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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)