frequently asked questions

general

WHEN DO I NEED TO ARRIVE?

Teams entering a pom routine should plan on arriving Thursday evening to ensure adequate prep time prior to the competition. Otherwise teams can arrive Friday at their leisure.

HOW MANY ON A TEAM?

School / Rec: NO -- Dance Xtreme is the only event of this sort who does not limit the number of individuals on a team. There are no size restrictions. DX has no minimum or maximum number of dancers. Bring as many, or as few, as you like.

All Star: YES -- All Star teams must adhere to the USASF squad size guidelines.

CAN ANY TEAM COMPETE AT THE DX AMERICUP?

NO -- Because of the personalized touch and great organization of the AmeriCup, DX will limit the number of teams who may attend. If you know you are attending, register soon.

HOW CAN WE QUALIFY?

Teams may qualify for the DX AmeriCup in a number of ways. ONE: by attending a sanctioned competition conducted by a DX Regional Director. TWO: by sending in documentation that your team has qualified for another national championship. The DX AmeriCup accepts all national championship bids. THREE: Contacting DX directly.

WHO CAN BE ON A SCHOOL / REC TEAM?

Dancers must be on the team during the current school year (ie: if a dancer was on the squad during the fall, but not performing during the winter months, they can still compete on the team since they were once on the team. Also, if a participant has graduated prior to the competition season but was on the squad during that school year, he/she may still compete at the competition.

HOW DO I DETERMINE THE AVERAGE GRADE?

School and rec divisions are determined by the average grade of all team members. The online registration system will automatically display the only divisions a roster may select. If you'd like to determine the average grade prior to entering the dancers into the system, simply list all dancers and their grade level, add up the grades and then divide by the total number of dancers. This will be the average grade of the roster. Round up on the half point (ie: 4.3 = 4th grade / 4.5 = 5th grade).

routine details

HOW MANY ROUTINES?

You may enter up to 2 routines per roster. An additional fee of $400 will be added to your account if you choose to compete more than twice. Contact regcoord@danceXusa.com for registration assistance.

MAY I ENTER THE SAME ROUTINE IN TWO DIVISIONS?

NO - The same routine, even with slight choreography changes, may not be performed in two divisions. For example, routine A competes in the jazz division and the open division. If this happens both routines will be disqualified.

WHEN CAN WE SET OUT OUR PROPS?

\All dancers should pre-place any props (poms, signs, etc.) when the stage is empty and then return backstage to be property introduced. From there, the emcee will formally announce the team and they may take the competition floor.

WHAT MUSIC FORMAT IS REQUIRED?

Each performance must have its own CD, burned on a high quality music disc or as MP3 files at the appropriate recording level. Any other format is not guaranteed to play in the provided sound system. No cassette tapes are allowed.

DO I NEED TO DO ANYTHING DIFFERENT IF USING AN IPOD DURING MY PERFORMANCE?

Set your volume to the maximum level. Any user EQ's should be turned off on the iPod. The sound check feature should be turned off. An adapter but be provided by the team representative playing the music. The audio system will not be in stereo, but in mono.

WHAT IF THERES AN INTERRUPTION IN MY ROUTINE?

If the interruption is caused by DX, the facility, a power failure or music error, you may restart your routine from the beginning. If for any reason one or all of your dancers are not able to compete immediately, you may request a redo in its entirety. Because DX has specific judging panels per session, a redo must take place at the end of the session in order to be scored by the same panel of judges.

CAN DX STOP THE ROUTINE?

YES -- If there is an injury, bleeding or any other cause seen by the DX Head Judge, the routine will be stopped and re-schedule at a later time.

WHAT HAPPENS IF A DANCER IS BLEEDING?

If it's detected that a dancer is bleeding, has an open wound or any excessive amount of blood on the uniform, the dancer shall stop competing and receive proper treatment. DX's Head Judge will determine if and when the dancer may come back and compete. If not, the remaining dancers may redo the performance as scheduled by the Head Judge.

WHAT IF SOMEONE IS UNCONSCIOUS?

If a dancer is rendered unconscious or appears incoherent, the dancer will not be permitted to return to competition without a written authorization from a physician. DX reserves the right to stop the performance at any time. The Head Judge will determine when the routine will be re-scheduled into the lineup.

ARE TRAINERS ON SITE?

YES -- Dance Xtreme hires certified personnel as trainers for the AmeriCup. Emergency medical staff are on call. Teams should provide their own trainers to tape and wrap their athletes.

DO I NEED TO DO ANYTHING DIFFERENT IF USING AN IPOD DURING MY PERFORMANCE?

Set your volume to the maximum level. Any user EQ's should be turned off on the iPod. The sound check feature should be turned off. An adapter but be provided by the team representative playing the music. The audio system will not be in stereo, but in mono.

WHAT IF THERES AN INTERRUPTION IN MY ROUTINE?

If the interruption is caused by DX, the facility, a power failure or music error, you may restart your routine from the beginning. If for any reason one or all of your dancers are not able to compete immediately, you may request a redo in its entirety. Because DX has specific judging panels per session, a redo must take place at the end of the session in order to be scored by the same panel of judges.

choreography info

WHAT STYLE OF COMPETITION IS THE AMERICUP?

No particular style is favored. Bring what you do best. The DX judges are a diverse group from across the country with varying backgrounds. All have successfully completed the required Judge Certification Program (JCP).

ARE THERE REQUIRED ENTRANCE AND EXIT LOCATIONS?

YES -- All routines enter stage right and exit stage left. If you are standing on the stage facing the audience, you will enter from the right side and exit off to your left. Dancers should rehearse their entrance and exit to familiarize themselves with the procedure. Only credentialed coaches with proper ID badges will be allowed in the chute and backstage.

WHAT RULES DO I NEED TO FOLLOW?

ALL TEAMS -- Must follow the DX General Rules.
ALL STAR - Must also adhere to the USASF Rules.
SCHOOL / REC -- Must also adhere to the NFHS Rules.

WHO'S RESPONSIBLE FOR CHOREOGRAPHY VIOLATIONS?

The Coach - One may assume that the choreographer is well-versed in rules and guidelines for each particular style and division of competition. DX has found out that often times this is not true. So to avoid any disappointing penalties being given to your team, make sure you double and triple check all parts of the choreography to make sure there are no potential violations waiting to happen.

WHAT IF I HAVE A QUESTION REGARDING A RULE?

If unsure about a particular move or dance sequence, you may follow protocol for video submissions regarding safety questions. Deadline for submissions is February 10, 2012.

ARE CROSS-OVERS ALLOWED?

YES -- At no extra fee. Dancers may compete on more than one roster or team (cross-over).

WHAT IS THE TIME LIMIT?

Each performance will have a minimum of 1 minute and 45 seconds (1:45) to a maximum of 2 minutes and 30 seconds (2:30) time allotment. Timing will begin with the first choreographed movement or note of music and end with the last choreographed movement or note of music, whichever comes last.

WHAT ARE THE STAGE DIMENSIONS?

AmeriCup competition takes place in the Minneapolis Convention Center's Auditorium. The stage is 71.5' wide across the front of the stage and tapers down to a 40' width in the back. Dancers have 36' from the front of the stage to the back.

schedules

WHEN DO TEAMS COMPETE?

All pom competition will take place on Friday. Other dance styles will be slotted on Saturday and Sunday.

WHAT'S THE WEEKEND OVERVIEW?

THURSDAY
Arrive if competing in individuals, small groups or pom team competition.

FRIDAY
Arrive if only competing in team competition that does not include the pom style. Individuals and small group competitions will be scheduled throughout the day in conjunction with pom team competition. Exact schedule will be set approximately two weeks prior to the event. Plan on arriving early morning.

SATURDAY
All team competition for styles other than pom will be scheduled throughout the day. Exact schedule will be set approximately two weeks prior to the event. The main hold up is often that some teams have not selected their divisions of competition. The schedule cannot be made until all entries are in the system. To help us out, please register your routines as soon as you know what you plan on doing.

New in 2012: We're bringing back the sit-down dinner at the Awards Gala Saturday night but also concluding the evening with a DJ and dance. This suggestion was received from a few participants who attended last year. We are excited to add this new twist to 2012. So plan on dressing up in your finest, having a white linen table cloth dinner, entertainment by the All American winners and then concluding with a dance. Wow! Doesn't that sound fantastic?

SUNDAY
The remaining routines will be scheduled to compete throughout the day. The Grand Championship awards will immediately follow. The estimated end time is 7 PM.

WHAT IF MY ROUTINES ARE SCHEDULED CLOSE TOGETHER?

Dancers should report for their performance times as scheduled. If you run into a tight time frame, notify DX staff at check-in. Then, after you compete with your first routine simply jump back into the chute line-up and prepare for routine number two.

WHEN DO WE GET THE SCHEDULE?

A tentative schedule will be available in early February. Coaches will have a chance to preview the draft and notify DX headquarters of any potential conflicts. From there DX will finalize the schedule and then post to the public. A major reason for delays in getting the schedule out to the coaches often occurs because all routines have not been entered into the system. So, if you know what style and divisions you want enter them as soon as possible.

HOW DOES THE COMPETITION WORK?

DX AmeriCup will have different rounds of competition. Refer to the quick link for more details.

IS THE AMERICUP A WORLDS QUALIFIER?

YES -- The AmeriCup has been a sanctioned USASF event for dance since it debuted in 2007. To date, the AmeriCup has qualified more World title holders than any other event producer. As of 2011, Dance Xtreme is proudly represented by 12 World Champion teams.

results

DO WE REALLY GET TO TALK TO THE JUDGES?

YES -- Since 1987, events produced by Lisa Saline have always allowed coaches to hear feedback directly from the judges who evaluated them. It's a rare opportunity that you shouldn't miss.

CAN WE TAKE HOME THE SCORE SHEETS?

YES -- Score sheets will be made available throughout the day. Check with the info booth for times. Any packets not picked up at the event will be mailed directly to the coach within two weeks of the competition.

WILL I GET A RECAP OF THE ENTIRE COMPETITION?

YES -- Coaches will have access to a complete recap of all events on the private coach site. This will show final scores, violations assessed and final standings.

HOW DOES THE COMPETITION WORK?

DX AmeriCup will have different rounds of competition. Refer to the quick link for more details.

IS THE AMERICUP A WORLDS QUALIFIER?

YES -- The AmeriCup has been a sanctioned USASF event for dance since it debuted in 2007. To date, the AmeriCup has qualified more World title holders than any other event producer. As of 2011, Dance Xtreme is proudly represented by 12 World Champion teams.