A year ago, I wrote about changes in the NDCA’s invigilation
policies that had gone into effect for 2013. Now, in the latter half of 2014, there have been additional
updates to the NDCA rulebook regarding invigilation. The Appendix on Accepted Figures is now separate from the
main rulebook, and may be found HERE.
For clarity’s sake, points
I am quoting directly from the NDCA document are in bold and larger font.
Some of the changes this year have been cosmetic – cleaning
up language, etc. For instance,
where previous updates contained a contradiction in which X-lines were both
allowed and prohibited in Silver Viennese Waltz, they are now clearly
prohibited.
The two biggest changes for 2014 are not exactly changes so
much as additional information.
First is a preface to the Appendix entitled “Invigilation
Guidelines.” This document
explains the process of invigilation for invigilators themselves. I will say right now that these two
pages should be required reading for all competitors. They contain valuable information about how an invigilator
should perform his or her function at the competition, and explain not only how
penalties work, but how an invigilator should handle tricky situations with
competitors. Understanding how and
why something works can help dispel any fear or apprehension that might
surround it.
Since not everyone wants to read through two pages of
information, I do want to highlight a few key points that are especially
relevant for competitors. In the
section, “In the Ballroom,” item seven states:
“Simple mistakes and/or bad dancing are not an
invigilator’s concern; these are issues for the judges on the floor to assess
as part of placing the couples.
Noted infractions must be clear and obvious.”
Two things occur to me upon reading this. One: it is very important to
distinguish between infractions and “bad dancing,” as the purpose of
invigilation is to remove obvious advantages. Two: “Clear and obvious” could be problematic. Invigilators for both NDCA and USA
Dance do not always agree what constitutes an infraction. The clear, obvious ones are not the
issue; gray area is. I do wonder
how the “clear and obvious” caveat will affect those situations where an
infraction is not so cut and dry.
Additionally (and good news for competitors!), item eight
says:
“Be conscious of and sensitive to floor-craft
situations. For example, it is far
preferable to see a Top Spin in Bronze International Foxtrot than a
collision. Watch the couple in
another Foxtrot to see if the infraction is repeated.”
This suggestion means that invigilators should be on the
lookout for things that might just have been emergency maneuvers, and that
there is some leeway in such situations.
Also worth noting are a couple of items under the
“Penalizing a Competitor” section.
“1. You should not immediately recommend penalties for competitors without giving them a warning and
watching to see if they are trying to remediate the infraction, although NDCA
rules do allow this.”
“4. When in doubt ask yourself, “Does the material being
used give the couple a competitive advantage?”
I think both of these items are self-explanatory, and
crucial for competitors to know.
Besides the “Invigilation Guidelines,” the other big, new
addition is a massive extension of the International Latin section. Now the Latin is prefaced by a section
entitled “International Latin Notes, Dance Positions, and Holds,” which
explains in detail all the positions and holds allowed in Latin dancing. Most of the information simply expands
on things competitors already should have known – no embellishments, no timing
changes or hold changes unless provided for.
Each dance's figure list now includes the timing and holds for every
figure at each level, which is information that can be found in the Latin
technique books as well. It is a
LOT of information. I would
recommend competitors do take a look at the “Alternative Timings,” “Alternative
Positions and Holds,” and “Special Notes” section of each dance, at least, to
gain some insight into what is okay and what is not.
Furthermore, I will highlight one crucial update that
appears in the “Special notes and restrictions for all dances.” Item six states:
“At no time in any of the allowable positions are the
couples further away from each other than a comfortable arm’s length. The only exception is the There and
Back in Cha Cha.”
This particular restriction affects, in particular, any side
by side work in Cha Cha, as well as figures like Sliding Doors in Rumba, where
competitors often try embellishing by dancing far apart from one another.
While these updates are all for NDCA competitions, they are
worth perusing even if you only compete in USA Dance events. Both organizations share invigilators,
which means that invigilators familiar with the NDCA version of things could
very likely apply that to USA Dance as well, possibly without thinking about
it. When USA Dance puts forth its
own updates, I will write another blog post covering those changes.
