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Ballroom Dance Resource - Articles on Dancing The olympics and ballroom - they now go hand in hand! Also included in this article is a little history of dance competitions.Competitive ballroom dancing is officially known as DanceSport. The first actual ballroom dance competition took place in 1909 in Paris. Those involved in the sport believe it involves as much athleticism as figure skating and ice dancing, which it is often compared to. The campaign to bring DanceSport to the Olympics began decades ago. The United States Amateur Ballroom Dancers Association (USA Dance, formerly known as USABDA) was formed in 1965 with a primary objective of having DanceSport accepted into the Olympic games. While this early attempt failed in their original goal to have DanceSport accepted into the Olympics, they did succeed in creating a valuable organization for those who danced competitively. In 1990, the actions to have DanceSport officially recognized by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) had begun again. At this time, there were multiple governing bodies in competitive ballroom dancing. To help the sport achieve an internationally recognized status, the International Council of Amateur Dancers (ICAD) was changed to the International DanceSport Federation (IDSF). It became the first truly worldwide governing body for DanceSport and the leader in the push to have competitive ballroom dancing included in the Olympics. It was in 1995 that the Olympic efforts began to bear fruit. The president of the IOC issued a letter welcoming DanceSport to the Olympic family. The IOC had officially recognized competitive Ballroom Dancing as a sport. It was the first step towards the larger goal. In 2000 Olympics in Sydney, Australia, when DanceSport was featured in the closing ceremony, there was some controversy. Although ballroom dancing was a prominent feature of the ceremony, the cameras showed little of it, and one of the presenters made dismissive remarks about DanceSport that caused outrage in the ballroom dancing community. Despite this, the 2000 Olympics were, overall, a success for DanceSport. With their first goal of having the sport recognized by the IOC achieved, the competitive ballroom dancing world looked to the future and hopes of becoming a medaled sport. A request was filed by the IDSF to have DanceSport given medal status in 2008, however in 2002, a report was made recommending that DanceSport and 13 other provisional sports have their medal status requests denied. To the disappointment of millions of competitive ballroom dancers, the earliest that DanceSport could now be included in the Olympics is 2012. However, the report recommending that these 14 provisional sports be denied medal status in 2008 contained some very positive elements. It did not suggest that these sports should never be granted medal status. Rather, it listed criteria that the sports should possess if they are to be Olympic sports in the future. From the criteria given, the IDSF feels it is highly likely that DanceSport will be included as a medal sport in the Olympic games. One of the major points made by the recommending committee in their report was that any sport to be granted medal status must increase the value of the Olympics, specifically in the number of viewers. ESPN has begun airing competitive ballroom dancing and had audience ratings that suggest is as popular among television viewers as more mainstream sports. The World Games, held every four years, feature sports like DanceSport that are not yet in the Olympics They were first held in Santa Clara, California by a group of international sports federations wanting to increase awareness of their sports. DanceSport first joined the World Games in 2001. By participating in the World Games, DanceSport further strengthens its case with the IOC. Another key point listed in the report suggested that sports that required expensive venues to be built would be avoided. Ballroom dancing has minimal requirements in that respect, the basic facilities required would already be built for other sports. A final aspect listed in the report that seems to fit well with competitive ballroom dancing is the IOC's desire for sports with a global, rather than regional appeal. Ballroom dancing is hugely popular in Asia, Australia and Europe and its following in the US is increasing with more competitions being aired on television. A meeting following the 2002 report was positive, particularly with regards to the plans to televise more competitions and thereby increase viewer familiarity and interest. The IOC confirmed that global interest is growing in DanceSport and that the IDSF simply needs to continue its efforts in order to achieve their goals of becoming a medaled sport in the Olympics. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Paul Steinberg is a very amateur ballroom dancer (but he enjoys it a lot) and publisher of www.BallroomDancingSecrets.com which offers more help and information for other aspiring dancers and dance students. |
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