Elevate Your Adjudication Skills
Tap Is One of the Most Misunderstood Styles in Adjudications
Tap dance requires a unique set of skills to evaluate properly. Judges must listen for rhythm, articulation, sound clarity, weight placement, and musical interpretation — elements that are often overlooked in traditional adjudication training.
As a result, many dancers and teachers receive feedback that lacks technical accuracy or meaningful direction.
The Tap Adjudicator Certification Program was created to establish clear standards for how tap should be evaluated at dance competitions and festivals.
Better Adjudication Creates Better Feedback
When adjudicators understand the technical foundations of tap, dancers receive feedback that is specific, constructive, and supportive of their development.
Competitions that prioritize tap education help create a more positive and informed experience for dancers, teachers, and studios.
Built for Dance Competitions & Individual Adjudicators
Whether implemented by an entire competition or purchased independently, the Tap Adjudicator Certification Program is designed to elevate the standard of tap adjudication across the industry.
Dance competitions can incorporate the certification into their adjudicator onboarding process, while individual judges can complete the training as a professional development tool to strengthen their confidence, consistency, and technical understanding when evaluating tap.
By investing in specialized tap education, adjudicators and organizations alike demonstrate a commitment to knowledgeable scoring, meaningful feedback, and a stronger experience for dancers and teachers.
For Dance Competitions
Competitions can require judges evaluating tap categories to complete the certification as part of their seasonal preparation and onboarding.
Benefits include:
• improved consistency in tap scoring
• stronger trust with studios and teachers
• more accurate technical feedback
• elevated adjudicator standards across events
• professional development opportunities for judging panels
For Individual Adjudicators
This training is also available for adjudicators who want to strengthen their tap knowledge independently — especially those who may not come from a strong tap background but regularly evaluate tap routines during competition season.
Benefits include:
• increased confidence adjudicating tap categories
• a stronger understanding of tap terminology and technique
• practical tools for delivering clearer, more constructive feedback
• guidance on musicality, timing, clarity, and scoring considerations
• a professional certification that demonstrates continued education and commitment to growth
At its core, this program exists to support better feedback, stronger education, and a more informed adjudication experience for everyone involved.
Developed by Nicole Byfield
Nicole Byfield is a professional tap dancer, educator, and adjudicator with extensive experience working with dancers and competitions across Canada.
Through years of teaching, choreographing, and adjudicating, Nicole recognized a common challenge within the competition world: tap routines are often evaluated without clear technical understanding of the style.
The Tap Adjudicator Certification Program was created to help competitions ensure that tap dancers receive informed, meaningful feedback from adjudicators who understand the unique demands of the form.