Vacancy for Registrants’ Representative

Pursuant to the constitution there is a vacancy for one Registrant's Representative to become a Trustee of the New Zealand Ballroom Dance Council. The term of office is for 3 years commencing upon confirmation at the Annual General Meeting due to be held in February 2024.

In May 2023, Jonny Williams formally resigned as Trustee. This created a casual vacancy which was filled by Rosemary S Chung. This position under the Constitution is to hold office until the retirement date of the vacated Trustee. The vacated Trustee’s position is due to retire by rotation at the next Annual General Meeting in February 2024.

Any current registrant over the age of 16 may seek nomination to fill this vacancy (self-nomination is allowed provided a seconder supports it).

To be nominated, the registrant should complete the NZBDC Trustee nomination form in the attached pdf below, sign it as accepting nomination, have it seconded by another registrant over the age of 16 and forward it together with a brief resume to the General Secretary, New Zealand Ballroom Dance Council, by emai

l to info@dancesportcouncil.com no later than: 5pm Tuesday 31

October 2023 (the closing date for nominations).

In the event of more than one nom

ination being received a ballot shall be conducted by email following the closing date for nominations.

Kind regards,

Rosemary S. Chung

General Secretary

New Zealand Ballroom Dance Council

Trustee Elections 2023.pdf

Download PDF • 119KB

NZBDC Newsletter - August 2023

“Step by step we are starting to understand each other”

Dancers involved in our business understand that having a healthy dance community means we must work together. For whatever reason this process has faltered in the past, however I am happy to tell everybody that talks are underway between the different organisations to work together again. The first meeting I had with the NZFATD and the NZFTD was held on 23rd June and we will talk to each other again very soon. Our goal, and first step, is to create a middle ground so that we can serve you, our customers.

I have also started talks with amateur dancers. The first one was on 2nd July and there will be another one planned for Tuesday 5 September at 7.30 pm. In these meetings I endeavour to listen to the wishes the amateur dancers have for NZ dancing. I will try to answer any questions, this could be on any subject and when I don’t have the answer straight away, I will find out and come back to you. The first meeting was a great platform for the dancers to speak their mind but left me with a feeling that we still have a long way to go. The meeting is only for amateurs with myself, if any amateur wants a link to the next meeting, please send me an email: pveek60@gmail.com

It is only four months at best before this dancing year comes to an end. There are signs that we are picking up numbers in our competitions and the dance studios are seeing an increase in students- this is good news. I am of the understanding that if my rival is successful, I will benefit also and therefore finding a way to see other dancers and teachers as an ally rather than a competitor will make our dance industry stronger.

The vision from our independent governing organisation the NZBDC is clear, understandable and workable; Amateur and Professional organisations unite. We are currently working on the next steps to proceed further in the coming months and years- neither new or revolutionary but just common sense.

We received questions regarding the Aotearoa championships. At the moment there is a good chance that there will be a competition held in Auckland organized by the SATD. At present they are working at realizing a special competition for the Pro-am division, solo’s, Duo, Formation etc., and possibly Open Dancesport for the weekend of 18 November 2023. We will keep you posted.

There will be two “open to all” training sessions in the week before the National Championships. One will be held on Friday 13 October at the Ucan2 dance studio and the other on Wednesday 18 October at Just dance NZ dance studio. It will be beneficial for all dancers but especially for those attending the championships the following weekend and everyone is welcome to join.

The NZBDC would like to thank both studios for their cooperation in making this possible for our dancers.

Just for fun: For the older dancers who have known the NZ dance icon Jimmy James and his love for dance I would jokingly say that Jimmy has sent us a message in a song. The singer bears the same name as our well-known dancer from Wellington. Please listen to the lyrics: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8rj1So21b_A&list=RD8rj1So21b_A&index=1

For the younger dancers who have no idea who the New Zealand Jimmy James is, I have enclosed a biography of this great man. https://teara.govt.nz/en/biographies/5j2/james-jimmy

Happy dancing everybody,

Peter van der Veek

Chairman NZBDC

From the Chairman: NZBDC newsletter for amateurs and professionals - June 2023

The dancing world in full swing.

June is always a busy month in the northern hemisphere. National Championships are being held, social studios are having their medal tests and there are theatre shows produced by dance studio’s. There is, of course, the open to the world Blackpool championships in May and many more great dancing events.

In NZ I have visited some competitions to get my bearings. The one in Hamilton organized by Marcus Ashwell was a fun competition. Done and dusted in 5 hours which is brilliant for people that aspire in entering a dance competition and have fun at the same time. The next interstudio dance competition will be held again in Hamilton on the 29 of July. The One Dance championship in Wellington was new to me. Fantastically organized by Keri Porter. She and her team did a brilliant job for the everybody involved, it ran like clockwork. Definitely one for your dance diary. Another competition that needs your attention is the Canterbury Championships Saturday 15 July.

Focusing on the road ahead.

As a competitor I was good at knowing what was expected of me and trained accordingly.

As a demonstrator I knew what my audience wanted and more importantly I knew what the people hiring us could afford and still make a profit whilst paying us.

As a businessman running a dance studio with Rachell I scanned the market and adjusted my product by not putting all my eggs in one basket.

These are subjects I would definitely want to talk about with the studio owners in Aotearoa New Zealand. Let’s get together to debate the possibilities to create revenue for you all.

Our dance sport amateurs are important!

I would like to have a talk to the amateur dancers to hear what their vision is as to where NZ dancing is going in the near future and any thoughts they may have. The date I have in mind is Sunday 2 July at 10 am. If you are interested send me an email and I will send the link to attend the meeting.

What do we think of the restricted syllabus?

At present there are restrictions in place in what you are allowed to dance in certain grades. Whenever there are restrictions, I ask myself: Who are these restrictions for and what are the benefits of the restrictions? It is a point of discussion that I would be happy to engage in with amateurs and professionals. If you are interested, there is an article in the website that gives some food for thought.

https://www.nzdancesportcouncil.com/post/restricted-syllabus-thoughts-from-the-chairman

Social dances and competitive training possibilities.

We are putting a dance agenda together on our website so that clients can find where there are social dance evenings, what the costs are, theme etc.

The same the NZBDC will do for competitors. If you run a competitive training session where people can practise their routines and be inspired by other dancers please let us know and we will put that on our website: https://www.nzdancesportcouncil.com These training sessions should not include tuition of competitors!

We would like to receive the following information from you,

Social dance events: 1-7-2023 to 31-12-2023.

Where. Organized by. Address Date Time. Theme. Costs Remarks. Website

Competition practice: 1-7-2023 to 31-12-2023.

Where. Organized by. Address Date Time. Theme. Costs Remarks. Website

Dancing will make you happy.

Peter van der Veek - Chairman NZBDC

Mail: pveek60@gmail.com

Tel 021-991579