Current USA Dance vs NDCA fight?

[Beachbum]

Can somebody explain briefly what the current USAD versus NDCA fight is about?  What's the real impact on Joe Average Dancer?  Volumes of discussion but it sounds like two kids throwing sand in the sandbox.

Thanks!

[samina]

i also don't get it...the nuances of dance org politics fly right over my head

[elisedance]

Its plain and simple about control.  Once you get into both pro and am competitions you in effect take two ponds and make one large one out of it.  That means there can only be one king of the pond.  Now we have two organizations trying to secure their control - and a third saying that dancers should be allowed to compete where they will (Freedom to Dance).

I don't think there is much more to it than that.  Perhaps the real 'problem'is that in most countries (from what I can assess) the consumers - the dancers themselves - do not have the right (and frankly either the interest) to dictate the organization that represents them.  The classic 'strictly dancing'movie is sadly really a rather accurate depiction of much of 'dancesport'.

[cornutt]

As near as I can make out (and the whole thing gives me a headache whenever I try to sort it), here's the short story: USA Dance is the United States amateur member organization for the IDSF, or WDSC, or whatever the heck it's called this week -- the world amateur dancesport body.  For reasons that are totally unclear to me, the WDSC has demanded that its member organizations start registering professionals.  That puts USA Dance into a catch-22, because the NDCA is the main body representing pro dancers in the U.S.  If USA Dance starts registering professionals, they are obviously treading on NDCA's territory.  But if they don't, they risk losing their status with the WDSC. 

NDCA is a meta-organization, an organization of organizations.  About a year and a half ago, they decided to add USA Dance as a member organization, in an attempt to start bringing down some of the barriers between amateur and pro-am dancing in the U.S.  However, when this WDSC mandate came out, the NDCA decided to launch a preemptive strike and they revoked USA Dance's membership.  Nobody knows yet what this will mean to competitors registered with the two organizations.  Possibly it won't mean anything.  But it could make things very awkward if the two sides decide to really go to war and, say, prohibit their registered competitors from registering with the other organization.  The other danger is that if USA Dance caves to NDCA and pledges that it won't register pros, it might be suspended by WSDC, which would leave American ams in limbo as far as international competition. 

[Beachbum]

Cool.  Thanks!  I guess my reaction is, "Whatever..." 

IF we ever compete, it will most likely be am-am, so as long as there are qualified judges available, it doesn't mean jack...

[cornutt]

I suspect that's the reaction of about 90% of American ams.  It's the ones that aspire to international competition that seem to be in the most danger.

A lot of comps in my section of the country that used to run under NDCA sanction have gone "outlaw".  Comp promoters are not seeing any advantage in paying a sanctioning fee to the NDCA, and for most ams, registering with NDCA is just another expense. 

[elisedance]

See, there are some advantages to being a pro-am - no organizations at all

[QPO]

we are having the same issue in Australia...... we have been banned somewhere along the way..... it is all to do with power and control, not sure by which group...but I keep going to dance and I wont be turning professional any time soon. i hope if I ever do then it will be sorted 

[elisedance]

we are having the same issue in Australia...... we have been banned somewhere along the way..... it is all to do with power and control, not sure by which group...but I keep going to dance and I wont be turning professional any time soon. i hope if I ever do then it will be sorted 

Perhaps we should just ban everyone and then we can forget about such nonsence...

[Rugby]

All this greed and egomaniac problems just stunts the growth of dancing. 

[QPO]

I agree with that...just get on with it...we need to promote the sport/art   but lets not go down that one as well.

[emeralddancer]

Cool.  Thanks!  I guess my reaction is, "Whatever..." 

IF we ever compete, it will most likely be am-am, so as long as there are qualified judges available, it doesn't mean jack...

You just hit one big nail on the head .... What IF the judges and officials that 'must' be registered with the NDCA are prohibbited by NDCA (at some point in the future, they are not currently - per a press release) from judging/officating at USA Dance comps. This can be a potential problem then with getting qualified judges.

(at least this was an issue raised here by a few AMs that are pretty miffed about this. (and makes sense)

<please excuse any spelling or well ... any mistakes. need sleep>

[Spiral]

we are having the same issue in Australia...... we have been banned somewhere along the way..... it is all to do with power and control, not sure by which group...but I keep going to dance and I wont be turning professional any time soon. i hope if I ever do then it will be sorted 

http://www.dancesport.org.au/images/stories/WDC_Letter_to_DSA.pdf

DSA has been suspended from WDC. Not sure what it would mean for Australian competitors once the 12 months are up.

[QPO]

yes apparently DSA in Australia has aligned itself with WDSF and have now been banned by WDC....and two of our top latin couples who were to represent Australia at the world championship in Singapore...after a complaint by Denmark because they danced a comp in England which is aligned by WDC...too much i say.

WDSF supporters here say you cant play both leagues you have to choose. but why i say?

[Rugby]

Don't be surprised to see some of the same problems happening in the U.S. and Australia happening here in Canada too.