Dance for Disney
- Thread starter Laura
- Start date
DancingJools
Member
Isn't this the same company that is running the self-styled "World Pro-Am Championship", together with the WDC, in Buenes Aires?
I remember at some point, in the WDC-IDSF turf war, a communique by the WDC where they promised to give the IDSF a run for its money in the area of promoting ballroomdancing on TV. Looks like they're trying to do so. I'd be very, very curious to know the financial arrangements between World Promotions and the WDC, since this announcement here kind of goes out of its way to mention the WDC, and to state specifically that World Promotions will only hire "Professionals" (with a capital P, no less).
Whatever!!!
I remember at some point, in the WDC-IDSF turf war, a communique by the WDC where they promised to give the IDSF a run for its money in the area of promoting ballroomdancing on TV. Looks like they're trying to do so. I'd be very, very curious to know the financial arrangements between World Promotions and the WDC, since this announcement here kind of goes out of its way to mention the WDC, and to state specifically that World Promotions will only hire "Professionals" (with a capital P, no less).
Whatever!!!
Laura
Well-Known Member
Yes. It's as if the plot were thickening or something. It seems part of an apparent ongoing effort to marginalize the NDCA. Well, until someone can convince competitors that a World Promotions competition is more hotly contested and better attended than the likes of the Ohio Star Ball, I'm not sure how far that will go.
Ahh, turf wars, what fun.
mamboqueen
Well-Known Member
My first thought was if there were going to be any sort of dress code!
samina
Well-Known Member
i have my prejudices against disney, but i agree with Me, this will certainly open some doors for some pros with disney-appropriate images.
am going to pass this bit of info onto my instructors... i think they're the type disney would go for. which normally would be an insult on my part <g>, but i definitely do not mean that in this instance. have thought since i met them that they were tv-bound in some capacity. apparently they were very well-known on television back in their home country
i'd buy stock in them if i could... <g>
am going to pass this bit of info onto my instructors... i think they're the type disney would go for. which normally would be an insult on my part <g>, but i definitely do not mean that in this instance. have thought since i met them that they were tv-bound in some capacity. apparently they were very well-known on television back in their home country
i'd buy stock in them if i could... <g>
DancingJools
Member
The wry comments are not about this particular arrangement, and whether it will be good for dancers.
It's just that it is part of an ongoing drama (or farce, depending on how you look at it) of a turf war that has been going on between the two international organizations, the WDC and the IDSF (and their local minions) that govern "professional" and "amateur" dancers, respectively. Recently, pro-am dancing became part of this turf war, in a rather insulting way, by both sides, which really p****d me off.
It's a long story. May be someone (Laura??) can pitch in with a pithy summary.
But I do remember, specifically, an earlier communique from WDC in which they mentioned their new association with World Promotions as their strategy to counter the IDSF arguments that it was growing dancesport by promoting it in the media.
And the emphasis in the communique about the "Professional" status of all potential hires, and that this will be verified by the WDC, caught my eye. This has a long history, too.
Which raises the somewhat interesting question in my mind: Does this mean that Disney World is now barred from hiring students and the like to perform in any ballroom-related production say, during the summer, unless such students join the NDCA? Does ballroom include swing dancing? Technically, swing is one of the American style Rhythm dances. But then the communique defines the styles of ballroom as "ballroom, latin and exhibition". Huh? This is the European, not the US, definition of ballroom. Where's Smooth and Rhythm? Subsumed under ballroom and latin, I suppose.
It's just that it is part of an ongoing drama (or farce, depending on how you look at it) of a turf war that has been going on between the two international organizations, the WDC and the IDSF (and their local minions) that govern "professional" and "amateur" dancers, respectively. Recently, pro-am dancing became part of this turf war, in a rather insulting way, by both sides, which really p****d me off.
It's a long story. May be someone (Laura??) can pitch in with a pithy summary.
But I do remember, specifically, an earlier communique from WDC in which they mentioned their new association with World Promotions as their strategy to counter the IDSF arguments that it was growing dancesport by promoting it in the media.
And the emphasis in the communique about the "Professional" status of all potential hires, and that this will be verified by the WDC, caught my eye. This has a long history, too.
Which raises the somewhat interesting question in my mind: Does this mean that Disney World is now barred from hiring students and the like to perform in any ballroom-related production say, during the summer, unless such students join the NDCA? Does ballroom include swing dancing? Technically, swing is one of the American style Rhythm dances. But then the communique defines the styles of ballroom as "ballroom, latin and exhibition". Huh? This is the European, not the US, definition of ballroom. Where's Smooth and Rhythm? Subsumed under ballroom and latin, I suppose.
Oh, I see. More politics.
Do these organizations actually DO anything? I know the NDCA has received two formal complaints in regard to an instructor in my area suing and starving out multiple professionals, and despite their statement of purpose, master rules regarding disciplinary action, and 'Code of Ethics,' they have refused to take any action. So basically they like to say they're the governing body of ballroom dance for the U.S., but they do nothing.
Whatever the WDC's hopes about the association, I really do get the impression, not only from this but from other things I've read about them, that World Promotions is trying to stay, as it puts it, "non-political" and out of the turf wars.
My guess is that the "professional" designation is either for practical purposes, so they don't have to wade through a lot of wannabes who've had a few dance lessons (think SYTYCD auditions!), or a requirement of Disney. Perhaps more likely the latter, since no one who knew anything about the ballroom world would set up a screening system that would include 6-week wonders and exclude some of the best dancers in the world.
My guess is that the "professional" designation is either for practical purposes, so they don't have to wade through a lot of wannabes who've had a few dance lessons (think SYTYCD auditions!), or a requirement of Disney. Perhaps more likely the latter, since no one who knew anything about the ballroom world would set up a screening system that would include 6-week wonders and exclude some of the best dancers in the world.
SDsalsaguy
Administrator
World Promotions may well be trying to stay out of the WDC/IDSF politics. At the same time, however, it is positioning itself as an alternative to the NDCA so that has political ramifications. Part of what's going on of course is that there's not just one political 'debate' taking place.
mamboqueen
Well-Known Member
You know, I just realized that I got this e-mail, too. Wonder how they got our e-mail addresses?
Laura
Well-Known Member
I guessed that I got the email because I am on that DanceSport Newsflash list that Michael Meade runs. That's the first thing I could think of, unless the WDC and/or World Promotions somehow got my address through one of the NDCA comp organizers. There are a lot of people out there in dance land who have my email, including Dance Beat magazine, the NDCA, USA Dance, the list goes on and on.