2020 Vision

VISION 2012 was the driving force behind the World DanceSport Federation assuming a new identity and extending the scope of its brand to include many different forms and styles of dance practised as sport.

2020 VISION, the new development plan of WDSF, focuses on aligning the organisation as well as the sport with the objectives that are identified by members of a task force and by the WDSF constituents. The overriding goal of the 2020 VISION process is to bring DanceSport to the next level and to make WDSF compliant with the highest standards in governance. Different areas have been identified and a number of specific objectives have been defined for the task force to take action in accordance with approved plans. Here are some of the areas where work associated with 2020 VISIOM will get carried out over the years to come:

• Governance
• Sport
• Communication
• Broadcasting
• Marketing
• Popularity
• Development
• Olympic Games

In their planning as well as in their actions, the members of the task force pledge to uphold the principle "For the Good of DanceSport and the Athletes!" at all times.


GOVERNANCE

Efforts are made as part of the 2020 VISION process to further raise the standards of governance around the principle of inclusiveness in the representation of the stakeholders as well as around the norms for ethical conduct of the latter.

A new Code of Ethics and the installation of an Ethics Commission are assigned highest priority among the 2020 VISION objectives. Both should be fully attained by the end of 2014. Improvements to the mechanisms of internal dispute resolution are called for in order to make WDSF compliant with all the requirements for federations that are recognised by the International Olympic Committee.

The criteria of what constitutes competition fixing in DanceSport must be updated and a zero tolerance policy needs to be adopted. Members of the 2020 VISION task force will draft the corresponding policy papers and identify measures to actively combat competition fixing in all of its forms.

Several different groups of people are closely associated with the athletes who practise DanceSport and who compete at all levels in the WDSF competition system. Parents, trainers, coaches, agents, sponsors and many others have considerable influence on the athletes and their welfare. The 2020 VISION task force sets out to provide the members of the athletes' entourage with a basic set of guidelines for their conduct. The Entourage Commission is installed to assist WDSF with the enforcement of the latter and to give these groups a voice within WDSF structures.

The ongoing fight against doping in DanceSport and the extension of a solid representation of the athletes in governance at the national level are just two of the other key objectives pursued as part of the 2020 VISION process.


SPORT

As per 2020 VISION, WDSF shall continue to strive to have DanceSport be part of the Olympic Games one day. However, the members of the task force acknowledge that all actions taken in that respect aim at self-improvement first and foremost, and that the way towards reaching the elusive goal should be the goal in itself.

With another review of DanceSport's status as an International Olympic Committee recognised sport due to start in 2015, the 2020 VISION task force works along a tight timeline to bring improvements to aspects such as the adjudicating.

The WDSF Judging System 2.0 was rolled out in 2013, after its predecessor had been used in GrandSlam competitions for all of four years.  The fundamental changes that these systems brought to the adjudicating of DanceSport were praised by the athletes, the officials as well as the public and the media. With a view to the future, efforts will continually be made to refine the process of adjudicating and to improve its quality further.

WDSF is committed to continue with the development of the most transparent, objective and understandable system used in the judging of an artistic sport. The education and the training of the adjudicators are the other important aspects to get the attention of the 2020 VISION task force. New programmes to produce competent judges and to retrain them periodically will get designed together with the WDSF DanceSport Academy.

DanceSport by its very nature is in constant evolution. Through the 2020 VISION process new trends get monitored and, after careful consideration, suggestions are made as to what will be required to keep the WDSF brand DanceSport up-to-date.


COMMUNICATION

DanceSport has undergone significant change over recent years. From the rather narrow self-perception as competitive ballroom dancing in two styles, it has arrived at a new and much broader identity. Today, DanceSport is an all-encompassing brand.

Made up of a multitude of diverse dance styles and with a much larger participant base, modern DanceSport has its responsibilities and its opportunities in the area of communication multiplied too. Consistent with this, WDSF seeks to convey a message of inclusivity through the channels it has available. The WDSF World DanceSport Games 2013 Kaohsiung provided for one of the best opportunities yet to have the message resound internationally.

Through its websites, the social media as well as through broadcasting in all of its forms, WDSF is capabale of reaching massive audiences worldwide. In recent years it has assumed a much more proactive role in shaping as well as delivering the messages that go out, and it has been able to forge alliances with a number of strong media partners.

Over the years to come, WDSF shall step up efforts in producing coverage on the premier events (GrandSlam Series, World and Continental Championships, World DanceSport Games, etc.) together with broadcasters in the host countries, and in creating digital content for all of its online platforms. Through its DanceSport Academy and publishing initiatives associated with the latter, WDSF aspires to foster DanceSport's development by disseminating information to dancers at all levels.


MARKETING

WDSF has defined its brand strategy in a way to allow for its properties – from the elite competition to a participatory programme reaching down to the grassroots level – to transmit the message of partners alongside those of DanceSport.

Everybody is capable of moving to music. Dance transgresses the barriers of age, gender and culture. Dance is part of the fabric of every society. And as millions around the globe move to the rhythms of their choice, they perform one of the most universal sporting gestures too.

Its very traits make DanceSport unique, its message global - and its appeal as diverse as the music that it is performed to.

Through its marketing department, WDSF is able to create customised packages of rights and privileges for its partners, offering them innovative programmes that match their marketing objectives to perfection.

Published on 19 January 2014 (last update on 16 January 2024)