Congratulations! You are about to embark one of the most exciting, rewarding processes of your dancing career. There is no greater way to truly learn and understand dancing than to prepare for a formal certification exam. We applaud your commitment to excellence.

Requirements for Examination

Please follow the instructions for Application for Membership in CDTA if you are not a new member.

Following approval of application please download the Request for Examination Form in the Ballroom Division and forward to the Ballroom Examination Secretary.

Like professional examinations for doctors and lawyers, the DVIDA® examination process used by CDTA is administered with the highest standards of fairness, impartiality, thoroughness, and professionalism. Your examination will be prepared in advance according to a system of universal standards of excellence for the dancing industry. You will need to work very hard to prepare for this exam, but if you make the commitment to yourself and to your career, the rewards will be tremendous.

References:

DVIDA Manuals Bronze; Silver; Gold
Note: Should you come across any discrepancies between the Dance Vision videos and the DVIDA® manuals while preparing for your examination, please remember that the written instruction from the DVIDA® manual will always supercede the verbal instruction given in the video.

The Examination

The examination will have four parts. You will be graded in the following areas:
Part A - dancing (40%), 2)
Part B - theoretical questions (30%), 3)
Part C - general teaching questions (20%), and 4)
Part D - overall presentation (10%).

Demonstration of Dancing (Part A), you will dance a routine for each dance containing all the figures from your syllabus:
American Smooth: Waltz, Tango, Foxtrot, Viennese Waltz

American Rhythm: Cha Cha, Samba, Rumba, Mambo, Bolero, Merengue, East Coast Swing, West Coast Swing). You will dance this routine with a partner, (you will need to arrange a partner for this segment of the exam) to music, two times, once as a leader and once as a follower. The examiner will then ask you to dance an amalgamation of three or four figures, to music, by yourself. The purpose of the amalgamation section is to ensure that you can dance an amalgamation while staying on time with the music, without the assistance of your partner.

Each candidate must receive a minimum score of 2.0, Leader and Follower combined average in each dance, as well as a 2.0 total average in Part A in order to pass the exam.

You should have your routines memorized, and choreographed to fit the room where the examination will be held. You will select the music, and you should have a DJ to start and stop the songs during the exam. Your partner can act as a DJ if you can’t find anyone else.

Theoretical portion (Part B), you will be asked to identify the theoretical elements such as: footwork, amount of turn, CBM, etc. of the syllabus figures

Each examination will contain different theoretical questions.

In American Smooth the candidate will be responsible for answering theoretical questions on all dances in that style.

In American Rhythm the candidate will be asked to choose 4 of the 8 dances for which they will answer theoretical questions. The specific questions will be marked on the examination. The examiner will also be able to ask one theoretical question, per dance, of the examiner’s choice.

You should have all the elements of every figure memorized for both the leader and the follower’s part. You should practice saying these elements aloud while dancing the figure. The quicker you are able to articulate the elements correctly, the higher your grade will be. This takes a great deal of memorization and practice. It is not enough just to be able to dance the patterns although this is also important. You must be able to demonstrate the elements in isolation, for both the leader and the follower’s parts.

The following definitions of types of leads may help you in this portion of the exam.

Weight Change – The tone in the frame and body allows the leader to convey each step through each weight change.

1. Physical – The arm is used through contraction and extension to communicate to the follower.
2. Shape – The leader uses the shape of the body and arms to communicate the lead to the follower.
3. Visual – The Leader will indicate the lead by gesturing with the body, arms, or eye contact without actual physical contact with the follower.

Note: Your verbal response in the theoretical portion of the exam should be limited to the response required for demonstrating the element asked for. For example, if you are asked to demonstrate the Alignment for the Leader in the Two Way Underarm Turn for the American Style Waltz, you would fully demonstrate the entire figure, however your verbal response should be:

General teaching questions section (Part C), you will be asked specific questions about music, how to teach certain elements (frame, etc.) to students, and will be asked to conduct certain aspects of a group class. This will enable the examiner to evaluate your general teaching skills. Be sure you know how to start a group class to music for each dance.

Overall presentation (Part D) Finally, you will receive a grade for your overall presentation, which will encompass your poise, demeanor, vocal projection, and clarity throughout the exam.