ISTD 2011 Malaysia Workshops

The Imperial Society of Teachers of Dancing (ISTD) and the Malaysian Ballroom Dance Teachers Berhad (MBDTB) is jointly organizing two dance teacher workshops this weekend. The workshops will be conducted by Richard Hunt, Vice Chairman of the ISTD Modern Ballroom Faculty & Imperial Dance and Dance Sport Faculties Board. Among the lectures to be covered will be popular Latin American and Ballroom dance variations.

The workshops, which are open to ALL professional dance teachers will be held at the Conference Suite at GC Building Technologies (M) Sdn Bhd, 7 Jalan Perintis U1/52, Kawasan Perindustrian Temasya, Bandar Glenmarie, 40150 Shah Alam, Selangor. Richard Hunt will also be available for private lessons. Additionally; ISTD Associate, Licentiate and Fellowship training can be arranged.

Latin American Teachers Workshop

Date: 19 February 2011 (Saturday)

Time: 9.00 am to 6.00 pm

Fees: ISTD Qualified Teachers - RM100, Other Professional Teachers - RM150

Ballroom Teachers Workshop

Date: 20 February 2011 (Sunday)

Time: 9.00 am to 6.00 pm

Fees: ISTD Qualified Teachers - RM100, Other Professional Teachers - RM150

For registration or further information kindly contact Lim Sae Min at 012-2030107, Chong Kim Yee at 012-2215727 or Nelly Tsen at 012-2848088.

ISTD Conducts Masters' Workshop

More than 60 dance teachers and students attended a masters' workshop organized by the Imperial Society of Teachers of Dancing (ISTD) on October 27 2010. Held at the conference suite of GC Technologies (M) Sdn Bhd in Shah Alam, Selangor; the workshop was conducted by Richard Hunt (Vice Chairman of the ISTD Modern Ballroom Faculty and Imperial Dance & Dance Sport Faculties Board) and Yvonne Taylor-Hill (Chairman of the Disco/Freestyle/Rock 'n' Roll Faculty and member of the ISTD council).

The topics that were discussed at this workshop covered Ballroom and Latin American dances. Poise, balance and centering were explained. The character of the various dances were mentioned and demonstrated. As for Ballroom dancing, the different types of rise and fall were elucidated. Hunt and Taylor-Hill emphasized the use of good technique and showed the simple teaching aids that can be used to improve technique. A Rumba and Tango routine were demonstrated and the participants were then put through their paces.

Hunt and Taylor-Hill said they were pleased with the good turnout and support shown by the teachers and students at this workshop. There are plans to organize more of such workshops in future. They thanked those present and the coordinators of the workshop, namely Nelly Tsen (Examination Organizer - Ballroom Faculty ISTD), Lim Sae Min (president of Malaysian Ballroom Dance Teachers Berhad) and Chong Kim Yee (principal of Swan Link Dance Studio) for their assistance in organizing the workshop.

ISTD 2010 Malaysia Tour - Workshops

The Imperial Society of Teachers of Dancing (ISTD) in conjunction with Malaysian Ballroom Dance Teachers Berhad is organizing a series of workshops which will be held at the conference suite of GC Building Technologies (M) Sdn Bhd, 7 Jalan Perintis U1/52, Kawasan Perindustrian Temasya, Bandar Glenmarie, 40150 Shah Alam, Selangor. The workshops will be conducted by Richard Hunt (Vice Chairman of the ISTD Modern Ballroom Faculty and Imperial Dance & Dance Sport Faculties Board) and Yvonne Taylor-Hill (Chairman of the Disco/Freeestyle/Rock 'n' Roll Faculty and member of the ISTD council).

Master Class (Open to students and dance teachers)

Date: October 27 2010, Wednesday

Time: 6.30 pm to 10.15 pm

Fees: ISTD qualified teachers - RM20, other participants - RM50

Training Professionals Exam (Open only to ISTD qualified teachers)

Date: October 28 2010, Thursday

Time: 8.30 am to 9.30 pm

Fees: RM80

Teachers Workshop (Open to all professional dance teachers)

Date: October 29 2010, Friday

Time: 9.30 am to 6.00 pm

Fees: ISTD qualified teachers - RM60, other professional teachers - RM120

Topics: Simple variations in Latin and Ballroom, Advanced compulsory Latin figures in Gold Star exams, Faults seen in medal tests, 6 weeks Rock 'n' Roll, Medal tests choreography, What the examiners and adjudicators look for, Teachers' questions & answers

For further information or to register, kindly email mydanceteachers@gmail.com or contact Lim Sae Min at 012-2030107, Chong Kim Yee at 012-2215727 or Nelly Tsen at 012-2848088.

ISTD Plans Exciting Events

Next month, examiners from the Imperial Society of Teachers of Dancing (ISTD) UK, will be in Malaysia to conduct the medallist tests and teacher examinations. This year, the ISTD will be organizing several interesting events for the benefit of teachers and students. Among the activities to be held in October are several teacher workshops which will be conducted at the Kuala Lumpur Dancers' Association (KLDA). Some workshops will include students as well. A medallist festival (dance competition) will also be held at the KLDA on October 30. For those who can remember, two such festivals were held in Malaysia in the 1990s with much success.

A dinner and dance will also be held on the evening of the medallist festival on October 30 at the KLDA. After the prize giving ceremony, a sumptuous full course Chinese dinner will be served and there will be general dancing, performances and lots of fun. Well known ISTD examiners Richard Hunt and Yvonne Taylor-Hill will be the hosts at this event. For more information regarding the activities, kindly contact Lim Sae Min (president of Malaysian Ballroom Dance Teachers Berhad) at 012-2030107, Chong Kim Yee (principal of Swan Link Dance Studio) at 012-2215727 or Nelly Tsen (Examination Organizer - Ballroom Faculty ISTD) at 012-2848088.

The Imperial Society of Teachers of Dancing (founded 1904), with its headquarters at Imperial House, 22-26 Paul Street, London EC2A 4QE, England is the leading dance examinations board in the world. It is today a registered educational charity and is the only organization that covers the full spectrum of dance examinations on a truly global scale. Every year, more than 250,000 people are examined, for which the ISTD provides grade examinations and medal tests to assess their proficiency. The many styles of dances for which the students are examined include Ballet, Modern, Tap, National, Classical Greek, Disco, Ballroom and Latin American.

Serena Ballet School Conducts National Dance Classes

The Imperial Society of Teachers of Dancing (ISTD), UK is formed into twelve faculties which cover many forms of theatrical, recreational and social dance. National Dance is one of the dance styles which comes under the Imperial Dance and Theatre Faculty. The other dance styles under this faculty are Classical Ballet, Classical Greek Dance, Modern Theatre, Tap Dance and South Asian Dance. The aim of the National Dance Faculty is to bring the joy of European Folk Dance to all age levels. Folk dance develops a sense of community and awareness of others. The dancers have the opportunity to study traditional dances, costumes, music and customs (information sourced from ISTD website www.istd.org).

Recently, an ISTD National Dance examination was held at Serena Ballet School in Klang, Selangor. Students taking the medal tests were not only required to perform the folk dances but also had to know something about the countries of origin of the dances. Models of the Eiffel Tower of France, Big Ben of England, the Parthenon of Greece, all made by the students were put on display. The students also prepared an Italian lunch made up of spaghetti bolognese, tiramisu, rosemary crackers, panettone (a type of bread) and expresso. The examiner, Barbara Simons of UK praised the students for their high standard of dancing and their efforts in preparing the projects.

The principal of Serena Ballet School is Serena Tan Suet Leng, a Licentiate in the National Branch of the ISTD. Serena was awarded the Helen Wingrave Scholarship by the ISTD in 1993 to enable her to pursue her love and passion for dance. Besides teaching ballet, Serena is the only dance teacher in Malaysia who trains and prepares students for the ISTD National Dance medal tests and examinations (from beginners to advanced levels and teacher qualifications). To know more about Serena Ballet School which is located at 94-D, Persiaran Raja Muda, Musa, 41100 Klang, Selangor, kindly contact Serena Tan at 012-2898127, email serena127@myjaring.net.

Dance Scene In Hong Kong

Recently I visited www.istd.org, the website of the Imperial Society of Teachers of Dancing (ISTD) to browse through the results of the Dance Teacher Examinations for 2009. I was interested to know the number of successful candidates from Asia in the Ballroom and Latin American dance styles. Last year, the three largest number of successful candidates from Asia in these dance styles came from Hong Kong, South Korea and China. The ISTD Dance Teacher Examinations seem to be getting very popular in Hong Kong, a former British colony and now a Special Administrative Region of China.

In status-conscious Hong Kong, dancing is a much sought after social skill. Hong Kongers are willing to pay good money to engage the services of top dancers to coach them and take part with them in Pro-Am events in dance competitions. A few years ago it was reported in the media that a female banker there had in 2004 agreed to pay a former world Latin champion and her husband a whopping HK $120 million for ten years of unlimited dance lessons and competitions. Apparently they had a falling out in 2006 and the banker then sued for the return of HK $62 million in advance payment.

Among the dance maestros who had teaching stints in Hong Kong are Gaynor Fairweather, who together with her previous partner Donnie Burns were 14-times winners of the Professional World Latin Championships, which is a world record and former 9-times Professional World Latin Champions Bryan Watson & Carmen Vincelj. The other recent notables include 2009 Blackpool Professional Ballroom semi-finalists Aleksandr Zhiratkov & Irina Novozhilova and Professional Latin American quarter-finalists Ilia Borovski & Veronika Klyushina. Both couples are now based in and dancing for Hong Kong.

Many VIPs in Hong Kong are well known for their prowess on the dance floor. One such personality is taipan Stanley Ho Hung Sun who is as famous for his moves in the boardroom as he is for his moves in the ballroom. An accomplished dancer and patron of the arts, Ho had in the past often been called upon to perform dances, especially the Argentine Tango at society events to help raise funds for charity. Ho met his fourth wife Angela Leong On Kei who was then a dance instructor in Macau and love blossomed for them on the dance floor. You could say he swept her off her feet, literally speaking!

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Training To Be A Dance Teacher

In October of last year, eleven students of Swan Link Dance Studio in Kuala Lumpur took their professional dance teacher examinations conducted by the Imperial Society of Teachers of Dancing (ISTD), United Kingdom. Of this number, 4 (myself included) took the Ballroom Associate and 1 the Latin American Associate examinations. The rest took the Fellowship examinations - 5 in Ballroom and 1 in Latin American. This was the first time in Malaysia that so many candidates are being examined for the ISTD Fellowship examinations. The examiners from the ISTD were Richard Hunt, Vice Chairman of the Modern Ballroom Faculty (pic, 6th from right) and Yvonne Taylor-Hill, Chairman of the Disco/Freestyle/Rock 'n' Roll Faculty (pic, 4th from left). All but one passed the examinations. The successful candidates were informed by the examiners that the grades and detailed results would be posted to us as soon as possible. It certainly was good news and brightened our day!

Last week I received official confirmation from the ISTD that I had passed (highly commended) the Ballroom Associate examination. Looking back, the training leading up to the examination was tough but rewarding. Those who had signed up with Swan Link Dance Studio for the teacher training courses last year had to commit themselves to attending 60 hours of intensive training under the tutelage of the principal, Chong Kim Yee. The course began in April 2009 and was spread over 20 weekly lessons of 3 hours each. For the Ballroom Associate examination, we had to learn to dance perfectly well the bronze syllabus figures for the Waltz, Quickstep, Tango and Foxtrot. We also had to memorize the technical details of each figure, that is; the Feet Positions, Alignment, Amount of Turn, Rise and Fall, Footwork, Sway and CBM. The training included explanations of musical nomenclature such as time signatures, tempi, counting in beats and bars and beat values.

During the Ballroom Associate examination proper, the examinees had to perform routines of the four above-mentioned dances plus the rhythm dance. This was followed by general questions on dance terminology such as poise, hold, CBM and CBMP. The examinees were then required to demonstrate the figures or amalgamations as set by the examiner and answer questions like the alignment, footwork, amount of turn, precedes and follows, etc. for each figure. Frankly, it was a gruelling one-and-a-half hour session of non-stop questions-and-answers 'interrogation' and demonstrations but I was glad I made it through. Swan Link Dance Studio which is located at 4th Floor, Wisma Ho Po, 65 Cangkat Thambi Dollah, Pudu, 55100 Kuala Lumpur (behind Berjaya Times Square) will be conducting some teacher training courses again this year. For more information regarding the courses, kindly contact Chong Kim Yee at 012-2215727 or email: chongkyee@gmail.com.

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ISTD Chief Executive Visits Malaysia

Julian Amey, Chief Executive of the Imperial Society of Teachers of Dancing (ISTD) UK, recently visited Malaysia to meet with dance teachers and familiarize himself with the local dance scene. While here, Amey also met up with his colleagues Richard Hunt, Vice Chairman of the Modern Ballroom Faculty and Yvonne Taylor-Hill, Chairman of the Disco/Free Style/Rock 'n' Roll Faculty, both of whom had arrived in Malaysia earlier to conduct the ISTD medal tests and dance teacher examinations. A dinner reception in Shah Alam, Selangor was hosted in their honour by Nelly Tsen, the ISTD examination organizer for Malaysia. The function held on October 31 2009 was attended by about 50 dance teachers and those in the dance fraternity.

In his speech, Richard Hunt spoke of the many interesting programmes planned by the ISTD in Malaysia. In the offing was a plan by the ISTD to conduct workshops for dance teachers and students. Another was in getting dance schools here to organize medallist competitions or medallist festivals. Nelly Tsen later informed me that these competitions are strictly for medallists, that is; those who have taken the ISTD medal tests. Medallist festivals offer lots of different events (up to 100 or more is possible) for different age groups of differing grades. The rules and regulations differ slightly from normal ballroom dance competitions. A medallist festival was last organized in Malaysia in 1994 by Tsen and it is hoped that the festival will be revived soon.

Four dance teachers were presented with mementos by the ISTD in recognition of their contributions and efforts in helping to promote dancing in Malaysia. They were:-

1) Chong Kim Yee - Swan Link Dance Studio, Kuala Lumpur

2) Apache Yong - Le Dance Centre, Petaling Jaya

3) John Chong - John's Dance Centre, Kota Kinabalu

4) Maxine Lau - John's Dance Centre, Kota Kinabalu

Nelly Tsen also took the opportunity to announce the election of Lim Sae Min as the new president of the Malaysian Ballroom Dance Teachers Berhad. Lim, the principal of I Dance Studio in Damansara Perdana, Petaling Jaya takes over from Jimmy Liew who had helmed the association for a good number of years. After dinner and speeches, it was time for socialising, dancing and karaoke till the wee hours of the morning. A wonderful time was had by all. Those who were seen enjoying themselves that evening included George Lim, the president of Malaysian Dancesport Berhad, C C Lai, the president of Kuala Lumpur Dancers' Association and Jimmy Liew, the past president of Malaysian Ballroom Dance Teachers Berhad.

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Swan Link Dance Studio To Organize Dance Teacher Training Course

Swan Link Dance Studio of Kuala Lumpur will be organizing a dance teacher training course at its studio at 4th Floor, Wisma Ho Po, 65 Cangkat Thambi Dollah, Pudu, 55100 Kuala Lumpur. To be conducted by its principal, Chong Kim Yee, the course will prepare students for the Ballroom Associate examinations of the Imperial Society Of Teachers Of Dancing (ISTD) to be held in Kuala Lumpur in October this year. The classes will cover the bronze syllabi of 4 Ballroom dances, namely Waltz, Quickstep, Tango and Foxtrot.

The course will consist of 20 lessons of 3 hours each to be held on Saturdays from 2 to 5 pm. Classes will commence this Saturday, April 4. Chong Kim Yee (Fellow ISTD Ballroom & Licentiate ISTD Latin American), who established Swan Link Dance Studio in 1990 is a well known dancer and instructor in Malaysia and has trained many champions and dance teachers through the years. For more information regarding this dance teacher training course, kindly contact Chong at 6012-2215727 or email: chongkyee@gmail.com.

The Imperial Society Of Teachers Of Dancing (ISTD) with its headquarters at Imperial House, 22-26 Paul Street, London EC2A 4QE, England, is the leading dance examinations board in the world. It was founded on July 25 1904 at the Hotel Cecil in Convent Garden, London and was initially known as The Imperial Society Of Dance Teachers. The name was changed to the Imperial Society Of Teachers Of Dancing in 1925.

The ISTD is today a registered educational charity and is the only organization that covers the full spectrum of dance examinations on a truly global scale. Every year, about 250,000 people are examined, for which the ISTD provides grade examinations and medal tests to assess their proficiency. The many styles of dances for which the students are examined include Ballet, Modern, Tap, National, Classical Greek, Disco, Ballroom and Latin American.


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So You Think You Can Be A Dance Teacher

The Imperial Society of Teachers of Dancing (ISTD) with its headquarters at Imperial House, 22-26 Paul Street, London EC2A 4QE, England, is the leading dance examinations board in the world. It was founded on July 25 1904 at the Hotel Cecil at the Convent Garden in London and was initially known as the Imperial Society of Dance Teachers. The name was changed to the Imperial Society of Teachers of Dancing in 1925. The ISTD is today a registered educational charity and is the only organization that covers the full spectrum of dance examinations on a truly global scale.

Every year, about 250,000 people are examined, for which the ISTD provides grade examinations and medal tests to assess their proficiency. The many styles of dances for which students are examined include Ballet, Modern, Tap, National, Classical Greek, Disco, Ballroom and Latin American. In Malaysia, Ballroom and Latin American dance students can opt to take the ISTD medal tests starting with the Bronze and continuing with the Silver, Gold, Gold Star, etc. Those aspiring to become dance teachers will usually start with the Student Teacher examination before progressing to the Associate, Licentiate and Fellowship levels.

Recently, while browsing through their website www.istd.org, I chanced upon the article "Dance Issue 446" which was chronicled in the "Examinations" menu. This article highlighted the examination successes recorded at the ISTD HQ from August 5 to November 6 2008. My attention was drawn to the results of the Ballroom and Latin American exams. The number of students who passed the Ballroom Associate exams was 19, of which 6 each were from the UK and Hong Kong, 2 each from South Korea and Taiwan and 1 each from Vietnam, Germany and Finland. For the Licentiate exams, there were 7 who passed - 3 each from the UK and South Korea and 1 from Hong Kong.

In the Latin American Associate examinations, a total of 31 students were successful. Half of those or 16 who passed, were from South Korea. Eight were from Hong Kong, 4 from the UK, 2 from Vietnam and 1 from Taiwan. For the Licentiate examinations, there were 4 who made the grade. Three were from the UK while the other one was from South Korea. We can see the keen interest shown in the ISTD exams from the Asian countries, particularly South Korea and Hong Kong. This will certainly help raise the standard and auger well for the future of Ballroom and Latin American dancing in Asia.

Congratulations,

Dance Aficionado
Dancesport Malaysia

The Imperial Society Of Teachers Of Dancing (ISTD) Medal Tests

This month, Ballroom and Latin American dance students in Malaysia who are preparing for their Imperial Society of Teachers of Dancing (ISTD) medal tests will be examined by an examiner from the United Kingdom. The ISTD which was established in the United Kingdom in 1904 is the leading dance examination board in the world. Every year about 250,000 people around the world are examined for which the ISTD provides grade examinations and medal tests to assess their proficiency. The medal tests start from Bronze, Silver, Gold to Gold Star 1, 2, 3, and above. The dances that the students generally have to perform for the various levels are:-

Ballroom

Bronze - Waltz, Quickstep, Rhythm

Silver - Waltz, Quickstep, Tango, Rhythm

Gold - Waltz, Quickstep, Tango, Foxtrot

Gold Star & above - Waltz, Quickstep, Tango, Foxtrot, Viennese Waltz

Latin American

Bronze - Cha Cha Cha , Rumba

Silver - Cha Cha Cha, Rumba, Jive

Gold - Cha Cha Cha, Rumba, Jive, Samba

Gold Star & above - Cha Cha Cha, Rumba, Jive, Samba, Paso Doble

There is a certain dress code for those taking the medal tests. The men are expected to wear long sleeve shirts (preferably white) with ties whilst the ladies have to be appropriately attired. Some couples taking the ballroom dance medal tests really dress themselves to the nines and come in tail coats and ballroom gowns.The passing mark (out of a maximum of 100) for each dance is 65. Those who gain 75 to 84 marks will be credited with a commendation while those who score 85 marks and above will be credited with an honours. A certificate and a plaque will be awarded to those who pass the medal tests.

The medal tests are an excellent avenue for dance students to see how they fare as the examiner will be able to gauge their strengths and weaknesses impartially. Students should take note of the invaluable comments of the examiner with a view to improving their dancing skills. Besides the Imperial Society of Teachers of Dancing (ISTD), the other institutions from the UK which conduct medal tests in Malaysia are the National Association of Teachers of Dancing (NATD), and the International Dance Teachers Association (IDTA). To those taking their medal tests - Good Luck!

Best Wishes,

Dance Aficionado
Dancesport Malaysia