Examinations

Receiving an invitation for your child to be entered for a badge or award is a fabulous achievement and one that should be celebrated. Here at Starbrite Studios, we aim to make the award day enjoyable, making a fuss of each of our students as we celebrate their success with them.

At Starbrite Studios, one of the associations we offer awards through is the IDTA (International Dance Teachers Association), which offers a wide range of qualifications suitable for all ages and abilities, with many carrying Ofqual status.

We have put together some IDTA FAQs which we think you may find helpful, but please don't hesitate to contact us if you cannot find the answer to your question.

What do all the different types of IDTA exams mean?

Graded

These awards will be listed as either one of the following levels; Pre-Juvenile, Preparatory, Primary, Grade 1 through to Grade 5, One Dance, Bronze, Silver or Gold, Star Awards or Presidents Awards. These exams provide a series of qualifications that offer a progressive learning structure for developing performers. They form a set of motivational milestones from beginner level to a standard of proficiency and artistry appropriate for entry to Higher Education. From Grade 1 and above in ballet, tap and theatre craft students are able to collect unique learner points which can be put forward to UCAS applications.

Star Dance Awards

These awards give the students a great insight into audition technique. The students perform the set choreography in the chosen discipline for the examiner to award them either a pass or a fail grade to match the outcome of an audition.

Rosettes

Are a great confidence builder as the students collect awards to proudly present at school and to all their friends and family. Rosettes are available from the age of 3+ and are conducted as a regular Starbrite class with the help of a Starbrite teacher during the exam.

Medal Tests

Are equivalent to the Preparatory to Grade 5 syllabi but instead of focusing on exercises they are based around performance and choreography.

Theatre Craft

When you see this wording, it means that your child has taken the chosen discipline and learnt how to use it within the theatre. (e.g. ballet as it would be performed on stage and not just in the studio).

Musical Theatre

These are the IDTA and LAMDA drama and singing awards. These awards focus on the techniques required for stage and cabaret performances, developing a multitude of skills such as improvisation, projection, articulation, vocal range and much more. From a certain level these awards also carry Ofqual status.

The correct dance and drama attire do make up part of the final mark. You will be marked on presentation as well as performance. Here are a few simple guidelines to help you score as highly as possible:

• Wear the uniform that you would normally wear for the class related to the exam you are taking. If you do not have the full correct uniform you will not be permitted to take the exam. If you are unsure of any of the uniform details then please visit our web page for the class(es) you attend from here or contact us.
• Ensure your uniform is complete, correct class uniform. If you are missing uniform items, please ensure that you have ordered them from Starbrite in plenty of time, as we can sometimes run out of stock on the days leading up to exam day. Please concentrate on the details.
• Wear the correct shoes, make sure they are clean, they fit, they have laces, ribbons or elastic and the ballet elastic is sewn in.
• Make sure you have the correct socks or tights. Ballet tights are not permitted in exams for students under the age of 10.
• Your uniform should be clean and not creased.
• Jazz pants and other long trousers should be the correct length as this is of great importance in some exams, ideally sitting on the top of your shoes.
• Put your name in every item, quick changes in a small space with an unnamed uniform often results in items being misplaced or mistakenly picked up by the wrong person. Having a named uniform greatly increases the chance of your missing item being returned to you!
• Nail varnish, earrings (except discreet stud earrings), and stick-on tattoos are not permitted during exams.

Listed below are uniform requirements for the different types of exams we offer. Please check the award timetable you were sent in the lead-up to the exam to find out the wording of the referenced award name.

You can purchase items from our online shop by clicking on the relevant links below (where available).

Award Name	Uniform Items		Hair
	Girls	Boys	Girls	Boys
Shooting Stars - Freestyle - Rosette	Children's Yellow Leotard Children's Starbrite Branded Leotard Children's shorts Children's White Ballet Socks Children's White Ballet Shoes White Crochet Bun Net Yellow Nylon Lycra Scrunchie Yellow Nylon Lycra Headband	Children's Starbrite t-shirt Children's t-shirt Boys' Black Ballet Shorts Children's shorts Children's White Ballet Socks Children's White Ballet Shoes	Long hair - styled in a neat classical bun secured with hair pins. Short hair - style as much of the hair back as possible using a headband to secure the fringe if required.	Long hair - scraped back off the face into a ponytail. Short hair - styled neatly as appropriate.
Star Dancer - Ballet - Pre-Juvenile Award Preparatory Primary Rosette Star Dancer - Tap - Pre-Juvenile Award Preparatory Primary Rosette Star Dancer - Theatre Craft - Pre-Juvenile Award Preparatory Primary Rosette	Children's Yellow Leotard Adults' Yellow Leotard Children's Starbrite Branded Leotard Adults' Starbrite Branded Leotard Children's Yellow Skirt Adults' Yellow Skirt Children's White Ballet Socks Adults' White Ballet Socks Children's White Ballet Shoes Adults' White Ballet Shoes White Crochet Bun Net Yellow Nylon Lycra Scrunchie Yellow Nylon Lycra Headband	Boys' White Cotton Lycra Ballet T-Shirt Boys' Black Ballet Shorts Children's White Ballet Socks Adults' White Ballet Socks Children's White Ballet Shoes Adults' White Ballet Shoes	Long hair - styled in a neat classical bun secured with hair pins. Short hair - style as much of the hair back as possible using a headband to secure the fringe if required.	Long hair - scraped back off the face into a ponytail. Short hair - styled neatly as appropriate.
Star Dancer - Tap Grades 1-5	Children's Black Leotard Adults' Black Leotard Children's black jazz pants Adult's black jazz pants Black leggings Children's leggings Adults' leggings Children's shorts Adults' shorts (shorts must be worn with black, opaque tights) Children's Black Tap Shoes Adults' Black Tap Shoes Black socks Black Sequin Flower Elastic Black Cotton Lycra Headband		Long hair to be styled into a classical bun secured with hair pins and listed hair accessories.	Long hair - scraped back off the face into a ponytail. Short hair - styled neatly as appropriate.
Star Performer - Freestyle - One Dance Star Stardance	Any Starbrite branded lycra uniform, such as: Children's crop top Adults' crop top Children's vest Adults' vest Children's t-shirt Adults' t-shirt Children's mesh top Adults' mesh top Children's leotard Adults' leotard Children's shorts Adults' shorts Children's leggings Adults' leggings Standard Starbrite uniform, such as: Children's Starbrite t-shirt Adults' Starbrite t-shirt Children's black jazz pants Adult's black jazz pants Black leggings Alternatively, students who don’t have any of the above can wear something similar and suitable with clean trainers.	Any Starbrite branded lycra uniform, such as: Children's vest Adults' vest Children's t-shirt Adults' t-shirt Standard Starbrite uniform, such as: Children's Starbrite t-shirt Adults' Starbrite t-shirt Children's jog pants Adult's jog pants Black jog pants Children's black jazz shoes Adults' black jazz shoes Alternatively, students who don’t have any of the above can wear something similar and suitable with clean trainers.	Long hair - scraped back off the face into either a ponytail or plait. Older students can explore their own look providing hair is styled off the face. Short hair - where possible take a small section of hair into a bobble or a plait to move it away from the face. Bolder make-up to complement chosen outfit only required for high school students.	Long hair - to be scraped back off the face into a ponytail. Short hair - styled neatly as appropriate.
DanceFusion All awards	Own suitable performance wear. Children's black jazz shoes Adults' black jazz shoes		Long hair to be styled off the face.	Long hair - to be scraped back off the face into a ponytail. Short hair - styled neatly as appropriate.
Star Performer - Musical Theatre Teams Theatre Craft Teams	Children's Starbrite t-shirt Adults' Starbrite t-shirt Children's black jazz pants Adult's black jazz pants Black leggings Children's black jazz shoes Adults' black jazz shoes		Long hair to be styled in a neat ponytail.	Long hair - to be scraped back off the face into a ponytail. Short hair - styled neatly as appropriate.
Star Dancer - Ballet - Grades 1–5	Children's Black Leotard Adults' Black Leotard Children's' Black Chiffon Skirt Adults' Black Chiffon Skirt Adults' Ballet Tights Children's Ballet Shoes Adults' Ballet Shoes Black Sequin Flower Elastic Black Cotton Lycra Headband		Long hair to be styled into a classical bun secured with hair pins and listed accessories. Light and natural make-up only required for high school students.	Long hair - to be scraped back off the face into a ponytail. Short hair - styled neatly as appropriate.