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THE CLUB DANCE FACULTY

Throughout its history, the ISTD Dance

Examinations Board has been known

for innovation. As such, it has kept

abreast with the new styles of dance which

have grown in popularity with the public

and subsequently, with the demand for high

quality teaching and learning. It was this

principle that led to the formation of a new

sub-committee of the Ballroom Teachers’

Committee. This original group consisted of

Anne Lingard, Carol MacRaild, Nicky Miles, Ralf

Schiller, Thomas Smith and Julie Tomkins. It

was their task to research and bring the latest

dances to the attention of the membership.

On 23rd February 1997 the first Alternative

Rhythms Lecture Day and Showcase was

held at the Victory Services Club, Seymour

Street, London. Flamenco, Texas Two-Step,

Salsa, Argentine Tango and West Coast Swing

were presented to the members. Due to the

popularity of the event, in October of the

same year the committee held the second

Alternative Rhythms Workshop Day. On this

occasion, Disco-Fox, Merengue, Nightclub

Two-Step and Mambo were presented. A third

seminar took place in February 1998.

In September 1999 the Alternative Rhythms

Faculty, as it was then known, became the fifth

Established in 1904 the Imperial Society of Teachers

of Dancing (ISTD) is one of the world’s oldest and

most influential dance examination boards. Ever since

its inception the ISTD has developed new styles and

dance genres, and today with 12 faculties, no other

dance examination board has the breadth of genres

that the ISTD offers.

Our mission is to educate the public in the art of

dancing in all its forms, to promote the knowledge

of dance, to provide up-to-date techniques, and to

maintain and improve teaching standards across the

globe. The ISTD is always moving with the times to

keep pace with the latest developments in dance.

We regularly update our syllabi and introduce new

faculties to respond to changes in the world of dance.

Above: ISTD archive photograph

of Richard Marcel in action,

demonstrating Lindy Hop at

the ISTD Theatre Faculties

Congress at Laban in 2008.

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Faculty of the Dancesport Faculties Board.

Anne Lingard and Nicky Miles jointly chaired

the committee, which by the end of 1999 had

produced syllabi, notes and a video for medal

tests in Salsa and Argentine Tango. This was

largely due to Richard Marcel who wrote the

original Salsa technique and Ralf Schiller who

wrote the Argentine Tango. The committee also

became responsible for the Mambo syllabus

produced by the Latin American Faculty.

In 2002, they embarked on a new project

and began writing a Lindy Hop syllabus. They

were later joined by Lindy Hop expert Julie

Oram as an adviser and the work was published

in 2008.

In 2004 the committee decided to change

their name and in 2005 they became the

Club Dance Faculty. This name now better

represents the dances for which the committee

is responsible. The word ‘alternative’ had

caused confusion in the past and the new

name arose from where Salsa, Argentine Tango

and Lindy Hop classes were largely taking place

– in bars, cafes and clubs.

In 2008, with the growing popularity of

Salsa, Susana Montero was invited to join the

committee and they began writing the new

Salsa syllabus which was presented at the ISTD

Dancesport Faculties Spring Congress in 2013.

Ian Postle later came on board as an adviser on

the Cuban Salsa. This groundbreaking, unique

and comprehensive syllabus covers all aspects

of Salsa music and dance whilst delivering

authentic and creative techniques. It includes

the five main styles currently being danced,

performed and taught around the world. These

are: LA, based on the Salsa Brave style; New

York on the Eddie Torres style; Puerto Rican

on Fellipe Polanco, Tito Ortes & Tamara Livolsi

styles; Cuban on the authentic style of Casino

de la Rueda and Colombian on Pachanga and

Boogaloo footwork.

Today the Club Dance Faculty, of which

Charles Richman became Interim Chair in 2012,

is responsible for three dance genres. Currently,

these are: Salsa (L.A, Cuban, New York, Puerto

Rican and Colombian) and Mambo; Argentine

Tango (Argentine Tango, Tango Valse and

Milonga) and the Lindy Hop.

The Club Dance Faculty was originally

formed to bring new dances to the attention

of the ISTD membership. Its remit is therefore

flexible and on-going, for as the club and social

dance scene changes the committee has to be

alert to the new possibilities this presents for

the Faculty and the ISTD itself.

Charles Richman

Top: Nicky Miles

Above centre: Anne Lingard

Above: ISTD archive photograph

of Ralf Schiller, demonstrating

Argentine Tango at ISTD Dancesport

Faculties Congress at Worthing

in 2007.

Top left: Dancers demonstrating the

new ISTD Salsa syllabus