Competitive dance is a popular, widespread activity in which competitors perform dances in any of several permitted dance styles - such as acro, ballet, jazz, hip-hop, lyrical, and tap - before a common group of judges. This is in contrast with other activities that involve competition among dancers based on purpose, or specific dance style, such as pom squad, ballroom, latin, ceremonial, and highland dance.

The competitive dance industry largely consists of competition production companies - also sometimes called dance competition companies - that conduct regional competitions at stops along their annual, nationwide tours. Dancers who compete at these regional competitions are usually dance students ranging in age from about six to eighteen years old. Dance schools typically arrange for their classes to compete as groups. Advanced dance students often compete solo or in small groups (e.g., duo, trio, quad) in addition to competing with their dance class groups.

Competitive dancers must be physically fit because even short dances can be physically demanding. Also, dancers must continuously train to maintain and improve their technique, balance skills, strength and flexibility. Competitive dancing requires dedication as many months may be spent practicing dance and developing dance routines.

A routine is the dance that is performed by a dancer or group of dancers at a competition. Each routine is required to be entered into an appropriate category at every competition. A number of factors determine the category into which a routine should be entered:

Dance style (e.g., acro, ballet, jazz, hip-hop, lyrical, tap). A special category called open is defined at some competitions; this applies to routines that combine two or more pure styles.

Average age of dancers. Age divisions vary among competitions. Typical age divisions include petite (7-9), junior (10-12), teen (13-15) and senior (16+).

Number of dancers. For example, there may be separate categories for solos, duos/trios, small groups (4-9), large groups (10-19), and production groups (20 or more). The numbers of dancers in the various groups, as well as the group categories themselves, may differ at different competitions.

Experience. Some competitions have divisions based on the number of years of dance education.

Recreational vs competitive dancers, based on the number of hours of dance instruction per week.

Soloists are usually allowed to compete more than one solo at a competition, although most competitions do not allow a soloist to compete in the same style twice. For example, it is not permissible for a dancer to compete two lyrical solos at a competition. Style definitions will sometimes overlap at a competition, thus providing an opportunity for a dancer to compete two dances that might otherwise be considered to have the same style. For example, a soloist might be permitted to compete two acro routines by entering one as acro and the other as open.

A routine must comply with the rules of the overall competition. Also, a routine must comply with all rules that apply specifically to its category. Violations may cause point deductions or, in some cases, the routine may be disqualified. For example:

An upper time limit is usually imposed on a routine based on its number of dancers.

Ballet routines may not include acrobatic elements.

The music used in competitive dance routines is typically adapted from commercially available songs created by professional recording artists. Dance routines are subject to time limits at most dance competitions, and consequently the original, commercial music is usually edited to conform to such time limits.

At some competitions, the dance competition music is adjudicated in terms of its appropriateness for the ages of the performers as well as the character of the dance routine. The quality of the music, however, is not explicitly judged. Even so, dance competition music is an integral part of a dancer's performance, so dancers will sometimes employ professional music editing services in order to obtain high quality music� - and thus a competitive edge - for their dance routines.

The judges at a dance competition are typically professional dancers. They sit at the front of the audience, facing the stage, and observe all of the dances. Each judge completes a scoresheet for each routine by awarding points for various categories. Judges may also write comments on their scoresheets or, in some cases, record audio comments on CD or DVD media, for the benefit of dancers and their choreographers.

Adjudication categories vary at different competitions, but commonly judged categories cover aspects such as showmanship, technique (i.e., proper form, execution of movements, transitions), difficulty of the routine, costume, and choreography. At some competitions, points may be deducted if the costume or music is deemed inappropriate for the age of the dancers. Also, judges may disqualify a routine if it violates any rules of the competition.

The points issued by each judge are totaled to compute the judge's score. Typically, a maximum of 100 points can be awarded by an individual judge (i.e., a perfect score). All of the judges' scores are then added together to produce a final score. At some competitions the lowest and highest judges' scores are discarded before computing the final score. For example, a competition might employ five judges, each of whom may award up to 100 points; when the low and high scores have been discarded, the resulting final score will have a maximum possible value of 300 points.

Results of the study found that it is very common in literature to suggest stretching as a possible mechanism to prevent onset of injury and muscle soreness. This idea, however, while very common, does not specifically explain how stretching affects muscle properties on individual performance. Their findings suggest that common stretching methods, like static and ballistic stretches, decrease muscle performance and have inconclusive evidence to support the notion of injury reduction. Their research questions whether flexibility will reduce incidence of injury. A large number of their sources claim flexibility does not reduce incidence of injury; therefore, increasing range of motion is not needed. Their conclusion states that more research is needed to find the best stretching techniques that improve performance and reduce risk of injury.

A study done by Witvrouw et al. was done to find what relationship stretching has with injury prevention. Over forty sources of relevant literature were used in their review. Initially the documentation of stretching claimed to promote better physical performance and reduce risk of injury. The number of suggested ideas in recent literature makes the relationship between stretching and its effects ambiguous.

A dance routine may receive an individual award based on its final score, or based on its ranking in a particular category, depending on the competition. Some competitions issue individual awards for every routine while others present awards only for the highest overall scoring routines at a competition. Top scoring routines are sometimes awarded prize money and/or scholarships for dance education. These routines may also be eligible to advance to a higher level (e.g., national) competition.

Awards are usually issued in the form of trophies and plaques or, less frequently, as medals. Awards nomenclature varies considerably among competitions, although most awards systems have a value theme involving precious metals or gemstones. For example, at some competitions a routine might receive a bronze, silver, gold or platinum award, while at another competition one might receive an emerald, ruby or diamond award. In addition to variations in nomenclature, there are differences insofar as the number of points required for each award. For example, a gold award might require 270 points at one competition and 280 at another.

Some competitions also present judges' choice or other special awards. These awards are usually given without regard to final score. The topics of these awards (e.g., Best Costume, Best Choreography, Most Original) are often determined by the judge who issues them, although some competitions have fixed, standard topics for special awards.

Many dance schools attend competitions and so dancers from different schools may see each other many times during the competition season. This creates a sense of community as well as valuable connections should a student decide to become a professional dancer.