CSTD... Who???

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A PEEK into DANCESPORT POLITICS

CSTD... WHO!!???

On June 15, 1999, the Philippine Daily Inquirer ran an article by Marge C. Enriquez which outlined the plans of the Commonwealth Society of Teachers of Dancers to make Manila as its center for ballroom activities. No, we're not reprinting the article here lest we infringe on PDI's copyright. But to this and to previous articles published about the CSTD, the Dance Addict was quite wary.

Yet we didn't think of actually writing a commentary on it until we received the following comment from Dance Sport Council Philippines president Becky Garcia. Ms. Garcia's note to the Dance Addict reads: Dear Vikky, This is a reply sent by Australia to an article published last week (Tuesday, Inquirer - Ballroom section - June 15) regarding the CSTD. See what you can do about it. It's just a reaction. Thank you. Becky.

We are reprinting the whole reaction unedited, though we're not really sure what Ms. Garcia refers to when she says "Australia". In any case, the reaction should give us a peek into the politics of the international dancesport world. The reaction from "Australia" follows.....

Take your partner for the double shuffle; You've been eyed off by the CSTD... WHO???

The Commonwealth Society of Teachers of Dancing (CSTD) based in Australia has announced that they are eying off Manila as a centre for their international ballroom dance activities. Wow, aren't we lucky! But for mine (sic) I think we've been eyed off once too soon.

The CSTD is only one of 16 societies that are handling out dance teaching qualifications in Australia. The size and quality of these organizations varies enormously.

Given that there are around 600 persons holding ballroom dance teaching qualifications in Australia, and given that the two largest dance teaching societies (which do not include the CSTD) account for around 300 of those qualified persons, it can be seen that some of the 14 remaining dance teaching societies are very small.

The CSTD boasts of quite a large theatrical membership, but its ballroom dance branch is tiny, with probably less than 10 members, according to one source in Australia. The CSTD is quite insignificant in terms of ballroom dancing in Australia. It has no status internationally and does not have any Australian Government recognition.

The intention of the CSTD, to set up a foreign controlled dance teaching examination system for Filipinos, mimics the methods used by the English dance teaching societies throughout Asia, and these days largely rejected by the ballroom dance fraternities in those countries, as an unhappy reminder of their colonial past.

If there is to be a dance teaching qualification system it should be controlled by Filipinos. It is true that with the rapid growth in the popularity of dancesport (the modern term for ballroom dancing), there is a need to build dance teaching skills in the Philippines. It is also true that given the past history of dance halls and their attendant DIs in the Philippines, that a change in the character of the activity is required for it to become mainstream.

This is what the DanceSport Council of the Philippines is trying to achieve. The Dance Sport Council of the Philippines is the official Philippines member of both the WDDSC (a British-based organization referred to by the CSTD, but of which they, the CSTD, are not a member) and the International DanceSport Federation (IDSF), the IOC recognized world governing body for dancesport.

It is also the reason why the DanceSport Council of the Philippines organized a tour of the Philippines by Australian dancesport teachers and competitors, during the centennial celebrations. This tour was backed by the Australian Government and accredited by Dancesport Australia, the official controlling body in Australia. The CSTD had nothing to do with this tour.

Certainly there will need to be a transfer of dancesport skills and technology from overseas, given the rapid growth of dancesport (ok, ballroom dancing if you're into nostalgia) in the Philippines, and Australia is a likely supplier of those skills and technology. But let's have the quality product, the endorsed product, not the also-rans.

The Dance Addict does not necessarily agree with the above thoughts. In fact we have our own vehement reactions. If you care to find out, check out our other pages.