I must say, though, that these new Latin books are far superior to the original Latin book. I was really impressed.
I, too, like the new books much more than the old all-in-one book. I was extremely flattered by a request from Elizabeth Romain to proofread the soon-to-be-released Revised Samba Technique book. After doing so and sending her my suggestions, she called to thank me. She has since mailed me a draft copy of the changes incorporated into the most recently edited version of the book. I was even more flattered to see how many of my suggestions had been incorporated into the newest edition. It was at that point that I discovered how they had accomplished the proofreading of the other three new books.
In case you are unaware of how they create printed versions of technical revisions (which I wasn't), the process is as follows: The Faculty involved appoints a group of Examiners for that branch to discuss possible revisions. Once they've agreed on what will or will not be dropped, added, or revised, they begin the process of 'setting' the actual technique for each figure. This information, once agreed upon, is then transferred to written form by someone appointed to this task. Elizabeth Romain has for years handled this function for the Latin Faculty.
In producing the agreed upon written technique, each step is gone over as meticulously as possible. This doesn't eliminate the possibility of errors, but helps cut down on them. Once a draft copy has been produced, Elizabeth told me, she divides it up among the members of the Faculty involved. Each person is given from 5 to 10 figures to review. When Elizabeth called me, she said that I was the only person to proofread the entire syllabus, had done so in a very short period of time, and that, even though they had much less material to review and had had it for far longer than I, she had only received fully proofed material back from half of the Faculty members assigned the task.
She was impressed enough with my suggestions to ask if I would proofread the Jive syllabus when ready. When the latest draft copy of the Samba arrived, I received another highly flattering and stunning surprise. She had also included a letter for me to pass on to the USISTD National Committee. It is a recommendation that they consider presenting me to the appropriate body of examiners in London as a candidate to become an Examiner for the USISTD!
While all of this IS extremely flattering to me, it doesn't make my views on dancing the only correct views. And, while it may be a bit of bragging (well, who wouldn't!?!), my purpose in passing this on to you is not just so I can toot my own horn.
Being a Dual Fellow doesn't mean the holder of those degrees is the most fantastic dancer ever seen. The same is true for an Examiner. As we all know, Pro Competitors - even many Competitive Amateurs - are the best representatives of the visual art of dancing.
I've competed professionally, and did fairly well. I'm soon to be 46 years old. Haven't had a partner for about 8 years. Therefore, I'm not in peak form. Elizabeth Romain is close to 80 years old. She underwent hip replacement surgery in the past. One replacement is now failing. She is to
the point where she can barely walk. That doesn't reflect on her KNOWLEDGE of dancing, just her ability to perform the actions involved. The same can be said for most of the people in the dance industry who have retired from competing. Look at the judges at any competition. Unless they retired within a short time period before the event, how many of them could you picture out on the floor with the people they are judging?
My views on dancing have changed many times since I started teaching in 1972. As I learn more about dancing, a process which I hope never stops, I always review past knowledge. I try to integrate the new with the old. If the old is no longer valid, I throw it away. All I'm saying is that ANY view on dancing has some validity. Since dancing is a subjective art form, who is to say what is the absolutely RIGHT way to do anything?
Sincerely,
Phillip B. Stephens
Dual Fellow - USISTD
