UK guru to assess local Dance sport coaches

SHINGIRAI MADONDO
Correspondent | Thursday September 27, 2012 00:00

 

Ballpit from Manchester in England will take the local coaches through a series of both practical and oral examinations in line with ISTD, which is one of the world's leading dance examination boards.The ISTD is a leading dance teaching and examination board based in the British capital London and operating internationally.

ISTD provides training in a range of dance styles with examination syllabi for students and training courses for people wishing to become certified dance teachers. The work of the ISTD is organised into two main boards, one for dance sport and the other for theatre dance.

'We want our coaches to be truly international in terms of accreditation as dance sport instructors,' confirmed the Botswana Dance Sport Association (BODANSA) president Losika Mosarwa in an interview.Mosarwa said his association has organised the week-long examining workshop and 10 local coaches would undergo a rigorous oral examination.

This will be the first workshop of its kind in the history of dance sport in Botswana with the aim of allowing the aspiring professional dance teachers to acquaint themselves with a wide range of dance styles.

According to Mosarwa, the selected coaches will be equipped with skills to educate the public in the art of dancing in all its forms to promote knowledge of dance and provide up-to-date techniques for their members.'Dance sport is one of the minor sports codes in the country. And having our own trained and accredited ballroom teachers should go a long in ensuring that we nurture talent. They will have an opportunity of teaching dance sport all over the globe too,' said Mosarwa.

Currently, ISTD supports and trains its 7, 500 and above members in over 50 countries around the globe through a variety of courses, summer schools and congresses, updated teaching syllabi and techniques upon which to train dancers for the profession.