The UMLY Junior and Senior Dance Companies are competitive dance teams that perform at festivals and competitions across the Greater Philadelphia region. Each event provides an opportunity for our dancers to showcase their talents while learning about the performance and competition process.

One of our favorite events of the year is the Philadelphia Youth Dance Festival, held at the Mandell Theater at Drexel University in Philadelphia. This festival is a pre-professional event that features more than 400 dancers from across Pennsylvania and the nation. Dancers participate in a series of master classes and then perform during the festival. 
 

This season, our companies participated in a number of festivals and competitions, including the following. 

• Elite Dance Challenge | March 15-17 | King of Prussia
   
• Philadelphia Youth Dance Festival | March 22-24 | Mandell Theater, Philadelphia
   
• Wild About Dance Competition | April 06-07 | King of Prussia
   
• Starpower Dance Competition | April 26-28 | Oaks
   
• Aspire Dance Competition | May 02-05 | King of Prussia
   

About School of Dance
The School of Dance at the Upper Main Line YMCA (UMLY) is an all-inclusive program for children ages 2-18. UMLY School of Dance welcomes dancers of all abilities through school-year classes such as Ballet, Modern, Contemporary, Tap, Jazz, Hip-Hop and Broadway, as well as Adaptive Dance and two competitive Dance Companies.

Competitive Dance | UMLY Dance Companies
UMLY’s Junior Dance Company welcomes children ages 8 and up who have previously taken Ballet. The Senior Dance Company welcomes dancers ages 12 and up who have been invited to join or who have qualified through our audition process. Both companies perform at festivals and competitions across the Greater Philadelphia region.

While the Dance Companies take pride in their competitions, they are much more than a competition team. UMLY Dance Companies perform in the community at assisted living homes, the Devon Horse Show Christmas Parade, the YMCA Nutcracker and Dance Spectacular and the Philadelphia Youth Dance Festival - a weekend of master classes and cultural dances.

To learn more about UMLY School of Dance offerings, contact Claire Jones, Dance Director.