DanceSport Talk

I was thrilled to see that Jone Lam & Patricia Moscibrodzki of Calgary made it all the way to the quarter final in the Blackpool Amateur Rising Star Latin event. They were the highest ranked Canadian couple. What an amazing accomplishment for this dynamic and incredibly talented pair of dancers! They are both great ambassadors for DanceSport and wonderful young people. Jone first caught my attention a couple of years ago at the SnowBall Classic while he was partnered with Camille Norton. Patricia made an impression on me when she was partnered with David Chan. When Patricia partnered with Jone I could tell right away that this was a terrific combination. Congratulations, you two. Onwards and upwards.

Like many amateur competitors who really care about who's teaching them, I always assumed that the industry managed its accreditation quite well. I figured that if I walked into a ballroom and found a teacher who was well spoken of and obviously passionate about guiding a couple to the podium, that this meant the ballroom had taken steps to ensure that an acceptable group of standards had been applied before this individual could teach. I assumed that rigid tests had been conducted; that proper certificates had been examined and checks made on their authenticity.

But every once in a while, you receive new information and suddenly all the arguments that held you to a position evaporate like the morning dew on a hot summer's day. That happened to me. The issue of unqualified dance teachers was exposed as the straw horse that it really is. Let me explain.

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The 2007 edition DVD of the IDSF Grand Slam finals, held in Taipei on January 12 and February 12 of this year, is now available. The video includes both the Semi-finals and Grand-finals of the Standard and Latin Championships. I've always enjoyed the Grand Slam events because of their unique approach which features only two couples at a time on the floor during the finals. Couples are mixed in random heats, and with only two couples on the floor through all five dances, you really get to see them perform. Production quality on these videos is excellent. The DVD is priced a reasonable US$45 from Chinny. For details, contact lindachinny at yahoo.com.hk

Well, Blackpool proves it can still give us fresh surprises. During Saturday's Professional Invitational Team Match, the crowd went into a frenzy when they saw who the British team had on the floor: Donnie Burns and Gaynor Fairweather, Sammy and Barbara Stopford, Kenny and Marion Welsh and Markus and Karen Hilton. Like so many dancers, I'm always thrilled when a classic couple comes out of retirement to do something special like this. It's a symbol of the very spirit of ballroom dancing. Though competitors are certainly on the floor to compete, it is the love of dancing that shines brightest. More details about the Team Match here at DancesportInfo.net

An article published by MSNBC on Tuesday focuses on the change in perception that seems to have taken place in North America following the past couple of years of television's Dancing With the Stars. Because the past two winners have been well-known sports figures, the athletic side of DanceSport is gaining recognition. "Athletes, it turns out, are dancers," says the author. "And if that's true, then it must follow that dancers are athletes."

My past encounters with people suggested that many put "ballroom dancing" somewhere between ballet and lawn bowling on the athletic scale (though anyone who knows ballet understands how athletic these dancers need to be). That perception may be changing faster than we could have imagined, thanks to a TV show.

Read the article here.

A few days ago, former IDSF president Rudolf Baumann published an open letter regarding the ongoing conflict the organization is having with the WDC. I was stunned at the perspective he shared.

Among his comments was this interesting statement: "As long as the WDC does not, or will not, accept the straightforward, common, obvious worldwide standard Sports principle that any Sport must be governed by one International Sports Federation (preferably recognised by the IOC), I see no solution to the problems he [referring to WDC president Donnie Burns] and his friends have created for the world's dancers."

Now, I have no problems with the IDSF pursuing its dream of Olympic status for DanceSport. While I don't agree that DanceSport should be in the Olympics, I don't care if they try. But I have a huge problem with the arrogant, my-way-or-the-highway demand that this one organization should decide that nobody else is allowed to dance. Here's why I struggle with that statement:

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In a recently produced teaching video, famed coach Colin James makes an interesting plea to DanceSport competitors. He wants us to bring musicality back into dancing. What struck me in particular were his observations that while the dancing has become much better in recent years in terms of movement and speed and flexibility and style, two areas have been losing ground: musicality and partnering skills. These are not as good as they used to be.

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The CDTA representative to the board of the CDDSC, Mr. Glen Brennan, yesterday provided some insight into the conflict that has plagued the Canadian DanceSport community. In the interest of being fair to everyone in trying to help find a solution to these issues, I am posting a summary of his information here.

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Casa Musica has released a new album called "It's Time for Cha Cha" with a terrific selection of tracks. Included are Della Reese with her famous "It's so nice to have a man around the house" but this is only useful for practice or show dancing as it's a slow 25 bars per minute. The best track is "Last Night" by Chris Anderson and DJ Robbie. Outstanding song, fresh and fun and full of life with a solid beat and good staccato rhythm. I hope this starts to get played at competitions because it's a perfect Cha Cha song. I also like the Rio Combo version of Sway. Finally someone has come up with a real Cha Cha version of this song! Tom Jone's infamous "Sex Bomb" is also on this album, along with other classic Cha Cha tunes like Summertime and Watermelon Man. Details available here.

While watching the recent IDSF European Championship in Aarhus, Denmark, a small factoid stood out in my mind. It was Peter Stokkebroe and Kristina Juel Stokkebroe's 30th consecutive win. They have won so often, the other couples are more or less biding their time until Peter and Kristina decide to turn professional, something that was hinted at by the commentator. This made me think about the DanceSport ratings system and how it fits into preparing all of us who are involved in this sport for this kind of scenario.

One area that appears to be a constant source of frustration for dancers is the ratings system. They were frustrated by it in the 1970's. They were frustrated in the 1990's. They are still frustrated today, in the new millennium. Here are my thoughts on the ratings system, and an invitation to participate in an open survey.


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A group of Vancouver-based DanceSport coaches working with a number of junior, juvenile and youth category competitors sent an open letter to DanceSport event organizers last week. The letter asked organizers to consider what a competitive event feels like from the perspective of these young dancers.

I was impressed by the wisdom and insight expressed by this letter, and urge all event organizers to do what they can to accommodate the issues raised. Let me go through the points that were brought up.

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Among my favorite strict tempo albums are WRD's excellent "Ultimate" series of Latin and Ballroom CDs. The newest installment, the two-disc title called The Ultimate Latin Album 8, is scheduled for release May 15. I haven't been able to listen to it yet, but it promises some nice choices, such as the excellent "Mas Que Nada" Samba, the delightful "Smooth Operator" for Cha Cha and Paul Carrack's outstanding "Satisfy My Soul" for Rumba. There are a couple of very slow practice Jive tracks and a fast American-style Square Rumba as well. I'm a bit disappointed to see three Salsa tracks in the mix, as I feel the album would be better served to avoid getting too broad in scope but I suppose they are trying to appeal to dance studios that also teach Salsa.

I've noticed a trend lately where Latin music is moving away from the high-energy techno style and back to the original Latin flavoring that it started with. The new tunes on several recent albums are reminiscent of what you might have heard in the 50's and 60's. This means slightly softer musical tones that allow the quality of the dancing to be emphasized over sheer speed and power. I personally find that very appealing.

In any competitive sport, you need a coach if you hope to win. DanceSport, of course is no different. Some competitors believe you need more than a coach; that you need a support team involved in your training. The idea is the same. Essentially, what you need is one or more professionals who are genuinely working together as a team towards your best interests.

Unfortunately for many competitors, this isn't as easy as it should be. As I enjoyed a debriefing by my Standard coach following a competition yesterday, I thought about the couples who miss out on the benefits of a coach for various reasons. The following thoughts might help both dancers and coaches.

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