INCLUSIVE

National Dance Challenge (NDC) was established in 2021 as New Zealand’s first troupe only competition to provide the opportunity for as many dancers as possible to take to the stage and celebrate the joy of dance together.

Each year, dancers will gather from across the country to compete in all genres, and all age groups, novice and experienced in a fun filled, competitive, supportive environment. Held in June, our competition will run across four days, at Westlake Girls High School on Auckland’s North Shore.

ABOUT US

NDC is a not-for-profit organisation, run completely by volunteers. Funds generated from our competition are reinvested into the dance community with thousands of dollars each year gifted in grants. We also aim to ensure the continual improvement and growth of the competition, engaging international judges as well as improving facilities and the experience for our performers and their families.

THE COMPETITION

NDC is New Zealand’s largest dance troupe competition - NDC 2025 had over 2,500 competitors representing 27 schools and 41 studios from Kaitaia to Christchurch! We are delighted to provide an outlet for performance and competition for the ever-increasing number of children who choose to dance at school and those who learn and train as their hobby or chosen sport.

The competition occurs over 4 days at Westlake Girls High School in Auckland, We have specific categories for Primary, Intermediate and Secondary School students, a Novice section as well as Dance without Limits section (dancers who are physically, developmentally/intellectually differently abled).

There is no greater joy, than the joy of dance and dancing together is even better!

Dance schools from all over New Zealand come to compete at our burgeoning competition and we love creating a high-energy environment to celebrate the amazing team-work that makes troupe competitions so great. We are also delighted to provide an outlet for performance and competition for the increasing number of students who choose to dance at school. NDC welcomes and encourages school teams to compete in our competition with specialist divisions for Primary, Intermediate and Secondary students.

Our Dance Without Limits category truly represents what the NDC stands for. It’s a chance for everyone to shine on the stage and show the value of team work and the incredible bonds that grow between performers as they trust each other on stage. We are excited to offer this new section and the opportunity for children who are physically or developmentally differently abled to take the stage, experience the joy of performance, have some fun and show their talents while taking in the applause and appreciation of a live audience. NDC aims to bring as many dancers and studios together as possible, united by the joy of troupe dancing. We’ve included a novice section where 75% of dancers competing must be new to competitions. This helps ensure more children and studios can participate and enjoy the NDC competitions.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

We’ve got answers to your

General Questions

  • Yes! Check it out here

  • Entries are now open!

  • If you are a school or studio, sign up to our mailing list here You will be emailed the details closer to the time. To keep up with all the details, follow our social media pages - Facebook and Instagram

  • Once you have entered you should have access to the app. Log in to make changes to your team titles etc. Any problems, email nationaldancechallenge@gmail.com. Answers may not come back straight away as this is a voluntary committee so please be patient. All changes must be made by April 20.

  • No, we encourage you to enter and participate in as many genres as you like. For example, a primary school dance group may wish to enter a jazz and a hip hop routine.

  • Yes, your entries are only confirmed once payment is received. You will need a credit card at the time of entering to pay for your entries. We will provide you with a receipt once payment is received.

  • See our syllabus for full details.

    • $35 per troupe

    • $35 per NYPA entry,

    • $30 troupe administration charge.

  • NYPA is a national competition held annually in Palmerston North in October and requires a nomination from a supporting competition such as National Dance Challenge to compete. By entering this at NDC you will perform your troupe once, in the class of age and genre, but will also be judged against other NYPA entries across the weekend.

  • Unfortunately, Admin fees are non-refundable. Entry fees will only be refunded if the event is cancelled.

Parking, Tickets & Schedules

  • Parking is available onsite at Westlake Girls High School in two carparks (one near the bus station and the other off Wairau Road, please refer to the map on our website. Please do not park in Smales Farm without checking their rules and regulations.

  • The schedule/timetable will be released on May 1st in the form of an app. Over the competition weekend the app will keep you up to date on how classes are tracking as we report in real time.

  • We will not know the exact timetable until all entries are submitted and the schedule has been put together, however we do know that the school event will be held on the Friday of NDC weekend and the Finals Gala will be held on Sunday evening. Other classes will be advised on the NDC app, released on the 1st May. Keep an eye on our social media pages for more information.

  • Tickets will be available to purchase through iTicket. Keep an eye on our social media for details.

  • Yes, but only if sessions have not sold out prior.

  • Thursday and Friday night school session(s) - $9 per session.

    Friday - $15 concession for BOTH sessions.

    Saturday and Sunday Sessions - $9 per session

    Weekend Pass (includes ALL sessions for Saturday and Sunday EXCLUDING the finals Gala) $55

    Finals Gala - $15 per Adult (over 12 yrs) $10 for 12yrs and under.

    Children 4 and under are free but must sit on parents lap.

  • At the end of each session, the results will be announced on stage and then added to the class in the app.

  • Your teacher (or the person who entered your dance into the competition) will gain access to the report. They will need to log in to the NDC app with the email address they used when entering the competition and the report will appear under the ‘actions’ tab shortly after results have been made public

  • The person who entered the competition will have access to do this using the same email address they used when they entered. These things can all be found under the ‘actions’ tab on the app.

  • Keep an eye on the app so you can see where we are up to. We will not start a session more than 30 minutes prior to that session’s official starting time, however classes within that session will then keep running even if they are more than 30 minutes early.

  • Team trophies, certificates and special awards are presented on stage during the prize-giving at the conclusion of each session.

    A teacher or team representative can collect the teams ribbons from the front desk in the foyer following the prizegiving. All teams receive ribbons.

    and the ribbons for each dancer in your team will be available for collection from the front desk in the foyer after the announcement. All teams receive ribbons.

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