Medal examinations (dance)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
 |
This article is an orphan, as few or no other articles link to it. Please introduce links to this page from other articles related to it. (February 2009) |
 |
This article does not cite any references or sources. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (October 2007) |
 |
The examples and perspective in this article may not represent a worldwide view of the subject. Please improve this article and discuss the issue on the talk page. |
In the context of ballroom dance, medal examinations are a way for a dancer to mark his or her progress in the art of dance. Typically, the dancer will partner with his or her teacher, especially at lower levels of examination, and an examiner will observe the performance of a number of dance routines. Though usually a student of higher level will lead the dancer, especially when the majority culture is that teacher usually sits in with examiner. In some instances, a dancer might partner with another student of the same level; this usually only happens at higher levels. If both dancers are being examined, there may be two examiners, one focusing solely on each of the two examinees; or the couple may dance twice for one examiner. A single examiner might judge both dancers simultaneously.
The routines (amalgamations) are rarely prescribed, but it is common for dance teacher organisations to print suggested amalgamations for test purposes, aided by dance textbooks which indicate possible entries and exits from each figure. By 'figure' is meant "a completed set of steps".[1] More explicitly: a small sequence of steps comprising a meaningful whole, or gestalt,[2] and given a name, such as 'whisk' or 'spin turn'.[3] The examining body (for instance, the ISTD or IDTA) will prescribe a syllabus of figures from which the routines are formed. The syllabus and detailed instructions for performing the dances are published or specified by the examining body, and available for purchase as books or pamphlets. The instructor will have prepared an amalgamation of figures suitable for each level of medal. The lower levels of examination generally consist mainly of basic figures, such as the natural turn in the Waltz, which demonstrate clear understanding of the technique of the dance in question. Higher levels will include more complex figures, but will usually also require at least some fundamentals, to demonstrate that the lower levels have been built upon. Standard of dance expected at tests goes up at each level.
Depending upon the level and style of the examination, a student might be asked to demonstrate anywhere from one to five different dances, all within one discipline, such as 'Standard', or 'Latin American'. That is because medals are awarded within disciplines. For example, at Bronze level, a Latin American dance student might be asked to dance Cha-cha-cha, Samba and Rumba, whilst the same student would definitely be asked to dance all five International Latin dances at Gold level. A single dance will take up around 60 to 90 seconds; the entire exam, allowing for short breaks between routines, will be between five and ten minutes, depending on the number of dances. Typically, a studio will have a large number of candidates, all examined on the same day.
Sometimes, when five dances are to be judged, the examining body will allow the candidate to split the exam across several examination days[4] (for example, examining Waltz, Foxtrot and Quickstep on one day, and Tango and Viennese Waltz on another, possibly as much as a couple of months later.) Some prefer this; others believe it unacceptable, and prefer to have all the relevant dances performed, back to back, on the one day. Dancers are usually cut short or dance up to a maximum of 1 minutes 30 seconds before the judge will cut the dance. Examiners decide how much they need to see, and may ask for repetitions if in doubt.
There is a separate set of tests for student dance teachers, which involves a) dancing b) explaining theory c) demonstrating ability to teach, including the ability to demonstrate steps of both male and female partners. These are not medal tests, but are often adjudicated in a similar setting by the same examiners on the same day.[5]
[edit] References
- ^ Moore, Alex 1986. Ballroom dancing. 9th edition, Adam & Charles Black, London. Definitions of terms, p30.
- ^ A meaningful whole that is more than the sum of its parts. Concise Oxford English Dictionary. p568
- ^ An amalgamation: "A combination of two or more figures" (Moore). More generally: a sequence of figures which a couple intends to dance.
- ^ This is definitely not the case for the British examining bodies.
- ^ Since a test day uses resources, there is a natural tendency to maximise the throughput, though not so far as to compromise the standards of the examination body.
