Artist of the Year
Celebrates dancers who demonstrate excellence across multiple disciplines through performance, audition and improvisation.
DISCOVER OPUS
Your season. Your work. Your OPUS.
An opus is a body of work.
A collection of artistry, discipline and creation built over time. For dancers and studios, an entire season becomes exactly that.
- Consistent Training
- Classes
- Rehearsals
- Choreography
- Teamwork
- Growth
- Competition
- Performances
Moments that shape dancers and studios alike.
At the end of the season, we invite you to present that body of work at OPUS.
OPUS Nationals is the culmination of the Press Play and RYZE tours, bringing together exceptional dancers, studios, artists and educators from around the world for one unforgettable week of education, competition, artistry and celebration.
Our goal is simple: to create the most prestigious and exciting national dance experience in the world.
Celebrating the Studio
At the heart of OPUS is the dance studio.
We believe some of the greatest achievements in dance happen when dancers work together. OPUS celebrates ensemble performance, choreography, artistry, versatility and the extraordinary teamwork that defines a great studio.
The highest studio honor
The OPUS Award
$25,000 — the Pinnacle of Dance Studio Achievement
The OPUS Award recognizes excellence across a studio's entire body of work and represents the most prestigious achievement a studio can earn at OPUS Nationals. Throughout the week, additional Studio Awards recognize excellence across a wide range of styles, disciplines and achievements.
Celebrating the Individual Artist
There is no single definition of a great dancer.
OPUS gives individual dancers the opportunity to be recognized for their artistry, versatility and exceptional talent. From ballet and contemporary to jazz, tap, hip-hop and beyond, OPUS is committed to recognizing dancers across the full spectrum of our art form.
Best Artist
Recognizes extraordinary individual artists within specific styles of dance.
Education at the Highest Level
Education is fundamental to OPUS.
Our dancers train with some of the most respected artists, choreographers and educators in the dance and entertainment industries. The program is intentionally built around diversity of style, perspective and experience.
Our growing scholarship program brings together leading universities, collegiate dance programs, professional dance companies, entertainment organizations and other institutions from around the world — giving dancers access to opportunities that can help shape what comes next.
An Exceptional Production
When the curtain opens at OPUS, it should feel important. Because it is.
Every detail of OPUS is designed to feel exceptional, from registration and pre-event planning through the competition week and everything that follows. OPUS is creating an entirely new production environment built specifically for Nationals, combining world-class staging, lighting, and technology to deliver an experience worthy of the dancers performing on it.
Created by Dance and Entertainment Leaders
OPUS is led by Danny Lawn, Mandy Moore, Randi Kemper, Hef Tuita and Martha Nichols. Together with our extraordinary roster of artists and educators, they have curated an event designed for today's dancers, today's studios and the future of dance.
Danny Lawn
Mandy Moore
Randi Kemper
Hef Tuita
Martha Nichols
A Week to Remember
Nationals should be one of the most exciting weeks of a dancer's year.
Dancers and families experience much more than classes and competition. OPUS brings together special events, guest companies, unique educational experiences, entertainment and opportunities to connect and celebrate throughout the week.
It is an opportunity to compete seriously, train intensely, discover something new and celebrate an incredible season alongside dancers from around the world.
One Season.
One community.
One stage.