Spirit Expressions offers the opportunity to compete every other year. Our competition team ranges in age from 7 to 18 years of age, and all of the dancers have one thing in common: they love to dance! It's a chance for them to work with other dancers who want to step it up a level, work even harder, and push themselves to grow in both dance skill and commitment to their sister teammates.

Our next team year will be 2026-27.

We typically have three regional competitions (in Michigan) and attend one national competition (out of state) during the season.

Team dancers are required to take both jazz and ballet. If they compete in tap, hip hop, or acro, they are required to take those classes as well.

We have a Q&A night leading up to each team year.
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2026-27 Competition Team Info
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Competition Team Information: 2026-2027
Coaches: TBD

Required Classes: Jazz, Ballet, Team Rehearsals (If you are in a team routine, you are also required to take that same genre of class. For example, if you are in team hip hop or tap, you are required to take that regular class, as well, so that you continue to grow in your technique.)

​Competitions/Conventions
  1. 3 Regional Competitions
  2. 1 convention
  3. Nationals- to be determined by the group at a later date. Nationals haven’t been set yet for 2027. We will vote once we have the team set and the schedule is posted.
Other Mandatory Performances
  1. Annual Spirit Expressions Dance Recital
  2. Talent Show/Silent Auction (if we choose this as a fundraiser)
Team Bonding
  1. We bond during our rehearsals, of course!
  2. We bond when we give each other honest critiques.
  3. We bond when we’re hanging out in the waiting room.
  4. We bond when we work together at fundraisers.
  5. We bond at competitions in both the dressing room and in the audience as we watch other routines.
  6. Every dancer will have a team buddy (we try to mix veterans with newbies) for bonding.
Expenses (subject to change)
  1. Competition team rehearsals = $100/routine/term
  2. Regular class tuition (Team dancers have a 10% discount in addition to their other discounts on all of their regular dance classes. The 10% discount does not apply to team rehearsal fees.)
  3. Travel expenses - gas, hotel if you choose, food
  4. Competition fees - generally $50-75 per dancer per routine, duo/trios and solos are more like $130 – 180/solo
  5. Convention Fee - $245-275/dancer for classes, we will only take classes here, not compete.
  6. Costumes - approximately $60-$80/dancer per routine
  7. Warm Up Jacket - approximately $75-$90/dancer
  8. Make-Up Kit - so that we all match - $40-50/dancer
Bonus
We offer free jazz/acro classes to team members on the team years. It’s a bonus for you and offers us more flexibility in choreography. You aren’t required to take jazz/acro, but it’s free to team dancers.
 
Schedule
  1. Rehearsals begin the first week of dance in September. Most team routines have a 30-minute weekly rehearsal. Larger group routines have 45 to 90-minute rehearsals each week.
  2. We observe Christmas and Spring Breaks.
  3. We continue to rehearse with a modified schedule after the recital until nationals.
Audition Process
  1. Bring all of your shoes; we’ll go in this order: ballet, tap, hip hop, and jazz. If you tumble, you’ll have a chance to show your strongest tricks at the end of the audition.
  2. You’ll have a 2-3 minute interview with the judges before you dance.
  3. Dress appropriately and pull your hair up.
  4. You’ll receive a letter within a week giving you specific critiques, whether or not you make the team. We all have room for improvement and this is a great chance to dig into some specifics.
Rules
  1. Dancers may miss no more than three rehearsals in each team class per year, never the one right before a competition or performance.
  2. Dancers are expected to practice between rehearsals.
  3. Dancers represent our studio when we are on the road. All dancers must be polite, helpful, encouraging to others, etc.
  4. Dancers are expected to be role models at the studio.
  5. Dancers are expected to watch every competition routine from our studio when we are on the road. This sometimes means that you are there on Saturday to watch others perform even if your routines are on Sunday or vice versa. Plan to clear the entire weekend. We won’t get the final schedule until one week before the competition.
Fundraisers
  1. Determined by the team families
  2. All are optional unless we choose to do a performance as that would require full participation.
Parent Volunteers Needed – We’ll sort these out when we meet before the season begins.
  1.  Someone who can handle PR for the team
  2. Someone to count the water/snack money weekly, buy the water/snacks, fill the fridge every week
  3. Coordinators for each individual fundraiser
  4. Someone to research hotels in the areas where we will be competing to find out group rates, cancellation policies, and communicate that info to the team via email.