panel for a second chance. If the majority of the judges say yes, then that competitor will be allowed to do a solo improvisation one more time. The genre and song will be randomly selected and could be a recorded song from a list of songs pre selected from the organizers or could be the orchestra playing live. If the majority of the judges say yes for that competitor to then move to finals, they advance. If not, they are eliminated. This second chance will be determined by a simple yes or no (not marks).
FINAL ROUND:
1. The competitor comes onstage for their improvisation round and selects a genre of music randomly from the hat (classical, Latin, urban, jazz, pop/rock, blues or Afro).
2. Once the genre has been chosen, the competitor will then choose a number (1 through 5) randomly from the hat.
3. The orchestra will play the song associated with the genre and number chosen.
4. These songs will NOT be listed on the website but they will be well known/popular songs.
5. The competitor will improvise to the song being played for 1:00 minute.
FREE ART DIVISIONS:
Free Art Solo Female, 15 years & Under
Free Art Solo Male, 15 years & Under
Free Art Solo Female, Amateur
Free Art Solo Male, Amateur
Free Art Solo Female, Professional
Free Art Solo Male, Professional
Free Art Same Gender Duo Female, 15 years & Under
Free Art Same Gender Duo Male, 15 years & Under
Free Art Same Gender Duo Female, Amateur
Free Art Same Gender Duo Male, Amateur
Free Art Same Gender Duo Female, Professional
Free Art Same Gender Duo Male, Professional
BACHATA MUSICALITY DIVISIONS: SOLOS & COUPLES
The Bachata Musicality divisions will have a pure focus on improvisation.
The music will be randomly selected by the DJ based on a playlist created by the organizers.
The concept for the division: BECOME THE MUSIC.
The costume can be any style but should represent your personality.
QUALIFYING ROUND:
1. The competitor(s) comes onstage for their improvisation round and selects a number (1 through 10) randomly from the hat.
2. The DJ will play the song associated with the number chosen.
3. The competitor(s) will improvise to the song being played for 1 minute.
4. Note: The organizers will list on the website 10 Bachata songs ahead of time and the DJ will play one of the songs from the list. The songs will be posted on the website by June 1st.
After the qualifying rounds, the results of who will advance to the Semi finals will be published and announced on stage.
The pairs of dancers that will be dueling in the semi finals will be randomly selected and also announced on stage.
SEMI FINAL ROUND:
1. For the semi finals, the two competitors dueling will dance to the same song.
2. The MC will randomly select from the hat which competitor will be the first to dance.
3. The MC will randomly select a number from 1-10 out of a hat.
4. The DJ will play the song associated with the number selected for competitor #1.
5. Competitor #1 will improvise to the song being played, facing the judges and the audience, for 1 minute.
6. Competitor #2 is watching during the first solo.
7. Once competitor #1 has danced, competitor #2 will then do their improvisation to the same song, also for 1 minute.
8. The organizers will list on the website 10 songs ahead of time and the DJ will play one of the songs from the list.
9. In each duel, one competitor will be chosen by the judges to move on to the final round and one competitor will be eliminated.
10. NOTE: If a competitor is eliminated in the semi final duel round, and they feel they deserve to be in the finals, they can apply to the judging panel for a second chance. If the majority of the judges say yes, then that competitor will be allowed to do a solo improvisation one more time. The genre and song will be randomly selected and could be a recorded song from a list of songs pre selected from the organizers or could be the orchestra playing live. If the majority of the judges say yes for that competitor to then move to finals, they advance. If not, they are eliminated. This second chance will be determined by a simple yes or no (not marks).
FINAL ROUND:
1. The competitor(s) comes onstage and selects a number (1 through 10) randomly from the hat.
2. The DJ will play the song associated with the number chosen.
3. The competitor(s) will improvise to the song being played for 1 minute.
4. These songs will NOT be listed on the website but they will be popular Bachata songs.
BACHATA MUSICALITY DIVISIONS:
Bachata Musicality Solo Female, 15 years & Under
Bachata Musicality Solo Male, 15 years & Under
Bachata Musicality Solo Female, Amateur
Bachata Musicality Solo Male, Amateur
Bachata Musicality Solo Female, Professional
Bachata Musicality Solo Male, Professional
Bachata Musicality Couple, 15 years & younger
Bachata Musicality Couple, Amateur
Bachata Musicality Couple, Professional
1. The teams will first listen to the orchestra play 3 different Salsa songs (1 minute each in length).
2. The team director will scan a QR code and download the 3 songs into their phones.
3. The team will choose one of the 3 songs and create a 1:00 minute choreography in 2 hours.
4. The team will then perform their choreography onstage accompanied by the live orchestra.
If less than 15 teams enter, than this is a final round. If there are more than 15 teams, the top 5 teams will be selected by the judges and will perform their choreography creations one more time for the judges to select the top 3.
Number of dancers on a team must be between 3 and 10.
The divisions include:
Professional Choreographer Award, Salsa Musicality
Professional Choreographer Award, Free Art*
Professional Choreographer Award, Afro Cuban
Video Audition:
To enter any of these three divisions, choreographers must apply in advance by sending in a video of their choreography to Angelo Rito at info@musicalitydancecompetition.com.
The choreographer can be one of the dancers in the video submission or it can be only the dancers that they train.
Minimum time for choreography is 1:30 minutes.
Maximum time is 2:30 minutes.
Deadline for submission is June 1st, 2025.
Selection will be made by June 15th and the choreographers notified by email.
A maximum of 10 choreographers will be selected per division.
Competition:
The choreographers that are selected will bring their choreography to be performed on stage. The choreography can consist of a couple, a duo or a team. The choreographer may or may not be one of the performers.
The choreographer has freedom of expression and creativity. The choreography must be balanced. For example: If the dancer has acrobatic skills, he/she may include lifts and tricks but the choreographer must remember that the choreography must have musicality throughout. If tricks are added, they must be at the same level of the dance technique and continue to be artistic and musical.
*Free Art means that any genre of music and dance is allowed including but not limited to Classical, Jazz, Blues, Contemporary, Ballet, Urban, Flamenco, Latin, etc.
HEATED MUSICALITY IMPROVISATION DIVISIONS:
1. In the heated divisions, several soloists or couples will dance on the stage at the same time to music played by the live orchestra.
2. The songs played will be selected randomly by the MC and the dancers will not know which song will be played until the orchestra begins.
3. Each heat generally lasts 1:15 – 1:30 minutes.
4. No lifts or tricks are permitted.
Heats are improvisation divisions.
For the solo heated divisions, the dancer will be improvising shines to the orchestra.
If it is a couple division, the dancers will be dancing and improvising as a lead/follow.
The competitors are being judged on their musicality and creativity and ability to reflect whatever music is played as well as their technique, connection and presentation.
HEATED DIVISIONS:
Salsa Musicality Solo Heated Division Female, 15 years & Under
Salsa Musicality Solo Heated Division Male, 15 years & Under
Salsa Musicality Solo Heated Division Female, Amateur
Salsa Musicality Solo Heated Division Male, Amateur
Salsa Musicality Solo Heated Division Female, Professional
Salsa Musicality Solo Heated Division Male, Professional
Salsa Musicality Couple Heated Division, 15 years & Under
Salsa Musicality Couple Heated Division, Amateur
Salsa Musicality Couple Heated Division, Professional
Salsa Musicality Pro Am Couple Heated Division Female, 15 years & Under
Salsa Musicality Pro Am Couple Heated Division Male, 15 years & Under
Salsa Musicality Pro Am Couple Heated Division Female
Salsa Musicality Pro Am Couple Heated Division Male
Dancers competing in these divisions will each perform a prepared choreography to a recorded song of their choice.
Maximum time 1:30 minutes for solos, couples and duos.
Maximum time for teams 2:30 minutes.
1. It is NOT allowed to add sound effects to enhance the music. If a dancer enhances their song with sound effects, the head judge will deduct 0.5 marks from each judge’s final score.
2. It is PERMITTED to combine a maximum of three songs for the choreography portion. If songs are combined in your choreography, the judges (a mix of professional dancers and musicians) will also be judging how well the music was combined.
3. It is PERMITTED to use songs created by Producers and DJs inspired by the composers.
4. The choreography must be balanced. For example: If the dancer has acrobatic skills, he/she may include lifts and tricks but the dancer must remember that the choreography must have musicality throughout. If you add tricks, they must be at the same level of your dance technique and continue to be artistic and musical.
5. Timing will be judged as part of musicality. If a dancer goes off time, marks will be deducted
If the choreography has been created stepping forward on count 1, the whole choreography must be danced on 1. If the choreography steps forward on count 2, the whole choreography must be danced on 2.
6. The dancer can musically include Son timing or Afro Cuban timing in their choreo if it musically matches and interprets the music. If the choreography is to a Cuban song, any Orishas must be interpreted correctly.
7. Creativity and originality will be judged based on the choreography itself and on the originality of the song chosen.
8. Costumes will be judged as part of the presentation score. The costume can be any style but should match your personality and the choreography.
CHOREOGRAPHY DIVISIONS:
Salsa Choreography Solo Female, 15 years & Under
Salsa Choreography Solo Male, 15 years & Under
Salsa Choreography Solo Female, Amateur
Salsa Choreography Solo Male, Amateur
Salsa Choreography Solo Female, Professional
Salsa Choreography Solo Male, Professional
Salsa Choreography Couple, 15 years & Under
Salsa Choreography Couple, Amateur
Salsa Choreography Couple, Professional
Salsa Choreography Same Gender Duo Female, 15 years & Under
Salsa Choreography Same Gender Duo Male, 15 years & Under
Salsa Choreography Same Gender Duo Female, Amateur
Salsa Choreography Same Gender Duo Male, Amateur
Salsa Choreography Same Gender Duo Female, Professional
Salsa Choreography Same Gender Duo Male, Professional
Bachata Choreography Solo Female, 15 years & Under
Bachata Choreography Solo Male, 15 years & Under
Bachata Choreography Solo Female, Amateur
Bachata Choreography Solo Male, Amateur
Bachata Choreography Solo Female, Professional
Bachata Choreography Solo Male, Professional
Bachata Choreography Couple, 15 years & Under
Bachata Choreography Couple, Amateur
Bachata Choreography Couple, Professional
Salsa Team Choreography
Salsa Team Choreography, 15 years & Under
Bachata Team Choreography
Bachata Team Choreography, 15 years & Under
Free Art Division Team Choreography
Free Art Division Team Choreography, 15 years & Under
Afro Cuban Team Choreography
Afro Cuban Team Choreography, 15 years & Under
Coming Soon
Coming Soon
Coming Soon
Coming Soon