Since 1994, Starbound National Talent Competition has put a focus on the people rather than the competition. And as a former dance teacher herself, Starbound founder and president Sandra Coyte is still striving to do just that. “I came into this industry wanting to do different things that would benefit the dance studios,” Coyte says.
Now in its 33rd season, the mission to benefit and support dance studios remains strong. “At the end of the day, our number one goal is to put on a good show, a fun show, a safe show, a show that gives dancers the opportunity to express themselves and have a great time performing,” says Ariella Latino, Starbound’s chief operating officer.
As competition season continues, Starbound’s directors share tips on how dancers, teachers, and studios can prepare for the competition stage, both at Regionals and Nationals.
Starbound’s Top Tips for Competing
One thing Coyte will always hold firm on is the importance of focusing on technique, both on the stage and in the classroom. “I would like to see people go back to the barre and go back to finding their center,” Coyte says. “And I am a strong believer that those things carry you through the other genres of dance.”
She specifically advises continuing consistent technical training outside the routines you are working on, and not sacrificing regular technique classes for competition rehearsals. She says this will not only strengthen the technical elements of your routines but also train your body and mind to pick up choreography more easily and better prepare you for future scenarios, such as auditions.
“It’s not just about choreography,” she says, “it’s also about what’s going to get you to execute that choreography the correct way.”
Continuing that education outside of the classroom, Starbound director and VIP-client liaison Robbie Mulrey encourages dancers to treat competitions as learning experiences and to pay attention to what they can learn from other dancers throughout the competition weekend.
“It’s not always about winning,” he says. “Everything’s a win, right?”
For Nationals specifically, Coyte recommends taking clean, well-rehearsed routines your studio has performed throughout the season, rather than trying to bring new choreography. “When you’re comfortable with the choreography, when you can actually say something while you’re dancing, you will perform it at a spectacular rate because you’re not thinking about it so much,” she says.
Most importantly, Mulrey says not to pass up the opportunity to meet new friends and make connections with other dancers, and cherish the camaraderie with your team. “These are memories that are going to shape your life,” he says. “And 10 years from now you’re going to be like, ‘Remember that Nationals, when we had the time of our lives and we did this?’ Those are moments that are going to last.”
The New Studio Award
This year, Starbound is introducing its Studio Distinction and Achievement Award. This honor is given out at every Regional and National competition and recognizes a dance studio that demonstrates a commitment to technical training, creative growth, and positive mentorship through consistent leadership, integrity, and passion for dance. Recipients receive an honoree plaque, as well as the opportunity to be in the running to attend a special VIP trip with the Starbound team.
“There are so many different ways of achieving this award,” Mulrey says. “It could be everything from team spirit in the back to sportsmanship in the front, cheering the other teams on, technique, entertainment, years in business.”
Latino says the team really wanted to create an award specific to Starbound, and both she and Coyte hope it gives studios another thing to look forward to and strive to earn.
Changing Lives Through the Dancers Care Foundation
Giving back is a common theme with Starbound. The Dancers Care Foundation, founded in 2002 by Coyte, has raised and donated nearly $3 million toward cancer research.
Starbound fundraises multiple ways through Dancers Care, including the Dancers Care Angel Program, in which volunteers from the audience circulate around the competition venue with buckets to collect donations. The money raised goes directly to dancers under 30 who are battling cancer to help them with medical bills and related personal needs.
For Coyte, the impact is the most rewarding part. “In life, if you can make a difference and you have the ability to make the difference, why not make it?” she says.
The Starbound Family
Starbound strives to provide a dance competition space that feels like a family. And that is something both Latino and Mulrey love most about the atmosphere Coyte has created.
“No matter what’s going on—900 acts, a thousand acts, three-day show, five-day National, seven-day National—I know each and every person that walks through that door,” Mulrey says. “What we try to give [the dancers] at Starbound as a whole is a feeling of confidence, a feeling of family, of sportsmanship, of supporting them, getting them out onstage, making sure that we’re reassuring them that it’s about having fun and about doing your best.”
Check out Starbound’s 2025–26 tour schedule, and learn more about how you can be a part of America’s largest dance competition.
