History of the International Dancesport Federation

History Of International Organized DanceSport
In 1996 Werner J. Braun (at this time IDSF Press Commissioner, stepped back in 2000) wrote this summary of the origin of the International DanceSport Federation, IDSF,. Rudi Hubert (at this time IDSF General Secretary, stepped back in 2000) gave Braun a lot of information regarding this matter. IDSF Communications Director Dr. Johannes Biba saved this paper and published it again onto the website of IDSF:

In case you have the idea to write a report on the history of the International Dance Sport Federation IDSF, you need to apply to sources which for decades have dealt closely with this matter and have the so called insider wisdom. IDSF General Secretary Rudi Hubert immediately agreed to help me in this respect. With this he could refer to his comprehensive registration but as well to material which our unforgettable DTV registrar Archin Schaefer had collected during a long period of his life. On this basis I could combine and make up the following history.

History
There already had been early competitive encounters on the floors of several countries prior to the FirstWorld War, for instance big events in cities like Paris, Berlin and Baden-Baden. However like competitions early in "the Thirties" they were more of private nature, because no international organisations existed at that time for either professionals or amateurs.

It was from 1930 onwards, when the "English Style" started to take hold of the Continent, International matches occurred more frequently, since now there already was a generally valid standard and style of competition dancing.

As early 1932, the German Amateur Association: "Reichsverband zur Pflege des Gesellschaftstanzes, RPG" (=Empire Association for the Promotion of Social Dancing) - as it was called at that time, urged the English to found an International Amateur Organisation. Unfortunately their endeavors proved to be unsuccessful and it took another three years before - on December 10th, 1935 - the first International Amateur Association was finally founded in Prague under the name "Federation Intrnationale de Dance pour Amateurs, FIDA" (=International Amateur Dancers Federation). Founder members were the national associations of Austria, Czechoslovakia, Denmark, England, France, Germany, Holland, Switzerland and Yugoslavia. It was not before long that the associations of the Baltic States, as well as Belgium, Canada, Italy and Norway followed. The Austrian Franz Buechler of Graz was elected as the first president of the new Federation.

Straight away FIDA became very active and in close co-operation with the German Association RPG it was possible - just prior to the 1936 Olympic Games in Berlin to hold the first official World Championship at Bad Nauheim (Germany). The event was organised according to international rules and attended by participants from 15 countries of 3 continents. Subsequently all international competitions were now granted and controlled by FIDA until outbreak of the Second World War in 1939. With this tragedy immediately all international activities came to an end.

Not before five years after the end of this horrible war, the dancers made an other attempt. It was on the occasion of the European Championship in Velden (Austria) on July 30th, 1950, when a group of progressive dancers tried to revive FIDA. But the success hoped for could not be realised. In England the Professionals were more successful. On September 21st, 1950, the "International Council of Ballroom Dancing, ICBD", was founded in Edinburgh/Scotland at the instigation of Philip Richardson and became the first international professional dance organisation. Initially it consisted of nine European and three overseas members.