Feedback on piece for America's Ballroom Challenge website

A

ABC ballroom

New Member
Happy Holidays everyone!
This is a link to a mock-up of a piece I wrote for the America's Ballroom Challenge website. It's a little dry/scholarly in its tone, but my goal was to write something comprehensive and factually accurate. I welcome any and all feedback on the content and style of the article, especially the part about the World Chapionships, the origins of which were greatly disputed in the texts I consulted. There is a somewhat disproportionately sized paragraph about our show, but PBS seems to want that if we're going to publish it anywhere prominent.
http://ballroom.history.googlepages.com/home
Also, does anyone know of any good public-domain images I could put up? I don't want to use pictures without permission...
Best,
Roxanna
 
Feedback 2:

Careful of how you refer to "amateur" dancers. In some instances, "amateur" tends to refer to dancers compete on an amateur basis (i.e. not paid, or whatever criteria you like that seperates them from "pro"). It sounds funny to refer to non-competetive dancers as "amateur". Most often I hear them referred to as "social dancers".

This is a thorny issue. I can already hear the diagreeing hordes chiming in.
 
That's an excellent insight, one that I wouldn't have identified on my own. I will scrutinize the final draft for such references and make changes. Thanks!
(I implemented your frist change...good catch!)
 
"Many competitors will practice for eight or more hours a day, and supplement their training with weight lifting, cardio workouts, and yoga."

I might mention pilates as well--very common.
 
I probably won't put links directly into the text of the article. We're updating the "links/resources" page of the show's website, so that's where I hope to list relevant websites.
 
Feedback 5: There's also a very active collegiate ballroom scene

Harvard
University of Michigan
Purdue
Brigham Young University

To name just a few
 
Unfortunately, I had to take out my paragraph about that world because of another show that PBS might be developing. (I actually went to Harvard, and was really surprised when I saw a girl from one of my classes in the elevator with me at the Ohio Star Ball!) I'm going to see if I can sneak it back in in a later draft...
 
I thought it was a pretty good overview. Nothing jumped out at me except the leading (line-spacing) in the middle of the first two paragraphs.
 
Excellent article!

Here are a few things that caught my eye:

In 1950 the International Council of Ballroom Dancing (ICBD, now the World Dance and DanceSport Council) was formed, and in 1959 it took over control of the World Championships.
Click to expand...
The World Dance and DanceSport Council recently changed its name to something else...it's called the WDC now, but I don't know if the "D" stands for "dance," "dancing", or "dancesport." I'm sure you can check it out on their web site, which I'm guessing is either still wddsc.org or possibly wdc.org (you can also Google for it).

Today, most professional and amateur dancers are registered members of ballroom dancing associations, which organize events, review competitions, ensure fair practices, and represent dancers’ interests on the national and international levels.
Click to expand...
This is a little incorrect to state as a fact, simply because there are so many dancers out there who are not part of any organization. I am referring to the huge salsa, Argentine tango, west coast swing, Lindy hop and other swing dance communities, and then there is the collegiate ballroom system, and the pro/am ballroom dancers (students competitors don't have to join anything) -- not to mention ballroom social dancers. Based on the numbers of registrants I've heard quoted for both the NDCA and USA Dance, I'd think that most dancers in the US are not members of a ballroom dancing association -- even if they do dance ballroom.

Dancers in the beautiful Emerald Ballroom at Blackpool, England.
Click to expand...
Is it the "Emerald" Ballroom or the "Empress" Ballroom? The only reason why I ask is because the most famous ballroom today in Blackpool is the Empress Ballroom at the Winter Gardens. I tried Googling for an "Emerald Ballroom" in Blackpool and couldn't find one. Although, that doesn't mean that it didn't exist at the time the photograph was taken.

In 1922, the competitions began to distinguish between amateur and professional competitors, and in 1936 the Championships became official.
Click to expand...
As a side note, I'll comment that at one point in this time period they also had a "mixed" Championship, where a professional would dance with an amateur. Unfortunately the book I have that talks about this has been packed up so I can't look up the years or the reference. Still, I find this bit of history interesting as it was the original version of Pro/Am competition. :)

Thanks for the article, and thanks for asking us to take a look at it!
 
caityrosey said:
Feedback 5: There's also a very active collegiate ballroom scene

Harvard...

To name just a few
Click to expand...

People always seem to forget the little technical school up river
called MIT. Arguably some of the best competitive results in the
northeast collegiate scene these days :-)
 
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