INTERNATIONAL DANCE LEAGUE (IDL)
2026 Season Rulebook
Pro Division
1.
Introduction
2.
Tour Schedule
3.
Team Composition
4.
Age Eligibility & Minor Athlete Participation
5.
Performance Requirements
6.
Stage Dimensions & Details
7.
Music Policy
8.
Jerseys, Costuming, & Props
9.
Tech Rehearsal
10.
Competition Format
11.
Judging & Scoring
12.
Season Standings
13.
Championship Series
14.
Prize Money & Payouts
15.
Code of Conduct
Appendix A: Official 2026 Season Scoresheet
Appendix B: 2026 Season Round 1 Matchup Schedule
Appendix C: Glossary of Terms
Appendix D: Quick Reference Summary
Introduction
The International Dance League (IDL) Pro Division is a global touring league reframing dance competitions as a sport. This rulebook outlines the standards, format, and expectations for all participating teams across the 2026 IDL Season to ensure fair competition and world-class presentation.
Tour Schedule
DATE
CITY
VENUE
May 2, 2026
New York City, USA
Hammerstein Ballroom
May 23, 2026
Vancouver, Canada
UBC Doug Mitchell Thunderbird Sports Centre
June 20, 2026
Sydney, Australia
Hordern Pavilion
August 1, 2026
Seoul, South Korea
TBC
September 19, 2026
Los Angeles, USA
Shrine Expo Hall
September 20, 2026
Los Angeles, USA
Shrine Expo Hall
Team Composition
Full Team Roster (Season-Long)
Each Pro Division team must submit a season roster prior to the start of the 2026 season.
Maximum roster size: 30 dancers
Minimum roster size: 20 dancers
Managers allotted for travel: 2
Teams may utilize more choreographers, managers, coaches, etc. at their own discretion, provided they report all choreography credits to IDL.
Rosters are locked for the duration of the season
No roster additions, removals, or substitutions are permitted once the season begins.
Lineups (Per-Series basis)
For each competition (“Series”), teams must designate a 20-dancer lineup from their approved full roster.
Lineups must be exactly 20 dancers, no more, no less.
The same 20-dancer lineup must be used for all rounds of that Series.
Lineups may change between competitions.
Only lineup dancers will be traveled and credentialed for competition.
Injury & Absence
In the event of injury or unforeseen circumstances, teams may replace a dancer using another rostered dancer. Teams may instead elect to compete with fewer than 20 dancers; however, competing with fewer than 20 dancers may result in lower scores across some categories (see Appendix A).
Injuries and absence, regardless of intent to replace the dancer, must be reported to IDL League Operations immediately in writing via email. All injury-related accommodations are subject to IDL approval and final discretion.
Age Eligibility & Minor Athlete Participation
Eligibility
Dancers are eligible to participate in the Pro Division only if they were born prior to September 1, 2009. Proof of age, in the form of a valid government-issued identification document or certified birth certificate, must be submitted to the organization upon request and prior to roster certification. Any dancer who cannot provide adequate proof of age will be deemed ineligible until such documentation is provided.
Minor Athlete Consent Requirement
Any dancer who has not yet reached eighteen (18) years of age at the time of competition must have a parent or legal guardian execute a Minor Athlete Participation Consent Form prior to participating at each applicable tour stop. This requirement applies at every individual event and is not satisfied by consent given at a prior tour stop. Consent may be withdrawn by the parent or legal guardian at any time, and such withdrawal will render the dancer ineligible to participate at that event.
The Minor Athlete Participation Consent Form includes assumption of risk, indemnification, and name, image, and likeness (NIL) license provisions, the terms of which are incorporated by reference into these rules.
Team Director Responsibility
It is the sole responsibility of the team director or designated roster manager to ensure that a fully executed Minor Athlete Participation Consent Form is completed, submitted, and on file for each minor dancer prior to the start of competition at each applicable tour stop. IDL will not be responsible for verifying or obtaining consent on behalf of any team or individual.
Enforcement
Any dancer found to be competing without a fully executed Minor Athlete Participation Consent Form on file for that tour stop will be immediately removed from competition. IDL reserves the right to void scores, withhold placements, or disqualify a team if a minor athlete’s participation was unauthorized. Failure to comply with the consent requirements set forth in this section is the responsibility of the team director and may result in additional disciplinary action at the organization’s discretion.
Performance Requirements
Each team must prepare two (2) original performance sets.
Maximum set length: 3 minutes
Minimum set length: 2 minutes, 30 seconds
Repeat use of music & choreography across sets is prohibited (see Appendix A for deductions).
Teams may put any number of their lineup dancers on stage at any given time, but each individual in the 20-dancer lineup is required to appear on stage at least once in each set (see Section 3 for the Injury & Absence exception).
Choreography Ownership
Teams may only compete utilizing choreography developed by their own creative & director teams, with explicit permission from all choreographers to use their work. Using any pieces of choreography that were neither created for the team, licensed by the original choreographer, or within the Repeated Use of Choreography deductions clause (see Appendix A) will result in a penalty.
Technical Difficulties & Force Majeure
In the event of a technical failure during a performance—including but not limited to music playback malfunction, power outage, or venue-level disruption—the following procedures apply:
If music playback fails mid-performance due to an IDL production error, the affected team will be offered a full restart of their set from the beginning. The team may decline the restart and accept the performance as-is.
If a venue-level disruption (e.g. power outage, fire alarm, or emergency evacuation) interrupts competition, IDL League Operations will determine whether to delay, reschedule, or cancel the affected portion of the event.
All decisions regarding stoppages, restarts, and event modifications are made solely by IDL League Operations in consultation with the Head Judges. These decisions are final.
If a stoppage exceeds 30 minutes and the event cannot reasonably resume, IDL reserves the right to declare a postponement for any unperformed sets. Scoring for completed performances will stand.
Technical issues caused by the performing team (e.g. submitting a corrupt audio file) are not eligible for a restart and will be treated as an incomplete performance.
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