5678 Elite Dance 2027 – Belfast Qualifier

5678 Elite Dance brings its Belfast qualifier to The MAC in the Cathedral Quarter from Friday 28 to Sunday 30 May 2027. Estimates are open now, and a school secures one only by paying a £100 non-refundable deposit on the day it submits.

Ballet is a named category with its own rules. At novice and elite level it is marked in the Performance and Technique group with lyrical and contemporary, so a ballet solo is not scored against street, tap or acro.

Key details

• Dates: Friday 28 to Sunday 30 May 2027

• Venue: The MAC, 10 Exchange Street West, Belfast BT1 2NJ

• Estimates: open now. The £100 deposit is non-refundable and must be paid the same day the estimate goes in. An estimate is not held until the deposit arrives.

• Ages: seven bands, from 6 and under up to 16 and under, plus over 17.

• Entry types: solo, duet, trio or quad, standard group and large group.

• Last year: the same late May weekend at The MAC ran as the Belfast Big Weekender, 22 to 24 May 2026.

Categories

At 5678's other qualifiers the categories are ballet, lyrical, street dance, tap, jazz, acro dance and anything goes, plus 1 v 1 tap and experimental battles. The Belfast list has not been published separately.

• Ballet is defined in the rules as technique and classical ballet steps. Pointe work is permitted in the 15 and over category only.

• Musical theatre runs only at Take It To The Floor, the separate 5678 team championship in Newtownards.

Entry fees

2027 fees have not been published. The last sterling price list, for the 2025 qualifiers, was £29 per solo dancer, £36 per duo, £33 per trio, £44 per quad, £13 per dancer in a standard group and £11 per dancer in a large group. Entries withdrawn inside 20 days of the competition are charged at 50 per cent.

How to enter

Entries come from a dance school rather than from individual families. Registration runs on 5678.dancecompgenie.com, which needs a Dance Comp Genie Studio Center account. Queries go to admin@5678elitedance.com, or message @5678elitedance on Instagram.

New to 5678? Our guide to 5678 Elite Dance covers entry levels, scoring and where ballet sits.

Questions

What happens to the £100 deposit? It is non-refundable. 5678 has not said whether it comes off the final entry bill, as the £100 Dance Comp Genie studio registration does. Ask when you submit the estimate.

Which age does a soloist compete at? The rules take age from 1 January for events before May and from 1 June for events after September. A late May weekend sits under neither rule, so confirm the date with the organiser before entering.

What does it qualify for? 5678 calls it a qualifier but has not said which championships it feeds. Its autumn qualifiers lead to the All Ireland Championships at the Pillo Hotel, Ashbourne.

Can a first-time competitor enter? Yes, in the novice section, which is solos only and marked out of 80. A dancer who has competed on any stage before enters open.

Details checked against 5678 Elite Dance's announcement and published rules on 10 September 2026.

Dance schools entering their own dancers, with soloists from 6 and under to over 17. Entries go through a school's Dance Comp Genie studio account, so for a family the first conversation is with their teacher.

A ballet dancer needs no competition record: the novice solo section is for first timers and is marked on its own 80 point scale.

• Trophies and prizes. 5678's stated position is 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 afterwards. Spectators may not photograph or film during the competition.

• Not included: spectator admission, sold through Ticketbud with prices published four weeks before the event. A printed programme cost £4 at past events.

Three days, Friday 28 to Sunday 30 May 2027. The running order comes through Dance Comp Genie once entries close, and 5678 states that times are subject to change across the weekend.

Time limits at 5678 qualifiers: novice solos 1 minute 30, open and elite solos 2 minutes, duets, trios and quads 2 minutes, standard groups 3 minutes, large groups 3 minutes 30.

Ballet has its own definition in the 5678 rules: 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 rather than against street, tap or acro.

Estimates: open now. The £100 non-refundable deposit is due the same day the estimate is submitted.

Competition: Friday 28 to Sunday 30 May 2027.

Withdrawals: entries pulled inside 20 days of the competition are charged 50 per cent of the fee.

Entry closing date: none published.