About DSAB
From the Beginning
In 1989 DanceSport Alberta Association (then known as the Alberta Amateur Ballroom Dancers Association) became the fifth region in Canada to be a part of the Canadian Amateur Ballroom Dancers Association (CABDA). Originally founded in 1979, CABDA is known today as the Canadian Amateur DanceSport Association (CADA). CADA includes the following regional associations, in addition to DanceSport Alberta:
- DanceSport Atlantic Association (DAA),
- Ontario Amateur DanceSport Association (OADA),
- Association Amateur de Danse Sportive du Québec (AADSQ),
- DanceSport British Columbia (DSBC).
Until 1989, prairie amateur dancers (Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba) had been members of BC’s WCABDA (Western Canadian Amateur Ballroom Dancers Association). That year, Alberta dancers formed a separate association: Alberta Amateur Ballroom Dancers Association (aabda) and at that point the BC dancers became BCADA (British Columbia Amateur Dancers Association). Today BCADA operates under the name DanceSport BC (DSBC) and has jurisdiction over the Yukon region as well as the BC region.
Our Alberta association has become DanceSport Alberta (DSAB) and registers dancers from Saskatchewan and Northwest Territories as well as Alberta. Meanwhile, Manitoba dancers fall to Ontario’s (OADA) jurisdiction.
Alberta has never looked back since that day when those first 20 dancers became a non-profit amateur association. Today, in 2009, our membership sits at well over 250 dancers and continues to grow thanks to the dancing craze that has finally reached the prairies!
We have had a few name changes along the way which reflect the changing face of dancesport in the world. The Alberta Amateur Ballroom Dancers Association (AABDA) became Alberta Amateur Sport Dancers Association (AASDA) in 1990, then the, Alberta Amateur DanceSport Association (AADA) in 1999, and finally settled on DanceSport Alberta Association (DSAB) in January of 2001.
Past Presidents
- 1988–1989: Alex Slack
- 1989–1990: Lawrence Ardern
- 1990–1991: Cliff Fullerton
- 1991–1994: Chris Jensen
- 1994–1995: Grace Jefferies
- 1995–1997: Bob Green
- 1997–1999: Ed Jurewicz
- 1999–2000: Colin Gill
- 2000–2005: Grace Jefferies
- 2005–2009: Jim Jenkins
DSAB's Aims
- To promote and encourage recreational dancing and DanceSport within Alberta, Saskatchewan and the Northwest Territories (the “Jurisdiction”).
- To foster friendship, understanding and communication among dancers.
- To govern DanceSport within the Jurisdiction through development and enforcement of rules and regulations.
- To maintain a register of all DanceSport competitors within the Jurisdiction and to draw up and maintain a rating system for all such competitors.
- To provide formal recognition and approval (“sanctioning”) of competitions within the Jurisdiction.
- To represent the interests of its members through affiliation, communication and co-operation with the Canadian Amateur DanceSport Association and regional organizations within Canada.
- To acquire, manage, lease, or dispose of property as necessary to the functioning of the Association and to raise funds or to borrow money and grant security for repayment of same, as required.
- To do all such other lawful things as may contribute to the attainment of these objectives.
Ongoing Activities
- Producing annual dancesport competitions: the Alberta Winter DanceSport Classic, which held its 20th event on February 28, 2009, has featured the Western Canadian Amateur DanceSport Championships for well over a decade. The Northern Lights Classic, is holding its sixth annual event on November 7 & 8, 2009.
- Hosting fundraising events to raise money for competition scholarships and other projects. These fundraisers include: various dance parties, the Friday Night Dance Club dances in conjunction with the City of Calgary and other events.
- Maintaining a registry of all members with a rating of competitive level.
- Sanctioning and regulating of amateur dancesport competitions and titles, namely: the Alberta Open and Closed Championships, the Edmonton Open and Closed Championships, and the Calgary Open and Closed Championships. DSAB also liaises with CADA for national titles such as the Western Canadian Open Championships, and from time to time the Canadian Closed Ten Dance Championship and Canadian Closed Standard and Latin Championships.
- Publishing the Pivotal Times, DSAB’s quarterly newsletter.
- Publishing an annual Members’ Handbook, with new editions each September.
- Maintaining a website with current rules and regulations at http://www.dancesportalberta.org.