Do you have Pound Stirling 67.50?

Let me tell you why IDSF is such a pain when it comes to running an Intenational dancesport competition. They are worst than your nagging grandmother, they want a Chief Adjudicator, they want to have their qualified adjudicators, they want to ensure that the Dance floor is of the acceptable size and much much more. The biggest thorn IDSF have and it is poking the WDC backside are the adjudicators. To the IDSF people the core of any IDSF dancesport competition is a level playing field for the competitors and the spectators too. I am not saying that all IDSF adjudicators are angels. Recently in Italy an adjudicator was caught altering the score sheet. Such black sheeps exist in every organisation, in IDSF case such people are an embarrassment and this chap was kick out of IDSF. Such incidences are an exception rather than the norm. 
Let me tell you why IDSF cannot accept WDC adjudicators to judge in IDSF competitions.
Now at this juncture let me qualify myself by saying that there are some very qualified WDC adjudicators whose integrity and honesty cannot be challenged. However it is the manner of going about to be registered as a WDC adjudicator that is being put to disrepute and questioned.
Do you have the desire to be a WDC International adjudicator? Seriously all you need is Pound Sterling 67.50 (inclusive of VAT). Do you need any professional dance qualification at all? No! you do not need any qualifications of any sort at all, but you certainly need to have Pound Stirling 67.50 and payment can be by Pay Pal , Visa or Master Card. 
Rather than keep you in suspense can you please go to the WDC marketing arm web site the Ballroom Dancers' Federation International (BDFI) click members and go to WDC International adjudicators. Fill in your name and the next page will ask you for your payment details. 
Hey! I am not saying that this is wrong, there are suckers born every second in this world and this is a commercial organisation, like the BDC. Your name will be listed in the WDC list of International adjudicators, whether you will be call to adjudicate any competition, no one knows and no one cares and no one bothers.
In the event WDC and WDC Amateur League can accept such qualifications who are we to say no? After all Ballroom dancing is an art form to them, some even goes on to say that the artistic part is the heart and soul of Ballroom dancing. I am not going to argue with you if you take that stand. For all I care, you can even pull straws to determine who comes out 1st to the 6th position.
I deeply regret to inform all of you out there that IDSF does not have such instant mechanism to be accepted as an IDSF International Adjudicator. On the contrary if you have no recognised Professional Dance Qualifications by IDSF, do not even try to apply unless you are a glutton for punishment.
Some even has suggested that the lack of respect and the belligerent attitude of IDSF is the cause of this war between IDSF and WDC. 
Belligerent to insist on qualified judges, yes, but really if WDC International Adjudicators can buy their way in, why should IDSF even want to talk about respect or have anything to do with WDC? Is respect really an issue here?                            

The Crystal Cup Championship Organisers

The National Championships, that was what it was called before 2000, when the original promoter passed away Nick and Olga applied for the title and ran the Championship very successfully.

The home of the Championship was at the Crystal Palace Sports Centre then, the competition since then was renamed Crystal Cup Championships after the venue. In the year 2003, IDSF events were introduced into the Championship. The Crystal Cup Championship was one of the top events in England.  Top British adjudicators like Anne Gleaves, Michael Barr, John Wood, Marcus and Karen Hiltons and many more supported the event.

Bryan Allen was the Chairman for most years and BDC at that time had absolutely no problems running the amateur IDSF events. That was the scenario those days.

From 2009 onwards relationship between IDSF and WDC /BDC deteriorated.

In 2010 in trying to keep peace with both the warring factions Nick qualified as Chairman of adjudicators in both IDSF and WDC.

To mend fences or at least Olga and Nick thought that, it was the best thing to do. Olga asked Bryan Allen if he could be the overall Chairman for the Crystal Cup Championship and Nick step in as Chairman for IDSF International events only.

 At that point, all hell broke loose; Bryan Allen went bonkers. He told Olga that it was a personal insult if Nick were to become his co Chairman.

English Amateur Dancesport Association (EADA) President David Corefield then a member of BDC was ordered by Bryan Allen not to apply for any IDSF title at all.

By that time it became clear that Olga could not run the Professional event under WDC and Amateur event under IDSF.

The situation was so bad that it was a situation of either you are with me or you are with them. Couples, Dance Teachers, people in the business are being threatened. They would lose their results at Blackpool, their Judging Jobs, Compering, and Music if they were to associate themselves with the Crystal Cups Championship. It was indeed a sad state of affair. Tomorrow is the Championship and I truly wish them all the best.  

Biography:

Couple: Olga Komarova & Nick Kreminchenski

Occupation: Dance Instructors

Discipline: Ballroom (Standard) & Latin American

Event: Crystal Cup Championship

Country of Origin: Russia

Citizenship: English

Lived in England: 21 years

Studios: Wimbledon Dance Academy and Southside Ballroom. 

The above is what I managed to get from Olga, the language is mine. Is the BDC right in bullying them in the manner that they did. Apart from the economic losses they will suffer, are they wrong in supporting an International Dance body that is recognised by the IOC? 

I am asking you to look at the big picture, next year is the 2012 Olympics. In the event Dancesport is a demonstration sport who is going to represent England? From the look of it, IDSF will probably gather their best athletes in the world without English representation. In the event WDC or BDC think that they can influence the IOC, to muscle into the Games, let them try!       

Nick & Olga's letter to the BDC

Picture: Olga Komarova & Nick Kremichenski 

The Crystal Cup Championship 2011 is just around the corner. It is indeed a sad day for Dancesport in England. As trainers and coaches, I am quite sure that the last thing Olga and Nick wants is to have problems with anyone. It is not a case of Olga and Nick keeping quiet, they also have to say their peace. Below is a letter by Nick and Olga to Bryan Allen the President of the British Dance Council (BDC).

Much have been spoken about BDC, but you the public will have to come to your own conclusion in this whole sordid episode. I strongly believe Bryan Allen owes English Dancesport an explanation for calling for a boycott to the Crystal Cup Championship this 22nd May 2011.

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EADA did a voltefaccia!

This is one of the better joke in the Ballroom Dancing World. EADA after leaving BDC early this year decided that the idsf kitchen is too hot for them. They have decided to return to BDC.
Okay some of you may say that Dancesport England is IDSF and EADA is BDC. Is that the case here? If you think that is the situation, you only need to look at the composition of the Board of Directors of EADA and Dancesport England. They are similar.
Can you join Dancesport England directly without being a member of EADA? You cannot!  
From my analysis of the situation, Dancesport England is as dead as the DODO bird so far as international dancesport is concerned. From the BDC stand point, the Mecca of Ballroom dancing MUST be in England and no where else in the world.
The most honourable thing for Dancesport England to do is to resign from IDSF! Look at David Corefield's letter especially the last line " our hobby and your business will be permanently damaged or even destroyed". What a joke, he looks at dancesport as a hobby, and the other look at it as a business. None of them care to look at the sporting aspect of Dancesport. That is how IDSF sees it, a sport.   
I do hope David Corefield and Dancesport England just terminate their affiliation with IDSF.
There is a silver lining to all this, at least IDSF knows that EADA are not at all a sporting body and as a hobby, it fits well with BDC " Dance for Pleasure and Love it Forever". A decision has been made and so be it. Without doubt BDC will accept the prodigal son back to their fold, and they should.
As for IDSF a word of advice, a National Sport Association like Dancesport England cannot be subservient to another body. How can they possibly chart their own directions or carry out the policy of IDSF when they are answerable to a body like BDC, who are hostile to IDSF? Next time I do hope they will choose their bed partners carefully. 

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Dancesport New Zealand - con te partiro' WDC

Dancesport New Zealand has today, on the 1st of May 2011 notified IDSF and to the world that they have severed all ties with the WDC member body for New Zeland (New Zealand Dance & Dancesport Council). It goes on to say that it leaves them free to pursue the development of their sport in the very best interests of its athletes, coaches and adjudicators. The letter was signed by the President William Joyce after their Annual General Meeting on the same day.
I know William Joyce, a quiet and very unassuming man always in deep thoughts. I have not spoken to him about this yet, but I truly believe when one look at Dancesport as a sport and WDC who believe that Dance should be look at as an "arty farty" form, the decision is obvious. Knowing William he had always believe to each his own, I am sure he would have conveyed the message of Dancesport New Zealand to their WDC counterpart in the most cordial and civilised manner, this great New Zealand Freedom of Choice. You do your thing and we do ours, there is nothing to get upset with.
Look at it objectively, IDSF talks about sports, WDC talks about artistry, look at UK and the motto of BDC "Dance for Pleasure and Love it Forever". There is certainly nothing wrong with that.
Much of the confusion by the BDC and the WDC boys in the UK is that they confuses sports and artistry in Dance.
When you look at the Sport of Dance, you are looking a definite set of rules and most of all fair play. It is these rules that govern Dancesport that BDC or WDC finds it hard to comprehend or rather refuses to comprehend.
The judging of IDSF Open uses the IDSF Pro Dance program, I am not going into the operation of the program save that an athlete can see how each of the judges mark them. However with all its open marking, this is not adequate for a subjective sport.
With this in mind, IDSF came out with the New Judging System that follows the International Skating Union (ISU). The system was first introduced at the IDSF Grand Slam Finals in Shanghai in 2009. I have to concede that there were minor technical hitches here and there but it generated the results fairly quickly. Since then it has been improved and is used in all the Grand Slam series and also in the last 2010 Asian Games in Guangzhou.
So how does the New Judging system works? Suffice for me to state that points are given in 5 areas and they are Posture Balance Coordination, Quality of Movement, Movement to Music, Partnering Skills, Choreography and Presentation.
It is quite pointless to reinvent the wheel, IDSF emulated the system from the ISU and modified it to Dancesport environment. Now that WDC is already in WADA, and Hurrah! for that, perhaps they should adopt IDSF New Judging System in their competition. At least it is another step closer to heaven. 
            

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