Bulletin

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The Canadian DanceSport Federation

DanceSport professionals in Canada

Vancouver, BC | September 6, 2006:

The relationship between the majority of Canadian DanceSport Professionals and the CDDSC has broken down. Barbara Child, Jane Edgett, Ann Harding and Meryem Pearson have formed a new Canadian Professional DanceSport organization to work constructively with all DanceSport Professionals and with CADA.

We would like to inform the CADA membership and members of the DanceSport community in general of the formation of an organization to represent DanceSport professionals in Canada. The Canadian Dancesport Federation (CDF) includes adjudicators, organizers, scrutineers, coaches and trainers. The CDF recognizes CADA and its Regional bodies as the governing body for amateur dancers in this Country.

The CDF was formed as a result of our longstanding disappointment with the Canadian Dance and DanceSport Council’s inattention to, and lack of respect and support for, both Professionals and Amateurs, and our final decision that, with regret, after repeated efforts to reach a consensus with the CDDSC’s small group of leaders, we concluded that it was no longer in the interest of the great majority of the people in the Canadian DanceSport community to try to work with the CDDSC.

The CDDSC represents teachers’ organizations only, leaving Canada without a professional DanceSport organization. It has also become clear to us that the CDDSC’s leaders have developed the intention to almost completely replace the amateur bodies in our country, that is, CADA and its Regional Associations.

In March, 2006, the CDDSC proposed and passed a motion as follows.

“All Canadian Competitions both amateur and professional, that require Canadian Professionals participation in any way must be run completely under CDDSC rules. Canadian Professionals include pro-am competitors, adjudicators, judges, scrutineers and invigilators.”

After the passing that motion, the following policy was circulated by CDDSC.

“CDDSC Rules and Regulations state:

Adjudicators, Scrutineers and Professional Competitors who choose to register with the CDDSC Professional Register are not permitted to officiate or compete at any Championship or Competition that is not sanctioned or recognized by CDDSC.

Effective September 1, 2006 the above rule will be strictly enforced.”

The original rules and regulations were written for Professional competitions only. The above motion radically changes this policy to include all competitions, amateur or professional. This change was made without adequate consultation or discussion within CDDSC’s Members across Canada, a number of which have resigned from CDDSC.

This new directive involved the following restrictions for Canada’s Amateur Bodies:

A. to make it mandatory for amateurs to be registered with CDDSC in order to dance, regardless if the promoter is a professional or an amateur.

B. to forbid CDDSC registered adjudicators to judge at any event organized by a Provincial CADA body unless it has been sanctioned by CDDSC. Due to the disappointing lack of results at the November meeting between CADA and CDDSC, CADA will not ask for sanctioning by the CDDSC. Historically, the amateur bodies under CADA registered their own events and also recognized the amateur portion of any professionally run event. Under the new CDDSC policy, CDDSCjudges will not be permitted to judge at amateur-organized events.
To fail to inform CADA of this ruling prior to its circulation despite agreeing at the November meeting, is to go against an agreement made in good faith between CADA and the CDDSC.

In response, the Canadian Professionals Ann Harding, Meryem Pearson, Jane Edgett and Barbara Child formed the CDF in April, 2006 as an organization that truly represents DanceSport Professionals from sea to sea in Canada. Since that date, the CDF has been growing quickly as more and more Canadian DanceSport Professionals move to support the CDF.

It is important that CADA and its Regional Associations and the Professional DanceSport community have a good working relationship for the good of DanceSport in this Country. The CDF believes in an all-inclusive association for Canadian professional DanceSport. The CDDSC only represents dance teachers. By contrast, the CDF represents your coaches, trainers, scrutineers, organizers and Canada’s top adjudicators.

It is important to clearly understand the difference between the CDDSC and the CDF. CDF recognizes that the relationship between you, the amateur dancer, and the professionals is very important to both groups. It is our intent to foster a friendly and constructive working relationship with CADA to the good of DanceSport in our vast Country. Opportunity for all will come from working together. We believe that CDDSC has the wrong priorities; we will not make promises to send you across the World to represent Canada, and we will not support new international organizations like IDU and IDSA that refuse to participate in the IDSF world DanceSport system and seek to undermine support for IDSF and its Members (like CADA). What we will promise is to help you become the best you can be. From this you make your own opportunities.

If you have any concerns or questions, please contact any one of us or refer your questions to your National or Regional Association President. We are constantly in touch with CADA President Sandy Brittain and your National Board is well aware of our aims and objectives

Yours in Dancing

Ann Harding-Trafford (Ontario)
905-828-2986
atraffor@sympatico.ns

Executive Committee
Meryem Pearson, Quebec mpear@sympatico.ca
Jane Edgett, Atlantic Canada janeedgett@eastlink.ca
Barb Child, Western Canada barbchild@shaw.ca

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Regional Associations

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International DanceSport Federation

The Canadian Amateur DanceSport Association is the recognized Canadian Member of the IDSF. Visit the IDSF web site at http://www.idsf.net

IDSF - International DanceSport Federation

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