orlando florida

june 27 - july 02

registration closed • schedule POSTED

Don’t just feel the hype, BE the hype…

at LEAP NATIONALS 2026!

Nationals 2026 • Orlando

June 27-July 02 • registration closed • schedule posted

Discount Date:

PAY BY MAY 08 TO APPLY YOUR DISCOUNT

CLOSING DATE:

LAST DAY TO REGISTER AT THE STANDARD RATE: MAY 15

competition Ambassador:

Ambassadors

TRISH MILLER

Client Engagement Specialist
trish.miller@spotlightevents.com
208.939.2015 × 1001

YOUR SCHEDULE WILL BE RELEASED APPROXIMATELY TWO WEEKS PRIOR TO THE COMPETITION.

register

competition schedule

results

media access

meet your judges:

CLICK A PHOTO TO LEARN MORE ABOUT ALL OF THESE BEAUTIFUL PEOPLE.

Judges

MICHAEL BAGNE

RENAE BOHALL-ROCHON

TANYA KUHN

TAYLOR BRADLEY

LEAP team LEADERS:

KNOW BEFORE YOU GO. MEET THE LEADERSHIP BEFORE THE SHOW.

Leadership Team

ERIKA TOMLINSON

KARI RINGER

NIKITA RUFFOLO

STACY PAYDO

it’s: the Venue and the Hotel
It’s: the Destination and the Experience

JW Marriott Orlando

Bonnet Creek Resort & Spa

FORBES RECOMMENDED. within the gates of Disney World®

JW Marriott Orlando Bonnet Creek Resort & Spa brings modern luxury to Orlando. Proud to be a Forbes Recommended hotel within the gates of Walt Disney World®, our Bonnet Creek resort in Orlando, Florida, offers warm, inviting social spaces and amenities. Hotel includes a Forbes Four-Star Spa by JW®, two sparkling resort pools, specialty restaurants, and a rooftop terrace boasting nightly views of the nearby Disney fireworks. Plus, 50,000 square feet of inspiring event space ensures that your wedding or meeting in Orlando, FL, is an affair to remember. From locally inspired dishes to our holistic approach to wellbeing, JW Marriott Orlando Bonnet Creek Resort & Spa will provide you with expertly crafted service and vacation packages designed to deepen your journey with us. When you're ready to explore Orlando, take our shuttle to the Disney World® Resort theme parks and Disney Springs, just minutes from the hotel.

Featured

LEAP’s Group Rate: $211

Cutoff Date: June 05, 2026

Plan EARLY! Room blocks sell out fast!

Address: 14900 Chelonia Pkwy, Orlando, FL 32821 / Phone: (407) 919-6300

BOOK HERE

Hotel will require a deposit of (1) night room and tax when making the reservation. Guests will not be allowed to make more than (3) reservations when booking accommodations for the duration of the Event in the same name and credit card. In the event that an individual cancellation occurs after the cutoff date of Friday, June 5, 2026, 5:00pm PST, at which time the entire reservation becomes full pre-payment and is non-refundable, the full amount of the reservation will be charged.

Did your solo place in the top 10 at a regional competition?
Were you a Leap for the Stars winner?

THEN WE WANT YOU TO BRING YOUR SKILLS, ENERGY, AND PASSION TO THE LEAP NATIONALS OPENING NUMBER!

Join Team Leap and work with choreographer Matthew Rich (credits include Wicked, Wicked: For Good, Paris Fashion Week). Members of this exclusive team will work together all week and come together to create an epic performance that is going to leave your audience speechless. Don’t miss the chance to join in on a unique and unforgettable performance featuring exceptional dancers from across North America!

Your team leap 2026 choreographer:

Featured

MATTHEW RICH

MATTHEW RICH brings over a decade of experience in the world of movement and dance. Beginning his career under the tutelage of Rambert’s artistic director Benoit Swan Pouffer, Matthew honed his craft as a dancer at New York City-based Cedar Lake Contemporary Ballet for ten years.

Afterwards, Matthew was a guest artist with Ballet of Difference in Munich, the Korean National Contemporary Dance Company in Seoul, and acted as a cultural ambassador for the arts with DanceMotion USA in Israel and Jordan. Matthew’s collaboration with Pouffer resumed in 2018 where he served as Rambert’s Senior Rehearsal Director until 2023. He’s supported productions by renowned choreographers such as Sharon Eyal, Imre and Marne van Opstal, Marion Motin, Ohad Naharin, Hofesh Shechter, Jill Johnson, Alonzo King, and Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui.

In 2022, Matthew took on an additional portfolio of responsibilities collaborating with the audience development, creative, and marketing teams to extend the reach of Rambert's programming that included collaborations with H Magazine, British Vogue, Vogue World: London, MAC Cosmetics, and the Valentino S/S 2024 Fashion Show for Paris Fashion Week featuring FKA TWIGS. Recently, Matthew has diversified his portfolio of work and has appeared as a dancer, in Universal Film’s Wicked: Part 1 and For Good; as a judge, on South Korea’s reality dance television show, STAGEFIGHTER; and as creative movement director for campaigns with Patrick Ta and Y-3. Matthew currently resides in Las Vegas, NV

make sure you get your spot for:

FREE Master Classes!!!

Free Master Classes taught by leading dance professionals will be offered at all of our National Events! An email will be sent to all studios when registration becomes available (approximately two weeks prior to the start of the competition). These classes are extremely popular and fill up fast; once capacity is reached, registration will be closed. Dancers should register for one level of classes only. If they would like to participate in other levels, please arrive at the master class at least ten minutes early and see the attending spotlight staff. National title contestants receive priority registration for Master Classes and should not pre-register.