How do we stack up against countries such as Australia, Japan, China, Italy & England? In reality, not so well in most departments. There are many positive aspects in New Zealand Dancesport but also many negatives due mainly to many things being stacked against us.
New Zealand dancers are physically endowed as well as any in the World and combined with good clean environments, good food, plenty of enthusiasm and musicality we should be able to foot it with any one. As is shown at Nelson's Easter Championships, our dancers are surrounded by great supporters, good administrators & organisers and wonderful facilities such as the Trafalgar Centre.
Many championships & dance festivals throughout New Zealand are really well organised and the NDSA Nelson Championships, NZFDT New Zealand National Championships, FATD 1998 South Pacific Championships/World Senior Championships & SATD 2001 Australasian Championships, are excellent examples of events which are as good as any in the World. Believe us when we say that we have attended some very poorly organised competitions in Europe & Asia.
Dancers here are often allowed to have extra practice, on & above normal class sessions, at their teachers' studios, often at no extra expense. Many studios in New Zealand are bigger & brighter than many we have attended in England. Lessons are generally cheaper here than in Europe & Australia. New Zealanders can foot it well overseas as demonstrated by our very "thin line up" over the years.
Hugh Lyn 6th World Amateur Latin 1960s
Maurice & Laurel Taylor Semi-finalist Professional World Standard 1967
Candy Lane, Australian Champion & British semi-finalist 1970s-80s
Grant & Sherrall Macown 13th World Professional Latin 1970s
Gary & Margaret Wilson 2nd South Pacific 1967 & 13 World Professional Standard 1984
Robin & Robyn Olley 1st South Pacific Amateur Standard 1980s
Harley Baas & Samantha Hitchcock 1sts at the UK Junior Championships
David Yeates & Haley Holt, Richard & Natalie Perry reaching 5th rounds of the British Championships
Graeme & Michelle Davidson, Australian Rising Stars Champions
And now we have Brendan Cole and Camilla Dallerup - 11th World Professional Latin Championship 2001, who also made the 24 at the British and won the Hong Kong International.So why are our successes very few & far between? For starters the geographical isolation of our dancers doesn't help. Travel to mix it with top competition is forbidding. Our friends in Europe are aghast at the distances we travel. Rubbing shoulders with top dancers & being exposed to top coaches is expensive but essential if we are to develop. Include the additional costs of imported shoes, frock materials, men's tail suits & music etc. and the financial hurdle gets higher.
In countries like Italy & Germany large sponsorship is available to promote dancesport which is also recognised by government agencies & TV companies. Dancesport features regularly on European television. Here we struggle to be recognised as a serious sport or art form. In Australia & many European countries, amateur dancers are able to give dance shows, train & coach dancing & therefore supplement the costs of their own training etc. The boundaries between amateur & professional are becoming blurred, as happened in most other sports a decade ago. Here in New Zealand the amateur code is greatly enforced & so dancers are disadvantaged.
Also importantly " WEATHER" is a problem. What do you do in a cold European & English winter? You take up indoor pursuits like dancing. In New Zealand & Australia we have so many other activities which attract our young people. Therefore dancesport attracts a very small proportion of the available gene pool & money. China has a population of over one billion people. They have over 10 million couples according to the Bangkok Times article 1998.
Finally more time & dedication must accompany the enthusiasm of our dancers. More practice is needed. Attention to technique as well as showmanship is required and perhaps better standards of coaching is needed if we are to compete in the current international scene.