(a mix of two types or a variation in direction of one type)Īll the best Ice Dancers aim for Level 4 lifts at this level. Why a time limit? Because it is much harder to get your levels (we will get into that) and hold many different positions in a shorter period of time.Ī short lift is maximum 7 seconds. Depth of the edges, glide and speed are the name of the game.Įverybody loves lifts! They can't lift their partner over their head and they must perform it in under the time limit. If they skate flat (No body angle/both edges), off beat, on or on the wrong edge, there are huge deductions. Winners of the Grand PrixĪmerican Champions Madison Hubbell and Zachary Donahue who won bronze for the Short Dance in the Grand Prix Final Skated by Gabriella Papadakis and Guillaume Cizeron of France. Skated by Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir of Canada they are reining World Champions, such deep edges here! Here are the best pairs doing this years RUMBA pattern. I've edited down the list.ģ shorts lifts OR 1 short and a combo lift (all must be different types)Ģ Step sequences while holding eachother (1 Type A, 1 Type B)ġ Choreographic Element (Spinning or Twizzling movement)Įveryone must include the same dance and be judge on it in the Short Dance. No candy man here! You must skate on the beat, not just to the melody.
Being cheesy is literally against the rules. It says in the rules not like a pairs or ice show. Huge emphasis on the tone of the music and performance. Judges ban or limit certain kinds of elements(step sequences where they stop moving, or stop touching) and repetitions, the rest is up to the team to pick the music, choreography and elements that will score them the most points. Maximum 1 stop allowed, no loops allowed. The judges pick the type of music (this year is latin), they also pick the beat, you must doĪ mandatory dance pattern (this year it's RUMBA) This requires immense leg and core strength and takes years to perfect. Unlike speed skaters, they must keep their upper bodies upright, no crouching! This is called carriage. In ice dance the skater must perform this deep lean and hold edges on either side of the blade depending on the steps. They have to lean their entire bodies in order to maintain speed, in order to maintain the glide on the edge of their blade. If you need a visual on edges, look no further than Speed Skating!! In this video of a race notice how all the skaters have bent knees, but when shown from head on, their ankles, calves, knees, the entire leg all aligned. You must align and lean your entire leg and body to properly hold an edge. The inside edge your leg and an outside edge is the part outside of your leg. They are experts at edgework.įirst, What are edges? Skating blades are shaped like an upside down U. Think of ice dance as speed skating with many intricate steps, turns, spins and lifts. Rare is the single or pair skater with the skill to perform ice dance. True skill comes from marrying all the technical limitations, executing them flawlessly, and weaving them seamlessly into an artistically compelling program. I invite anyone who is a fan of Ice Dance to contribute, correct and comment on this! I'm not an expert, I just love ice dance! The more the merrier! I thought I'd start an intro guide to understanding Ice Dance for anyone who's interested in watching the upcoming event, but doesn't understand how it's scored, or how the sport works.