The International Dance Teachers Association (IDTA) is a dance teaching and examination board based in Brighton,

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

. Operating internationally, the IDTA currently has over 7,000 members in 55 countries. The IDTA is recognised by the national qualifications regulators in England and Wales,

Ofqual The Office of Qualifications and Examinations Regulation (Ofqual) is a non-ministerial government department that regulates qualifications, exams and tests in England. Colloquially and publicly, Ofqual is often referred to as the exam "watchdo ...

and the

Council for Dance Education and Training The Council for Dance, Drama and Musical Theatre (CDMT), formerly known as the Council for Dance Education and Training (CDET), is the quality assurance and membership body for the professional dance, drama and musical theatre industries in the ...

, and is also affiliated to 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 ...

, the

Central Council of Physical Recreation Central is an adjective usually referring to being in the center of some place or (mathematical) object. Central may also refer to: Directions and generalised locations * Central Africa, a region in the centre of Africa continent, also known as ...

and the Theatre Dance Council International. The IDTA works in partnership with the

Royal Academy of Dance "Health and happiness" , predecessor = , successor = , formation = 1920 , extinction = , type = NGO , status = Registered charity , purpose = Examination board – dance education and training , headquarters = 36 Battersea SquareSW11 3 ...

. The IDTA publishes a print and online magazine for members titled ''Dance International'' four times a year.

History

The International Dance Teachers Association was formed in 1967 as the result of a merger between the Dance Teachers' Association (DTA), and the International Dancing Masters Association (IDMA). Both of these organisations were formed from the merging of older dance teaching associations, with the earliest being established in 1903. The IDTA subsequently celebrated its centenary in 2003. The earliest predecessor of IDTA was the Manchester and Salford Association of Teachers of Dancing, founded in 1903. This later became known as the Empire Society, (ESTD), in 1938. In 1920, another group of teachers in Birmingham formed the Midland Association of Teachers of Dancing (MATD), which eventually merged with the Empire Society in 1961 to form the Dance Teachers' Association. In the early post-

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

years, a number of other small dance organisations were formed: the English Dancing Masters Association (EDMA), the Premier Association of Teachers of Dancing (PATD), the Universal Association of Dane Teachers (UADT), and the Yorkshire Association of Dancing Masters (YADM). These four organisations merged in 1930 to form the International Dancing Masters' Association. After their merger in 1967, the organization was renamed the International Dance Teachers' Association.

Notable people

Ballroom branch

Walter Laird Walter William Laird (26 July 1920 – 30 May 2002) was a major influence in the development of Latin American dancing in Britain after the Second World War. He was World Professional Latin Dance Champion three times. He coached many success ...

– Former dancer and teacher of Latin American Dance and author of "Technique of Latin American Dancing" *

Len Goodman Leonard Gordon Goodman (born 25 April 1944) is an English professional ballroom dancer, dance judge, and coach. He has appeared as head judge on the television dance programmes ''Strictly Come Dancing'', a programme where various celebrities c ...

– Former Ballroom Dance Champion, now a teacher, examiner and adjudicator. Goodman was head judge on the BBC1 series Strictly Come Dancing from its inception in 2004 until he retired from the position in 2016. He also judged on the American equivalent series Dancing With The Stars.

Theatre branch

* Deborah Bull, Baroness Bull – Former Principal dancer with

The Royal Ballet The Royal Ballet is a British internationally renowned classical ballet company, based at the Royal Opera House in Covent Garden, London, England. The largest of the five major ballet companies in Great Britain, the Royal Ballet was founded in ...

. Studied IDTA prior to joining the

Royal Ballet School The Royal Ballet School is a British school of classical ballet training founded in 1926 by the Anglo-Irish ballerina and choreographer Ninette de Valois. The school's aim is to train and educate outstanding classical ballet dancers, especially ...

Vanessa Hooper Vanessa Hooper, FIDTA, ARAD, is a retired English ballerina and theatre dancer who now works as a dance teacher, freelance choreographer, lecturer and examiner. She is the principal of the Skelton-Hooper School of Dance, which was founded by her ...

– Former dancer with the

Royal Ballet The Royal Ballet is a British internationally renowned classical ballet company, based at the Royal Opera House in Covent Garden, London, England. The largest of the five major ballet companies in Great Britain, the Royal Ballet was founded in ...

and

Northern Ballet Theatre Northern Ballet, formerly Northern Ballet Theatre, is a dance company based in Leeds, West Yorkshire, England, with a strong repertoire in theatrical dance productions where the emphasis is on story telling as well as classical ballet. The company ...

. Senior

examiner Examiner or The Examiner may refer to: Occupations * Bank examiner, a kind of auditor * Examiner (Roman Catholicism), a type of office in the Roman Catholic Church * Examinership, a concept in Irish law * Medical examiner * Patent examiner * Tr ...

of the IDTA and dance tutor for the television series ''

Ladette to Lady ''Ladette to Lady'' is a reality-based series that aired in the United Kingdom on ITV between June 2005 and August 2010. Overview The second series of ''Ladette to Lady'' was aired in the United Kingdom in October 2006 on ITV. The show had ...

'' *

Jennifer Ellison Jennifer Lesley Ellison (born 30 May 1983) is an English actress, former glamour model, television personality, dancer and singer. Ellison is perhaps best known for playing Emily Shadwick in the television soap opera '' Brookside'' until 2003, a ...

– British actress and model, who won titles at the IDTA Theatre Dance Championships in 1996 and 1997, later training at the Royal Ballet Lower School *

Kevin O'Hare Kevin O'Hare (born 14 September 1965) is a British retired ballet dancer and current Director of The Royal Ballet. He succeeded Monica Mason in the role in 2012. Early life O’Hare was born in Kingston upon Hull to Northern Irish parents, Mich ...

– Studied IDTA and at the

. Danced with Birmingham Royal Ballet and

and is now Director of The Royal Ballet

Honorary members

Arlene Phillips Dame Arlene Phillips (born 22 May 1943) is an English choreographer, talent scout, television judge and presenter, theatre director, and former dancer, who has worked in many fields of entertainment. For many years, she was most noted as the c ...

was admitted as an honorary member of the IDTA in 2006, in recognition of her work in the field of dance. Phillips is credited with the creation of 70s dance troupe

Hot Gossip Hot Gossip (1974–86) were a British dance troupe who made television appearances and in 1978 backed Sarah Brightman on her single " I Lost My Heart to a Starship Trooper". Formation Arlene Phillips moved to London to learn and teach developi ...

, and is the renowned choreographer of award-winning West End and

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street **Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...

musicals including

The Sound Of Music ''The Sound of Music'' is a musical with music by Richard Rodgers, lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II, and a book by Howard Lindsay and Russel Crouse. It is based on the 1949 memoir of Maria von Trapp, ''The Story of the Trapp Family Singers''. S ...

Starlight Express ''Starlight Express'' is a 1984 British musical, with music by Andrew Lloyd Webber and lyrics by Richard Stilgoe. It tells the story of a young but obsolete steam engine, Rusty, who races in a championship against modern engines in the hope o ...

, Grease, Saturday Night Fever and

We Will Rock You "We Will Rock You" is a song written by Brian May and recorded by British rock band Queen for their 1977 album ''News of the World''. ''Rolling Stone'' ranked it number 330 of " The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time" in 2004, and it placed at num ...

. She is most famous today as a judge for television talent shows, such as Strictly Come Dancing and

So You Think You Can Dance ''So You Think You Can Dance'' is a franchise of reality television shows in which contestants compete in dance. The first series of the franchise, created by '' Idols'' producers Simon Fuller and Nigel Lythgoe, premiered in July 2005 and ha ...

. *

Sir Ken Dodd Sir Kenneth Arthur Dodd (8 November 1927 – 11 March 2018) was an English comedian, singer and occasional actor. He was described as "the last great music hall entertainer", and was primarily known for his live stand-up performances. A life ...

was admitted as an honorary member of the IDTA in recognition of his contribution to the entertainments industry. Dodd who died in 2018 was a well-known British comedian, most famous for traditional music hall style entertainment, although he also appeared in drama and was a songwriter. *

Rosemarie Ford Rosemarie Ford (born Rosemarie Poundford; 5 March 1962) is an English actress, dancer and television presenter. Television and film Ford is best known for her stint as the co-host of the BBC 1 game show ''The Generation Game'' with Bruce Forsyt ...

is a well-known British television personality from the 1990s, particularly recognised as Bruce Forsyth's co-presenter of

The Generation Game ''The Generation Game'' is a British game show produced by the BBC in which four teams of two people from the same family, but different generations, compete to win prizes. The game There are eight competitors, hence the catchphrase "Let's m ...

. Rosemarie Poundford, to give her full name, trained as a dancer with an IDTA teacher from a young age and in 1978, won the prestigious title of "Miss Dance of Great Britain". In 1998, she performed the role of 'Bombalurina' for the official film production of Andrew Lloyd Webber's musical "Cats".

References

{{Reflist

External links

IDTA Official WebsiteMiss Dance of Great Britain
Dance education organizations Dance in the United Kingdom Performing arts education in the United Kingdom

Dance Teachers Dance is a performing art form consisting of sequences of movement, either improvised or purposefully selected. This movement has aesthetic and often symbolic value. Dance can be categorized and described by its choreography, by its repertoire ...

Organisations based in Brighton and Hove