N E W S

It’s a new way to keep tabs on the competitive dance season in Illinois! Thoughts and insights on the teams and routines from competitions across the state for the 2024-25 season–plus dance team news, issues, music commentary, non-dance nuggets, and more. Line up at The Ready Line!

COMP SEASON CALENDAR AND NUMBERED WEEKENDS

The 2024-25 Illinois high school dance team comp schedule is right here! It’s a comprehensive, inclusive calendar representing both sanctioning bodies in Illinois (IHSA and IDTA) and the major national organizations that some Illinois teams participate in. We’ve also numbered the weekends for quick, easy reference when talking about the season!

8CA WINTER POINTS SYSTEM

New for the 2024-25 season, we’re launching the first-ever 8CA Winter Points System (we promise to think a better name). Details will be rolled out in stages.

The basic idea: every dance counts!

Using the actual scores earned, points for each routine and team are added up cumulatively. Separate leaderboards will account for teams with a different number of dances-so-far. Divisions and categories will also have their own leaderboards, and will be updated each week. Final point leaders will be recognized at our 2025 8CA All-State event!

We’re out to continually celebrate and provide services for the Illinois dance team community!

We’ve helped hundreds of teams be their best and feel their best on the competition floor since the ’00-’01 season.

8 Count Audio works for dance teams.

We help by crafting the building blocks of your routine:

Music editing, technique and skill-building sessions, and choreography…

…along with our legendary, fervent support of the dance community.

Whether you need a simple edit of one song or a dynamic mix of multiple songs, our music provides your athletes with musicality.

This gives you the opportunity to build effective choreography into your routines! 

We Are
COMMITTED TO BOTH THE DANCE AND CHEER COMMUNITIES

We work for all teams: suburban, city, rural, and all those in-between types of places, too! We understand the challenges and traditions that different teams face, and the unique conditions of each sanctioning body and judging system.

Most importantly, we know the differences between cheer and dance–the traditions, preferences, skills, and performance values. We understand the different ways that judges assign points in the dance world versus the cheer world.

We Have
OVER 13 YEARS OF CHAMPIONSHIP EXPERIENCE

Hoisting a trophy at the end of the season is everyone’s goal, and we’re proud of the dozens of state titles our clients have won over the years. All of this experience gives us a core set of best practices–musical and choreographic principles that the highest-scoring routines have in common. No matter the dance style or competition division, you can trace our history in trophy cases across the state.

We Offer
TECHNICAL & CREATIVE EXCELLENCE

We don’t approach things from a DJ’s point of view, but instead from a musical-dance standpoint. When we construct your mix or pick edit points, we’re thinking in terms of the songwriting and the actual production elements. That’s the technical side–the expertise that comes from years of music and broadcast production, along with lifelong musicianship.

Combine this with artistic instincts (knowing what sounds and looks good, and how music interacts with specific routines and performance elements) and you can be sure that your audio merges perfectly with your choreography.

Premium, boutique-quality mixes for your team.

Within your reach.

Designed for you.

Does your routine call for several songs? We’ve got the know-how to make it sound like one continuous idea!

Routine still in the “ideas” stage?

Put our years of expertise to work in shaping themes, storylines, and pacing.

How do we make music and dance work so well together?