"Maybe in your book -- but NOT in mine -- thats only half of the equation-- and from my point of view , the one that requires the least effort ."

So if/when the same dancers decide instead to enter the professional division, they are not professionals in your opinion?

Do you realize how small the fraction of professional competitors, even top placing ones, is who have any certification from a society? It really has no bearing on their status as professionals.

Don't let us forget a Person can be a Professional Competitor without being a Professional Teacher. I can win prize money and recieve appearance money without being a qualified teaching professional.
If a professional belongs to a Dance Society and teaches. They will most certainly be qualified and would pay an annual subscription to be a member.

There are numerous individuals who competed at the very highest levels as Pros and NEVER taught ( there is one well known couple who went to the states as teachers-- quit after one week and never taught again! )

people outside the profession, do not realise that it can, and often does , become a 7 day a week occupation.( including most evenings as well )


Germain to this subject-- the States has just instituted an amendment allowing certain Amat to teach ( with restrictions ) legally .

I know this will go down well with many ( is it the slippery slope ?? )

Terence. It will be interesting to see what will happen over the next few years. I think looming on the horizon is the strong possibility that the two organisations will both form their own Amateur and Professional sections.I doubt that there will be any changes to the present where Amateurs can give lessons. Also it is worth mentioning that at the moment the very best Amateures are being taught by the very best teachers in the world who just happen to be in the main members of the WDC. Let the fun begin.

As I stated-- the ruling dance body in the states, has JUST released a new edict, spelling out, in no uncertain terms, that Amats WILL be allowed to teach ( not pro/Ams )

It will be interesting to see how the Euurop. prof bodies re act to that

"As I stated-- the ruling dance body in the states, has JUST released a new edict, spelling out, in no uncertain terms, that Amats WILL be allowed to teach ( not pro/Ams )

It will be interesting to see how the Euurop. prof bodies re act to that"

If that's true, all they've done is grant their couples the same opportunities that the European ones have long enjoyed. The only possible difference is that European competitors primarily teach other competitors (in Germany for example are limited to doing so), while in the US they may be more likely to teach social students, but I suspect they would prefer to coach competitive couples if they become more free to openly go after that work. And competitive students usually have the perspective to tell if their coach is capable of doing the work.

Anonymous. How does this new ruling affect competitions like Dancing with the Stars where we have some Amateurs as the teachers and partner, and some Professionals who are the teacher and the partner. And it is a competition.

That is not a sanctioned comp-- for entertainment value only--

The Amat in pro/Am is not permitted to teach-- the Amat. in a true partnership will be allowed .

Terence. We are not big in Pro -Amat here. But in Dancing with the Stars we have Amateur competitition dancers teaching the Star dancer how to dance and competing with them in the program.We also have Professional Competition dancers doing the same. I think that is fine. The point I would like to make is we can't have one rule for one group and another for another group. One rule covers all.

"Terence. We are not big in Pro -Amat here. But in Dancing with the Stars we have Amateur competitition dancers teaching the Star dancer how to dance and competing with them in the program.We also have Professional Competition dancers doing the same. I think that is fine. The point I would like to make is we can't have one rule for one group and another for another group. One rule covers all."

This is not a situation of one rule for one group and a different for another group, it's a situation of one rule that covers which categories of actual dance competition one can participate in without being assigned to the pro division, vs nobody taking the nonsense they put on the tube very seriously when deciding how to conduct real dance competitions.