IDSF Ruling on Passports--Impact on USA Dance

[ChaChaMama]

I assume by now most of us who are members of USA Dance have gotten the e-mail from Ken Richards updating us about the recent IDSF meeting in Macau.

There was some news in that e-mail that might have a pretty major impact on USA Dance.

Quote from Ken Richards' e-mail:


"The worst defeat, I am disappointed to report, is that of the USA. We attempted to modify Rule 13, 2.1 to include other forms of legal residency as is commonly used in the USA instead of a passport. The current rule reads as:

Rule 13: Couples

2. Couples of mixed citizenship.

2.1. A couple can only represent a country in any IDSF Championship or Cup if one of the partners holds a valid and subsisting passport of the represented country at the time of registration and the time of the relevant competition.

The emphasis of bold/underline was added so you can understand the importance of this ruling. We asked the IDSF Member Bodies to vote on a change to the rule that would recognize other forms of Permanent Residency, like those commonly applicable in the USA. The Presidium spoke against the change and the Member Bodies voted it down. We will take a different approach next year and try again. In the meantime all couples that are not comprised of at least one member with a passport are now on notice - you are currently ineligible to dance in any IDSF Championships or Cups. That includes the World Championships and World Cups. "Grand Slams" and "Competitions" are outside of this restriction.

This means that all nominations for 2009 World Championships coming from the last Nationals will be scrutinized against this ruling. Couples must provide proof of one of the members holding a US Passport for the invitation to be valid. "


Without discussing specific cases, it is reasonably clear that this could have a significant impact on USA Dance's ability to send our top qualifiers to Worlds.

It also makes me wonder what the impact of this decision will be for USA Dance going forward.
-Will there be a rush of dancers applying for US citizenship?
-Will dancers who are not US citizens and who are not yet eligible for US citizenship still dance at USA Dance NQEs and at Nationals?
-Will partnerships re-align so that there is one US passport holder in a partnership?

***
Btw, I would like to say that over the past year or two, USA Dance has done a really good job communicating with members. I like the e-mail updates about members being on tv, upcoming regionals, breaking news. This makes me happy. Wtg, USA Dance!

 

[reb]

Thank CCM.

 

[Standarddancer]

Shock!!! very unfair!

 

[DL]

Shock!!! very unfair!

Er, why?

 

[samina]

it would seem to me that *many* dancers currently dancing for US would not longer do so under this new ruling. is my impression incorrect? i mean, they may currently be long-time residents with green cards but without citizenship. you can't get a US passport without citizenship...

 

[DL]

it would seem to me that *many* dancers currently dancing for US would not longer do so under this new ruling. is my impression incorrect? i mean, they may currently be long-time residents with green cards but without citizenship. you can't get a US passport without citizenship...

I mean, why is unfair for the IDSF to assert that only citizens of a country may represent it in championships and world cups?

 

[samina]

i'm personally not saying it's unfair. these things are probly well-arguable from both perspectives. i do however have the impression that the ruling will affect many dancers, but i'm not sure -- that is why i asked for feedback from others who many know more about the numbers who are representing US with green cards & not citizenship.

 

[sambanada]

It seems fair to me.

 

[samina]

in the olympics, must one have a passport/be a bonafide citizen of the country one represents?

 

[etp777]

Looks like olympics require citizenship, as several stories ove ryears of politicians expediting citizenships here in US so that particular athletes can compete for us.

 

[Standarddancer]

At the invitation meeting to all USA Dance finalists held at Baltimore this April right after National, it was discussed by VP Ken Richard that USA Dance was trying very hard to persuade European IDSF authority that USA is a country with one of the most rigid immigration / naturarization rules.

It also happened in the past World Cups required at least one passport, so that in that year in adult standard category, neither of the winning couples had a US passport, although they both held valid working visa which enable them to travel freely in/out of states; If this gonna to be the ruling going forward, USA Dance might not have the best candidates to represent the interest of USA. I hope you understand what I mean.

 

[etp777]

Sadly, unlike the olympics, I doubt we'll be able to convince any polticians to expedite a dancer's citizenship to let them represent the US.

 

[DL]

At the invitation meeting to all USA Dance finalists held at Baltimore this April right after National, it was discussed by VP Ken Richard that USA Dance was trying very hard to persuade European IDSF authority that USA is a country with one of the most rigid immigration / naturalization rules.

Well, just to examine a particular case:

US naturalization requirements:
http://www.uscis.gov/portal/site/us...nnel=96719c7755cb9010VgnVCM10000045f3d6a1RCRD

British naturalization requirements:
http://ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/britishcitizenship/eligibility/naturalisation/standardrequirements/

These seem largely similar to me.

It also happened in the past World Cups required at least one passport, so that in that year in adult standard category, neither of the winning couples had a US passport, although they both held valid working visa which enable them to travel freely in/out of states; If this gonna to be the ruling going forward, USA Dance might not have the best candidates to represent the interest of USA. I hope you understand what I mean.

I think you're saying that some of the best dancers in the USA are not citizens of the USA. From what little I know of things, I would not challenge that assertion. But, granting the assertion, if they represented the USA in international competition, would they not be, "ringers"? Would that be fair to countries that are represented by their own citizens? For example, does England field non-citizens as its "best candidates"?

(Suppose that residency, rather than citizenship, were the requirement. Would the USA ever grant residency on the basis of employment, where the employment would be to represent the USA at international competition? Would the residency be temporary, expiring when the employment ended at the end of the competition? Would this be fair to anyone, including the competitors? Should the IDSF sanction or open the door to such behavior?)

Edit to add: I'm not personally familiar with international dance competitions, their history, nor the behavior of various national organizations. Are there circumstances of which my ignorance causes me to completely misunderstand what's happening here?

 

[DL]

Incidentally, I have friends and colleagues who are foreign nationals, who are legal residents of the USA. I knew some for many years as they went through the process to obtain green cards. Some went (or are still going) through the green card process with an employer's help, which entails its own complications. They shared many frustrations with me. Several aspects of the situation "on the ground" seem unfair to me.

(edit to add: ) I sympathize that "living in the USA" is definitely not the same as "living in and being a citizen of the USA" -- although sometimes (e.g. say, voting rights), I think the reasons for certain differences are good ones.

But OTOH I think an international body must have its own perspective when deciding its policies.

 

[Joe]

Actually, I don't think it's terribly unfair. If people are serious about representing the US, they will "put in their time."