5678 Elite Dance 2027 – All Ireland Championships

5678 Elite Dance brings its All Ireland Championships to the Pillo Hotel, Ashbourne, Co. Meath in February 2027. This is the final of the 5678 circuit: dancers reach it by scoring a qualifying mark at one of the autumn qualifiers, not by placing in the top three. Entries open on 30 September 2026.

Ballet is a graded category at 5678 rather than a token section, so a ballet solo that hits the qualifying score at the Dublin qualifier or the Cork qualifier carries through to Ashbourne.

Key details

• Dates: Saturday 27 and Sunday 28 February 2027. See the note on dates below.

• Venue: Pillo Hotel, The Rath, Ashbourne, Co. Meath, A84 KR91.

• Entries open: 30 September 2026, through Dance Comp Genie.

• Who can enter: dancers who have reached the qualifying score at a 5678 qualifier during the 2026 season.

• Ages: the 5678 bands run from 6 and under to over 17.

• Registration: through a school's Dance Comp Genie studio account, so entries normally come from a school rather than a family.

A note on the announced dates

The organiser's announcement of 9 September 2026 gives the dates as 27th to 29th February 2027. There is no 29 February in 2027, which is not a leap year: the month ends on Sunday 28. 5678's own competitions page lists the championships on 27 and 28 February, so this listing carries Saturday 27 and Sunday 28 February 2027. Confirm the third day with the organiser before booking accommodation.

Qualifying scores

• Open seniors, meaning 14 and under and older: 245.

• Open juniors, meaning 12 and under and younger: 235.

• Novice: 195, on the 80 point novice scale.

Qualification is on the published score alone, so a dancer who never places in a section can still go through.

Where the qualifiers are

• Dublin, Dublin City University, Saturday 17 and Sunday 18 October 2026.

• Charleville, Charleville Park Hotel, Co. Cork, Saturday 31 October and Sunday 1 November 2026.

The full levels, categories and rules are set out in the 5678 Elite Dance guide.

Questions

Can we enter the All Irelands directly? No. A dancer qualifies by scoring 245, 235 or 195, depending on level and age, at a 5678 qualifier. The two Republic qualifiers this season are in Dublin in October and Charleville in November.

Is ballet judged on its own? Yes. Ballet is a named category defined in the 5678 rules as technique and classical ballet steps. At novice and elite level it is marked in the Performance and Technique group with lyrical and contemporary, not against street, tap or acro.

What do entries cost? Championship fees for 2027 have not been published. For reference, the 2026 qualifiers charged €29 per solo, €36 per duo and €44 per trio or quad, plus an €18 media fee per dancer.

Can spectators buy tickets? 5678 sells spectator admission through Ticketbud and publishes prices about four weeks before an event, so championship tickets are not on sale yet.

Announced by 5678 Elite Dance on 9 September 2026. Venue address checked against pillohotelashbourne.com the same day.

Dancers who have already qualified through a 5678 event during the 2026 season, entered by their school through Dance Comp Genie. Age bands run from 6 and under to over 17.

Novice dancers are included: the novice qualifying score is 195 on the 80 point novice scale, so a dancer competing for the first time at the October or November qualifiers can still reach Ashbourne in February.

• Trophies and prizes for every entrant, in line with 5678's stated position that no one goes home empty handed.

• Highly Commended awards for 4th and 5th place in any category with 12 or more entries.

• Photographs by the official photographers, free to download from the DAKIKI app after the event. Spectators may not photograph or film during the competition.

• Not included: the media and DAKIKI fee per dancer, and spectator admission, which is sold through Ticketbud with prices published about four weeks before the event.

Two days at the Pillo Hotel, Ashbourne. The organiser's announcement reads 27th to 29th February 2027, but 2027 is not a leap year and February ends on Sunday 28, so the workable dates are Saturday 27 and Sunday 28. 5678 publishes running orders through Dance Comp Genie once entries close.

Entries open 30 September 2026. No closing date has been published. At the qualifiers each category holds 22 entries before it splits into A and B sections.

Ballet carries through from the qualifiers as its own category, defined in the 5678 rules as technique and classical ballet steps. There is no classical only stream and no separate pointe category, and pointe work is permitted in the 15 and over category alone. At novice and elite level a ballet solo is marked in the Performance and Technique group alongside lyrical and contemporary.

Entries open: 30 September 2026.

Championships: Saturday 27 and Sunday 28 February 2027. The announcement reads 27th to 29th February, a date that does not exist in 2027, so the third day needs confirming with the organiser.

Qualifying scores: 245 open seniors, 235 open juniors, 195 novice.

Champion of Champions rules: 5678 said these would be published in November 2026.