Hi All,
I dance and live in the UK. I occasionally read about showcase. Is this a demonstration of dancing put on by the pupils of a school or are they competitions against pupils of the same school or another school?

The short answer is "yes"!

A showcase is an event put on by a dance studio for its students. But different studios use the word to mean different things. In some places, it is a performance, as you say, a demonstration. Other studios structure what they call a showcase like a competition, with different heats for the different dances and several couples dancing at the same time, with a judge from outside the studio. They are usually only open to the studio's students or to the local area. In my studio, they don't award places, but give each student numerical scores and comments on each of their dances.

A showcase in our region of the USA could be at a studio where you take lessons with your pro teacher. It is sort of a showcase party with other students and their teacher. You have to pay the teacher and studio to perform. Plus, you pay for the many lessons to prepare. Lots of beginners get hooked into this.

Or it can be with a partner at any type of dance event--especially a USABA event, private party, nursing home, or anyplace that has a demand for dance performers. It helps if you
have a regular partner and a reputation
for being a good dancers and competitors. Showcase dance is a way to try out new choreograpy before an upcoming competition. Or it could be just show dancing for entertainment. This would usually be with more flash, trash and tricks. You could get paid for this.

Lots of pro dancers use showcasing or demonstrations to show off their dance skill in order to hopefully get some lessons from the audience.

Thank you, Ellen and Anon for your answers.