Tony Irving An Englishman in Sweden

Next year the World Games are going to be held in Cali in Columbia and it has now been announced that in 2017 the World Games will be held in Wroclaw in Poland.

If you go to the World Dance Sports Federations web side you will see that they have made an announcement about this and a a clear intention to bring the best dancers to the event in Poland.

Fantastic news for dance.

But not so fantastic for some of the couples.

According to the WDSF's  competition rule. Rule 13 paragraph 3.2 section 2.3 which can be found under their section for atheletes it is clearly stated that to participate in the International World Games events both dancers must hold passports for the country they represent if they wish to compete .

In todays dancing this means that the majority of the worlds top couples within the WDSF can not compete at this event as many of the couples are in the situation that only one of them has a passport for the country that they are currently representing.

I have earlier blogged about this rule and here it pops up again.

I thought that the WDSF vision for 2012 was to become the leading organisation in dance and to work so that dance could become an integral componant of both the World Games and the Olympics.

What is the point in re-organising and developing new judging systems to bring the WDSF closer in line with the IOC requirements if this basic fundamental requirement of the sports performers is not met.

The world of dance is in turmoil due to many reasons partly because of the Vision 2012. What is the point in working towards a goal when the basic requirement cannot be met.

The WDSF rules for the constelation of couples is not in line with the IOC and World Games .This means that the WDSF's best dancers can not represent their current country.

I would assume that if an organisation straves for acknowledgement and participation ,that it would make sure that it follows the basic rules so that its BEST sports performers can participate.

This would mean that all international couples ,at all WDSF events must both hold a passport for the country they are representing!!!!

Can you imagine what would happen if we went back to this.

Most countries would loose half their national teams.

The other alternative is that the IOC and the IWGA change their rules and make an exception for the WDSF!

I can't see that happening ,but who knows 

Miracles can happen:

One week ago ,the Russian Amateur Dance association ,which is affiliated to the WDSF and is recognised by the International Olympic committee was stripped of its status by the Russian Ministry of Sport ,amidst allegations of illegal activities and corruption.

The suspension is for a period of 90 days during which time a full investigation will be carried out.

Amazing, in 2011,  2 of the biggest dance nations have been rocked by similar allegations.

First Italy and now Russia.

Where will it stop,and what will the end result be?

Hopefully we can start to see a light at the end of the tunnel.

Sources:

Barry Pienke

www.danceleaks.com

and Freedom to Dance

As many of you know during the last years political chaos has ruled in the danceworld.

Each dancer ,judge and trainer has been affected by the unhealthy situations created by the international organisations.

Not just here in Sweden, but around the world,the dance community is constantly searching for a solution.

Yesterday the 2 Swedish dance organisations, the Danssportsförbund (DSF) and the Swedish Dance Organisation (SDO)

reached a landmark decision.

Both organisations will offer dancers competition licences to be able to compete internationaly.

DSF will offer licences for couples to compete with the WDSF

SDO will offer licences to those that wish to compete with the WDC amateur league or Freedom to dance.

Both organisations will arrange their own national amateur competitions .

Their own amateur ranking system and ranking events.

Both organisations will run their own national amateur dance teams.

Both organisations will offer international juding licences.

The DSF will offer WDSF and PD licences.

The SDO will offer WDC licences.

BUT

On a national level all couples will be able to dance against each other at the same competitions. Regardless of where they choose to compete internationaly.

All Judges will belong to the same organisation nationaly, regardless of where they choose to judge internationaly.

There will only be one national judging licence which will be sanctioned by both organisations.

There will only be one national teacher/ trainer education, which will be approved by both organisations.

This solution is a fantastic possibility for dance in Sweden . 

It means that the dancers and judges have the FREEDOM TO CHOOSE where they want to dance or judge.

And it is a great step for Sweden on its way to FREEDOM TO DANCE:

On the 8th of December the WDSF posted an article in its News section titled " High Definition".

Its an amazing little article .

2 paragraphs refer to the WDSF on-line tv net work.

As the title infers.

However!

The remainder of the article.Which by the way is the majority,is  about the new judging system that they have implemented for use in the Grand Slam events.

Its an interesting explanation of the system and well worth reading.

Specialy as it is the only on-line explantion of this major change in the way we judge the Sports form of dance.

From what I understand there is just one little bit missing.

And that is the fact that the chairman of adjudicators informs the judging panel at the competition the highest mark that they are permited to award at the event.

This is based on his awarenes of which couples are participating.

The highest mark should reflect the participating couples placings on the WDSF world ranking list.

i.e

if no-one is participating from the top 24 then you can not award more than an 8. If no-one is there from the top 6 on the ranking then you can not award more than a 9.

An interesting situation when the judging panel are infromed prior to the commencement of a competition the direction they should judge.

I might be wrong ,but what does the ranking have to do with how well a couple will dance .The ranking represents how a couple have danced at previous events. But the ranking is not just connected to how a couple dance it is also a reflection of:

1. The size of a judging panel

The more judges at a competition  the more ranking points a couple recieves for their results.

2. The quantity of countries represented at an event

The more countries participating, the higher the points awarded for an event

3. The quantity of comeptitors at an event

The more couples competing at an event also increase the points you recieve on the ranking.

All in all the ranking is not just a reflection of competition results,it is also the reflection of a system which forces couples to choose their competitions based on the events possibility to give them points.

It is also a system which can be manipulated to guide judges to restrict their marking based on external influences rather than the event at hand.....

Personaly I do not mind the new system in theory

Its the same as the Dancing with with the stars and makes it more viewer frinedly.

And the judgng criteria is almost the same as an Arthur Murray teaching syllabus .

My only reservation is why are we doing this change?whats the benefit of it ?

AND as usual who has chosen it?

You might find that this entry seems a little bit like an advertising and information campaign for my business and in a way your right.

But the intention is to be open with information for other teachers in the dance business in Sweden so that they can stop all the gossiping and rumour mongering.

Recently ,together with my business partner Kristina Norling Carlen we opened a new compeny which is called 

Tony Irving Dance Academies. (T:I:D:A)

Our concept is to deliver dance and dance related products to the fitness / training and leisure centres around the Nordic countries..

Our products are divided in to 5 age categories.

1.Tida Kids 1 for 3-6 year olds

2.Tida Kids 2 for 7-9 year olds

3.Tida Teens for 10-18 year olds 

This is sub-divided in to groups :

Tida Teens 1 for 10-12 year olds

Tida Teens 2 for 13 - 15 year olds

Tida Teens 3 for 16 - 18 year olds

4.Tida Adults for ofcourse Adults

5.Tida Seniors for Pensioner activities.

These dance related courses are then further divided in to  2 levels

Beginners

Intermediate

Advanced

These levels are each further divided in to 2 terms 

B1  B2

I1  I2

A1  A2

Each term is divided in to 10 weeks for the Tida Teens / Adults and seniors

Each term for Tida Kids 1 & 2 are divided in to terms of 15 weeks.

This level of our business are our Front End / recruiting products. Once a student has completed these levels they then move on to our back end dance courses. These will be launched next year. 

Its a relatively simple system . But what makes it unique in the fitness branch is that it is a

" Business in Business" concept.

You run a dance school in your centre under the name of T:I:D:A

We deliver everything you need to be able to organise and run your dance school business.

After only 6 weeks we have had a very good reception.

At the AMT in Västerås and the Fitness festival in Gothenburg we recieved a lot of interest.

Which has had the result that from the Spring we are open in:

Stockholm

Nyköping

Ronneby

Karlskrona

Köping

Sollentuna

During the Spring we open in

Bollibygd

Sandared

At the moment we are in the middle of contract negotiaitions with 12 other centres which we plan to open in the Spring and Autumn 2012.

If you want more information please contact Kristina at :

Kristina@tidance.se 

Recently the World Dance SPort Federation (WDSF) has started to implement rules that have actually been part of their organisation for a couple years. The problem is that they have just not utilised them

The control that they have implemented over their competitors regarding where they can and can not compete ,has actually been at their disposal for sometime.

Just as their possibility to restrict judges from adjudicating at none WDSF events also exsists.

They might not implement this all the time ,however it is there and they have utilised it against certain individuals that have high profiles.

All organisations have rules and regulations and if we are members then unfortunately we have to suffer the consequences of our choice to be a memeber. 

And at the moment we all will have to weigh up our options and make new choices.

Choices made on ignorance are dangerous. So I decided that I would have to find out as much as possible both for myself and the dancers.

If you read all the rules on the WDSF homepage and then start to read in to the background ,there is another rule and regulation which I personaly find to be a bomb waiting to blow up.

It is not a rule that they themselves have written . Its one of those standard rules throughout all organisations that co-operate with the international olympic commitee and the International World Games Association.

All sports people representing a country MUST hold a passport and citizenship of the country that they are representing.

Now for those of us involved in dancing this seems hilarious.

How can we implement this.

In Sweden our latin champion is an Italian dancing with a Swede

Our 10 dance and Ballroom  champion is Dutch dancing with a Swede.

In the majority of countries the champions are of mixed nationalities.

This is due to the unwritten rule in the WDSF that only one in the couple needs to be a citizen of the country they are representing .

SO, how are we going to get this situation past the IOC and IWGA.

And if not ,when will this rule be implemented?

Or is it so that the WDSF isn't consistant in its implementation of its rules for Vision 2012.

This seems to me to be a bigger issue than where the couples compete.

We arent going to be in the Olympics for quite some time . If ever!

But as we are ALWAYS being informed. The WDSF has to follow the rules of the IOC so I wonder when they will start to implement this rule.

Choices made on ignorance are dangerous.

SO what happens if they have to implement this in 2012?????

At the moment I have a situation that is on the one hand a career decision . On the other a chance to in my own way stand for what I believe in.

A I have pointed out in earlier entries there is an extremely complicated situation internationaly within the competitive dance world.

Earlier I have pointed out the situation in relationship to the business and the dancers . But! now its come to the crunch point for me as an adjudicator.

I already hold a  licence to judge with the WDC and have judged professional World and European championships for them.

I already hold a licence to judges with the WDSF and have judged amateur World and European Championships for them.

I have previously judged dance competitions which are independent .

So I guess you can say I am already active judging at none WDSF events .

This indirectly means that I am judging in the Amateur League direction.

Not necassarily by choice.

Just through the continued way that I have always been allowed to judge internationaly for the last 18 years. This is the same situation for all judges.

However there are a few things that I find rather confusing.

The WDSF has already given me a Judgung licence which I have been activly using.

I have already sent in my CV and my proof of qualifications.

I have also attended my compulsory congresses to maintain my licence.

Now they want us to have 2 Licences . One for WDSF professional and one for WDSF amateurs. And we have to re-apply for the new professional licence.

But I already have a WDSF licence. Why when every judge has fullfilled their requirements for the one licence and paid the fee do we need to do the same thing again for 2nd licence.?????

Seems a bit like beaurocratic paper chasing to me.

Then on the other hand, if I  take this new licence, I can no longer adjudicate on the WDC events.

As according to the WDSF rules I can only judge at their events.

I am a qualified judge that has been active for a long time.

Judging is part of my job.

Admitedly the money is not extensive.

But I find it annoying that people want to control where I should work...

I can understand each organisation having its requirements for the adjudicators they choose to use. 

I can understand the need to see our proof of education and our CV's

I can understand the demand for further education.

What I can not understand is the demand that if I take this licence   I should restrict my right to be active in none WDSF events.

And if I do not take the new licence what will happen.?

.

At the moment there are many changes happening within structure of the sports dance world.

On the surface it appears that the situation is limited to the Ballroom and Latin American Competitive dancing.

However if you actually delve deeper you will find that it affects all dance forms.

It starts with a declaration by the newly re-named W:D:S:F.

They have a goal which they call Vision 2012.

The aim of this vision is that by June of 2012 they will bring under there control all forms of dancing which are based around competing.

Now untill last year the W.D.S.F. was known as the I.D.S.F. and their responsiblity was to be the international organisation for the amateur Ballroom and Latin American dancers.

The WDSF  Vision is based on a statement by the late Jan Antonio Samaranch

"IDSF is an organisation that has reached its maturity.This requires sometimes changes.Criteria need to be updated and the challenges imposed by the media society must be accepted."

If you go back to when this statement was made in 2010 then I am sure that you can see that it is a statement that most of is would agree with. However it is a statement which is also open to interpretation.

I personaly find it hard to see how this statement can be the base for a vision that is in itself a declaration that the IDSF has the sole rights to control dancing in all forms. And  is the only organisation for both the competitiors, adjudicators and teachers. 

Some of the organisations for other dance forms have already allowed themselve to be placed under the unberella of the WDSF. Such as the World Rock and Roll organisation.

Other organisations such as the International Dance organisation have not allowed themselves to be swallowed by the WDSF

The IDO is the now the organisation that for most countries actually has the power to affect how we will structure our dancing.

Here in Sweden we have the 2 national associtaions. 

The Dance Sport Förbund .DSF which is a member of the WDSF

The Swedish Dance Organisation-SDO which is a member of IDO and the World Dance Council.

On a national level both these organisations have a cooperation in Ballroom and Latin American dancing. This cooperation spreads from the competitions to education for teachers.

However Ballroom and Latin American dancing are the only dance forms where they have a cooperation.

SDO is the larger of the 2 organisations as it represents the dance schools and the commercial side of dancing. it is also the organisation which runs education for dance teachers in all forms of dance. The SDO also organises the competion system in Disco,Freestyle Street dance and all the other IDO dance disciplines.

The DSf represents the voluntary side of dancing and the club system in Sweden which is none profit based. They are a member of the RF -the Swedish national sports federation.

Now if we are to implement the WDSF Vision 2012 on a national level this would meen that SDO should cease to exsist and that all the dance schools should hand over their business to a none profit organisation. 

We all know that this will never happen.

The DSF does not allow dance schools or professionals to be members of their organsiation. 

They have no internal organisation for teachers and adjudicators. 

Now if the WDSF wants to have control internationaly then that means they also have to have their member organisations be in complete control on a national level.

Unfortunately this is not possible in Sweden .

Most of the dancers and teachers on Ballroom and Latin seem to think that the problem is theirs ,and theirs alone. But its not.

The larger picture is that the reprecussions of Vision 2012 will affect all forms of dance and in countries like Sweden the solution may not be in the sphere of ballroom dancing.

It looks like it will come from the Disco and Street dance branches .

I recently had a discussion with a young dance couple who asked me where the trend changes in dancing come from. And why is it that what they sometimes see on the floor is not always what they are being taught?

So it is an interesting conundrum.

Who sets the trends in dancing in the competitive dance world? Who controls the direction in which we develop?

Is it ?

1. The choreographer.

Who by their constant need to find new combinations for the dancers .Push us to develop in new directions.

Or are they responsible for introducing combinations that have, in reality, nothing to do with the dance being performed ?

The result of which means that we can often see couples perfoming movements that leave you thinking. WHY? and others where you feel WOW!

2. The technical teacher.

Who by their need to develop and modernise ,move away from the very essence of the movement that gives the dance its individual character?

Or are they the gaurdians of authenticity fine tuning and pushing the technique to its limits?

3. The dancer.

Who in their very soul search for perfection and individuality.

Trying to create a uniqness which will single them out from the crowd. Or are some of them puppets, manipulated to perform what others have decided. Who's only focus is on winning at any cost .And will gladly sacrifice quality just to achieve results.

4. The Judge.

Who by placing their marks on paper accept and promote what is being performed.

Who can if not aware judge through form or marketing .Sacrificing the responsibility of the power and responsibility they weild.Accepting every little change without questioning.

Or are they the real trend setters who by the results that they create dictate what will be marked and what will not be marked. Indicating for the competitor what direction to go in

5. An association.

Who by their choice of judgiing systems. judging criteria can influence how all of the above structure and train.

All of these areas collectively affect what ,when ,how the dance developes.

But behind it all, if we are not carefull,If the end result is the placing and it takes priority over the dancing, through manipulation of all the above, cartel systems  can be created which by design will affect the collective.

This can lead to developments that are not always positive....

Meaning the responsibility is with all of us .

If the judge didnt mark it. If the teacher didnt teach it . If the choreographer didnt create it and the dancer didnt dance it. We might not have any negative developments. 

But we might not have any good ones either....

On friday the 11th of November 2011 we launched Tony Irving Dance Academies (T.I.D.A) as a dance school licensing system.

During the last couple of days we have had contact with gyms up and down the country that are interested in the concept.

But there has also been a lot of interest from the dance business.

T.I.D.A- in a nut shell -is a full dance school concept, packeted to be a business in a business.

In otherwords ,if you have a gym and wish to develop the dance side of your business, then you can become a T:I:D:A licensee and run

a dance school in your gym under the name of Tony Irving Dance Academy

We provide you with all marketing materials ,and the structure of the dance system.

We provide you with the dance education for your staff

We also provide you with the dance curriculum for your courses.

Our courses range from Kids classes to disco and street for teenagers and all forms of couples dancing for adults and teenagers.

you can also combine our products with our partner Fort Gjort and develop new concepts for other training forms.

We also provide you with all the knowledge and training of how to run the dance system in your gym.

So if you are interested in becoming T.I.D.A licensee then contact my business partner Kristina Norling Carlén at 

Kristina@tidance.se

All our new T.I.D.A academies will be up on our webside soon, so keep an eye on 

www.tidance.com

At the moment we are in

Stockholm,

Ronneby

Karlskrona

Nyköping

Köping

Sollentuna

and growing!