ROUND 1
THE FINALS COMPETITION
During online Nationals registration, Studios must nominate themselves to participate in The OPUS Award competition. There is no additional fee to enter, aside from standard Finals Competition fees.
Participating studios will present a curated selection of 12 group routines (including small groups, large groups, lines, and extended lines, as outlined in the table below) for the initial adjudication round of the Finals Competition. When registering for Nationals, studios must designate the specific routines that will count toward their OPUS Award combined score.
| MINI & JUNIOR | TEEN & SENIOR |
|---|---|
| Jazz | Jazz |
| Tap | Tap |
| Ballet (Classical, not Contemporary) | Ballet (Classical, not Contemporary) |
| Hip-Hop | Hip-Hop |
| Contemporary or Lyrical | Contemporary or Lyrical |
| Musical Theatre or Ballroom | Musical Theatre or Ballroom |
At the conclusion of the Finals Competition, OPUS Nationals will announce the TOP 10 studios with the highest combined scores that are moving on to Round 2.
ROUND 2
THE CLASSROOM AUDITION
We're thrilled to include a dynamic component to the OPUS Award competition: the Classroom Audition. This audition gives us the chance to evaluate studios in a whole new light—not through polished routines, but through raw, unrehearsed talent. No choreography, no staging, no prep—just dancers across every age group, navigating multiple styles, side by side. It's a true test of versatility, training, and studio-wide excellence.
Just a few hours before the OPUS Award Dance-Off kicks off, the Top 10 studios will arrive and be divided into four age-based classrooms (as of January 1, 2027): Mini, Junior, Teen, and Senior. Every dancer participating in one of the 12 Mini/Junior or Teen/Senior group routines listed above is required to take part in this Classroom Audition.
Each classroom will learn a short combination in a surprise style, randomly selected by drawing genres from a hat, prior to the start of the event. Once a genre is chosen for a room, it is removed, ensuring that each age group receives a different style.
Each combo is taught by a faculty member and adjudicated on the spot by a panel of OPUS Nationals judges. After observing each class, the judges will select the top 5 standout dancers from each studio in each room to represent their studio. If a studio only has 3 Senior dancers, for example, those 3 dancers are automatically selected.
For Mini and Junior dancers, the audition process ends in the classroom. These selected dancers are judged during class only and do not perform the combo on the Main Stage. This allows younger dancers to be recognized for their talent without the added pressure of a live performance, and gives them something exciting to grow into as they progress toward the Teen and Senior divisions.
THE DANCE OFF
The OPUS Award Dance-Off is a marquee event experience that spans the end of Round 2 and all of Round 3.
Performing live in front of thousands in the theater — and even more tuning in via livestream — the selected Teen & Senior dancers from each studio will take the Main Stage for a high-energy, head-to-head Studio Dance-Off performance of their classroom audition combos. This electrifying moment marks a bold and thrilling evolution in the competitive dance experience.
Studios will be scored on their classroom combo performance: in-class (Mini/Junior) and on-stage (Teen/Senior). This Classroom Score will account for 30% of their total OPUS Award score, combined with 70% from their Finals Competition scores.
At the end of this round, the Top 5 studios will be announced and advance to Round 3.
ROUND 3
THE MATCH-UP(Conclusion of the DANCE-OFF)
The OPUS Award Dance-Off night culminates with The Match-Up—a final opportunity for the judges to see each studio re-perform their 12 curated routines, matched head-to-head by age and style.
Final scoring for The OPUS Award is as follows:
- 70% Match-Up Score
- 30% Classroom Audition Score
The studio with the highest combined total will be crowned The OPUS Award Winner!