As the crowd takes their seats, dancers scramble backstage to get into their formations.​​ The lights dim, and the dancers are queued to scurry onto the stage. The lights go up, and the music creeps in.

As decades have passed, dance competitions have evolved enormously from what they used to be when they made their first appearance in 1907.

Whether it’s a dancer’s first or seventh time participating in a dance competition, the anticipation and anxiety for a good score is ever present.

According to The New York Times, “judges, usually dance teachers or choreographers, score each piece on the spot, often out of 100 points.” With these highly anticipated results, dancers receive overall placings.

Reese Buchanan, a sophomore in high school, regularly attends Innovative Dance, the local dance studio here in Wilsonville. Buchanan described her thought process during award ceremonies: “I listen to the dances that I watched to see what they placed to try and guess what I placed.”

Although the dancers have to properly execute their dances, the teachers are the backbone of their successes.

Molly Kaleikilo, owner of Innovative Dance studio expressed the most stressful elements of a dance competition. “The most stressful thing in preparing for shows is making sure every routine is as ready as it can be and that as teachers, we have done all we can.”

Although there is a lot of stress piled onto dance competitions, dance can highly increase a dancer’s mental health.

According to Webmd.com, “the amount that you respect and value yourself is your self-esteem. Showing yourself that you can learn and master new moves and skills through dance can improve your self-esteem and confidence.”

There are countless benefits that come with participating in dance competitions. As dancers, their goal is to bring their skills to the judges, but competitions are also exciting and lively.

Reese described her favorite part about dance competitions, “I like the overall atmosphere of dancing and spending time with our group, mixed with the adrenaline of performing.” 

During practices and vigorous rehearsals, dancers are expected to work their hardest, and teachers expect to see their growth when competitions arrive.

According to Kaliekilo,“the dancer’s priority leading up to a performance is being at every rehearsal, working their hardest while they are there including applying corrections.”

Overall, dance competitions may be exhausting and leave your body aching at the end of the day, but each competition is filled with vast opportunities that dancers can always benefit from.