BALLET HELP DESK

Competition Reviews

Competitions Reviewed: 13
Total Reviews: 83

Universal Ballet Competition

All Regionals

General

Reviewer

6
3

Dancer Age

2
4
1
1
1

Competition experience

5
1
3

Event Details

Round

Regional

Season

1
7
1

Location

3
1
1
2
1
1

Traveled to compete

6
3

Regional was the closest

4
2

Why this location

  • "It was not the closest to our hometown but it was easy driving distance and worked better timing-wise"
  • "We combined a family trip with the competition"
  • "Our director chose it because she felt that traveling was a good experience for the dancers to experience."
  • "Directors choice"

Who encouraged multiple regionals

6
2
1

Competition Encouragement for Multiple Regionals

  • "No one encouraged us. It was our daughter’s dream, so we took her"

School Encouragement for Multiple Regionals

  • "Opportunity for the judges to see dancer's progression in performance and masterclasses over the course of a season"
  • "The school didn’t suggest it. It was our daughter’s own wish."
  • "More opportunities to be seen and to qualify for the finals."

Entry affiliation

8
1

Did Dancer Miss School?

5
4

Days of school missed

4
1

Master Classes

Master Class Types

9
9

Master class teachers

  • "The judges were the teachers, but I can't remember their names specifically."
  • "Etienne Diaz, kelly king, paloma herrera and others all equally talented"
  • "Duncan Cooper"
  • "Wes Chapman for technique head of the jury. Micheal Waldrop for contemporary Ballet West Academy faculty"
  • "Ettiene Diaz and Andrew Brader"
  • "I don't remember, but my daughter liked all the classes and felt they were worthwhile."
  • "Variety of teachers from the judging panel"

Distance from venue

1
3
3
2

Received corrections

7
2

How corrections were given

  • "She says that they were both to the group and to individuals and felt there was a lot of attention equally distributed to all dancers."
  • "Individually and to class as whole"
  • "Positively framed and specific corrections were provided to the group and to individuals"
  • "Lots of group corrections and repeating combinations. If we were musically incorrect we would restart. Overall a very detailed barre technique class with little center and across the floor. For contemporary he would call out certain dancers to demonstrate whether to correct or applaud someone."
  • "Yes"
  • "My daughter said corrections were given and she felt she received good attention from the teachers."
  • "This depended on the teacher, but mostly to the whole group."

What corrections were about

  • "She believes they were about her dancing directly - technique and encouragement."
  • "All were professional corrections made in a helpful spirit. Zero coded language."
  • "There was NO coded language, shaming, bias, etc. Duncan Cooper was a fantastic instructor."
  • "I got a correction for a head direction and the teacher just went up to me and adjusted my head and talked to me how certain teachers and styles ask for different head movement."
  • "No"
  • "She received comments about her dancing, they were very encouraging. She did not feel there was excessive favoritism or anything inappropriate."
  • "Some were about technique and some were more about self worth"

Anatomical language

6
1

Correction tone

6
2
1

Negative correction details

  • "N/A"

Teacher engagement

  • "She remembers them walking around and engaging with each dancer throughout the classes."
  • "Extremely engaged and seemed to genuinely care abt the dancers"
  • "High energy, moved around the room, excellent instruction. Very positive experience for my dancer."
  • "Both of my classes were very informative, but relatively easy. I could tell the teachers were more focused on small details rather than a hard dancing class."
  • "Normal"
  • "Both teachers were engaging and encouraging to the dancers. Andrew really had the dancers moving in a manner that was out of a lot of their comfort zones but he was very positive and made them feel comfortable. I like how he had the dancers moving and active the whole class. Etienne great constructive feedback and described things he was looking for in the competitors. His voice was a little soft spoken for the space. The space was in an empty building like a warehouse with floors and barres brought in. I did not like how the parents could watch the entire class…it was distracting to some dancers. There were no mirrors. This was not an appropriate space for the price spent for classes and the competition."
  • "My daughter felt the teachers were actively engaged in the classes. She felt they were well run."
  • "Teachers walked around with energy. Over all was a very good experience."
  • "They seemed fine and walked around the front."

Crowding

Really Crowded
1
2
3
3
Plenty of Room to Move

Master Class Feedback

Technique

5
4

Contemporary

4
5

Additional master class comments

  • "She remembers them as being well done classes."
  • "We are fans of yagp and ubc - Nothing unprofessional or unfair has ever happened to us at either - but there’s just something extra special about the UBC master class teachers."
  • "Nothing else"
  • "The classes were on a stage with the stages lights on and directors and teachers from all schools were allowed to watch, plus a panel of judges. Not having a mirror was inconvenient for me personally and the stage lights made it hot and the stage was crowded. We also spilt on into several groups by numbers and we were lined up and placed by our numbers at barre"
  • "No probably"
  • "The ballet class had a nice balance of technique and artistry. It was a good level class for the dancers without the feeling of “watch me give you combinations to mess you up”. I do wish they had arranged the dancers in number order to feel more like an audition. Some dancers pushed to the front."
  • "My daughter loved all the classes but was especially inspired by the contemporary teachers!"
  • "Over all was good."
  • "Some favoritism, but not too bad"

Performance Details

Venue name

  • "Rialto Center for the Arts at Georgia State University"
  • "Spring/cypress school district performing arts center"
  • "August Wilson African American Cultural Center"
  • "Dayton Masonic Center"
  • "Cullen Performance Hall, University of Houston"
  • "Rialto Theatre"
  • "Rialto Center"
  • "North shore center for Performing arts in Skokie"
  • "Harris theatre"

Venue description

  • "It is a fairly large venue that is in great condition with a large lobby and plenty of seating. The stage is also large."
  • "The venue I am describing is for UBC finals in Houston. State of the art facility. Free and easy parking. Easy for the elderly or disabled to enter. They are very strict about no purses or bags entering the building unless they are clear/transparent. I think this is a school district policy not UBC policy there’s also a small metal detector that you walk through - again, probably due to school district requirements. It’s really a stunning facility."
  • "This is a lovely, mid-sized venue. There was ample seating for the competition (limited/crowded during awards). Seating was good, lobby had space for vendor and photography booths."
  • "It was a big theatre stage and it had lots of seats on the balcony and on the floor and all around with lots of seats the lobby is small."
  • "The seating was comfortable, and the lobby was easy to navigate"
  • "It’s a great theatre venue with ample seating, a large lobby, and a terrific stage and sound system. The backstage area is less than desirable but works. Rehearsal and warm up space is negligible, especially for groups. Parking is close and the area is right downtown."
  • "It was a spacious venue."
  • "The theater is nice but It was not a good venue for both dancers and audience."
  • "The seating was good, the lobby wasn’t great. The event was in the basement so it was dark and small."

Stage description

  • "She believes there was marley and it was not sticky or slippery nor was it raked."
  • "Marley. Don’t know if it was raked. But it was not sticky - maybe just a teensy slippery. It was an absolutely full stage with plenty of room for full jumping passes - none of our choreography had to be modified - unlike yagp at U of H where stage size was an issue die to wings being pulled in tightly which greatly affected choreo."
  • "There was marley, it was not raked, I did not hear any complaints about slippery floors or concern about needed modifications to choreo based on space"
  • "It was Marley on the stage it was not raked and we had a lot of room to jump. The stage was somewhat slippery toward the back of the stage."
  • "worked well for her performance. No changes to the choreography were needed"
  • "It was a large stage with good Marley."
  • "Marley, there was enough room"
  • "IDK"
  • "There was Marley and it was well done."

Off-stage warm-up space

  • "She doesn't remember."
  • "Great"
  • "Mid-sized, not expansive"
  • "You could warn up in the hall or dressing room the dressing room it was just a big common open area pretty close to the stage so sound had to be quiet."
  • "There was enough space to warm up"
  • "The backstage area is tight with minimal space to wait and warmup."
  • "There did seem to be limited warm up space as there were a lot of groups warming up in the lobby"
  • "No"
  • "Not a ton of space and the open stage time was not well timed."

Dressing rooms

  • "The dressing rooms were large rooms with plenty of space for everyone."
  • "Dint know"
  • "My dancer is not familiar with any specifics of male dressing rooms. Her dressing room experience was fine."
  • "I think the just had to find a bathroom to get ready."
  • "Normal"
  • "They had a dressing room with mirrors and a restroom. It was small, like a lead characters dressing space."
  • "There wasn't a huge dressing room"
  • "IDK"
  • "Small room"

Parents in dressing rooms

7
2

Male dressing room

5
3
1

Parents backstage

6
3

Onstage warm-up

  • "She said it was a pleasant experience with plenty of room to warm up."
  • "Fine. Normal. Just answered yes above to parents allowed in dressing rooms and backstage bc i def saw some go back there but unsure if those parents were also coaches- just fyi."
  • "My dancer had a positive experience during open stage, no complaints"
  • "It was good they gave us 20 minutes of open stage. It was pretty crowded though"
  • "had time to warm up and get comfortable with the stage"
  • "Open stage was way too crowded for the junior groups. 50+ dancers. It’s was psychologically taxing and not safe for the dancers."
  • "My daughter did not express any concerns about warm up"
  • "My dancers were younger so they let me went to the dressing room to help."
  • "Crowded stage with awkward timing compared to performance time."

Schedule adherence

5
3
1

Other schedule comments

  • "Sometimes ahead, but communication was excellent."
  • "Sometimes they would take pretty long breaks after certain numbers. I am not sure why though."
  • "The schedule is pretty good. The awards take way too long!!!!!"

Staff communication

  • "Our school received all communication and then shared with the students."
  • "Great"
  • "Strong communication, friendly comp staff"
  • "Very informative and it ran very smoothly."
  • "Staff were helpful and kept us informed"
  • "UBC used to have an App that was great to keep up with updates. That is not a thing anymore. If the teachers didn’t keep in touch with the students things would have gotten really hairy."
  • "It was well run, good communication"
  • "The competitions staff are very helpful and tried to do as much as they can. However some theater staffs were not being respectful and box office asked me to buy the ticket for my early 4 years old kid which I wasn’t asked the same in the other UBC in Harris theater."
  • "Good"

Parent Education

Seminar content

  • "It was"

Judging

Judging rubric clarity

7
1
1

Judges' attentiveness

7
2

Feedback turnaround

5
2
2

Type of Feedback

7
6
2

Feedback helpfulness

Not Helpful At All
1
1
3
4
Extremely Helpful

Main takeaway

  • "I absolutely love the way UBC does feedback because they provide a video file with the judges speaking over it, so you can match the feedback to the exact moment in the dance. I do not believe there was any coded language. The feedback was both corrections and encouraging, and she felt it was all very useful."
  • "About three minutes after the dancer performs you receive their score. Not a numerical score but you know if they got platinum, high, gold, gold, etc.. I think the video and audio files came a few days later. I really appreciate that. They seem to use headsets to make notes because I feel they can pay more attention to the performance as compared to other competitions where half the time the judges are typing and looking down. I really applaud this format for judging."
  • "Positive and constructive feedback. Scores and UBC category announced on a one-dancer delay, audio commentary provided the following week. No coded language, bias, etc."
  • "Lots of little corrections and overall big takeaways that they noticed. They also were good at giving some compliments as well!"
  • "The feedback was helpful and gave her clear things to work on"
  • "Some of the judges gave critiques for the entire piece,…while others just breathed and said “nice job”. Nothing that would really help the dancer a lot. I have not observed any coded language."
  • "The feedback was useful. Some judges had more useful things to say than others."
  • "The feedback are really positive and helpful."
  • "Largely complimented the costume more than provided useful feedback."

Scoring felt fair

7
2

Why Scoring Unfair?

  • "There are some schools in the Atlantan area that tend to “work” the system and puts kids in lower level categories to stack the prizes. They have talented dancers but sweep the intermediate category when they should be in competitive. When a child is all over social media and then wins top place at different competitions things look suspicious."
  • "I felt like they were handing out finals qualifiers to everyone to fill the finals event."

Awards & Scholarships

Awards ceremony

  • "UBC awards are always easy to follow and go fairly quickly given how large of a competition it is."
  • "I adore UBC award ceremonies. I have been to two UBC regionals and two UBC finals. One in chicago one in houston. The production values are so professionally done. I feel like UBC invest a lot of its budget back into the experience for dancers and parents. It’s such a high-quality event. Also, I feel like there are so many more scholarships awarded at UBC to YAGP. I am talking about regionals. I have never been to a YAGP final. Their multimedia team deserves special recognition for all the filming that they do throughout the week, all the social media posts they make, and in particular the montage that they show at the end of regionals awards and at the end of finals awards. It makes all kids feel like they were part of something truly special. And the videos capture a wide variety of dancers, not just the top performers. There’s just a certain joy and happiness that is conveyed at UBC awards show"
  • "It was crowded. Dancers were recognized for top placement as well as for awarded scholarships, which was exciting for those who received awards. All participants get a UBC medal and there are additional medals/plaques for top placement."
  • "It was pretty long and the would announce top 15 of each category and age and then mention who got scholarships"
  • "The awards ceremony was well organized and enjoyable for dancers and families"
  • "I like how they separate the intermediate and competitive awards but the awards are still too long on Sunday night when everyone has to go back to school or work the next day. Some people have long drives home too! Also, I’ve been attending UBC for years, as a teacher, and the medals are nice, but kids used to get some swag too. A journal, notebook, water bottle, pair of tights. Not anymore. Another frustrating thing is that the groups are listed by size (small, large, etc) but they often end up being clumped together for awards. So a small group vs. 30 dancers. How much does it take to give them a piece of paper for their placement?"
  • "The awards ceremony was well organized. I liked how they broke up the Intermediate and Competitive awards. That made it more more pleasant and not too long."
  • "Very encouraging and positive."
  • "Long"

Won an award or training offer

5
4

Festival offer

8
1

Invited to finals

7
2

Award or Training Offer Description

  • "Rising Star Award 1st place classical 5th place contemporary Duncan Cooper workshop scholarship Short stay to SFBS Short stay to Winnipeg Ballet School"
  • "Rock School 5 wk summer intensive 100%, housing 50%. A few days after the competition, when we emailed Rock and accepted the summer intensive scholarship, this led to an invitation for a short term stay in the fall, and a request for videos of my dancer, which then led to a full 100% scholarship with 50% academics for full-time training in fall. So what was supposed to be 5 wks in summer 2027 converted into full scholarship for yr round starting fall 2026. A condition of the scholarship is not to discuss amts with anyone, so please keep my email private. I have never been inside a recruitment before, but given this experience, I think I’ve gotten a taste of how a summer intensive invitation can lead to a more meaningful relationship with an institution - and we are ever so grateful. My dancer is thriving at rock. We did not realize we had outgrown our studio where we had been very happy for 10 years. Sometimes it takes leaving to understand what other training is available out there. We took a leap of faith and are so grateful it was the right move and fit for us. Stark’s philosophy aligns largely with ours.."
  • "She received scholarships to several summer programs, including 25%, 50% and 75% tuition scholarships."
  • "One dancer received 1st for both classical and contemporary and the other dancer received top 5 for both"
  • "Admission"

Festival offer details

  • "I prefer to keep this information confidential"

Final Comments

Best aspect

  • "I really love the feedback and judging at UBC. it has by far been our best competition experience in the US."
  • "I think the generosity of spirit of the judges and master class teachers really stands out. There is a supportiveness to UBC that I can’t quite explain. The competition in terms of dancers is just as strong as at YAGP. But there’s something slightly more welcoming about UBC. Do not get me wrong. We are fans of YAGP. UBC seems to have a little more heart somehow. The production quality is second to none. They seem to be extremely well staffed. Normal multimedia team does such an excellent job. I will say my daughter received her scholarship from being observed in master classes, not from her stage performance. So for us, the UBC master classes or a huge payoff."
  • "Positive, friendly environment"
  • "The great feedback the gave in the audio file. And the teacher and people you get to meet."
  • "The opportunity for my daughter to perform."
  • "The staff is very friendly and professional."
  • "It's nice that they have different levels that dancers can enter. It makes it a better experience for everyone involved. The competition is well run and the staff was kind and professional."
  • "Very positive and encouraging competition."
  • "The event schedule of classes and performance was good"

Worst aspect

  • "As someone whose dancer doesn't like contemporary she wishes there was no contemporary masterclass."
  • "I really cannot think of anything."
  • "Crowded during the awards ceremony"
  • "How they would run late and that there were no real dressing rooms."
  • "Nothing specific to mention"
  • "Long awards. I feel like the events and business model have gotten too big. I also dislike how cultural dances are placed in the contemporary category. They should be separate. I also dislike how the master classes were across town rather than close to the venue. It makes it harder to navigate the weekend increasing the stress level. The Live Stream is horrible!!!"
  • "They announce your adjudication after you dance. Which is an emotional roller coaster. Dancers are either happy with what they received, or they are upset. That felt very stressful and caused issues amongst friends if one person received a higher score. The positive aspect is that it provides transparency and makes it not feel rigged. However, the awards didn't seem to line up with the level that was announced. For example, dancers who received "UBC Platinum" didn't place, however dancers who received "High Gold" did. That aspect of scoring did not seem transparent. Every year we're highly confused by placements compared to what we heard announced. It also seems that they gave the majority of dancers "High Gold", there were rarely dancers scored below that. There were a select few who received "gold", which was devastating for those girls. Situations like that make it stressful and traumatic for some of the dancers. It seemed unnecessary to publicly single out just a few dancers, that's a blow to their confidence."
  • "None"
  • "The announcement of adjudication score on stage"

Competition culture

  • "I think it is a positive culture that encourages a positive ballet environment. It comes across as a very fair competition with a lot of support in place to help dancers succeed."
  • "Warmth and supportiveness and education"
  • "Everyone was helpful and positive. The announcer thanked each dancer by name and complimented them as they exited stage. Our group felt appreciated and seen."
  • "Vey positive!"
  • "The atmosphere was professional and focused on the competition"
  • "The culture is positive but I feel like they’ve gotten away from their original business model."
  • "Other than the scores being announced causing tension and jealousy issues, the overall culture is positive. Those are common issues in ballet, but the public announcement was not the best feeling and it promoted some toxic behavior among dancers and parents."
  • "Very encouraging competition"
  • "A little too “comp” school"

Attendee culture

  • "Parents and students alike are all super supportive of each other, and there is a feeling of friendship across the whole competition."
  • "Normal"
  • "Other attendees seemed nice. My dancer made a friend in masterclasses."
  • "Respectful"
  • "Dancers and families were polite and focused on their own preparations"
  • "Some of the schools are very supportive and encouraging while others are cut throat."
  • "The overall culture was fine. It's better than the other big name competitions."
  • "Good"
  • "Same as above"

Suggested changes

  • "None!"
  • "I am not being lazy here, but I have no advice to give them on how to improve."
  • "N/a - this was very well run and a positive experience for our whole group"
  • "Nope not at all!"
  • "No specific suggestions at this time"
  • "Cultural category, classes at or near the venue, shorter awards, and more classes. Also improve the livestream."
  • "My dancers finals experience was positive, however, all the "winners" from the regional competitions were placed in separate classes from the "regular" kids. It seemed like they received priority attention, which didn't seem to make the finals experience feel fair or unbiased. It felt like those dancers had a different experience and received priority treatment. I'd rather pay a little bit more in registration fees to not have to buy wrist bands each day!"
  • "dancers’ birth certificates should be verified to ensure that everyone is competing in the correct age category, as some dancers may misrepresent their ages to gain a competitive advantage."
  • "Dial in more on true ballet, less comp studio feel and get rid of announcement of adjudication score"

Cost vs. expectation

Significantly More
1
7
1
Significantly Less

Time worth it

Not Worth It
1
2
3
3
Worth Every Minute

Overall rating

6
1
2

Anything else?

  • "N/A"
  • "If you’re thinking of doing your first competition with a young dancer, I would choose UBC over YAGP as a starting point. Again, we are big fans of YGP. There’s something gentler about UBC. Maybe it’s that the stakes *appear* lower - idk. But do not let that deceive you. I think maybe there’s actually more opportunity that stems from UBC than YAGP.. i havent quantified that - but we personally always had slightly more success with UBC. We feel it’s better value for the money. And I think maybe more opportunity for a wider range of dancers than YAGP.. both finals we attended in Houston and Chicago were top-notch. As far as regional competitions go UBC is the clear winner over YAGP. We just seemed to invest more back into the kids. Their judges and master class teachers seemed very accessible to everyone. It’s just a happy organization."
  • "We have limited comp experience, but we greatly preferred UBC over YAGP. The latter seemed like a factory and the organizers and staff were rude throughout our weekend with them. The opposite of UBC's vibe!"
  • "They announce your score after the number after you finished so that can be intimidating. Either Gold, High Gold or Platinum."
  • "Nothing else to add."
  • "It seems like the same dancers get the scholarships and awards."
  • "It's a good first competition to attend as it has different levels to help less experienced dancers still have the competitive experience while being tailored to their abilities."
  • "Highly recommend."
  • "Our dancers did walk away with awards and opportunities but wasn’t the best example of ballet."

Universal Ballet Competition

All Regionals

1 -9 of 9 results
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Dancer Age
Gender
Age: 13, Female
C
Regional - Chicago, IL, 2025-26
Age: 10, Female
A
Regional - Skokie, IL, 2025-26
Age: 14, Female
A
Regional - Atlanta, GA, 2025-26
Age: 13, Female
C
Regional - Atlanta, GA, 2025-26
Age: 15, Female
B
Regional - Houston, TX, 2025-26
Age: 17, Female
A
Regional - Dayton, OH, 2025-26
Age: 10, Female
A
Regional - Pittsburgh, PA, 2025-26
Age: 13, Female
A
Regional - Houston, TX, 2026-27
Age: 13, Female
A
Regional - Atlanta, GA, 2023-24