What's in a name?

The name Ceroc offers the danceworld a unique conundrum. From its inception Ceroc was the name given both to the dance and the club (which later became a limited company). After over twenty years in business, the term is now recognised worldwide as a dance form in its own right. But this is a double edged sword. Even now the name remains, under trademark, the property of a few individuals. Only the owners and their franchisees are permitted to use the term. Protection of a trademark which is synonymous with an internationally recognised dance is no small task.

The term LeRoc, on the other hand, is free for everyone to use and is the term adopted by the United Kingdom Alliance of Teachers of Dancing (the first professional dance teaching organisation to offer a syllabus in this style). At least one attempt was made to monopolise the term LeRoc but this was unsuccessful as it was already too widely in the public domain.

There are also the terms Modern Jive and French Jive. Though these do not have the same 'cachet' and some consider these terms more insipid - they nevertheless suffice. As new generations take the dance forward (as they undoubtedly will) it will be interesting to see whether all or any of these names prevail or whether a new name will be coined for future decades.