The World Dance Council Ltd (WDC), is a registered limited company, the legal successor to the ''International Council of Ballroom Dancing'', and was established at a meeting organized by

Phillip J. S. Richardson Phillip J. S. Richardson (full name: Phillip John Sampey Richardson; 1875–1963) was a British writer on dancing."Philip J. S. Richardson" ''Oxford Dictionary of Dance'', 2000, p. 394 He was born in Winthorpe, Nottinghamshire, UK, on 17 March 187 ...

on 22 September 1950 in Edinburgh, Scotland. From 1996 to 2006 the WDC was known as the ''World Dance & Dance Sport Council Ltd'' (WD&DSC). The stated mission of the World Dance Council is to inspire, stimulate and promote excellence in education for the World Dance Council and Amateur League (WDC and AL) community. The primary objective, at the time of its formation, was to provide an agreed basis for holding world championships in competitive

ballroom dance Ballroom dance is a set of partner dances, which are enjoyed both socially and competitively around the world, mostly because of its performance and entertainment aspects. Ballroom dancing is also widely enjoyed on stage, film, and television. ...

. That objective has been achieved. Initially consisting of nine European countries and three others, today the WDC has become the leading authority on professional dance competitions, with members in numerous countries throughout the world. Each country is allowed one vote. As of 2006, there are 59 members. Its governing body, the Presidium, consists of a President and a number of Vice-Presidents. In 2014 seven Vice Presidents were elected. WDC includes the

Competitive Dance Competitive dance is a popular, widespread sport in which competitors perform dances in any of several permitted dance styles—such as acro, ballet, contemporary, jazz, hip-hop, lyrical, modern, musical theatre, tap, and improv—before ...

Committee, the Dancesation Committee and the a private public partnership agreement with the WDC Amateur League (WDCAL)

Mode of Operation

The WDC is democratic in its operation. All major decisions are taken on the basis of one full member, one vote. The full members are (with a few exceptions) individual countries. There are some Affiliate members, such as the

Ballroom Dancers Federation The Ballroom Dancers' Federation was founded in 1958 to give a voice to competitive ballroom dancers. A previous organisation, called the Competitors' Federation had been disbanded soon after its formation in 1946. The purpose of the BDF is: :1. To ...

International. The WDC operates through a general council and two committees: * The World Competitive Dance Committee regulates professional competitive dancing and all matters to do with competitions and their regulations. * The Dancesation Committee deals with all matters of the dance profession that relate to the activities of Dance Schools and Dance Teachers and all other forms of dance like performing arts, hip Hop, Argentine Tango to name but a few. It does not regulate social dance directly. That is the business of individual organisers. * The WDC Amateur League was founded in 2007. It regulates and designates the World and continental Amateur championships and licenses and regulates Amateur Dancing. Each member country in the WDC has its own national organisation, such as the

British Dance Council The British Dance Council was formed in 1929 as the Official Board of Ballroom Dancing (OBBD). The name was changed in 1985 to the British Council of Ballroom Dancing and in 1996, the name was changed to British Dance Council. The BDC is the reco ...

, which acts as a forum for the interested parties in that country. The national bodies decide on their delegates to the WDC. The WDC also operates a WDC National Dance Council system in certain countries, which allows a multi-member system within that NDC, fostering the co-operation of major dance organisations in these countries.

WDC Events

These events are under WDC regulation, but organised in various countries each year. *World Championship – Professional Ballroom *World Championship – Professional Latin *World Championship – Professional 10-Dance *European Championship – Professional 10-Dance *European Championship – Professional Latin There are also other events, which are licensed to organising countries, and are open entry. *WDC Amateur League Open Amateur World Championships & Disney Professional Cups. *Kremlin World Cup Latin *World Masters Latin *WDC World Cup. In 2009, this event in

Shenzhen Shenzhen (; ; ; ), also historically known as Sham Chun, is a major sub-provincial city and one of the special economic zones of China. The city is located on the east bank of the Pearl River estuary on the central coast of southern provin ...

, China had over 2000 participants. In the regulations, the facility is also available for professional competitions in: *Ballroom Show Dance *Latin American Show Dance

WDC competition rules

# The WDC Championships are open championships. # The national bodies nominate their best available couples, and only two couples are permitted from any one country. Additionally 3 Wild Cards from the World Series Ranking List are invited. WDC registered competitors can take part as open entries.

Presidents

* P. J. S. Richardson MBE (ICBD) * Alex Moore MBE (ICBD) * Bill Irvine MBE (ICBD) * Leonard Morgan (ICBD) * Robin Short (WD&DSC) * Karl Breuer (WD&DSC) *

Donnie Burns Donnie Burns MBE was born in Hamilton, South Lanarkshire, Scotland in 1959, where he attended Holy Cross High School. He is a Scottish professional ballroom dancer, specialising in Latin dance. He and his former partner Gaynor Fairweather wer ...

MBE

World Championship Winners

* World Ballroom Dance Champions *

World Latin Dance Champions This page lists the official World Champions – Professional Latin of the World Dance Council (WDC). The championships are authorized and organized under the auspices of the WDC, and held annually in the last quarter of each year. The competiti ...

World 10 Dance Champions This page lists the official World Champions and the countries they represented in the Professional 10-Dance of the World Dance Council (WDC). The championships are authorized and organized under the auspices of the WDC. The first World 10 Dance Ch ...

World Ballroom Dance Champions Amateur In its most general sense, the term "world" refers to the totality of entities, to the whole of reality or to everything that is. The nature of the world has been conceptualized differently in different fields. Some conceptions see the worl ...

References

{{Reflist
World Dance Council History

World Dance Council Education Department

External links

World Dance Council
International organisations based in the United Kingdom Dance organizations Dancesport Ballroom dance 1950 establishments in the United Kingdom Companies based in Edinburgh