As Simple as A-B-C

Effective for the 2025-2026 competition season (which begins after the 2025 Nationals ends), USA Dance will be changing over to the international sports level classification system.  The old level system of Championship/Pre-Champ/Novice/Gold/Silver/Bronze will be changing to S-Class/A-Class/B-Class/C-Class/D-Class/E-Class/N-Class.

This will align USA Dance with the system used in most other countries’ dance federations.  Versions of this system are also used in other sports such as fencing and the emerging “sport” of competitive video gaming.

In conjunction with the new class level structure there is also a new proficiency point system that will govern progression through the various levels.

How can this new class level system be made easier to understand and remember?

The core of it is simply A-B-C-D-E, where A is the highest skill level, and E is the lowest.  Most dancers will fall into one of these five classes.   Just as one aspires to get an “A” in school, the A-Class represents the highest skill level of the five.  E-class, conversely, is the lesser-skilled end of the scale (i.e. couples dancing Bronze and Pre-Silver syllabus figures).

In addition to the A-B-C-D-E classes, there are two extra classes that are “book ends” of sorts:  S-Class and N-Class.  While most dancers will not be in the S-class, all beginners will come through N-class.

Thusly, the full list of levels is (from highest to lowest):   S-A-B-C-D-E-N

The highest level, S-Class, can be thought of as “superior” or “star” and signifies an elite level of excellence that surpasses the standard A-Class, meaning that such dancers are exceptionally skilled, often considered among the best in their categories.  Note that this surpasses the old system’s “Championship” level, which more closely aligns with high B-class through mid A-class.  It is estimated that there are currently less than ten true S-Class couples in all of USA Dance.  This is not where most couples will eventually end up – only the best of the best will arrive here.

On the other end, N-Class can be thought of as “Newcomer” being an actual class instead of an unofficial one-time event at a new dancer’s first competition (or a collegiate dancer’s first year).  As an official class, dancers will be required to earn their way into moving up from it, just like with all the other levels.  It will be easy to move up for new dancers who place well at their first one or two competitions.  On the other hand, new couples that initially struggle can remain at N-Class and try again (maybe even 2-3 more times) until they become more experienced and place higher than other newcomers, at which time they will graduate to E-Class.

More information about the new system has been and will be provided in other articles.  The official rules are an appendix within the USA Dance Rulebook, which is available on the USA Dance website (USADance.org).