While experience as a professional dancer, dance instructor or choreographer is critical, when hiring adjudicators, competition and festival organizers are looking for much more. First, they favour professionals who have training and skills in leadership. Why? Because being an adjudicator is all about demonstrating leadership! But they also want adjudicators who have the expertise to:

• Give powerfully effective commentary that acknowledges dancers’ abilities and inspires them to grow.

• Score effectively based on guidelines provided by the event organizer (these are often different at every event).

• Match awards recipients based on guidelines and criteria provided by the event organizer (these are often different at every event).

These are precisely the skills that the Dance Adjudicator Certification by The Dance Leadership Institute was designed to help you build.

The Dance Adjudicator Certification can help you advance your career in three key ways:

Build your skills: This program is designed to help you gain valuable knowledge and skills in leadership and communication that will make you stand out among candidates with highly sought after skills.

Add a new income source: You’ll be setting yourself up for success with the knowledge and skills needed to confidently seek out opportunities to be a paid adjudicator.

Boost your professional profile: You’ll be adding a new credential to your resume and building your profile as a dance professional.

You don't need any experience adjudicating to register for our LEVEL 1 course which will provide a foundation for those without adjudicating experience as well as valuable insight and tools for those with experience.

You DO need to have an extensive training background in dance as well as a minimum of 5 years of relevant teaching experience.

Yes! In addition to the certificate you will receive, our courses will give you insider knowledge on how to be a sought-after adjudicator including what the BEST adjudicators DO, how to get hired - and re-hired - by your favourite companies, and how to ensure you have the skills and knowledge required. You will also make connections with other adjudicators who are known by competition directors as an excellent source of referrals ;)

Yes. To be considered for work as an adjudicator, a high level of dance training and teaching or performance experience is required. We require a minimum of 5 years of teaching experience to apply and register for our LEVEL ONE program and completion of our LEVEL ONE program is required to register for LEVEL TWO.