Terence. I'm sure you would be able to get from the Dance News a copy of Harry Smith- Hampshire's letter to the board of control. You can then read for yourslf what he thought of the system as it was at the time the letter was written Is it still so that a person some decades ago passed their examinations allowing them to become a teacher within this or that Society.Which then allows them to be called an adjudicator without any further examination and without being examined periodically to see if the current trends, which do change are understood. Just ask. How is NFR ( no foot rise ) applied. And what happens if it not applied correctly.

Terence. My knowledge on this subject at the moment is very scant. Not for long though. Surely the very fact that as you have written,,,, normally past champions and past ranked champions are chosen from thousands of qualified people.... Doesn't that become a qualification in its own right. Just asking, not judging.

Not exactly.. they still have to go thru the rigours of Exams ( which of course, should be simple for that calibre of dancer.. but.. not necessarily.. its book and theory work )

Terence. I can only quote from our rules of Dancsport Page 62. A coach should continue to develope his/her skills by attending seminars and workshops and keeping himself/herself informed on developments in technique, style and sound coaching principles.
What is wrong with that rule ?. What is wrong is using the word Should. It should read Must. Who doesn't agree with that ?.

Now to Page 57. A DSA coach's licence shall only be granted to a person who holds a current valid coaches accreditation issued by the Accreditation Commission.

I am assuming that an ajudicator must have a coaches licence.

I'm just digging up a few facts which aren't always adhered to.

yes, simple solution. There are a lot of judges out there. It is simply a matter of the comp organizers being willing to do what it takes to bring them in.

Most European judges haven't even seen most American competitors. They should be willing to travel back and forth over the pond. The organizers should be willing to pay for them with some of the money they make from the obscene amount they charge for entry into comps. Don't tell me they won't do it. My job takes me to Europe several times a year so I know it isn't an impossibility.

As far as personal taste and biases for certain couples and their styles...that will factor in because dance is an artform as much as it is anything else. When pros are competing most are so technically identical it is simply interpretation that defines them. There is always that one couple that is ridiculously better than the others but that doesn't happen all that often. You wouldn't get mad at an art critic because he like Chagall better than Modigliani. You have to know that is part of judging an art.

You need to check the panel for the US champ. 75% are europeans..and , there are several major comps that regularly judge in the US ( Ohio for e.g. )

terence,

Can you tell I'm comp. averse? Your right, I should have checked facts. I just based it on the comps I've been to and the judges I know. I do very well but it just isn't the reason I dance.

I hope its not the reason most people dance..

Belleofyourball,
Hmm. Maybe for really big competitions the cost could be absorbed and so maybe it could have a chance to work. But it has the potential to wipe smaller, less expensive competitions off of the calendar.

Terence. Didn't I see that it was announced that a rule had been put in place whereby no judge would be allowed to judge two consecutive US. Championships. That was about four years ago.