How It Continued

2000 - 2010

The IDSF Presidium under Rudolf Baumann kept up the pace in the new Millenium too. A representation agreement between IDSF and the International Management Group IMG had secured global television exposure for the main DanceSport championships. To improve this television product further, subtle changes to the competition format were implemented over the next years. Solo dances in the finals, a new judging system and other amendments to the traditional way of conducting the contests met the approval of athletes and spectators alike.

IDSF’s participation in The Sixth World Games 2001 Akita, JPN, was an unqualified success. DanceSport ranked first in revenues generated from ticket sales among all 36 sports on the programme. Rock ‘n’ Roll – whose governing body WRRC had joined IDSF as an Associate Member – featured alongside the Standard and Latin disciplines in The Seventh World Games 2005 Duisburg, GER.

The creation of an IDSF Anti-Doping Commission and the adoption the Anti-Doping Code made the federation fully compliant with the stringent norms imposed by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA).

The 2002 Olympic Programme Commission Report confirmed DanceSport’s eligibility for admission to future Olympic Games and defined the criteria that will need to be met by candidate sports in the review process undertaken by the IOC at intervals of four years.

In 2003, IDSF elevated select International Open tournaments in Latin and Standard to a “Grand Slam” status, with record purses awarded to the athletes directly by IDSF. The altogether ten Grand Slam tournaments have since become annual fixtures on four continents and make up the International Series that culminates in the IDSF Grand Slam Finals.

The International Dance Organisation (IDO) opted to become an Associate Member of IDSF in 2004, bringing its nearly 50 styles to DanceSport and contributing to making the sport's constituency as diverse as dance itself. The United Country and Western DanceSport (UCWDC) is the most recent Associate Member, joining IDSF in 2008.

The IDSF Annual General Meeting approved the establishment of an independent Disciplinary Council and an Athletes' Commission in 2006 and 2007, respectively, thus filling two gaps in its governance structure. The IDSF Athletes’ Commission is a consultative body, submitting opinions held and requests articulated by the active athletes in DanceSport directly to the Presidium.

DanceSport's spectacular growth and popularity led the to Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) include it on the programmes of the Asian Games and the Asian Indoor Games. Furthermore, IDSF became a member of the International Masters Games Association (IMGA). From 2011 athletes in the Senior I to III grades will be able to compete in their very own international multi-sport games.

IDSF sternly supported the community of professional dancers in their effort to set up an independent body, the International Professional DanceSport Council (IPDSC). In December 2007, an agreement was entered into by IDSF and IPDSC, providing for both organisations to co-ordinate dates and other matters pertaining to their competitions, and to work cooperatively in developing, implementing and enforcing the WADA-compliant rules of DanceSport. Since then, IPDSC was dissolved and became the IDSF Professional Division in 2010.

In October 2008, IDSF entered into a formal co-operation agreement with the International Paralympic Committee (IPC). Under the terms of this agreement, the two bodies pledge to jointly develop and promote Wheelchair DanceSport, and to work towards establishing a single governing body for DanceSport, including Wheelchair.

From 2007 IDSF worked incessantly on an ambitious development plan, VISION 2012, and it set out to bring even further unity and diversity to DanceSport at long last. On 14 June 2009, the IDSF Annual General Meeting held in Macau, CHN, unanimously passed the following motion.

"That this meeting directs and encourages the Presidium to continue working on VISION 2012, and to establish a working group including representatives of Associate Members, representatives of key IDSF Member Bodies and representatives of other dance disciplines."

The VISION 2012 Working Group met for the first time in Sant Cugat, ESP, in October 2009 to discuss the proceedings in trying to have IDSF evolve into the World DanceSport Federation, a body. A joint declaration was drafted between the representatives of the different organisations at the conclusion of the meeting, all expressing their support of VISION 2012 under the declaration's title "DanceSport as the Unifying Force."

Published on 29 November 2010 (last update on 16 December 2022)