ART OLYMPIAD SYSTEM

An International System for Ballet and Dance as Performing Arts

Art Olympiad System is an international multi-level system encompassing ballet and dance across the full diversity of their stage disciplines, bringing together competition, professional artistic evaluation, international qualification, education, and the continuous development of performers.

The system was created to promote, develop, and advance ballet and dance internationally — from the earliest years of training to the professional stage.
At the heart of Art Olympiad System are art, the performer, and the performer’s development.

A professional artist does not appear on stage overnight. The journey begins with training, the first stage experience, the first professional evaluation, and continuous development.

For this reason, Art Olympiad System creates an international artistic environment in which performers at different stages of training can develop, while genuine talent can be recognised by professionals at the right moment and given the opportunity to take the next step.

BALLET AND DANCE AS ART

Art Olympiad System promotes ballet and dance first and foremost as performing arts.

The system brings together public and private ballet and dance schools, professional educational institutions, academies, studios, companies, ensembles, and independent performers.

It creates opportunities for stage and artistic development at different stages of training — from the earliest years of study to a high level of performance.

Today’s beginner may become tomorrow’s professional artist. Art Olympiad System therefore does not separate the early stages of development from the professional pathway ahead, but provides different formats within one international system.

At the foundation of this philosophy are two interconnected objectives:
to promote and develop ballet and dance as art forms and to provide professional evaluation, identify talent, and create opportunities for its further development.

THE PROFESSIONAL STAGE AS PART OF THE SYSTEM

The qualification stages of Art Olympiad System are held on professional stages and performance venues — in opera houses, national and professional theatres, cultural centres, and other professional venues.

This is a fundamental part of the system.

For a beginner, such a stage can become a first significant stage experience.

For a developing performer, it becomes an environment in which stage culture and performance skills are formed.

For a high-level performer, it provides an opportunity to present their art within a professional theatrical environment.

The stage is therefore not simply the venue for a competition, but an integral part of the participant’s artistic, educational, and professional experience.

DEBUT · PREMIER · ELITE

Art Olympiad System provides three levels corresponding to different stages of training and different principles of participation:

DEBUT → PREMIER → ELITE

This is not simply a division into beginner, intermediate, and advanced performers. Each level has its own function and its own principle for determining results.

DEBUT

FESTIVAL LEVEL

Debut is the first, predominantly festival-based level of Art Olympiad System.
It is intended primarily for beginning performers, including those in their first year of training and those gaining their first stage experience.

The level is also open to participants who practise ballet and dance as an art form without necessarily pursuing a professional career.

The central principle of Debut is a professional stage and genuine professional evaluation within a supportive festival format.

Debut maintains an encouraging awards format, while every performance receives a genuine professional Score from the international jury.

Teachers, choreographers, and performers can therefore see the actual evaluation of the performance and follow its development over time, regardless of the festival nature of the level.

Participants may continue to perform at Debut level by their own choice.

By decision of the Organizing Committee, a competitive format may be applied to selected categories, including Juniors and Adults.

PREMIER

LAUREATE LEVEL AND PROFESSIONAL EVALUATION

Premier represents the transition from the festival format of Debut to a higher competitive level.
Its principal purpose is to enable a performer not merely to present their work on stage, but to understand the level at which they currently perform.
Premier is intended for trained performers and maintains the creative and developmental character of the competition.
Results are determined through a system of three Laureate Degrees:
I Place / Laureate I Degree
II Place / Laureate II Degree
III Place / Laureate III Degree
At Premier level, there may be several Laureates of the First, Second, or Third Degree in accordance with the result system established for this level.
The performer therefore receives not only a competition result, but also a clear indication of their current stage of development.
Premier allows performers to develop within a structured competitive environment, compare their Scores from one Olympiad to another, and progress from initial training towards a higher performance level without immediately entering an absolute ranking system.
For one performer, Premier may remain a strong developmental level. For another, it may become the transition to Elite.
ELITE
ABSOLUTE COMPETITIVE LEVEL
Elite is the highest competitive level of Art Olympiad System.
It is intended for performers demonstrating a high technical and artistic standard, including students of professional ballet and dance institutions, as well as strong performers prepared for an absolute comparative competition system.
Unlike Premier, Elite is not based on Laureate Degrees.
Elite is based on an absolute comparative ranking determined by the final professional Score.
In summary:
DEBUT — festival level, professional stage, and genuine professional evaluation.
PREMIER — Laureate level, enabling performers to identify their current stage and develop progressively within the competition system.
ELITE — absolute competitive level and direct ranking according to professional Score.
Detailed rules governing results are provided under JUDGING, LEVELS & RESULTS.

DEVELOPMENT WITHIN THE SYSTEM

Art Olympiad System provides the possibility of progression:

DEBUT → PREMIER → ELITE

Level Transfer reflects the performer’s development and readiness to progress to the next level.

Results, the development of professional Scores over time, and special achievements may provide grounds for consideration of such a transfer.

The title Best Debut Dancer, as a rule, indicates that a performer may be ready to be considered for:
DEBUT → PREMIER
Outstanding results at Premier level may provide grounds for consideration of:
PREMIER → ELITE
Professional recommendations and Level Transfers may be considered by the system’s Artistic Council.
Detailed provisions are provided under JUDGING, LEVELS & RESULTS.

PROFESSIONAL EVALUATION AS A MEASURE OF DEVELOPMENT
One of the fundamental principles of Art Olympiad System is the clear distinction between Place and Score.
Place indicates a performer’s position in relation to other participants in a particular competition.
Score represents the professional evaluation of the quality of a specific performance.
The number and level of participants may vary considerably from one competition to another. A competition placement alone therefore does not always provide an absolute indication of a performer’s level.
For this reason, Score has particular importance as an indicator of the performer’s actual development.
Each performance is evaluated by a professional jury according to five criteria:
T — Technique
C — Composition
M — Music
A — Art
I — Image
Each criterion is scored from 1 to 10 points.
The maximum score awarded by one jury member is 50 points.
Results are retained within the system, allowing performers and their teachers to compare professional evaluations from one Olympiad to another and observe development over time.
PLACE SHOWS POSITION.
SCORE SHOWS LEVEL.
PROGRESS SHOWS DEVELOPMENT.
Detailed rules governing placements, Premier Laureate Degrees, Elite absolute ranking, and other results are provided under JUDGING, LEVELS & RESULTS.

INTERNATIONAL QUALIFICATION SYSTEM

Art Olympiad System brings together the following international qualification stages:

NATIONAL LEVEL
BALKAN LEVEL
EUROPEAN LEVEL
CONTINENTAL LEVEL
WORLD LEVEL

Qualification enables participants to progress to subsequent stages of the system, broaden their international stage experience, and present their art within a wider professional and cultural environment.

Each stage provides a new scale of artistic exchange, professional evaluation, and international experience.

Qualification, progression to the next stage, or an award is not, however, the final purpose of Art Olympiad System.

The development of the performer remains the system’s central value.

BE SEEN BY PROFESSIONALS

For Art Olympiad System, it is essential not only how a performer is evaluated, but also who sees and evaluates that performer.

International juries bring together representatives of the professional ballet, theatre, choreographic, and educational communities, including:
ballet directors;
representatives of ballet and opera theatres;
professional performers;
choreographers;
teachers from national and professional ballet schools;
representatives of academies and conservatories;
teachers and professors from professional secondary and higher education institutions;
other specialists from the professional performing arts sector.

For a young performer, this creates an opportunity to be seen by people who work directly within the professional environment to which that performer may aspire.

Jury members, ballet directors, teachers, and representatives of professional organisations may identify, recommend, or invite promising participants for further educational and professional opportunities.

EVALUATION · EDUCATION · DEVELOPMENT

Directly connected with Art Olympiad System is DanceWay Pro© — a forum and project for professional training and the further development of participants.
DanceWay Pro© takes place in parallel with the Olympiad or immediately before it.

Members of the international jury and invited masters conduct professional master classes and training sessions.

Performers therefore have the opportunity not only to present their work to professionals and receive an evaluation, but also to learn directly from these specialists, encounter different professional schools and methodologies, and acquire new technical and artistic knowledge.

Together, Art Olympiad System and DanceWay Pro© connect:
STAGE · ARTISTIC EVALUATION · EDUCATION · DEVELOPMENT
Professional evaluation becomes not the end of the process, but a possible starting point for further development.

FROM RECOGNISING TALENT TO THE NEXT STEP
Art Olympiad System cooperates with public and private professional ballet and dance schools, institutions of professional secondary education, academies, conservatories, and higher education institutions.
Particular attention is given to educational opportunities in Europe and Asia.
For performers whose talent and potential for serious further development are recognised by professionals, the system seeks to help identify opportunities including:
professional secondary education;
higher education;
scholarships;
accessible tuition-free and state-funded education;
professional programmes and internships;
participation in professional classes, including classes alongside ballet companies;
auditions;
further stage and professional development.
Some opportunities may be offered directly by jury members, ballet directors, theatres, professional schools, academies, and higher education institutions.
Art Olympiad System does not guarantee admission, scholarships, or employment. Final decisions remain with the respective educational institution, theatre, or professional organisation.
The role of the system is to recognise talent, create professional connections and, whenever such an opportunity exists, help the performer take the next step.
For one performer, that step may be professional education.
For another, an internship or audition.
For someone else, it may be a theatre, opera house, ballet company, or dance company.
Every performer’s professional pathway is individual.

PROFESSIONAL SCORE ACROSS THE OLYMPIAD

The results retained within Art Olympiad System make it possible to create participant rankings based on the final Score.

Depending on the format and number of participants in a particular Olympiad, distinctions may include:

Best Dancer
Best Debut Dancer
Best Premier Dancer
Best Elite Dancer

as well as:

TOP 3 · TOP 6 · TOP 10

Rankings may be formed across the entire Olympiad or according to individual Level, Nomination, and Age Category.

This makes it possible to recognise not only results within individual competition categories, but also performers who have received the highest professional evaluations across the broader context of the Olympiad.

Detailed ranking rules are provided under JUDGING, LEVELS & RESULTS.

10 YEARS OF ART OLYMPIAD SYSTEM

For ten years, Art Olympiad System has developed in cooperation with representatives of the professional ballet, theatre, and educational communities.

Over this period, the system has made it possible to observe the development of performers from their first stage appearances and first professional evaluations through to further professional education and entry into the professional environment.

The central principle remains unchanged:

to promote and develop ballet and dance in the full diversity of their artistic disciplines, to create a professional stage environment for performers at different stages of training, and at the same time to give genuine talent the opportunity to be recognised at the right moment.

For a beginning performer, Art Olympiad System may provide a first professional stage experience.

For a developing performer, it offers an opportunity to understand their level and observe their own progress.

For a high-level performer, it provides an opportunity to present themselves within an international professional environment.

And for the most promising participants, the Olympiad may become a starting point for further education, professional development, and their own pathway in the arts.