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THE MODERN BALLROOM FACULTY
The Modern Ballroom Faculty, as it is
known today, was the earliest of the
current dancesport faculties. Then
called the Ballroom Branch, it was formed in
1924, 20 years after the ISTD was founded.
In the years leading up to the First World
War and even during it, ballroom dancing
was very popular indeed. We learn in Nerina
Shute’s prologue to The World of Phyllis
Haylor,1 that ballroom formed an important
part of the lifestyle of fashionable London
society. The tango had been introduced from
Argentina and the foxtrot from America to
join the already popular waltz, and then, in
the Roaring Twenties, came the Charleston.
There was, however, a lack of uniformity in
the teaching of these dances and so the fi rst
priority of the ISTD’s newly formed Ballroom
Branch Committee was to establish a fi rm
technical structure for the waltz, foxtrot, tango
and quickstep. Under the chairmanship of
Josephine Bradley, MBE (1893–1985) this was
achieved and the resulting analysis formed
the basis of the technique to which we still
adhere. Miss Bradley served as Chairman of
the Ballroom Branch until 1947 and in 1966
she received the ISTD’s Imperial Award in
recognition of her outstanding contribution
to the English style of Ballroom Dancing. In
her memory, the Josephine Bradley Award still
forms part of the Faculty’s medal test system.
The new technique was welcomed and
quickly accepted in the UK and overseas.
Membership of the ISTD grew apace and
the Ballroom Branch fl ourished. Children’s
examinations were soon introduced and
became extremely popular. Today they include
Under-6 and Under-8 Tests, which enable very
young children to take part and to ‘get their
feet on the ladder’. Children’s work continues
to form a major part of current medal test
sessions and competitions.
With the approach of the Second World
War the activities of the ISTD were necessarily
curtailed but where possible, teachers and
examiners continued to develop the knowledge
and understanding of ballroom dancing at
home and overseas. One early ambassador
was Phyllis Haylor (1904–1981), who travelled
widely to train and examine the English style.
A member of the Ballroom Branch Committee,
she became a revered teacher, competitive
coach, lecturer and a prolifi c writer of articles
on ballroom dancing for the Dancing Times. In
1974 Miss Haylor received the ISTD’s Imperial
Established in 1904 the Imperial Society of Teachers
of Dancing (ISTD) is one of the world’s oldest and
most infl uential dance examination boards. Ever since
its inception the ISTD has developed new styles and
dance genres, and today with 12 faculties, no other
dance examination board has the breadth of genres
that the ISTD offers.
Our mission is to educate the public in the art of
dancing in all its forms, to promote the knowledge
of dance, to provide up-to-date techniques, and to
maintain and improve teaching standards across the
globe. The ISTD is always moving with the times to
keep pace with the latest developments in dance.
We regularly update our syllabi and introduce new
faculties to respond to changes in the world of dance.
Above: Phyllis Haylor
Top right: Alex Moore holding up the
number two
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Award for outstanding services to the profession. In her
memory the Phyllis Haylor Scholarship, which supports further
professional training, is awarded annually.
The ISTD and the Ballroom Branch continued to lead the
world in the development and spread of knowledge of the
fundamentals of ballroom dancing. In 1935 the sought after
standardisation took another leap forward with the recording
by Victor Silvester OBE (1900–1978) of the fi rst Strict Tempo
records, enabling keen dancers all over the world to use music
created especially for them. With his music, books and long
running radio and television programmes Mr Silvester, a
member of the fi rst Ballroom Branch Committee, made a huge
contribution to the world of ballroom dancing. He went on to
serve as Chairman then President of the ISTD.
In 1947 a section of the Ballroom Branch was detached to
specialise in the increasingly popular Latin American dances,
and a Victorian and Sequence Branch was formed.
Also in 1947, Alex Moore MBE (1901–1991) was appointed
as Chairman of the Ballroom Branch Committee. His textbook
Ballroom Dancing (1936) became required reading for students
of ballroom dancing all over the world. In 1948 a technical
update by the Ballroom Branch Committee resulted in the
Revised Technique of Ballroom Dancing. This acclaimed book
won instant recognition and, in new editions and updated,
is still in constant use worldwide. A devoted ambassador for
ballroom dancing, Alex Moore travelled extensively, teaching,
lecturing and examining and through his renowned Monthly
Letter Service, helping teachers from all parts of the world to keep
up-to-date. An internationally loved and respected fi gure, he
served as Chairman of the Ballroom Branch until 1976, becoming
Chairman of the ISTD and then President until his death.
Following the retirement of Alex Moore as Chairman of the
Ballroom Branch, Bill Irvine, MBE was appointed to this position
and led the Committee until 1992. A dancer of renown, he and
his wife and partner Bobbie had won no less than 13 world titles
during their competitive career. Bill Irvine went on to become
Vice President and then President of the ISTD.
Throughout the 1980s and beyond, the development of
overseas connections continued with teachers and examiners
such as Marion Brown and Anne Lingard who both travelled
widely, introducing teacher training and ISTD examinations in
many parts of the world, particularly in the Far East.
Bill Irvine’s successor as Chairman of the Ballroom Branch
was Anthony Hurley, a former professional world champion
and a renowned teacher and lecturer who served in this
role from 1992–1994. The update of the technique, which
had been ongoing was completed during this time and The
Ballroom Technique was published. Following Anthony Hurley’s
resignation, Robert Grover was elected to the Chairmanship
and soon afterwards the name of the branch was changed to
the Modern Ballroom Faculty. Also a former world champion
with his wife and partner Barbara, Robert led the Faculty until
his resignation in 2013. He received the ISTD’s Imperial Award in
Top: Bill and Bobbie Irvine
Above: Alex and Pat Moore
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1994 and served as Chairman of the ISTD from
2000–2006.
Robert Grover’s successor as Ballroom
Faculty Chairman was Richard Hunt who has
travelled extensively throughout the world,
developing the overseas work of the ISTD. He
continues to lead the Faculty today.
The Modern Ballroom Faculty Committee
continues to develop and expand the range of
work that we offer to our teachers. For example,
in 2010 the Viennese waltz was fully accepted
as the Faculty’s ‘fi fth dance’. The technique
had been revised by the British Dance Council
in 2001 and it is now a welcome addition to
medal tests and competitions. Another recent
addition is the American Smooth, which
became popular after being featured in the
highly successful television series, Strictly
Come Dancing, discussed below. Following
several lectures at congresses by American
experts in this fi eld, a syllabus was created, and
this attractive dance form is now acceptable
in our medal test system and has become a
popular wedding dance.
Having suffered some loss in popularity
among the general public for some time, due
in part, to the economic situation, ballroom
and Latin American dancing received a huge
boost with the advent of the television series
Strictly Come Dancing, fi rst broadcast in 2004.
Suddenly ballroom dancing was fashionable
again, receiving tremendous publicity in the
media. Many teachers experienced a marked
improvement in adults attending classes. They
particularly appreciated the increase in men
coming along to learn, encouraged perhaps
by the number of world famous male athletes
who have competed on Strictly.
Today the Modern Ballroom Faculty
aims to continue to support our teachers
and to uphold the high standards set by our
pioneering predecessors who established the
ISTD throughout the world. The highlight of
our year is the annual Grand Finals Medallist
Festival at Blackpool, a modern ballroom,
Latin American and sequence event for which
medallists in schools all over the country
practise throughout the year. The incredibly
high standard of dancing seen at this
glamorous event is continuing evidence that
“the dreams of the founders had been more
than realised”.2
Margaret Connon 2014
REFERENCES1 The World of Phyllis Haylor (ed.
Bryan Allen, commissioned by the
ISTD in 1984)2 Taylor, C. (Major), 1930, ‘Report
of the Proceedings of the Imperial
Society’s Congress held at the
Portman Rooms, London W1 28th
July 1930’, Dance Journal, Aug/Oct.
Below: Bill and Bobbie Irvine with
their MBEs (centre). Also pictured
are Pat and Alex Moore (far left and
far right respectively) and Josephine
Bradley (second from the left)