About us
UK Equality Dance CouncilAbout us
The United Kingdom Equality Dance Council (UKEDC) was first founded in May 2006, formerly know as the UK Same Sex Dance Council (UKSSDC). The primary aim of the Council is to represent the interests of equality dancers in the UK, as well as their trainers, the adjudicators, and competition organisers on a worldwide basis. This has included setting out the framework of rules for Equality Dance competitions, which are currently adopted by UK competition organisers.
Today, the Council continues its campaign to increase the awareness of, and participation in equality dance competitions. This includes offering a network of advice and providing a directory of all competitions and events.
Download our constitution and bylaws.
Meet the committee
Ansell Chezan
Vice Chair & Acting Chair
Ansell is a Director, Executive Council Member, Fellow and Examiner of UKA dance, and a Life Member of the ISTD and IDTA. He held International Championship Adjudicating Licences with the British Dance Council (BDC), World Dance Council (WDC), and International Dance Organization (IDO). Ansell also holds a BDC Scrutineers Licence. Ansell provides teaching in the London and Essex boarder area in many forms of dance.
Ansell is the UKA representative on the Movement & Dance Division of Sports & Recreation Alliance. He is also their representative on the Dance School Safeguarding Working Group. He is also involved with Inclusive Dance.
Tom Dane
Treasurer & Membership
Tom had his first dance lessons in 1999 while studying in Germany and subsequently competed in waltz for Bristol University. A few years later he discovered the Same-Sex dance scene in London and went on to compete in the Eurogames in Barcelona, Helsinki and Stockholm, the World Outgames in Miami, the World Championships in Paris as well as smaller Same-Sex competitions across Europe.
While he enjoys the challenge of competing, it is the warmth and friendliness of the Same-Sex scene that keeps him dancing and he has made many friends as a result.
Tom is a qualified chartered accountant.
Roswitha Wetschka
General Committee Member
Roswitha is a Fellow dance teacher of the ISTD, Director of London Dance Studio in West London and the host of the Sapphires Women’s Latin & Ballroom Night in London. She has been one of the founding members of a women’s dance club in Vienna since the 1990s, and then of the ESSDA in 2007 and was the ESSDA Female Co-President in the early years.
She has been the head of the organising team of the Vienna Dance Contest for 15 years, a popular same-sex dance competition.
Marius Stankiewicz
General Committee Member
Mariusz has a Fellowship qualification within the prestigious Imperial Society of Teachers of Dancing (ISTD).
Mariusz has been involved in Same-Sex dance community for over 12 years providing group classes and private lessons to its members. In 2018 Mariusz decided to start competing and he became Same – Sex Ballroom Vice World Champion at the Game Games in Paris. Later that year he also became first Professional Ballroom male dancer to compete as follower at the British Closed Ballroom Championships in famous Winter Gardens – Blackpool.
Malcolm Hill
General Committee Member
Malcolm started dancing when he was ten years old. He worked his way through the medal test system and started competing, winning and becoming a regular finalist in competitions he attended. He found his passion for teaching at an early age and at 16 decided to start training for his professional qualifications.
Malcolm is Fellow and Examiner of the Imperial Society of Teachers of Dancing (ISTD). He is also the first appointed Head of Faculty Development for Ballroom, Latin American and Sequence for the ISTD.