USASF + IASF

All-Star dance scoring

All-Star dance is the closest dance has to a standardized scoring system. USASF governs the Senior divisions at The Dance Worlds; IASF governs the Junior and Open divisions. Both publish their score sheets annually. This is a separate ecosystem from the studio convention circuit — it runs on a rubric, an age grid and a true bid system, much like its all-star cheer sibling.

Governing Bodies

USASF (Senior) · IASF (Junior + Open)

Pinnacle Event

The Dance Worlds — Orlando

Score Sheet

Reviewed annually by the Dance Score Sheet Committee

Qualification

Bid system (a true "bid," unlike most studio comps)

USASF Senior Worlds scoring

The USASF Senior score sheet is used for Senior divisions at The Dance Worlds and is also available to USASF Member Event Producers during the regular season. It is reviewed and updated every year by the Dance Score Sheet Committee, so caption names and weightings can shift season to season — always check the current published sheet.

Major scoring captions

A "caption" is one scored category on the rubric. The Senior sheet evaluates a routine across several of them. The list below describes what each caption is looking for; defer to the current USASF sheet for exact weightings.

Technique — execution of style-specific skills
Choreography — composition, musicality and transitions
Performance / Execution — confidence, projection and performance face
Group Execution — synchronization, uniformity and spacing
Choreography Difficulty — the complexity of the skills attempted
Style — appropriateness to the genre being performed

Caption weighting is style-specific

Weightings vary by category. Pom emphasizes pom technique and visual cleanliness; Hip Hop rewards athleticism and authenticity; Contemporary and Lyrical reward emotional connection and artistic interpretation. Because the committee revises the sheet annually, defer to the current published USASF rubric for the exact weights in each category.

Worlds bid-eligible categories

Which genres can earn a bid depends on the age division — and notably, the Junior division is narrower than Senior.

Senior Divisions

Pom · Jazz · Hip Hop · Contemporary/Lyrical · Kick — all bid-eligible.

Junior Divisions

Pom · Jazz · Hip Hop only. Contemporary/Lyrical and Kick are NOT Junior bid-eligible.

Open Divisions (IASF)

International categories competed under IASF rules.

Routine specifications

Senior divisions: 1:45 minimum to 2:15 maximum
Junior division: same time range
At least 50% of Senior teams advance from Semi-Finals to Finals
Open divisions: top 3 teams per country advance

IASF Junior & Open

IASF governs the Junior (U16) and Open divisions at The Dance Worlds under a rubric distinct from the USASF Senior sheet. One key difference for families: Junior teams qualify by video submission rather than an in-person bid performance — a separate process from the Senior path. The published rules contact is dance.rules@iasfworlds.com.

How the Worlds bid works

Unlike most of the studio circuit, All-Star dance uses a genuine bid system — a scarce invitation earned during the season to compete at The Dance Worlds. Bids come as Paid, Partial Paid and At-Large tiers, each with its own financial sponsorship and team caps, and Junior teams have the separate video-qualification path noted above. We break the whole system down in our Dance Worlds bids guide, with the wider context in understanding dance bids.

Where to find the official documents

USASF Dance Score Sheet (2025-26): thedanceworlds.net/scoring/. USASF Dance Rules: usasf.net/files/USASF_Dance_Rules_25-26.pdf. USASF Dance Age Grid: usasf.net/files/USASF_Dance_Age_Grid_25-26.pdf. IASF: iasfworlds.com. Dance Collective links only — always defer to the official document for current rules, captions and divisions.

Headed to Worlds?

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