(Dis)Organization
Ballroom dancing in general, and dancesport in particular, have enjoyed a great surge in popularity in these first years of the twenty-first century. This popularity, and the business opportunities it represents, has strengthened the positions of independent groups, and spawned a large number of new dancesport groups in addition to the major governing bodies. Some occupy unique niches, organizing dance styles outside those utilized by the major groups, while others compete directly with them.
In this book, we will deal only with the major groups associated with dancesport. This is done for simplicity alone, and should not in any way be construed as a prejudice against these groups. Everyone is entitled to enjoy their dancing any way they like! Keep in mind that as a new dance competitor you may find yourself in contact with one or more of these other groups, and will have to learn their rules and culture to get along!
Structure
The World Dance Council (WDC) and International DanceSport Federation (IDSF) are the major world governing bodies for professional and amateur dancesport, respectively. Each has member organizations in most countries, who in-turn are usually recognized as the governing bodies for their respective nations. In the United States, the National Dance Council of America (NDCA) is the WDC recognized body, while USA Dance is the IDSF recognized body. Each has its own member organizations or local chapters, maintains its own standards for certification of instructors, adjudicators, and competitions, and determines the rules competitors and competitions must follow. These groups also certify dance syllabi that may be used in competitions under their auspices.
Several major dance studio chains, such as Arthur Murray International, and Fred Astaire Studios, also maintain their own parallel systems for dancesport instruction and competition. Each has its own certification programs and governing bodies/rules for competitors and competitions. These major chains also certify their own syllabi for competition, and in fact in some cases have copyrighted not only their syllabi, but even individual figures in them! Most events held by these groups are "closed", or restricted to their own customers.
Many colleges and universities have their own dancesport programs as well. These groups maintain a large but largely informal network sometimes called the "college circuit". Many nations have organizations that ostensibly govern these groups. For example, in the United States, a group called the Youth College Network (YCN), a division of USA Dance, is in theory in charge of college and high-school level competitors and competitions.
In practice, most college groups operate independently, or in handshake agreements with other schools, and the majority of college competitions are relatively free to determine their own rules and procedures. This makes the college circuit something of a "mixed-bag", with some groups strictly adhering to national standards, and others using completely independent rules for skill level determination, syllabi, and adjudication. Most fall somewhere in between, as strict adherence can be costly, while creating rules and syllabi from scratch is a great deal of work.
