Key Terminology
As you read documentation and use Vote4Dance, you’ll encounter these terms frequently. Understanding them now will make the rest of the docs clearer.
Organization-Related Terms
Federation
A governing body that sets policy, issues licenses, manages rankings, and approves schools/clubs. Often a national or regional association.
School/Club
An organization that represents a group of dancers (like a school team or independent studio). Schools/clubs register with federations and manage their members.
Event
A specific dance competition or showcase. Each event has divisions, classes, rounds, and judges. Events are organized by event organizers using the Manager app.
Organization
The umbrella term for any governing entity in the system: a federation, a school, a studio, a company, etc. The platform uses “organization” generically; context determines whether we mean a federation, school/club, or event-running entity.
License-Related Terms
License / Issued License
Proof that a dancer or school is eligible to participate. Some federations require licenses; others don’t. If required, licenses are issued for a specific season/year.
License Item
A specific product that can be purchased or approved. Examples: “U10 Dance License”, “School Membership”, “Competition Fee”. Federation admins define what license items are available.
Payer Type
Who pays for a license:
- Self-service: The dancer pays for their own license directly
- Organization-managed: The school/club pays on behalf of the dancer
License Status
- Pending: Applied for but not yet approved or active
- Approved: Reviewed and accepted
- Active: Can be used for competition or other purposes
- Expired: No longer valid
Ranking-Related Terms
Ranking
A list of dancers or teams arranged by score, typically within a division and class. Used to show who did best at a competition or across a season.
Division
A grouping within rankings, usually by age group or skill level (e.g., “U10”, “U12”, “Open”).
Class
A category of performance within a division. In a competition each class maps to a Federation Class, which is what carries its age and level rules.
Manual Workflow / Manual Exception
When the automatically-calculated ranking result needs to be changed due to a dispute, tie-breaking decision, or administrative override.
Event-Related Terms
Manager
The central control panel where event organizers configure events, assign judges, manage registration, and run live competition rounds. (Not to be confused with event managers as people—”Manager” is the app name.)
Judging App
The app where judges enter their marks during live rounds. Each judge sets their own PIN on their own device; the invitation email also carries a demo link to practise on.
Speaker App
The app for floor operations and live announcements during an event.
Screens
The projectors and TVs in the hall, and the app that drives them: lineups, heats, results, the prize ceremony, the schedule, judges and sponsors. Each screen is configured in Manager → Event → Screens; see Screens, projectors and venue technology.
Check-in
The process where dancers and clubs confirm their presence at the event before the competition begins, and the app the desk does it in. The desk can scan a dancer’s Vote4Dance ID (their personal QR card, which they open from their own account) or a ticket code, or search by name or email.
Round
A distinct judging session within a class: a qualification, a semifinal, a final. Each round sits on a schedule item and a floor, and moves through five statuses — Not started → In progress → Closed → Confirmed → Published — driven by the buttons Start judging, Close round, Confirm round and Publish results online.
Workflow-Related Terms
Self-Service
When a dancer can apply for their own license or perform their own action directly, without needing a school/club admin.
Organization-Managed
When a school/club admin applies for something on behalf of dancers or handles the action for them.
Hybrid
When the application process involves both self-service (dancer initiates) and organization involvement (school approves or handles payment).
System Concepts
Approval Flow
The process of checking, reviewing, and authorizing something (like a license or dancer registration) before it becomes active.
Policy
Rules set by a federation. Examples: “All dancers must be licensed”, “Classes map to specific age divisions”, “Rankings use this scoring formula”.
Bootstrap
The defaults Manager creates with a new event so you don’t start from an empty page: a Main floor, one screen, default cafe products and a starting schedule with Doors open and Competition start. Classes, rounds, judges and teams you add yourself.
Stripe
The payment processor used by Vote4Dance. If payments are required and Stripe is connected, dancers and admins can pay online — for registrations, and in the Shop for tickets and meals.
Problems
Manager’s automatic tests over your setup: start-number and license conflicts, rounds without judges, dancers scheduled in two overlapping rounds, advancement that does not add up, and more. They re-run as you change the competition. Clear them before the event.
Relationship Clarifications
Event vs Federation
- Federation: Policy and governance layer that multiple events might use
- Event: Specific competition run by an organizer, which may or may not use federation policies
School/Club vs Organization
- School/Club: A specific role hub for organizations that join federations and have members
- Organization: The generic term for any organizing entity (includes federations, schools, event-running companies, etc.)
License vs Registration
- License: Permission/proof to participate issued by a federation for a season (might cover multiple events)
- Registration: Entry into a specific event
Next Steps
Now that you understand the terminology, go to System Model if you haven’t already, or jump to your specific role hub: