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2: USA Dance: Our history and mission These programs
emphasize the physical, mental
and social benefits of dancing, and include the expansion of dancing skills
among those of all ages and capabilities. Annually, USA Dance
conducts national, regional and local DanceSport Championships. National
DanceSport Champions are selected and USABDA then finances their
participation in the IDSF World DanceSport Championships. United States
representatives also are sent to the World Games, which are held for Olympic
recognized sports that are not yet in the Olympic Program. Journey
Into The Olympics The last few years
produced significant progress in DanceSport's journey into the Olympics. In
1997 the IDSF was granted full recognition by the International Olympic
Committee (IOC) as the worldwide governing body for DanceSport. Then in 1999,
the United States Olympic Committee (USOC) granted Affiliate membership to
USA Dance, including recognition as the National Governing Body of DanceSport
in the United States. The next step in
DanceSport's journey into the Olympics will be for the IOC to grant Program
Status to DanceSport. That’s when DanceSport will be added to the Olympic
Program. It is our hope that this will occur soon. Focus
of Current Activities The project to gain
for DanceSport full status as an Olympic Program Sport and to prepare for
that day will continue. However, the main focus of USA Dance's current
activities is on actions to enable members to achieve their dance goals and
to grow the sport, regardless of what may happen some day regarding the
Olympics. In 1999 a separate
division was established to promote and guide the growth of social ballroom
dancing in the United States. The goal is to promote social dancing as a
healthful lifetime recreational activity, with progression to competitions
encouraged for those who are so inclined. Also in 1999, the
Youth College Network was restructured and the staff of volunteers was
greatly expanded to provide a promotional and management organization that
will be capable of meeting the immense challenge of taking social ballroom
dancing and DanceSport into every college and secondary school in this
nation. That is one of USABDA’S major goals for the next decade. It is the
foundation of USA Dance's program to create here in the United States a pool
of world class DanceSport Athletes that will dominate the international world
of dance in the years ahead. Summary In summary, USA Dance
has developed into a nationwide nonprofit organization of thousands of
volunteers who love ballroom dancing and appreciate the excitement and
romance, as well as the social and health benefits, that ballroom dancing
brings into their lives. At grass roots level
in communities, colleges and secondary schools all over the country USA Dance
provides opportunities for the public to engage in affordable social ballroom
dancing and DanceSport. Beginners are welcomed, helped to get started and then
assisted in achieving their goals. USA Dance's goal is for everyone to
ballroom dance. |
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USA DANCE HISTORY AND
MISSION |