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Starbound National Talent Competition Marks 33 Years of Experience With Exciting New Opportunities

As Starbound National Talent Competition celebrates its 33rd season, the team knows what keeps dance families coming back. “We’ve always been one of the leaders in this industry, and through listening to our clients’ feedback and making changes, we continue to set the standard higher,” says Sandra Coyte, founder and director.

With a calendar of more than 50 Regional competitions and five Nationals, Starbound’s events combine the glamour and innovation of a large-scale production and theater experience with the fairness and personal attention you’d expect from a family-run company. Starbound offers the industry expertise of a woman-owned business founded by a former dance teacher and studio owner.

The 2025–2026 Season is set to be a banner year for Starbound, with exciting new opportunities for dancers and teachers alike. The competition is adding Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, and Charlotte, North Carolina to its roster—two vibrant destinations sure to bring fresh energy to the tour.

In addition to its extensive competition categories, Starbound offers special events and awards that bring even more excitement to the season:

Improv Dance Challenge at every Regional, testing dancers’ creativity and musicality on the spot.
Dance Scholarships to support promising dancers in their training journeys.
The Star of Hope Award supports medical research in the fight against cancer.
The Bald Ballerina Award, in honor of Maggie Kudirka, celebrates strength, resilience, and the beauty of dancing through adversity.
Other Special Awards, including Audience Choice, Choreography, Entertainment, Diamond Award, Photogenic, Titles/Mr. & Mrs. Starbound, Costume Award, Judges Awards, Ignite Dynamites, Ambassadorship Programs, National Final Invitationals, and New Face Award, to name a few!

Parents and teachers will also appreciate the selected venue, assigned-by-studio dressing rooms, and dancers can look forward to the rebranding and refreshed visual identity that keeps the Starbound experience modern and engaging.

Starbound’s scoring system now breaks down a dancer’s score into four categories: technique, choreography, aesthetics, and performance. On the Tuesday following competition weekend, teachers can log in to Starbound’s virtual Teacher Center to view detailed score breakdowns and video critiques. To ensure fairness, Starbound has implemented skill-based leveling guidelines that help take the guesswork out of registration.

Coyte remains most proud of the consistent quality Starbound has delivered for over three decades. “We were the first competition to introduce rebates to the dance industry for registering early,” she shares. While pricing has changed with the times, the competition continues to produce high-quality events that studios have come to expect.

Starbound also offers livestream coverage of events, so friends and family can cheer from anywhere. Dancers and families can conveniently purchase professional photos and videos through the Starbound app, Starbound Comp, to relive their performances anytime.

The competition also prides itself on the expertise of its staff. “All three judges on every panel are versatile experts in multiple styles of dance, and we always have at least one judge who is knowledgeable in tap,” Coyte says.

Starbound is committed to raising money for the Dancers Care Foundation. Since 2002, it has raised and donated $2,677,200 toward cancer treatment and prevention in the dance community.

Photo by Team Creative, courtesy Starbound.

New for 2026—Starbound’s Next Chapter Includes:

Starbound Nationals Spotlight Series: On-stage interviews and features highlighting dancers, choreographers, and studio directors during Nationals events—streamed live and shared on social media.
Starbound Giveaway Incentives: Exciting giveaways and exclusive prizes for registered studios and dancers throughout the season, adding extra fun and rewards to the competition experience.
Starbound Elite Client Status: A VIP recognition program offering exclusive perks, early registration incentives, and special event privileges for the most engaged studios.
Client Getaway: Participate in Starbound Regional and National Competitions throughout the season to earn points toward an exclusive weekend getaway with the Starbound team.
Ignite Dance Live: A high-energy, one-day-only event where beginner/intermediate and experienced/advanced dancers take the spotlight in an electric, fast-paced environment designed by industry icons.

Looking ahead, the 2025-2026 season is shaping up to be Starbound’s best yet. Want in on an unforgettable experience? Register now here or call the Starbound office at (609) 693-0563. Follow Starbound on social media, @starboundcomp!

The post Starbound National Talent Competition Marks 33 Years of Experience With Exciting New Opportunities appeared first on Dance Spirit.

Tapas Das: Tapas Das, a young entrepreneur of our times started TWIST N TURNS in 2005. A person who is kind, generous, creative and down to earth wanted to start his own one of a kind dance academy. According to him, Dance is a language of movements that involves space, time and the human body. He was born and grew up in Kolkata, the cultural hub of India. Being appreciated in the field of dance all his life, he is extremely talented. He has been dancing since the age of four. Once he finished his high school, he learned jazz/modern and contemporary dance. His horizons were broadened even more when he started dancing Bollywood with Beat Busters for 4 years, which then was the most upcoming dance crew in Kolkata. After that exposure, he studied how to be a dance teacher, which later started helping him impart his knowledge about dance. Thus, in 2005, with the help of family and friends, he started TWIST N TURNS. Starting with a mere number of 40 students, today TWIST N TURNS currently has over 500 students. Over the time Tapas has taught and performed all over the country. He has performed in cities such as Kolkata, Delhi, Chennai, Jhansi, Jaipur, Jodhpur, and Udaipur etc. He has been an active participant in the Salsa India Congress in the cities of Bangalore and Bombay, and he has also visited various International Salsa Congresses in Europe, namely in Berlin ,Singapore, Hong Kong,Dubai. He is been also trained recently at Broadway Dance Center (New York), Alvin Alley (New York) and Steps on Broadway (New York). He is not only a dancer or teacher. He is a successful choreographer and has coordinated various shows without difficulty in our country. His leadership skills are exceptional, thus he is where he stands today. His aim in life would be to become a dance educator. He wants to share his tremendous knowledge in the right way to the right people. He is also, simultaneously running other brands like Zumba Kolkata, Bollywood Studio ArtistWala.com and India International Dance Institute.