In 1906 the first Congress of the ISTD was held. These technical schools lasted eight days and were attended by forty-two members. Congresses have been held ever since, with the exception of the war years 1915-1917.

In September 1907 the first issue of "Dance Journal" was published and in 1909 Major Cecil H Taylor succeeded Robert Morris Crompton as President. By 1913 the ISTD consisted of 132 members with a cash balance of £104!

The development of the ISTD was restricted during and after World War One and it wasn't until 1924 that the foundations of the present structure of the ISTD were established by the formation of separate Branches (now Faculties). By 1930 the number of members had passed 2000. 1925 saw a change of name to "The Imperial Society of Teachers of Dancing".

As well as the Operatic and General, new branches were formed to deal with the following techniques: Modern Ballroom Dancing; Classical; Classical Ballet Cecchetti Method; Greek Dance - Ruby Ginner Method; Natural Movement - Madge Atkinson Method. In 1931 the Stage Branch was formed to provide a basic training for all dance and embraced specialist stage techniques. The expansion as a result of this restructuring was immense. By 1935 membership had risen to 3000 and by 1938 reached 4000.

Upon the outbreak of War, the activities of the ISTD were greatly reduced but did not cease. The Dance Journal was suspended, but a quarterly bulletin was published. Subscriptions were reduced and a smaller administrative Council appointed. Restricted examinations, Annual Congresses and General Meetings continued.

In 1945 the ISTD became an Incorporated body. The special licence granted by the Board of Trade was a recognition of the ISTD's stability. On Major Taylor's retirement in 1945 Mr Victor Silvester became Chairman, the administrative status of President having been discontinued on incorporation. In 1953 the Grand Council of the ISTD was formed. This was composed of people eminent in the Arts world.

On his retirement in 1958, Mr Cyril Beaumont became Chairman and the status of President became an honorary one, Mr Silvester being the first elected to that office.

As the profession expanded in the post-war years, it became apparent that the teachers' need for an authoritative and comprehensive syllabus in each technique could be best supplied by the formation of specialist branches (now called Faculties) in each form of dance, and the precedent established in the reorganisation of 1924 was followed by the creation of the remaining branches of the ISTD: Victorian and Sequence Dance Branch, 1948; Latin American Dance Branch, 1951; Historical Dance Branch, 1952; National Dance Branch, 1952 and Scottish Country Dance Branch, 1953. The Disco/Freestyle/Rock 'n' Roll Faculty was formed in 1990. It caters for the forms of social dance suggested by the creative freedom of popular music.

The South Asian Dance Faculty was formed in 1998 and the most recent addition to the ISTD is the Club Dance Faculty (formed in 1999). In 2002 due to the success of the Modern Theatre Faculty it was necessary to split the Faculty into two, creating the Modern Theatre Faculty and the Tap Dance Faculty.

To find out more about the history of the ISTD, why not take a look at the commemorative book 100 Years of Dance>>

Library

With the present great interest in dance and the need to research the history of a chosen genre for certain examinations, material covering most dance disciplines and the related subjects, together with large sections on anatomy and physiology, child development, diet, injury prevention, and all aspects of teaching, can be found in one place.

Towards the end of 1989, the decision was made to build up the Library to provide a focal point for the members to start their research. Now, there are well over 4,000 volumes on the shelves, from dictionaries and encyclopaedias, to books on myths and legends, liturgical dance, a beautiful section on costumes and their history, folk costumes and festivals, art, music, dance on film, dance in musicals, mime and the theatre. Ballet is divided into history, repertoire, technique, biography and criticism. There is also material on stage design, contemporary dance, national and folk, South Asian dance, Greek, modern and jazz, tap, modern ballroom, Latin and American, sequence, square and line dancing, social and historical dancing and general background reading in Greek and Roman history.

At the moment space does not permit the expansion of the magazine and journal holdings but the wonderful research source of Dancing Times from 1910 until today, and of its sister publication Dance Today, is available, as is, amongst others, the ISTD Journal (now DANCE magazine) from 1907, with a slight break between 1919 and 1924.

Both ISTD members and non-members are welcome to visit but a telephone call for an appointment is necessary, giving your name, day and time of requested visit and an idea of the subject of research. This is to ensure a place and the provision of some materials with which to begin. The Library is open on Mondays and Thursdays, from 10.30am to 3.30pm and Librarian Mollie Webb is looking forward to seeing many more visitors during the coming months. The telephone number is +44(0)20 7377 1577 and the address for ISTD HQ is 22/26 Paul Street, London, EC2A 4QE. For a map, please click here >>>