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| Sunday, 15 August 2004 |
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'Medal tests are vital for progress' The Ballroom Dancers Federation International - Sri Lanka, whose objective is to create a sense of awareness in professional dancing so that students could receive qualifications and student teachers could advance as qualified teachers, held Medal Exams and Workshops in Colombo and Kandy recently. In this connection Yvonne Saunders of the International Dance Teachers Association (IDTA), a Senior Dance Examiner was in Sri Lanka recently to examine the competitors and conduct workshops to help update the techniques of dancing. Since 1993 Yvonne Saunders is a teacher at the prestigious Studio in Cheam where she trains many students for examinations and competitions from both the United Kingdom and overseas. Her recognised experience and knowledge has resulted in her being invited to many overseas universities to conduct degree courses in Dancing. However she does not confine herself to training for technical examinations but also enjoys teaching Social Dancing. How would you assess the Medal Tests you conducted here for the first time? "The standard of the participants were quite comparable to those in England. I admit there were faults, but maybe those were due to the lack of knowledge in technique and to the progress in the techniques today. In the cha cha and jive section I didn't know what to expect and was quite surprised because the standard was quite good and I felt that there was a drawback basically due to lack of exposure." What about the Teachers Certification? "Some teachers may think there is no need to take examinations. But it is important if you are a teacher. Because you delve deeper into the knowledge of dancing, you are up to date, you become better and you make better dancers of your students. Teachers and dancers should have vision and the day you stop learning you'll find yourself stagnant in ideas." How important is it to be accomplished in Ballroom Dancing - especially the waltzes etc. as against the jive and cha cha? "I should think it is a basic requirement to be accomplished in Ballroom dancing, and that it is of paramount importance. Children should be made to qualify in both branches. I was in China before I came to Sri Lanka and was amazed at the keenness children showed to gain exam status. Their standard is quite good within limitations and because they work hard for the Medal Tests their future will be good. All the top champions started off as children. Look at Christopher Hawkins and Hazel Newburry, they started as child dancers and they have won the championship for the third time around." As a Senior Dance Examiner could you comment on the standards of the other countries you have visited? "I found that in Korea and Taiwan there is quality there - because many have taken the Medal Tests and young teachers want to teach in schools and clubs. In fact Korea encourages young dancers to sit their Medal tests. In Japan dancing is big and competition is keen. They have top trained teachers and Japan sends in their competitors to the UK Championships in January and the British Championships in Blackpool. Thailand is just beginning to come into the scene. Some of the best dancers come from Italy and also Russia." Yvonne Saunders so dedicated in the development of 'Ballroom Dancing' never wanted to be a competitor but instead enjoyed herself as a teacher. She started off as a student teacher and was quite confident that she could transform amateurs into professionals. The IDTA with its Ballroom Section and Theatre section reaches out to children between the ages of 3 and 8 years with a syllabus of a set of pattern dance which takes them through the Bronze, Silver and Gold Medal tests. Ambition to develop is vital says Yvonne who from Sri Lanka will be off to Switzerland to examine enthusiastic dancers for their Medal Tests. |
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