Welcome to the Irish DanceSport Federation

  9th Oct 2007

 Letter from International Dancesport Federation re Dress Regulations 

Dear Couples,

The time has come to enforce IDSF Dress Regulations.

As you all know regulations have existed for many years. However, it has always been very difficult to make and enforce these rules particularly for the female rather than male partners.

The problems have not been in the Juvenile and Junior I age groups, but compliance with the dress regulations in the Adult age group. 

Discussions have been taking place in working groups and new IDSF Dress Regulations were created under the leadership of Natasa Ambroz.  We thank Natasa Ambroz for undertaking this difficult and unpopular work. Over the last two years under Natasa’s leadership, we have updated our IDSF Dress Regulations. These regulations have been effective since the 2006 IDSF AGM.

In recent years, the situation concerning couples costumes has improved however, we still have problems. As a consequence of these continuing problems, a discussion was held during the last IDSF Chairpersons Congress in Stuttgart. The Chairpersons present decided that for the future all Chairpersons will consistently enforce the rules relating to the IDSF Dress Regulations.

Therefore, I highlight that there will no longer be a first warning to change any costumes which are in breach of the rules. So that there is no misunderstanding, please understand that Chairpersons at an IDSF Competition are not obliged to give a first warning; the Chairperson can disqualify a couple immediately in case of a breach of the IDSF Dress Regulations.

Let me also acknowledge that many couples change their outfits in latter rounds. If you wish to change costumes, it is now obligatory that couples seek the permission of the Chairperson and that the Chairperson accepts that the new costumes conform with the dress regulations. If a couple does not ask for the Chairperson’s permission and approval and the costumes breach the rules then this will result in an immediate disqualification.  By seeking the Chairperson’s confirmation, a couple protects their position and avoids the risk of being automatically disqualified.

I bring to your attention that the biggest breaches of the rules relate to the use of skin coloured panties, open dresses of more than 5 cm in the hip area and, open dresses in the breast area. Please consider that adjudicators of DanceSport Competitions concentrate on your performance and not on your costumes! If you are good enough, you can win in a very basic but elegant outfit. If you feel that you need an outfit that is not accepted under the rules, then you are questioning you own abilities as competitors.

As you can appreciate, there are legitimate reasons to have dress regulations and I am sure that you all understand that we have an obligation to enforce them.  All parties need to fulfil their obligations: The IDSF member federations have to instruct their couples, the couples have to follow the rules and the Chairpersons have to act within the rules.

Dear friends, we all are sportspersons. Let’s act in the sport of Dance like sportspersons.

With best regards

Heinz Spaeker

IDSF Sports Director

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