COMPETITION

27TH TDS DANCE COMPETITION 2026

Masterclass &

Elimination Round @ Penang (Classical Ballet Solo only)

Date: 29th March 2026 (Sunday)

Competition Venue: One Theatre Hall, Straits Quay Pulau Pinang

Registration Closing Date by: 31st January 2026

Masterclass, Elimination Round (Classical Ballet Solo, Contemporary Solo & Duo/Trio) & Final @ Kuala Lumpur

Date: 3rd June to 7th June 2026 (Wednesday – Sunday)

Venue: Shantanand Auditorium, Temple of Fine Arts

Registration Closing Date by: 31st March 2026

OBJECTIVES

To search for talented dancers who are genuinely dedicated to excel in dance.

To provide an opportunity for dancers to meet their peers and strive both for technical excellence and high artistic standards in a friendly atmosphere.

To pave way for dancers to achieve a successful career in dance.

To identify and select dancers to represent TDS locally and abroad.

REPERTOIRE LIST

VIEW ALL

PRIZES AND AWARDS

Prizes shall be awarded in the form of trophies, medals, certificates, or cash prizes, as determined by the placing and category. Specific details and other special awards and scholarships will be outlined in the Awards and Special Award column, which will be officially published on the Dance Society of Malaysia’s website.

SPECIAL AWARDS

RULES AND REGULATIONS

A. Eligibility

Competitors must be a member of The Dance Society of Malaysia.
Competitors must be a Malaysian citizen.
Competitors must be within the age group under Categories stated.
Tutor(s) of Competitors must be a member of the Dance Society of Malaysia
Recipients of the 1st Prize under Solo Ballet category in the previous TDS competitions are NOT ELIGIBLE to compete in the same category again, but are eligible to compete in the next category.
Solo Category competitors must be present at all times required including masterclass and coaching. Attendance must be strictly adhered to.
Competitors who are not allowed to compete:
1. Those who have signed a contract with a dance company.
2.Those whose contracts with a dance company have lapsed.

B. Categories

Classical Ballet Solo

Category	Age	Year of Birth	En Pointe / Demi Pointe
Cat 1	18 – 21 yrs old	2005 – 2008	En Pointe
Cat 2	15 – 17 yrs old	2009 – 2011	En Pointe
Cat 3	13 – 14 yrs old	2012 – 2013	Demi Pointe / En Pointe
Cat 4	11 -12 yrs old	2014 – 2015	Demi Pointe
Cat 5	9 – 10 yrs old	2016 – 2017	Demi Pointe

*Age of competitor must comply with the age group as stated above.

Contemporary Solo

Category	Age	Year of Birth
OPEN	18 – 25 yrs old	2001 – 2008
ADVANCED	15 – 17 yrs old	2009 – 2011
INTERMEDIATE	13 – 14 yrs old	2012 – 2013
JUNIOR	11 -12 yrs old	2014 – 2015

*Age of competitor must comply with the age group as stated above.

Duo/Trio

Category	Age	Year of Birth
16 & ABOVE	16 – 25 yrs old	2001 – 2010
UNDER 15	10 – 15 yrs old	2011 – 2016

*If a group consists of competitors of different ages, the age of the oldest competitor will determine the group’s category.

C. Entry Fee

Category	Fee
Ballet Solo Registration Fee	RM450.00
Contemporary Solo Registration Fee	RM450.00
Duo/Trio Registration Fee	RM550.00
Ballet Solo Finalist Entry Fee	RM150.00

D. Important Dateline

Event	Date
Penang Regional Registration Due Date (Ballet Solo only)	31st January 2026
Penang Regional Music Submission Period	10th February 2026 – 28th February 2026
27 TDS Dance Competition 2026 Penang Regional Elimination Round (Ballet Solo)	29th March 2026
Kuala Lumpur Regional Registration Due Date (Ballet Solo, Contemporary Solo, Duo/Trio)	31st March 2026
Kuala Lumpur Regional Music Submission Period	10th April 2026 – 30th April 2026
27 TDS Dance Competition 2026 KL Regional	3rd June 2026 – 5th June 2026
27 TDS Dance Competition 2026 Final	6th June 2026 – 7th June 2026

*The Committee of The Dance Society of Malaysia reserves the right to make changes to the schedule.

E. Ballet Solo Info

Ballet Solo competitors must perform a variation from the Classical Repertoire List provided on the TDS website.
Kindly refer to the shoes requirement in the age category chart provided above.
For all Classical variations, slight modification and/or simplification of the original choreography is allowed.
Significant changes made to a classical variation may result in point deduction or disqualification.
All Ballet Solo category competitors must attend 1x Classical Ballet Masterclass.
Finalists are to attend a coaching session with the Adjudicator.

For Penang Regional Elimination Round

Selected participants from the Penang Regional will advance as finalists to the Final in Kuala Lumpur.
No prizes will be awarded during the Penang Regional Elimination round.
Penang Regional finalists are to attend the Finalists Coaching Session and Finals in KL on 6 – 7 June 2026.

F. Contemporary Solo Info

For Contemporary competitors, the time limit for the dance is 2.5 minutes.
Contemporary dance is an expressive performance art form that emphasizes fluid, versatile, and innovative movements by combining techniques from classical ballet and modern dance. It encourages a wide range of movement, floorwork and expression, often rooted in improvisation and personal interpretation. We encourage own choreography to focus on dance vocabulary, and therefore strongly discourage the inclusion of gymnastics-style movements or acrobatic tricks.
Contemporary competitors may choose to perform the solo from the contemporary dance list provided by TDS or use their own choreography.
All Contemporary Solo category competitors must attend 1x Contemporary Masterclass.
Depending on the number of registrations, the Contemporary Masterclass might be combined with another level class.

G. Duo/Trio Info

Genre: Ballet, Neo Classical Ballet or Contemporary
Group dances will be evaluated on unified technique, synchronized performance, musicality, and dynamic formation changes.
Maximum duration for Duo/Trio entries: 3.5 minutes.
Participants may attend Ballet and Contemporary Masterclasses for an additional fee of RM130.00 per person per class.