In competitive ballroom and Latin dancing, a couple no longer needs to consist of individuals of different genders. This decision was made in the spring assembly of the Finnish Dance Sport Federation at the end of May. Finland is now internationally leading the way in this matter.
Simultaneously, the terms used for the dancers forming a dance couple will be updated to “leader” and “follower.” The roles of the leader and follower are freely determined by the couple. This change applies to competitions held under the Finnish Dance Sport Federation and encompasses all levels and competition categories.
The new system brings much-needed equality to dance sport, as all dancers, regardless of their gender identity, now have an equal opportunity to participate in competitions with the partner of their choice. This has already been possible for Rock’n’Swing dances for several years, and now the rules for ballroom and Latin dancing are being brought up to date as well.
Finland leading the way
“We have been waiting for this rule change for many years now, and I’m glad that it has finally been concluded. The working group has put a lot of effort into this,” says Leena Liusvaara, the Chairperson of the Finnish Dance Sport Federation.
“This also provides numerous young girls who are passionate about dancing the opportunity to form partnerships and compete in more than just solo competitions. The rules and dress code specifications may still develop, but it’s important that the traditional partner dance styles of the federation follow the same definitions: leader and follower,” Liusvaara adds.
This rule change applies only to domestic competitions in Finland, not to international competitions organized by the World DanceSport Federation (WDSF). A similar rule change was attempted to be introduced into the WDSF rules even before the COVID-19 pandemic, but the timing was not right for it back then.
Finland is now internationally leading the way in this matter. It will be interesting to see what decisions the international federation will make regarding this in the near future.