Competing in high standard competitions such as the Worlds Senior Modern and Latin, is a wonderful experience, however, it was unfortunate that the Modern event had its problems with its organisation, being cancelled and then being on again. This caused us major problems with re-arranging our flights and accommodation we had previously booked, as there was no requirement to go to Amsterdam, only to try and get them back again once we got advice the event was back on! This resulted in extra expenses, and hours being wasted with our travel agent, not to mention the very real problem of stress.
Once in Amsterdam, we were met at the airport by a member of the organisation committee, and thought we’d be taken to our hotel. Instead, we were taken to a bus stop outside the airport, and caught the hotel shuttle bus. This was not a problem, as the hotel was only about ten minutes from the airport.
On arrival at the hotel, we had further problems as my name wasn’t on their records! If it hadn’t been for a last minute fax we received in San Francisco from Ray Laurie, giving us the telephone number of the organiser, we may well have been looking for another place to stay! The hotel rang the organiser and had a very long discussion with him, and fortunately, all worked out in the end, except for the breakfast saga! We were advised as we checked in, that due to the "special room rate" breakfast was only provided by the organiser on the day of the competition, and we would have to pay for the other days we were there, about NZ$32 for each of us. We opted to eat out on those days due to the expense. On our last day there, we were told that breakfast was in fact included in the price, so not only did we miss out, we incurred the extra costs of breakfast outside the hotel as well, when it should have been included! Reimbursement for the missed breakfasts, was impossible.We were advised that there would be an information pack awaiting our arrival, but it didn’t arrive until the evening before the event. Details such as being picked up by bus to take us to the canal cruise, put on by the organisers as part of the welcoming to Amsterdam, arrived too late. We had made our own way to the canal trip, again another expense. Some of this information was also emailed to me on the Thursday before the event, whilst I was in transit, which of course was just a little bit too late!
Finally, the day of the World Senior Standard arrived. The numbers attending the competition was smaller than I expected, certainly smaller than the Worlds last year in Auckland. I guess it may have been due to problems in the organisation, but I can’t be quoted as saying that. All that I can say, is that there appeared to be some "seasoned" dancers, who had very little to say for the organisation of the event. Even though the ‘Worlds’ was run in conjunction with another competition, it seemed the only supporters there were dancers from the two combined events! During the semi’s and finals in the evening however, there seemed to be more very well attired people watching the two events, but that’s not to say that many of them were the dancers not lucky enough to be in the semi/finals. The venue itself was magnificent, being the old Stock Exchange building, a very grand building dating back to 1903. However, the dance floor was not without it’s problems. There were a number of metal discs on the floor, which I can only presume were metal covers that covered perhaps electrical or computer terminal ‘outlets’ or the like. There were also large square pieces or board about the size of a record cover, (remember vinyl records, LP’s and such?) that were taped down into place, near each of the corners, again appearing to cover something on the floor. Some dancers had difficulties with these objects, coming to grief tripping over them. Even I had a ‘wee slip’ on one of these boards in the Tango; most unusual for me to have a slip up! The floor was very dusty, and as a result, very fast, which even the "seasoned" competitors had a lot to say about. All in all, not a very satisfactory floor, for such a competition.
The evening itself was well organised, with everything running as clockwork. The MC spoke in two languages; Dutch and English, so we were not caught short at all. There was a Grand March, with every couple being individually introduced and given a small token to take home with them, a nice touch. No flags however, except for the ones slung across the hall of each of the participating nations. The only really great thing about the event was, just as in Auckland last year, seeing so many dancers of such a high calibre at one place and at one time. It was difficult to pick a winner from any of the finals, in any event, as they were all top-level dancers. It was just wonderful to see, and it rekindled my memories of last years ‘Worlds’ held in Auckland.
The Worlds Senior Latin Championships were by contrast, very well run. There was an invitation for all competitors to meet the organiser and the Deputy Mayor of Liege, at the Town Hall. Bus transport was provided, a glass of what ever took your fancy was on offer, and we were presented with a small token of Liege. The venue for the Championships was adjoined to the hotel we stayed at, so transport was not an issue, as in Amsterdam. And I made sure breakfast was included!
We also put in an entry to the IDSF International Senior Standard and Senior Latin events. It was in the Standard event that we achieved our best result. The Italian judge, William Pino, marked us in all five dances, and we’re told that in itself is worth celebrating. His marks, together with marks from the other judges, gave us an overall 25th placing out of 50, which we’re pretty proud of, even though it’s just one place away from the quarter final, so close!!!!!
There was also a banquet put on for the competitors and judges of the World Senior Latin Championship event, and although it was rather late in the evening, being after the event, it was very well received. It was here that I learnt an awful lot about the "dancing scene" in Europe. So much so, that I believe the New Zealand Council needs to revisit the rules and regulations regarding the question of status, ie, Amateur as opposed to Professional, and the question of sponsorship and prize money. I learnt for example, under New Zealand rules, many of the dancers in the World Senior Championships would be classed as Professional. Not withstanding the fact the these "seasoned dancers" are regularly exposed to very high level competition, every weekend if they so desire, and have available to them the best coaches in the world, and sponsorship for their dresses and tail-suits, shoes, transport, accommodation, and not to mention money, some of them have their own dancing studios. By this, I mean, they own and operate a dancing school, earning their livelihood from training other dancers, competitive and social, just as I earn mine from Air Traffic Control or Lucy earns hers Nursing, yet they are still eligible to dance as Amateurs! It is of little wonder that these guys and gals are good! It’s hardly a level playing field, competing against them!
Another very interesting statistic or two I discovered, was that in some parts of Europe, only one of the couple is required to be over thirty five, whist the other only needs to be over twenty eight! Of course, no one goes around asking everyone how old they are, do they?
I remembered that many of the finalists this year, were also in the finals in Auckland last year. In the Modern, the winners were the same winners as last year. I expected them to do well, but hands up who would have known that they, this year, have won the ‘Title’ for the seventh year in a row!
In retrospect, I believe that for a New Zealand couple attending such an event, it should be only to gain some wonderful experiences. Should they expect to do well in such a competition, I’m sure they would be greatly disappointed. The problem with DanceSport in New Zealand, is that the very thing that makes New Zealand such a wonderful place in which to live, is the very thing that keeps DanceSport in New Zealand from improving at the same rate as the rest of the world! I’m referring of course to its isolation. In order to improve, we need to go off shore on a more regular basis, and not just to Australia, as I don’t believe that they are so magnificent there either, certainly not to the same standard as in Europe. This is why when we have our visiting professionals at the "New Zealand Nationals", we are all awe-struck with their very high quality beautiful dancing. Just imagine then, seeing dozens of couples of this standard on a regular basis, perhaps weekly, instead of just one couple once a year, and then they’re gone until the next!
As we have been New Zealand representatives twice now, I sincerely hold these World Class Senior Dancers in awe, as they are absolutely without question head and shoulders above any Senior Couple in New Zealand, and dare I say it, any New Zealand trained couple, Senior or otherwise! We have learnt a lot from the experience, and with a lot of work ahead of us, I’m sure we can improve upon our own standard. Hopefully next year, we will be looking forward to a very successful year and provide our audience with some real entertainment value from our dancing. This is my sincere wish.
I retrospect once again, I believe that the New Zealand Body responsible for the organisation of last years Worlds Seniors in Auckland, deserve a hearty congratulations. Overall, it was very well run, certainly compared with Amsterdam’s Modern Championships, and it even compared favourably with the Latin Championships in Liege. I sincerely believe that organising both the Worlds Standard and Latin event during the same weekend, is an excellent way to run the competitions, as there are many couples who compete in both styles. In fact, I am left wondering if it is feasible to run a Ten Dance event. In our case, having to spend three weeks between the two events in Europe, proved to be very expensive, and at times a little frustrating. Although it could be argued that we had a holiday, and saw much, it was certainly not the holiday destination I would have readily or freely chosen.
Finally, we wish to thank all who have helped make this opportunity a reality, the Canterbury Amateur Body for their donation, our Coaches at the Edwards Studio, and in particular a special thanks to Maurice and Barbara Edwards, and to Colleen Murray for organising our fund raising events. We wish to thank all who have supported these events, wished us well, and supported and encouraged us along the way. Everyone made us feel quite "special". Without all this encouragement, it could have been very easy to pass up this golden opportunity, not only due to the expense but also because of the organisational problems.