Imperial Society of Teachers of Dancing

The Imperial Society of Teachers of Dancing (ISTD) is an international dance examination board, based in London, England. The ISTD was established as the Imperial Society of Dance Teachers on 25 July 1904, changing to its current name in 1925 and was later incorporated in the United Kingdom. The society exists for the promotion of dance as an art form and operates examinations worldwide in both Dance Sport and Theatre Dance subjects. Since 2005, the ISTD's qualifications have been accredited by the British QCA (Qualifications & Curriculum Authority) and now has Government recognition in offering both Graded and Vocational Graded Examination Syllabi for varying ages.

Faculties

The work of the society is divided into two main branches. Within these branches, there are twelve separate faculties, each specialising in a particular dance form.

* Imperial Dance & Dance Sport Faculties - This branch of the ISTD is commonly referred to as the Ballroom Branch. It is responsible for Modern Ballroom Dance, Latin American Dance, Sequence Dance, Disco/Freestyle/Rock'n'Roll and Club Dance.

* Imperial Dance & Theatre Faculties - This branch of the ISTD is commonly referred to as the Theatre Dance Branch. It is responsible for Classical Ballet (both the Imperial and Cecchetti syllabi), Modern Dance, Tap Dance, Classical Greek Dance, National Dance and South Asian Dance.

There are other areas of study within the ISTD, including a Natural Movement Group and courses in Historical Dance are overseen by the Dance Research Committee.

Each faculty (eg. Tap Dance), consists of an elected committee, who are responsible for the continued development of the ISTD examination syllabus for that dance subject. The committees also operate events at which registered teachers and ISTD students can study the syllabus with a high ranking member of the society, such as an examiner or committee member. The purpose of this is to ensure that the standards of the ISTD are maintained and that any areas of concern can be brought to the attention of the committee.

In recent years, the ISTD has revised its system of examinations and the majority of its syllabi are now recognised the UK Qualifications & Curriculum Authority (QCA).

History

The Imperial Society of Dance Teachers was formed on the 25th July 1904 at the Hotel Cecil in Covent Garden, London with Robert Morris Crompton as the first President. The first ISTD congress was held in 1906 and a congress has subsequently been held every year, with the exception of a brief period during the war years."Dance Journal", now titled, "Dance" was first published in September, 1907.

In 1924 the separate branches, that later became the faculties, were formed and in 1925, the society became the "Imperial Society of Teachers of Dance" The ISTD incorporated in 1945, with Victor Silvester in the new role of Chairman.

In 1953 the Grand Council of the ISTD was formed.

Current ISTD Examinations

The ISTD provides examinations in the following dance subjects: [http://www.istd.org/about/exams/aboutistdexams.html]

*Classical Ballet
*Modern Theatre
*Tap
*National Dance
*Classical Greek
*South Asian
*Modern Ballroom
*Latin American
*Disco/Freestyle
*Rock 'n' Roll
*Country/Western
*Sequence
*Club Dance

Typically, most subjects have a series of graded examinations. These progress from Primary and up through numbers Grades (Grade 1, Grade 2, etc) and then vocational graded examinations at Intermediate, Advanced 1 and Advanced 2 levels. Some subjects have differing examination systems, some offering medal tests and other awards.

Dancers who have achieved a high level examination pass in an ISTD dance subject can progress into teacher training with the organisation. The teacher training is provided through approved dance centres and consists of both thory and practical examinations designed to demonstrate the candidates ability and knowledge to teach dance. People who successfully complete the training become registered teachers of the ISTD and may enter students for examinations in the dance subject for which they have qualified. Some ISTD teacher may progress to further their qualifications further and gain qualifications in other branches of the society.

Notable People

*Dame Beryl Grey DBE, Ballerina at the Sadler's Wells Ballet and later the Royal Ballet, and for many years President of the ISTD.
*Monsieur Pierre and Doris Lavelle, who visited Cuba and consequently revised the teaching of the Cuban-style 'rumba' and cha-cha-cha. Their revisions were incorporated into the present International style of Latin American dance. [Lavelle, Doris 1983. "Latin & American dances". 3rd ed, Black, London.]
*Doreen Bird, was a fellow, examiner, lecturer, committee and council member of the ISTD and was influential in the modern theatre dance branch of the organisation. Bird is most noted as the founder and former principal of the Doreen Bird College of Performing Arts (now Bird College), one of the UK's foremost dance and performing arts colleges, with former students working worldwide, including cast members of West End and Broadway musicals. The college is also an approved centre for ISTD teacher training.
*Betty Laine, OBE, is a former professional dancer and teacher and is a fellow, examiner, lecturer, committee and council member of the ISTD. Laine is most noted as the founder principal of Laine Theatre Arts, one of the UK's foremost dance and performing arts colleges, with former students working worldwide, including cast members of West End and Broadway musicals. The college is also an approved centre for ISTD teacher training.

Other dance examination boards in the United Kingdom

*International Dance Teachers Association (IDTA)
*Royal Academy of Dance (RAD)
*British Association of Teachers of Dance (BATD)
*British Ballet Organisation (BBO)

References

* [http://www.istd.org ISTD]