Over the past 20 years, Platinum National Dance Competition has expanded into three primary event programs: Platinum National Dance Competition, Platinum Dance Collective, and Platinum Dance Experience. Spearheaded by owner and executive director Chris Suchan, each opportunity gives dancers varying ways to compete, train, and connect throughout the year. “Education is at the heart of what we do,” Suchan says.
Platinum National Dance Competition
At the core is the original Platinum National Dance Competition. This three-day competition offers three levels and includes adjudications, overall awards, choreography recognition, and other scholarship-based awards.
Platinum Dance Collective
Now in its eighth season, the Platinum Dance Collective expands the competition experience into a three-day competition and convention. The class programming gives dancers opportunities to explore styles beyond what they may regularly encounter, including jazz, tap, contemporary, ballet, musical theatre, contemporary fusion, lyrical, and hip hop. This season, ballroom has been added to the faculty and class offerings.
The Collective also has a new room for younger dancers experiencing their first convention. The goal of the Mini room is to make the experience manageable rather than intimidating, all while introducing them to the essential ins and outs of dance conventions.
Educators can register for the exclusive Teacher Room at no cost, and their sessions focus on teaching movement, choreography, and other effective practices. For Suchan, that component is important because the educational experience is not limited to the dancers. “Teachers pour their heart and soul into these dancers,” he says. “They need to feel full and inspired in order to give back.”
Platinum Dance Experience
The Platinum Dance Experience offers a concentrated approach, condensing the convention experience into a single day. Celebrating its 15th anniversary, the Experience includes six one-hour classes and an audition. Suchan describes the event as a “low-risk, inspiring, and approachable event.”
In the audition, dancers learn a specific combination before performing it in smaller groups for scholarships and awards. For newer dancers, this experience introduces a skill they will encounter repeatedly if they pursue dance professionally.
Other Opportunities
Platinum’s offerings don’t end there. Other programs include Platinum Launch, an event that brings together representatives from universities, casting agencies, and other performance opportunities so dancers can explore potential next steps. And Platinum Summer Dance Academy, a five-day dance intensive and sleep away camp for intermediate to advanced dancers.
Upcoming Dates and New Locations
Platinum is adding new cities across its events in 2027. New Platinum Dance Experience cities include Hampton, Virginia, and Raleigh, North Carolina. Platinum National Dance Competition additions include Vancouver, Omaha, San Diego, Green Bay, Baltimore, Raleigh, and Billings, with Nationals in Branson, Missouri, and Virginia Beach, Virginia. And new Platinum Dance Collective cities include Detroit, Newark, and St. Louis.
Learn more about which program is best for you and register here.