Dance pedagogy is an under-researched field. Much of the research within a Swedish school context focuses on the Aesthetic program, Dance. Therefore, the present study focuses on the Swedish vocational program for dancers at upper-secondary level. The aim of the study is to contribute to an insufficiently researched field with knowledge regarding dance teachers’ grading and assessment praxis. In this study, the focus is on how vocational teachers in dance understand presence, stage presence and communication with an audience in relation to their grading and assessment praxis. The method used for collecting data was semi-structured interviews. Thematic analysis as defined by Braun and Clarke (2006) was used as an analytical method. The results show that presence, stage presence and communication with an audience are intertwined and can be referred to as presence and communication in a broad sense. Furthermore, the results show that the teachers’ understanding of presence and communication is reflected in their grading and assessment praxis. In conclusion, five components are shown to be of great importance concerning the understanding and grading of presence and communication. These are independence, awareness, reflection, dance technique and working with feedback. A concept of reflection-around-action is presented as a didactic tool as well as concepts for working with feedback and collegial learning.