National Dance Team Championship

DII National School Spirit Championships: January 30 – February 1, 2026

‌DI National School Spirit Championships: February 6 – 8, 2026

Division Splits

Starting in 2025, all NDTC divisions will split into DI and DII according to school enrollment size.

• All Varsity Teams will continue to be split into Small, Medium, and Large but will additionally be split into Division I (1300+ school enrollment) & Division II (1299 or less school enrollment).
• Varsity Intermediate teams will not be split by size but will be split into Division I & Division II.
• Junior Varsity teams will not be split by size but will be split into Division I & Division II.

Game Day Divisions

• Game Day Routine time will decrease from 3:30 to 3:00.

For more specific event information, please view the NSSC DI and DII pages below

• DI
• DII

The National Dance Team Championship has established itself as the largest and longest-standing competition of its kind in the country, leaving behind a powerful legacy within the dance community since its culmination in 1983. Guided by industry experts and strengthened by partnerships with world-class organizations at Walt Disney World Resort, the championship has become a benchmark for excellence in both competition standards and overall experience. It represents not only a celebration of talent but also a tradition that has shaped the competitive dance landscape for decades. 

NDTC is renowned for the quality of its stages and production. Competitors perform in iconic, world-class venues equipped with high-end lighting, sound, and video production, creating a professional and memorable atmosphere for athletes and audiences alike. Combined with an elite panel of judges—recognized as industry leaders with the highest levels of training and credentials—the championship delivers an unparalleled standard of fairness and expertise. 

One of the elements that sets the championship apart is its commitment to providing dancers with unmatched opportunities. From open practice space for every performance to dedicated practice time on Wednesday and Thursday before competition begins, teams are given the resources they need to prepare at the highest level. With more performance opportunities than any other event of its kind, the championship ensures that dancers have the platform to showcase their skills fully and confidently. 

The Spirit Program Game Day Division emphasizes the collaboration and cohesion of your school’s spirit programs, cheer, dance and band, in an exciting new Game Day format that fosters school pride, emphasizes your school’s traditions in an entertaining and crowd effective performance. Teams will showcase The Sights & Sounds of their unique game day traditions while emphasizing the unification of their spirit program.

• Fight Song
  • The section should reflect your school’s traditional Fight Song that your team performs at games, pep rallies, etc. Teams should incorporate crowd effective elements and choreography that enhances the overall effect.
  • For teams that do not have an official Fight Song, it is recommended to use a second selection of band chant music. Music guidelines are available at varsity.com/music. (update for cheer too)
• Crowd Leading (Sideline or Chant)
  • This section should showcase any home/traditional sideline with words that are repetitive, easy to follow along that incite crowd engagement and involvement. The crowd leading portion should be easy for the crowd to follow along and engage.
  • Examples:
    • Defense XX, Defense XX…
    • L-I-O-N-S, Let’s Go Lions, L-I-O-N-S, Let’s Go Lions
    • Blue X Gold, Let’s Go Lions
  • The pep band should provide a cadence that the cheer/dance team and crowd back home could easily yell along with, eliciting crowd interaction.
• Timeout/Tradition
  • The timeout/tradition should reflect a similar crowd interactive and entertaining performance that your team performs during halftimes, extended timeouts or pep rallies. This is the best time to showcase spirit program cohesiveness and unison while demonstrating energy, leadership, visual appeal and connection to the crowd.

Divisions

• Two of the three groups must combine to compete in the school spirit game day division
• Overall minimum of 10 athletes/performers
• Maximum of 90 athletes/performers allowed to represent the entire spirit program

• Any combination of a Spirit Program (Cheer, Dance, Band and Mascot/s)
  • No Matter the combination of athletes on the floor teams will be in the same division and scored on the same score sheet.
• Once a division exceeds 10+ teams, divisions will split.
  • In the Spirit Program Game Day divisions will be split geographically
    • Starting with East and West
    • Then moving into SE, NE, Central, SW, W

CLICK HERE to view 2026 Championship Divisions, Rules and Scoring Information.

How to Qualify for 2026 UDA National Dance Team Championship

All teams attending the 2026 UDA High School National Dance Team Championship must receive 1) Varsity Spirit/NFHS Squad Credentialing AND 2) UDA Nationals bid to be eligible to attend.

1) CAMP QUALIFICATION (Varsity Spirit/NFHS Squad Credentialing & Nationals Bid) 

Teams will continue to complete NFHS Squad Credentialing and have a chance to earn a bid to UDA National Dance Team Championship at UDA Camp. At UDA Camp we will go through the credentialing process, as well as have three ways to receive your bid.

1. All Home Routine trophy winners at a UDA Camp with at least 5 or more members *+

*75% of the team (with a minimum of 5 participants) needs to be credentialed to be eligible to earn a bid to compete at a Varsity Spirit National Championship.  Teams must attend an overnight camp, day camp, or home camp that is at least 2 days in length to be eligible.
+Teams will continue to qualify for a Superior trophy at overnight and day camps by athletes being evaluated in all routine evaluations. To qualify for a Superior trophy at home camps each athlete must be evaluated on a minimum of 2 camp routines.

Click here to start your journey to nationals at an UDA Camp or contact your State Director to set up a Home Camp.

NOTE: Only 2+ day UDA Camps offer both Varsity Spirit/NFHS Squad Credentialing and award bids to qualify for UDA Nationals. 

2) SQUAD CREDENTIALING PROGRAM (Varsity Spirit/NFHS Squad Credentialing ONLY) 

To learn more about this program, please contact your State Director.

3) REGIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS (Nationals Bid ONLY)

Teams may qualify for the 2026 UDA National Dance Team Championship by receiving a placement trophy at a UDA Regional before December 31st 2025. Click here to learn more about UDA Competitions and contact your state director!

Teams that wish to receive a bid for NDTC at a UDA regional must also complete the Varsity Spirit/NFHS Credentialing program.