Only True 'World Of Dance' Fans Know Why There Are Four Divisions

Whether you’ve been a die-hard World of Dance fan since season 1 or you’re a new viewer who just discovered (and fell in love with) the show, you might be a little confused by all the different World of Dance divisions (fair).

So here’s the scoop: There are four divisions total, and the main differences between them are age (more on that later) and the size of the dance team. On top of that, the age divisions are then divided into two categories: one for individuals, duos, or small groups (Junior and Upper), and another for bigger groups (Junior Team and Upper Team). Here’s everything you need to know about the World of Dance divisions this season:

Junior:

Dancers qualify for the Junior division if they’re an individual performer or small group containing up to four dancers, all age 17 and under. One Junior group, called “The Trilogy,” already won over the judges and the audience with their heart-wrenching contemporary dance.

While the juniors might be young, they’re talented beyond their years, making them “dangerous,” according to J.Lo. So you’ll definitely want to keep a close eye on The Trilogy, as well as sisters Ellie and Ava, duo Julian and Charlize, and soloist Kayla Mak.

Junior Team:

The Junior Team division is made up of teams of 5 to 15 dancers, also age 17 and under. ICYMI, this division was added in season 2. Before that, all groups of five or more dancers were a part of the same division, regardless of age. 2018 World of Dance winners The Lab, a group of hip-hop dancers ages 8 to 16, participated in this WoD division. But this group wasn’t new to WoD last season; they competed in 2017 before coming back to win it all last year.

So far this season, Junior Team division standouts have included the Crazy 8s, a group made up of eight young girls, who wowed Jennifer Lopez with their performance inspired by one member’s battle with selective mutism.

Obsessed with the ‘WoD’ judges? Here’s everything you need to know about them:

Upper:

French hip-hop-dancing twins Laurent Nicolas and Larry Nicolas Bourgeois, better known as Les Twins, won in 2017 after competing in the Upper division, which is made up of individuals or groups of up to four dancers, all age 18 and older. If you’re a loyal WoD fan, you probably remember when Laurent sustained a leg injury just before the Divisional Final and ended up dancing in a wheelchair alongside his brother before ultimately winning the whole show.

This season, Upper dancer Briar Nolet has already become a fan-favorite, thanks to her incredible talent and even more incredible story of living—and dancing— with epilepsy.

Upper Team:

Finally, the Upper Team division is made up of groups of five to fifteen dancers ages 18 and older. Hip-hop seems to be the name of the game for this division so far, with The Kings, a troupe from Mumbai, India, and Fuego, a Hispanic group from San Diego, both wowing the judges with gravity-defying moves.

So it’s clear that, across all divisions, World of Dance Season 3 is just as talent-ridden as ever with dancers from around the globe. But while some things stay the same (judge J.Lo’s effortless cool, for example), there are a few notable changes in store for this season’s contestants.

One big change is that contestants have to score at least 85 points, rather than the previous 80, in the Qualifiers round. The judges (Jennifer Lopez, Ne-Yo, and Derek Hough) have acknowledged that’s a big jump, with Ne-Yo telling Hollywood Life, “[The dancers] know that if they’re going to make it here, they’re going to have to be above the top of their game because these dancers are the best of the best in the world.”

From there, the qualifiers who scored high enough move on to the next rounds: the Duels, the Cut, Divisional Final, and World Final. During the first four rounds, dancers compete only within their division. Then, each division winner goes up against each other in the World Final for the $1 million grand prize.

Clearly, the World of Dance divisions only make it harder for fans to choose which dancers to root for (can’t they just all win?!), but if anything, having so many different types of contestants gives you all the more reason not to miss a moment this season.

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