Back for another year of intense state-wide competition, the Illinois high school dance championship will draw all the best squads to Bloomington this weekend.
For the championship’s 13th annual edition, more than 250 schools will compete across divisions 1A, 2A and 3A for Illinois titles. Each squad placed in the top six at their local sectional competition in order to qualify for the state final.
Teams will compete across two packed days, kicking things off with preliminary rounds on Friday, and wrapping up with Finals on Saturday. Don’t miss a second of the action.
Here’s everything you need to know about the 2026 Illinois high school dance championship, including TV channel and streaming options for the annual competition.
Where to watch Illinois high school dance championship: TV channel, live stream
Illinois’ high school competitive dance championship will not be broadcast on a TV channel. You can stream both days of the event live on NFHS Network.
The NFHS Network offers two basic plans: an Annual Pass ($6.67 per month) or a Monthly Pass ($13.99 per month). These plans give subscribers the ability to watch live sporting events and create clips of their favorite moments from games.
When is the Illinois high school dance championship?
- Date: Friday, Jan. 30 – Saturday, Jan. 31
- Time: 10:15 a.m. – 7:40 p.m., 11 a.m. – 3:30 p.m. CT
Illinois’ high school competitive dance championship will take place Friday, Jan. 30 and Saturday, Jan. 31. Friday’s docket will take place from 10:15 a.m. to 7:40 p.m., while Saturday’s will only be from 11 a.m. – 3:30 p.m. CT. The competition will be held at Grossinger Arena in Bloomington.
Illinois high school dance championship schedule 2026
The 2026 IHSA dance championship will be split into three sessions. All classifications (1A, 2A, 3A) will compete in preliminary rounds on Friday, and then team finals on Saturday.
Friday, Jan. 30
Session 1 — 1A and 2A Preliminaries
| Time (CT) | Event |
| 10:10 a.m. | Announcements & National Anthem |
| 10:15 a.m. | First performance (1A and 2A alternate performances) |
| 12:15 p.m. | Officials break |
| 2:21 p.m. | Last performance |
| 2:30 p.m. | Unified Performances |
| 2:40 p.m. | Announcement of 1A finalists |
| 2:50 p.m. | Announcement of 2A finalists |
Session 2 — 3A Preliminaries
| Time (CT) | Event |
| 4:10 p.m. | Announcements & National Anthem |
| 4:15 p.m. | First performance (3A) |
| 6:15 p.m. | Officials break |
| 6:20 p.m. | Unified Performances |
| 7:19 p.m. | Last performance |
| 7:40 p.m. | Announcement of 3A finalists |
Saturday, Jan. 31
Session 3 — 1A, 2A and 3A Team Finals
| Time (CT) | Event |
| 10:55 a.m. | Announcements & National Anthem |
| 11 a.m. | Team finals (1A and 2A alternate performances) |
| 12:45 p.m. | 1A Team awards |
| 1 p.m. | 2A Team awards |
| 1:55 p.m. | Announcements & National Anthem |
| 2 p.m. | Team finals (3A) |
| 3:15 p.m. | Special Olympic Unified Teams |
| 3:32 p.m. | 3A Team awards |
