Global Dance Open: Ballet Sections, the Belfast Qualifier and the Finals

Global Dance Open runs one qualifier for the whole island of Ireland, and it is in Belfast. The 2027 All Ireland qualifier is on 16 and 17 January at Stranmillis Theatre, and entries close on 15 December 2026. Dancers from the Republic and from Northern Ireland enter the same event.

Routines that qualify go on to the 2027 Finals at Theatre Orpheus in Apeldoorn, the Netherlands, from 20 to 27 July. For ballet dancers it is worth a close look: there are repertoire solos, a classical solo section, ballet duets, trios and groups, and a pas de deux, and the finals run a separate Classical/Contemporary half with its own judges.

What it is

Global Dance Open, usually shortened to GDO, is an international dance competition organised by Ultimate Dance Productions Ltd, a company registered in the UK. It began in 2020 as a virtual competition while stages were closed, and ran its first live qualifiers in the 2021 to 2022 season. The finals have moved city each year: Porto in 2022, Ávila in 2023, Apeldoorn in 2024 and Birmingham in 2025. In 2027 they go back to Apeldoorn.

The 2026 to 2027 season lists 18 live qualifiers and three virtual ones so far, from Shanghai in early December to Switzerland in May. Belfast is the third live qualifier of the season and the first in Europe, so Irish schools are entering earlier than most.

The main draw is scholarships. GDO's finals are judged by visiting artistic directors of vocational schools and companies, and the organisers say more than £1.2 million in scholarships has been awarded since 2021. At the first live finals in 2022, the Classical and Contemporary panel included Iain Mackay of The Royal Ballet School, Robert Parker of Elmhurst Ballet School and Lisa Pavane of The Australian Ballet School. Scholarships are given at the judges' discretion and are not tied to medal placings, so a dancer who misses the podium can still be offered one.

The ballet sections

GDO is multi-genre, but classical work is spread across several sections rather than one:

• Ballet Repertoire solo. A variation from the classical repertoire, chosen from GDO's approved variation list. Intermediate and Senior dancers must dance it on pointe. Repertoire solos are exempt from the 2 minute 15 second solo time limit, and there is a separate boys' division.

• Classical solo. Classical choreography that is not repertoire, plus neoclassical work. Neoclassical used to be a section of its own; for 2026 to 2027 it goes in here.

• Ballet duets and trios. One section covering repertoire, non-repertoire and neoclassical pieces.

• Ballet groups. Junior, Teen and Intermediate groups split into small ensembles of 4 to 10 dancers and large ensembles of 11 or more. Mini and Senior ballet groups are one ensemble section of 4 or more.

• Pas de deux. Open to Teen, Intermediate and Senior dancers. Up to six minutes, chosen from the classical repertoire list: the adagio, with the coda optional, edited into one continuous track.

One rule catches teachers out. Protected choreography, including all Balanchine, Lacotte and Mats Ek works, cannot be danced without written permission from the organisation that holds the rights, and the teacher has to send that permission to GDO.

Pointe shoes: check this first

Dancers under 12 cannot wear pointe shoes in any routine at GDO. Backstage teams check, and an underage dancer on pointe can be disqualified. From 12, pointe is allowed in the Ballet Repertoire and Ballet sections only, never in contemporary. In the repertoire solo it becomes compulsory for Intermediate and Senior dancers, so a 15-year-old who is not yet confident on pointe belongs in the Classical solo section instead.

Age divisions

The divisions are Mini (5 to 8), Junior (9 to 11), Teen (12 to 14), Intermediate (15 to 17) and Senior (18 to 29). A dancer's division is set by their age on 1 January 2027. Solos must be danced in the correct division, and Mini dancers cannot enter Senior sections.

Groups are where GDO differs. Duets, trios and ensembles are placed by the age of the oldest dancer, not the average. One older dancer moves the whole routine up a division. The AD Competition uses the average age of the group instead, and the Dance World Cup also counts age from 1 January, so check each circuit separately if your school enters more than one.

How qualifying works

A routine needs at least 75 points to qualify, but 75 does not guarantee a place. Places are given per age division and category, and qualification is separate from medals. GDO sends out a qualifying list after the competition, so a medal on the day is not confirmation.

• Junior, Teen and Intermediate solos in Ballet Repertoire and Classical: every solo over 90 qualifies for the Upper Division at the finals, and the top two scoring between 75 and 89 qualify for the Main Division.

• Mini and Senior solos: the top three over 75 are invited, plus every solo over 90.

• Boys' solos: the top four over 75 are invited, plus every solo over 90.

• Ballet duets, trios and groups: the top four over 75 in each age division are invited, and any routine over 90 is invited even beyond those four places.

A routine can be entered at only one GDO qualifier a season. It cannot try again somewhere else to improve its score. And because Ireland has a live qualifier, dancers who live here must qualify in Belfast: the virtual route is only for countries without one.

Medals follow their own thresholds. A routine needs 75 marks to be eligible for bronze, 80 for silver and 85 for gold, and is then ranked on its score. Judges give written comments at the qualifiers but not at the finals.

Entering the Belfast qualifier

Entries are made by the dance school through GDO's Dance Comp Genie portal, where the school sets up an account. Independent dancers who do not attend a school can enter themselves under their country of residence. Before you start:

• Entries close on Tuesday 15 December 2026 and must be paid in full by then. Late payment adds 10% for each week after the deadline, and entries unpaid after three weeks are cancelled.

• Every dancer needs a €12 GDO membership for the season. It is added automatically when you enter and is non-refundable. GDO does not publish its entry fees on its website.

• Music is uploaded through the portal, not emailed. Bring a copy on a USB stick on the day: music played from phones is not accepted.

• The music used at the qualifier must be the same version used at the finals, and a routine cannot be lengthened for the finals even if it ran short. Repertoire dancers must perform the same variation at both.

The All Ireland qualifier is run by GDO's country organisers, Catherine and Judith, at allireland@globaldanceopen.com.

Global Dance Open and the Dance World Cup

Many Irish schools enter both, and the two routes work differently. The Dance World Cup Ireland Qualifier is in Firhouse, Dublin, from 16 to 19 February 2027 and is for dancers living in the Republic; Northern Irish dancers qualify for the Dance World Cup by video through Dance World Cup UK. GDO has one live qualifier for the whole island, a month earlier, in Belfast. The finals do not clash either: the Dance World Cup is in Lisbon from 29 June to 9 July 2027, and GDO is in Apeldoorn from 20 to 27 July.