Timeline

"Well, I guess so!" There are presumptions on this article that may be incorrect.

The timeline of The Next Step is a disputed topic. Although it is believed by many that every season of the show is a year, the official The Next Step ask.fm account has confirmed that every season is every 4 months,^{[Reference needed]} meaning that Season 4 is a year after Season 1. Although, Season 5 takes place a year after Season 4 and Season 5 and Season 6 take place within 3 weeks of one another. Season 1, Season 2, and Season 3 take place in 2015, while Season 4 takes place in 2016, and Season 5 and Season 6 in 2017. With this in mind, a rough timeline of major events has been constructed.

Before the show

Date	Event(s)
1980s	Cathy opens and starts running The Next Step Dance Studio.
1995	Cathy starts A-Troupe.
1997	Cathy starts B-Troupe.
1998	Regionals, Nationals, and Internationals are created by Absolute Dance.
1999	Skylar is born. Noah is born.
2001	The person who wins the title of Miss Nationals Soloist becomes the first individual to win the title twice in a row.
2005	Cathy opens J-Troupe. The Next Step Dance Studio wins Absolute Dance Regionals in Region 7. Phoebe is the female soloist at Absolute Dance Nationals in Canada and places fifth in the female solo round. The Next Step Dance Studio qualifies to the small group round of Absolute Dance Nationals in Canada, which Kate dances in, but loses the round.
2006	Chris is hired as head choreographer of The Next Step Dance Studio, although initially to teach J-Troupe.
2012	Elite Dance Academy wins Absolute Dance Regionals in Region 7.
2013	Kate takes ownership of The Next Step Dance Studio after Cathy retires. Elite Dance Academy wins Absolute Dance Regionals in Region 7. Life of Dance wins Absolute Dance Nationals in Canada.
2014	Elite Dance Academy wins Absolute Dance Regionals in Region 7. Joanne Chapman's School of Dance makes it to the semi-finals of Absolute Dance Nationals in Canada, but loses the round to Life of Dance. Life of Dance wins Absolute Dance Nationals in Canada. Michelle is awarded the title of Miss Nationals Soloist in The United States of America. Stockholm Dansteater wins the 16th Annual Absolute Dance Internationals.

During the show

Date	Episode	Event
April 2015	"Winner Takes All"	The Next Step Dance Studio wins Absolute Dance Regionals in Region 7.
May 2015	"My Boyfriend's Back"	Phoebe is hired as the head choreographer of The Next Step Dance Studio.
August 2015	"Danger Zone"	Michelle becomes Miss Nationals Soloist for the second year in a row, although in Canada.
August 2015	"Danger Zone"	James, Hunter, West, and Eldon win the Best Nationals Small Group award at Absolute Dance Nationals in Canada.
August 2015	"Rewind"	The Next Step Dance Studio wins Absolute Dance Nationals in Canada.
December 2015	"How It Ends"	For the first time in Absolute Dance Internationals history, there is a tie. The Next Step Dance Studio wins Absolute Dance Internationals.
January 2016	"Welcome to the Jungle"	Riley becomes head of The Next Step Dance Studio.
February 2016	"Rivalry"	The Next Step Dance Studio qualifies for Regionals.
April 2016	"Bold As Love"	The Next Step Dance Studio wins Bangers & Mashups International Hip-Hop Extravaganza.
April 2016	"A Change Is Gonna Come"	The Next Step Dance Studio loses Regionals in Region 7 to Gemini Dance Studio.
December 2016	"Amy's Personal Life"	Gemini Dance Studio wins Absolute Dance Internationals.
December 2016	"Riley's Dance"	Riley resigns as head of The Next Step Dance Studio and enrolls into business school.
January 2017	"Go West, Young Michelle"	A-Troupe is split up into TNS East and TNS West, with Emily and Michelle as the leaders of the troupes respectively.
January 2017	"This Changes Everything"	TNS East and TNS West merge to re-form A-Troupe, with Emily and Michelle as co-studio heads.
January 2017	"Pointe of No Return"	The Next Step Dance Studio qualifies for Regionals.
February 2017	"Jacquie's Audition"	Emily and Michelle are fired as co-studio heads.
February 2017	"Grave New World"	Miss Angela becomes head of The Next Step Dance Studio.
February 2017	"Coup d'Etat"	Miss Angela is fired as studio head.
February 2017	"Summer Lovin'"	Emily and Michelle become co-studio heads of The Next Step Dance Studio again.
April 2017	"Piano Man"	The Next Step Dance Studio wins Absolute Dance Regionals in Region 7.

Trivia

• Although each season officially takes place within four months, there are countless inconsistencies:
  • Every season, without fail, at least one character proclaims that it has been a year since the previous season.
  • Considering the amount of physical growth some characters undergo, this timeline seems illogical. This is exacerbated by Noah's age being announced in Season 6 as 18, meaning that he went from 15 to 16 from Season 1 to Season 3 which is an impossible feat, given his physical growth and how he was supposed to be younger than all the rest of A-Troupe in Season 3.
  • Toronto, where the show is filmed and likely set, has four seasons: summer, fall, winter, and spring. Yet, all shots of the outdoors throughout the show showcases that it is summer or spring.
  • Although there are few official ages (the only ones being announced are Skylar and Noah's, different evidence is presented throughout the show, allowing Steppers to deduce certain characters' ages. This timeline makes characters who are clearly years apart, closer together in age. For example, it has been deduced that Emily is 17 in Season 4, although, since Season 4 takes place in 2016 and Skylar proclaims during that season that she was born in 1999, that would mean Emily and Skylar are the same age. Worse, Noah is declared to be 18 in Season 6, meaning that he is the same age as Emily and Skylar.
    • Another issue with ages lies in the characters going to university. Emily graduates from university in The Off Season: Season 1, although she is supposed to be 18 by that point. In Canada, one typically enters university when they are 18. For this to work, Emily would have had to skip four grades sometime during her education.
    • Additionally, this timeline would mean Riley, who is at least a year younger than Emily, becomes studio head when she is 16 or younger, which is not only illogical, but illegal since she would be a minor. Although, this would make Riley's relationship with Alfie more appropriate. It would also mean that Skylar and Noah are older than Riley, which is clearly not the case.