Certification Pathway
The Dance Adjudication Network (DAN) offers a clear and comprehensive five-step pathway to become a certified judge. This process is designed to ensure that judges are not only knowledgeable about the theoretical aspects of Breaking but also have practical experience and a proven ability to apply fair and consistent judging principles.
Step 1
Step 2
Step 3
Step 4
Step 5
Frequently Asked Questions
The Dance Adjudication Network (DAN) periodically offers free programmes that judges can use to get trained and certified for free. We also work with organisations and events to run training which can include certification. Organisations and events are invited to contact us to discuss their needs and requirements.
Keep an eye on the DAN social media accounts and websites for information about the next courses. Steps 1 and 2 can be done at any point during the year but steps 3 and 4 will either need to take place at a programme commissioned by an event or one of the free DAN programmes run during the year.
The training modules are for judges, dancers, coaches and audience members interested in how breaking is judged. As such, anyone may take them. If they wish to prove their understanding, they can take the exam and gain a 'Trained' status with Step 2. However, to actually judge an event, you must have a good knowledge of Breaking (a knowledge of the vocabulary, history, foundations, etc.) so that the events can be judged authentically. A trained status will not automatically lead to being selected for judging competitions.
Judges should get certified to ensure consistency in the way that events are judged. While learning the system does not tell people how to vote, it does tell people how to make transparent, fair and unbiased judgements. A trained judging panel is a crucial for confidence in the results of an event. Panels that are inconsistent, unfair, biased or lacking in transparency are bad news for both organisers and dancers.
Another reason to get certified is to support your local scene. Many dancers reach a point where they are no longer actively competing and playing the role of a judge allows a positive way to feed back into their community. The transparent feedback generated by the system can be extremely helpful in showing the next generations how to improve and progress.