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Hey, DT readers!
Ugh! More computer glitches! For some reason, I am
unable to open my e-mail from anyone who sends something
to dancetrends@mindspring.com. However, I am able
to open danmessenger@mindspring.com! Sooo, my "question
of the week" and poll results will be on hold
until Microsoft solves my problem. I am expecting
a call from Bill Gates himself, as he is an avid Dance
Trends reader. YEAH, RIGHT! Enough silliness. If you
would like to e-mail me, please use danmessenger@mindspring.com.
You can just click on the "send your suggestion
to Dan via e-mail" in the "Question of the
week" section. Thanks! Ok...that's that.
I can't believe summer is almost
over. My kids head back to school tomorrow and Becky
and I will be sitting at home twiddling our thumbs,
not knowing what to do with ourselves until our little
darlings get off the school bus! I mean, after all,
it's not like we have real jobs! How many times have
you professionals heard that one before? Anyways,
anyone who is involved in the business knows better,
especially right now as many competitors are gearing
up for this year's United States Dancesport Championships.
USDC will be held in Miami at the Fountain Bleu hotel
in early September...just around the corner. Unfortunately,
I am not able to go this year so, anyone wishing to
send results, comments, etc... that would be great!
I am also going to be starting a new section for Dance
Trends called "Pic of the month". If you
have a picture you think is of interest, you can send
it via e-mail. The Dance Trends panel of judges (
Becky, Rosie, our dog, and I) will select a new picture
each month. We are looking for unique, but clean,
if you know what I mean!
Last weekend, I was judging the
Cincinnati Dancesport competition in.... guess where?
You are good! Nice competition with a lot of potential.
Congratulations to everyone who attended. As many
of you know, competitions offer packages to the competitors
where they can purchase their hotel, tickets, meals
etc.... all in one package price. Some competitors
prefer this, and some prefer to go a la carte. Most
competitions allow the competitors to choose their
preference. The normal procedure, when it comes to
dinner time for package holders, is that the officials
are seated in the same room but separate from the
competitors. Did you ever wonder what those judges
are talking about? Well, it's probably not as exciting
as you may think, but it is never boring. At least
not to me.
Obviously, there is a common bond
between judges, so it is only natural to talk about
issues within our sport. Do we like where Dancesport
is going? Where IS it going, and things like that.
Even though there are opposing views at times, opinions
seem to be always given with respect to the other
judge's viewpoint. Let's face it, it is always easier
to accept one's opinion when it matches your own!
But, that is not how things get done for the good
of the people in any industry...whether it be in government,
companies, or organized sports. If the leaders of
an organization are upset because they are receiving
opposing viewpoints from a member or members, they
have to understand that A.) they have the right to
feel upset. B.) that goes with the territory when
you decide to take an office. C.) they are elected
to serve and represent the people which they govern.
This is the problem I see with the
way Dancesport is run in our country. We only have
the right to give an opinion to the our member organization
but we do not have the right to vote directly on issues
with the NDCA. We have to hope and pray that our member
organization is representing our views and voting
properly. An example: A while back I asked readers
if a loved one or significant other should be allowed
to compete at their loved one or significant other's
event. I gave my opinion, which was, that I felt it
was ok because I felt the judges had high standards
and would not be influenced. The readers, however,
did not see it that way and voted that a related or
connected couple should not dance at their loved one's
event.
The NDCA is hoping to reach us by
running a congress sometime in the near future. The
event will most likely take place in New York, sometime
next spring and will offer the opportunity for professionals
to sit down and have round table discussions with
NDCA officials regarding issues. I don't know who
would have it worse...the official who has no clue
what is going to be brought to the table, or the professional
who is staring into the eyes of an NDCA official who
is going to be judging them at the next competition.
This is my prediction: A: Very few people outside
of the New York area will attend. B: The majority
of, if not all, of the professionals hired to hold
clinics etc. will be from the New York area. C: Very
few people will sit at that round table and the NDCA
will wonder why no one is coming forward to give their
concerns. D: The package price to attend will be too
expensive for out-of-towners to make it worth their
while to attend.
To be honest, I don't think there
needs to be a round table discussion where professionals
can voice their concerns because, number one, I don't
think they will, and number two, I don't think, overall,
that the officials of the NDCA are doing that bad
of a job. But please, quit asking us to come to you.
Quit wondering why we don't. Come to us! Instead of
spending all of this time and effort on a congress
that will end up being a local dance camp, pay a judge
(perhaps an NDCA official or the observer) attending
a competition to hold a dance seminar sponsored by
the NDCA. Wouldn't that be a step towards showing
the competitors that you support them? Wouldn't your
presence be more noticeable in an area where right
now, it is not? How about a letter from the National
Dance Council of America wishing the organizer of
the event and the competitors the best of luck? Maybe
several e-mail addresses and phone numbers could be
displayed so competitors know who they can contact
to share their concerns.
I do think that the NDCA understands
that the problem lies with the middle man, the member
organizations whose job it is to get the information
to it's members. Times have changed and we are now
into the twenty-first century. At one time, it was
crucial for the member organizations to inform their
members of the goings on with NDCA meetings etc....
but today, I think it is more important for the NDCA
to go directly to the professionals and, with technology
what it is today, it just would not be that difficult.
One NDCA official I would like to commend for his
communications to me is Lee Wakefield, Ballroom Director,
who keeps me constantly updated on member status and
rule changes. As far as issues like rule changes or
major decisions though, I think if the NDCA would
poll the professionals, the majority of them would
say that they would personally like to have a vote.
There are certain issues that I
will continue to write about, one of them being the
NDCA because it is the governing body for professionals
in the United States and "we the people"
should never feel afraid or threatened to share our
opinion and stand up for things we believe in. It's
all about understanding why things are the way they
are. Why is our United States Championships owned
by a private company? We, the professionals, have
no say in what we would like to see at our own U.S.
championships. As it stands now, no one has that right
because the event is privately owned. That is as it
should be for any privately owned company. Because
of this, though, there is very little opportunity
for many judges to have the chance to judge our national
event. I can think of several judges who are former
national champions who are still waiting for an invitation.
Several will probably never be invited. Should any
decisions regarding our U.S. Championships be made
on a personal basis? They can be if it is privately
owned. Should whether or not someone likes someone,
or doesn't, be a decision factor for someone having
an opportunity if he or she deserves it?
Wouldn't it be smart if we
were allowed to run an NDCA national championships?
A non-biased, neutral event where any and all profits
would be used for the sole benefit of promoting our
sport on a national level. The profits could be used
to increase the prize money each year and to bring
our national championships into an arena, which is
where it should be. I think big corporations would
eventually take us seriously if we provided them with
this kind of venue and they would feel compelled to
want to sponsor. It would be an event that had a true
feeling of neutrality, where anyone who is involved
in Dancesport would not want to miss attending and
being a part of it. A finale event for all competitors,
coaches, judges, spectators etc.... you get the picture.
Think of the trickle down effects this could have
for all of us. It certainly would create unity throughout
the dance industry, which is always a good thing.
Dan
Messenger
08-20-2001
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