NDCA vs ABC update

- At the NDCA meeting that took place on January 7th and 8th, 2006, the member organizations were informed that there was a resolution through mediation of the dispute between the NDCA and ABC.

The final documents were still being worked on by the lawyers for each side and have not yet been signed as of the publication of this Newsletter. Therefore the final terms are not yet available for publication.

The cost to the NDCA so far (as of the end of 2005) is approximately $108,000 of which it was reported perhaps $49,000 will be offset by insurance owned by the NDCA that apparently covers lawsuits filed against the NDCA, but not those initiated by the NDCA.

NDCA July 2004 - Meeting Minutes (1st draft)

Click here for the minutes in PDF format

Friday - January 6, 2006

BALLROOM DEPARTMENT MEETING MINUTES

Chairman: Lee Wakefield

9:55 a.m. – Continental Ballroom

• Call to Order, Roll Call, establish quorum and voting status

1 vote per organization

• Minutes of July 2005 meeting.
• Matters arising from the Minutes of the July 2005 meeting.

ISTD list of judges not yet received – Organization given 24 hours to return their list of qualified judges.

• Ballroom Director's Report – see attached
• Matters arising from Ballroom Director's Report

None

• National Registrar's Report - attached

Request from President to include qualified Chairman of Judges in future reports.

• Championship Committee Report - Chairman: John Kimmins – No Report

• DanceSport Committee Report - Chairman: Brian Puttock – No Report

• Scrutineer Committee Report - Chairman: Jackie Rogers – see attached

• Invigilation Sub-Committee Report - Chairman: Richard Booth – see attached
• "Approved Elements List"

Motion: Replace current NDCA Bronze Elements list with the NDCA Approved Figures, Elements & Restrictions - Bronze Level - Revised January 2006.

1 st – U.S. Terpsichore 2 nd - USA Dance

Opposed: USISTD

Abstaining: USA Dance; ABC; FADS

MOTION PASSED

Motion: Send the list out in e-mail format separately to all NDCA registrants.

1 st - DVIDA 2 nd - USA Dance

PASSED UNANIMOUSLY

• USA Dance Report - President: Esther Freeman – verbal report given

• Rule Changes Approved July 2005 by Ballroom Department, need ratification by BOG in January 2006
• Rule III.C.4.c. This rule was added: “Where an organizer offers prize money and/or scholarships at their event, full details of any and all restrictions pertaining to those prizes and/or scholarships must be spelled out in the primary information packets. Any potential reduction or non-payment in advertised awards due to participation levels not being met must also be clearly stipulated in the primary advertising.”
• Rule IX.B.3. The tempi for two International Style Standard dances were changed as follows: Quickstep will now be 48-52, and Foxtrot will now be 28-30.
• Rule X.A.6. This rule was added: “Any amateur competitor dancing in a pre-teen, junior, or youth "open singles event" may only be partnered by another amateur competitor aged eighteen years or younger.”
• Rule III.C.4.a. This rule was amended to change the date of implementation of the “Approved Elements List” from January 2006 to July 1, 2006.

• Proposed Rule Changes - January 2006

Part a: Following the existing text that reads “A Professional Dancer is one who is any or all of the following:” insert this additional text in parenthesis: (Anyone studying for or taking a theory exam will not be deemed a professional unless they declare themselves such as defined below).

Part b: Remove Rule II.A.a.a. This rule presently reads: “A member of a Professional Society by Examination.”

Motion: To accept proposed rule change above

1 st - USISTD 2 nd - Rickey Geiger, HLM

Opposed: Heritage Dance Foundation

PASSED

• Competition Calendar Business
• Request from organizers of the Galaxy Dance Festival, Paul Jack & Judy Nixon, for a permanent location change for this event - from San Jose, CA to Phoenix, AZ. Would stay on the same weekend as approved, which is the weekend of the second Saturday following the Labor Day Holiday in September. Responses from NDCA competition organizers will be provided.

Motion: Create a permanent location change for the Galaxy Dance Festival as described above

1 st - Lee Wakefield, Ballroom Director 2 nd - USA Dance

PASSED UNANIMOUSLY

• Request from Ballroom Director for a permanent date change for the Constitution State Challenge, to move from the weekend of the last Sunday in September to the weekend of the first Saturday in October. This would eliminate the conflict with NDCA rules regarding mileage listed below in item 13.3.2. It would also put one less sanctioned event on the current approved weekend - presently there are five events on the last weekend in September (Cleveland Challenge, Constitution State, Southwestern Invitational, Hawaii Star Ball & Florida Fire & Ice). The organizer of the Constitution State, Ron Cote, is in favor of the permanent date change.

Motion: Create a permanent date change for Constitution State Challenge as described above

1 st - Lee Wakefield, Ballroom Director 2 nd - BYU

PASSED UNANIMOUSLY

• Future considerations for adjustments in date formulas, but not to be dealt with in this meeting:
• 2 nd Saturday in March: USDSC - Provo, UT & City Lights Ball - San Francisco, CA (783 miles)
• 4 th Saturday in September: Cleveland Challenge - Cleveland, OH & Constitution State - Stamford, CT (496 miles) – conflict relieved by motion above
• 1 st Saturday in November: Commonwealth Classic - Lowell, MA & Imperial Championships - Cherry Hill, NJ (311 miles)
• 1 st Saturday in November: 398 miles from Cherry Hill, NJ to Raleigh, NC - Imperial Championships - Carolina Classic
• Presentation by Ballroom Director regarding the addition of any new NDCA Sanctioned events at this time. (See rule III.A.2.a. - Applications for new competitions may only be considered once every three years. Acceptance of new competitions to the NDCA Calendar will be determined at the first board of governors meeting in the years 2006, 2009, etc.)

Motion: to accept no new competitions at this time

1 st – Rickey Geiger, HLM 2 nd - ABC

Abstaining: PDF; FADS; NDTA; USISTD

PASSED

Motion: USISTD be allowed until December 31, 2006 to sell their competitions before they lapse as NDCA championships.

1 st - AMI 2 nd - PDF

Abstaining: Heritage Dance Foundation

PASSED

• Old Business – none

• New Business
• Ohio Star Ball be allowed to remove Finals of Showdance from WD&DSC & place all 6 couples, renaming these finals "Professional Showcase Routines (Solo Exhibitions by finalist) - Submitted by NADOA

ITEM WITHDRAWN

• Judges should not wear cell phone pieces or talk on cell phones while judging - Submitted by NADOA

Motion: Add Rule IV.B.9 to read: “Judges may not use cell phones or any other unauthorized electronic devises during the time period(s) in which they are officiating.”

1 st - Rickey Geiger, HLM 2 nd - NDTA

PASSED UNANIMOUSLY

• Discussion on Removing "Suspended" situation for Mark Cohen - Submitted Sam Sodano, NADOA

ITEM WITHDRAWN

• . Adjourn

1 st- PDF 2 nd- USTerps

PASSED UNANIMOUSLY – Adjourned at 12:08 pm

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