Which Syllabus are YOU Using?

[DanceMentor]

There seems to be an abundance of syllabii in American style:
1) Arthur Murray Syllabus
2) Fred Astaire Syllabus
3) ISTD American Style Syllabus
4) NVIDIA American Style Syllabus (Dance Vision)
5) Tom Chapman Dance Studios Syllabus
6) Plus lots of independant studios using their own custom version

This definitely makes it very confusing for the teachers, the students and the judges in the "Closed" category, don't you think?

[Taita]

This definitely makes it very confusing for the teachers, the students and the judges in the "Closed" category, don't you think?

Not at all, just do whatever the hell you want, chances are, it's in a book somewhere..... :wink:

[pygmalion]

Hmm. Given all the bad things I've said about them, I'd better not disclose which franchise studio syllabus I started with. :lol: Now, I'm learning from a "custom" syllabus my coach compiled/designed. And when preparing closed routines for comps and/or exams, we're using the ISTD syllabus. I guess it could get confusing for him from time to time. For me, no problem, since all I have to do is follow. :lol:

It seems that many of the basic elements are common between syllabi, but combinations of those elements differ. So the real challenge comes, not when doing day to day dancing, but when preparing closed routines.

[Larinda McRaven]

I was trained in an independant studio using the NADTA syllabus, with an owner who had previously worked at Freds. Now we train a lot of the Murrays in the area, and we danced in the videos for ISTD, and I have a student that came to me with the Dvida videos and insisted that that was to be the syllabus he learned from so he could study the videos as we went along.... So.... I have a lot of patterns to pick from when creating competition routines for my students. Each syllabus seems to have its good and bad points and I like that I can be choosey. When teaching social students I tend to pick simpler things - easily lead and followed. When picking competition patterns I like to use the ones that are more apart and open from each other.

[pygmalion]

I see what you mean about social dance students, Larinda. For the first year of my dance "career" :lol: , I was taught exclusively social dance. And immediately when I started competitive training, I was struck with the differences between the syllabi. Many patterns that were "silver" on the social dance syllabus, were bronze on the competitive syllabus.

Like your student, I am also accumulating the DVIDA video library, and I do use them to practice patterns at home, although I wouldn't have the nerve to tell my coach to teach me from that syllabus. He'd laugh me out of the studio! But, since there's quite a bit of overlap with other syllabi, I practice what I can, and use the rest as input. Dancing is dancing, after all. :D

[SDsalsaguy]

As Larinda says, each syllabus has its own strengths and weaknesses. I think the biggest problem is the disservice done to newer dancers by the different names used across the various syllabi – if it is the same move/pattern it should have the same name. But then again, making the material more transportable, outside of its own system is about dancing and not about that system of dancing…

CynicalSDsalsaguy

[Sagitta]

All too right SDsalsa. It does get a little confusing hearing the same move called different names, but rather then get hung up by that I just focus on the move. Once it is demonstrated to me I know whether or not I know it and that's what matters. If I get confused in a group class when moves are called out that does not bother me. After all when dancing socially names of moves don't matter. :)

[DanceMentor]

Looking at the Rules and Regulations (http://www.accessdance.com/files/compsites/21/03-OHIO-Rules.pdf) for the Ohio Star Ball, there seems to be very few specifics. Here are some selected quotes:
(As you can see there is very little info here that standardizes which steps are allowed in each level)

1. Material used should be based on the N.D.C.A. syllabus, Fred Astaire and Arthur Murray social step list or any approved syllabi of member organizations of the N.D.C.A..
2. Following categories pertain to Pro-Am and Amateur American Free Styles only:
Novice 1 through 5
Intermediate Bronze 1 through 8
Bronze 1 through 10
Pre Silver 1 through 5
Intermediate Silver 1 through 8
Silver 1 through 10
Intermediate Gold 1 through 8
Gold 1 through 10
Advanced Gold Bar and Gold Star
Following categories pertain to Pro-Am and Amateur International Free Styles only:
Pre-bronze thru Closed Gold - any approved syllabi of member organizations of the N.D.C.A.
Open Gold and Gold Star 1 - there are no restrictions other than the use of lifts.
5. LEVEL OF DANCE in American and International Style - Pro/Am or Amateur Couples You may dance up to TWO levels. The levels must be in consecutive order, you can not skip a level. Example: Intermediate Bronze and Bronze. 6. No continuity style in Bronze.
16. Drops are permitted in levels Gold and Advanced Pro-Am free style only.

[Adwiz]

I noticed an absence of mention of the IDSF International-style syllabus.

This also uses material and rules from ISTD.

[SDsalsaguy]

The ISTD syllabus is actually covered under the Ohio Rules since the Ohio rules accept "any approved syllabi of member organizations of the N.D.C.A." and the U.S. ISTD is such a member organization.

[pygmalion]

So, if you're dance pro preparing students for competitions, how do you decide which patterns are acceptable? Or is it anything goes?

[DancingMommy]

So, if you're dance pro preparing students for competitions, how do you decide which patterns are acceptable? Or is it anything goes?

It depends upon which division/level you are entering.

Our coach preps us from ISTD since that is where we're at, but since his background is from a franchise, he tends to use their step list for his American style students and group classes since he worked for them for years before going indie. That said, he *is* NADTA certified, so he's most likely using their step list now.

If you dance Int'l style in the USA, it can't get any simpler. 8) The only recognized syllabus is the ISTD, :lol: