Our people

Former Director and President of the IDTA. Honorary President of the British Dance Council 2009 - Present. President of the Council and Chairman of the Board of Directors 2004 - 2009. Vice-President, World Dance & Dance Sport Council 1999 - 2003. World, European and British Amateur Champion. British Team Captain 1979 -1991.

Lyndon is a member in the Ballroom and Latin branches, a member of the Executive Council (now the Board of Directors), and Honorary Treasurer & Company Secretary of the IDTA. He also served as a delegate to the British Dance Council and as founder and Hon, secretary of its Teachers' Committee, is on the Council for Dance Education and Training, and the Central Council of Physical Recreation (now the Sports and Recreation Alliance).

He is an acknowledged expert in the Performing and Phonographic Rights involved in playing music in public. For over 50 years he has contributed articles to dance magazines such as Dance Teacher (now Dance International), Ballroom Dancing Times (now Dance Today), and Dance Expression. Wainwright has also written articles for the Daily Mirror.

The dance profession has honoured Lyndon for his services to dance. In 1996 and 1999 he received the Carl Alan Award in 1998 the Classique de Danse, in 2000 the President's Award of the Ballroom Dancers' Federation, and in 2005 the Distinguished Service Award of the IDTA.

Lyndon's career includes working as a metrologist, ballroom dancer and author. He worked at the National Physical Laboratory during World War II and is a former Chairman of the British Engineering Metrology Association. After the war, he was a leading exhibition dancer, and one of a small group of experts who introduced Latin American dance to Britain. Lyndon has written nine books on ballroom dancing. Lyndon is also a member of the British Ring of the International Brotherhood of Magicians.

Lyndon has appeared on the BBC taking part in the television documentary Last Man at the Palais, screened on Christmas Eve 2007, dealing with the history of the Hammersmith Palais which opened in 1919 as a dance hall and entertainment venue and finally closed in 2007. With a fellow professional Lynda King, Lyndon danced a waltz, which was the last dance shown on the program. Lyndon was also interviewed by Len Goodman for his BBC programme Len Goodman's Dancing Feet: the British Ballroom Story, first screened in 2012.

George was first elected to the Executive Council in 1978 and has served continually since on what has now become the Board of Directors. He controls, with his wife, Pat, the running of the Thompson Dance Centre in Maghull, near Liverpool, together with full and part time staff numbering, between ten and twelve people. Over the last 40 or so years they have trained many thousands of medallists and professionals through the school.

George started his business career by training and dealing in the London Stock Exchange and later moved north to become northern agent for the sale of the merchandise of three large manufacturing companies, during which time George and Pat had a distinguished competitive career, winning the British Open, World, European and many other major amateur and professional titles. When they eventually retired from competing George gave up all his business connections to concentrate on the dancing profession.

Involved as he is with a great deal of international work, during his Presidency in 1997/98 he established the Publicity Committee to promote IDTA at home and abroad. In July 2002 George was appointed Financial Director and chairman of the Finance and General Purposes Committee. He is also a delegate to the British Dance Council and World Dance Council. Having originally qualified only with the IDTA, he is a devout worker for the future success of the Association and considers loyalty and reliability to the service of members a number one priority for all Directors.

Member of the IDTA Ballroom Branch since 1959 and a member of the IDTA Board of Examiners, Keith Holmes ran a successful dance school with his wife Margaret in St Helens, Merseyside, for over 50 years. In 1992, he was appointed to the IDTA Board of Directors and took over as Company Secretary and Chief Executive in 2002. In 2011, the Association was recgonised by Ofqual and the Welsh Government and then Keith's role expanded to include the role of Responsible Officer.

Over the years, Liz's role at the IDTA has changed but the key areas of her focus remain the Association's two annual national conferences, examiner appointment and training, the Dance International magazine and publications and supporting the Chief Executive, Board of Directors and sub-committees. Since the Association's recognition by Ofqual and the Welsh Government in 2011, Liz has taken on the role of Quality Assurance Manager, working closely with the IDTA's regulatory consultant, Rachael Meech.

Elaine is responsible for all aspects of the examination process, working closely with her team in the Examinations, Invoicing and Awards departments. In particular, Elaine works closely with our members outside the UK to assist them with the examination sessions and organises the travel arrangements for our Examiners. Elaine is reponsible for stock control and the ordering of the thousands of awards offered by the IDTA. Elaine deals with any queries regading examinations and membership and works with all the IDTA staff. She helped plan and design the IDTA's bespoke membership computer system with our consultant programmer, David Cooke.