Ice dancing

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The Olympic sport of ice dancing is one of the four disciplines of figure skating . An ice dance couple consists of a woman and a man. Ice dancing is based on the fundamentals of stepping technique, which are presented precisely, quickly and in adaptation to the music, both dance and acrobatic. Ice dancing is often viewed as the most technically difficult and detailed type of figure skating. The aim of the extensive rules of ice dancing is to show the roots of ice dancing in parquet dancing. However, in recent years the rules have been relaxed for the purpose of further development.

history

Dancing on ice developed at the end of the 19th century with the “Viennese School” of figure skating . After the founding of the Vienna Ice Skating Club on February 7, 1867, ice skating became a popular recreational sport in Vienna. In particular, the performances of the American ballet dancer and figure skater Jackson Haines on the square of the Vienna Ice Skating Club in 1868 quickly contributed to its popularity. His transfer of the Viennese waltz and other dances onto the ice delighted the Viennese audience. Based on the popular dance events at the time, costume parties and “cotillons” (dance games) were held on the ice. “The first place among this type of amusement is undisputedly taken by the costume festivals of the Vienna Ice Skating Club, not just because Vienna has the most experience through its famous costume balls…. At these costume festivals, specially rehearsed productions in the form of cotillons or other dances, a large selection of which are practiced on the ice in Vienna ... take place. "

Over time, so-called “dance parades” on the ice became an integral part of Viennese social life. They were held regularly at certain times of the day with a military band playing dance music. “At 3 o'clock in the afternoon there is another change of scene. The hour of the afternoon corso has struck. Equipage to equipage, rental car to rental car drives up to the portal of the association, it is the hour at which the "society" visits the square. When the popular Kapellmeister Komzäk with his incomparable military band lets out his ravishing dance styles, the "Big Circle" forms in front of the central stand and everything that has fresh blood in its veins arranges itself to dance. "

While figure skating for women and men and pair skating were established as competitive sports, ice dancing remained a purely social pleasure until the 1920s. It was practiced in a dance circle delimited with strings during the normal course of the audience to the music. The first competitions in ice dancing were held from 1924. At the same time, the Austrian Ice Skating Association issued its own regulations for ice dancing competitions. At the request of the Austrian Ice Skating Association, international competition rules were introduced in 1929. The first events met with little enthusiasm: “You should therefore continue to regard the dance on the ice as a wonderful pleasure, but refuse to direct it into sporty paths. For a sport, ice dancing is too little capable of development, the concept of round dancing is too limited. "

It was not until the 1930s that ice dancing developed into an established competitive sport. This development started mainly in Great Britain, where most of the compulsory dances were created. The International Skating Union held the first world championship in ice dancing in Paris in 1952. It became the Olympic competition in Innsbruck in 1976 . The original form of ice dancing has been preserved in Vienna and is now known as round dancing . In addition, round dancing is still practiced in Munich by a small group of dancers. In October 2018, UNESCO added round dancing on ice to the Austrian register of intangible cultural heritage .

Components

International ice dance competitions consisted of three parts

• the duty dance (engl. compulsory dance ) - dancing with exactly prescribed steps, and track images ,
• the original dance (engl. original dance ) - with on the required rhythm,
• the Free Dance (Engl. free dance ).

The compulsory dance was abolished at a congress of the International Skating Union (ISU) in Barcelona in 2010. After the 2010 World Cup in Turin, ice dancing only consists of two parts, a short dance and a freestyle.

The Interpretationskürtanz (Engl. Interpretive dance free ) with various Eistanzelementen emphasizes more the harmony of Eistänzers with the music and artistic expression as the showing of technical difficulties. This discipline is not part of regular competitions such as European Championship, World Cup or Olympic Games.

Basic rules

For special rules, see the respective sub-discipline (compulsory, original, free dance) .

• The ice dance couple must run according to the rhythm, but not just according to the music melody.
• Clean edges and difficult footwork, which reflect the skating skill, difficulty, variety and originality, must be shown by both partners.
• Both partners must have at least one skate on the ice at all times. However, lifts can be performed in compulsory / original / freestyle dance in which one or both partners stand with both feet on the ice. However, these lifts must not last longer than five seconds. (The number of lifts allowed is regulated specifically for each dance.)
• The partners must not let go of each other, with the exception of changes of posture or longitudinal strides. A change of posture must be carried out within one musical measure.
• The separation of the partners at the beginning and / or at the end of the dance must not be longer than 10 seconds and any further separation during the dance must not be more than two arm-lengths apart and temporally not longer than five seconds.
• A stop involving body and / or leg movements must not take longer than 5 seconds.
• The technical difficulty must guarantee that the competitive nature of the performance outweighs that of the show. This is measured by the evaluation grades, which are made up of the TES (Technical Element Score) and the PCS (Program Component Score). At the TES, a judge adds up the points for the elements shown. In the PCS, the judges grade the skills in ice skating (skating skills), implementation of music in dance (interpretation), consistency of movement and music (timing) and the overall ability in the presentation (performance). A strong overweight of the TES or PCS is a sign of an unbalanced program or a lack of ability of the couple and is therefore almost impossible, but not impossible.

• The following is not allowed:
  • staying in one spot for more than 10 seconds;
  • sitting or lying on the ice;
  • pulling or pushing your partner's foot or shoe;
  • skating on the ice with one hand (or both hands);
  • new: to lift the partner so that the head is pointing down and the legs are spread.

Note : It is possible, however, that the IDTC (ISU Eistanz Technikkommission) allows some elements (for one season) that have not been allowed until now.

Basic terms and technical terms

axis

• Longitudinal axis (engl. Long axis ) is a straight line that divides the ice into two halves in the longitudinal direction.
• Short axis (engl. Short axis ) is a straight line that divides the ice in half across.
• Endless axis (engl. Continuous axis ) is a virtual line which passes around the ice rink. It serves as the basis for the dance pattern. Usually the endless axis consists of two lines that are roughly midway between the longitudinal axis and the sides of the ice surface parallel to the longitudinal axis. These lines are connected by a semicircle at each end of the ice surface. The semicircles are flattened in some dances. In circular dances , such as B. Kilian, the endless axis has approximately a circular line shape. With the Paso Doble this line has an oval shape.
• Transverse axis (engl. Transverse axis ) is a virtual line connecting the axis of the endless dance in the right angle cuts.

Track images

The trace image of the ice dancing is the "drawing" that arises when performing a certain dance on the ice.

• Track Dance (Engl. Set pattern dance ) is a dance in which the location, direction, and the curves are constructed graphically and will run on all edges. This graphical representation must be followed as closely as possible.
• Dance with the recommended lane image (Engl. Optional pattern dance ) is a dance that can be modified for the track image of the Eistänzern. The original sequence of steps, position and timing must, however, be retained. Each repetition of the modified trace image must be carried out in the same way and the repetitions must be as congruent as possible.
• an edge dance (engl. rim / edge / border dance ) is a dance, the step sequence requires a shorter or longer line than that corresponding to the periphery of the ice surface. The sequence of repetitions therefore does not begin at the original starting point of the dance.
• Semicircle ( lobe ) is any sequence of steps on one side of the endless axis that is roughly semicircular.

Introductory steps and step sequences

• All compulsory dances can be started with recommended introductory steps.
• The first step after the introductory steps is called the start. The judge can determine the approximate position at which a dance must begin with this step.
• A sequence of steps means
  • a prescribed sequence of steps which is an element of the compulsory dance track image or parts thereof;
  • a prescribed or non-prescribed sequence of steps in the original dance, free dance or interpretive free dance.

Attitudes

1. Hand-in-hand attitude (engl. Hand-in-hand Hold ) A distinction between conversations in the same direction (side by side or one behind the other) and postures in the opposite direction (a partner is running backwards, the other forward, the arms laterally stretched).

• The direction of both partners is the same . They run side by side or one behind the other with stretched arms and hand in hand. This posture is undesirable in the original and freestyle dance. A variation on this posture - walking side by side - is acceptable.
• Opposite perspective of both partners . The partners look at each other while one walks forwards and the other backwards, arms extended to the sides. A variation of this posture is that the partners walk back to back, i.e. not look at each other (e.g. Cha Cha Congelado). The use of this posture in the original and / or free dance with arms extended to each other is usually not allowed.

2. Closed or Waltz attitude (Engl. Closed or hold Waltz ) The partners are over. One runs forward and the other backwards at the same time. The right hand of the gentleman is placed firmly on his partner's shoulder blade, the arm is bent and the elbow is raised so that both partners run close to each other. The lady's left hand is on the partner's shoulder, while her arm rests comfortably on the partner's right arm (elbow to elbow). The gentleman's left hand and the lady's right hand are loosely stretched at shoulder height.

3. Opened or Foxtrotthaltung (engl. Open or hold Foxtrot ) arm and hand are the same as in the rolled attitude, on the other hand, the partners turn slightly from each other so that they can run in the same direction.

4. External or Tango attitude (Engl. Outside or tango hold ) The partners are facing. One runs forward and the other backwards at the same time. In contrast to waltzing, they run hip-to-hip, the gentleman is either to the left or to the right of the lady. Fixed hip-to-hip position is undesirable as it restricts the flow of movement.

5. Kilian attitude (Engl. Kilian hold ) The partners run in the same direction, the lady is on the right side of the Lord. The gentleman's right shoulder is behind the lady's left shoulder. The stretched left arm of the lady is in front of the gentleman and holds his left hand. The right hand of the gentleman is behind the back of the woman and holds her right hand and both hands are on the hips at waist level. This pose can also be performed the other way around (lady on the left). Other variations of the Kilian posture are

• Kilian open attitude (engl. open Kilian hold ), the left hand of the Lord holds the left hand of the woman, his right hand rests on the left hip women or behind her back. The right women's arm is stretched. This variation can also be carried out in reverse.
• Crossed Kilian attitude (engl. crossed Kilian hold ), the right arm of the lady is stretched before the Lord and holds his left hand. The right arm of the gentleman is stretched out in front of the lady and holds her left hand in front of her right hip.

6. Promenade (English Promenade ) is an open posture in which the couple walks synchronously or mirrored. This posture is derived from a forward movement similar to some parquet dances.

• 

  Clover Zatzman and Aurimas Radisauskas in reverse foxtrot stance.

• 

  Meryl Davis and Charlie White in an open position.

• 

  Diane Towler and Bernard Ford in Kilian pose.

Musical definitions

• the Beat (engl. Beat ) is a so-called "heavy" emphasis defined, the recurring parts of a piece of music.
• the tempo (engl. tempo ), the music speed; ie the number of cycles per minute
• the rhythm (Engl. rhythm ) is a regularly recurring sequence of accented and unakzentuierter bars that give the music its character.
• the measure ( bar ) is a musical unit that is determined by the recurring accent. All units are the same length.

Compulsory dance

A compulsory dance is ice skating according to the prescribed patterns of ice dancing in harmony with prescribed music, rhythm and tempo.

Order of the dances

1. Fourteenstep	13. Yankee Polka
2. Foxtrot	14. Quickstep
3. Rocker Foxtrot	15. Paso Doble
4. European waltz	16. a) Rumba
5. American waltz	16. b) Rumba D'Amour
6. Westminster Waltz	17. Cha-Cha Congelado
7th Viennese waltz	18. Silver Samba
8. Austrian Waltz	19. Tango
9. Starlight Waltz	20. Argentine tango
10. Ravensburg Waltz	21. Romantic tango
11. Golden Waltz	22. a) Blues
12. Kilian	22. b) Midnight blues

Kati Winkler and René Lohse , here at the midnight blues at the 2004 World Figure Skating Championships in Dortmund

• During the compulsory dances you have to watch the precision . Steps, dance postures, and prescribed beats for each element must be shown in accordance with the rules.
• If the basic rule is followed, it is possible for the ice dancing couple to show their own style . This is usually achieved through various arm and / or leg movements.
• The position of the individual movements must correspond to the dance pattern, the ice surface must be used as much as possible. Dance postures should be upright, but not stiff, and all movements should be effortless and fluid.
• All step sequences must be exactly compatible with the music rhythm (so-called timing ) so that all steps can be shown uninterruptedly as if from a flow.
• The ice dancing couple should run as close to each other as possible. All movements, position and posture changes must be carried out harmoniously and without apparent effort. The gentleman should show his ability to lead and the lady her ability to follow.
• Overall, the special character of each compulsory dance should be expressed.

Original dance

see note

An original dance must correspond to the prescribed dance rhythm and should represent step and movement art together with movement flow and edge run. The music and dance design are freely selectable, but must correspond to the given rhythm.

• Rhythm / rhythms, permitted tempo expansion, duration, technical elements and other changes are published annually by the ISU Ice Dance Technic Committee (IDTC) for two seasons in advance.

Dance postures, arm movements, claps, and similar movements that emphasize the music are not limited. Holding hands with straight arms is not allowed.

Required elements that must be shown in the performance:

• a maximum of 2 different ice dance lifts *
• an ice dance pirouette *
• a circular or diagonal step sequence *
• a longitudinal step sequence carried out side by side *

* Specific instructions for required elements are published by the ISU.

Prohibited elements / movements

The following elements and movements are not permitted unless otherwise stated in an ISU communication.

• acrobatic lifts
  • to sit / lie on the partner's head;
  • sitting / standing on partner's shoulders, back, or shoe;
  • to sit / stand on the partner's leg ;
  • in which the partner holds the partner by the hand or by the legs and turns around in the air (sling elements)
  • new: it is not allowed to lift the partner so that the head is pointing down and the legs are spread.
• Lifts that do not correspond to the permitted duration
• Jumps with more than 1½ turns
• kneel on both knees or strut on the ice (only 2005/2006 season)
• sitting or lying on the ice;
• skating on the ice with one hand (or both hands); (only season 2005/2006)

Free dance

The freestyle dance is a program that is creatively designed from dance steps and dance movements and represents the musical character. The music can be freely selected, it can also be sung, but it must have a clear rhythm and a clear melody or only rhythmic phases without a melody. It is also possible to express a specific topic.

• In addition to the required elements, special lifts and pirouettes are published by the IDTC every year.

The duration of a free dance is 4 minutes for seniors and 3 minutes for juniors. This period may not be exceeded or undercut by more than 10 seconds.

• The freestyle dance must contain a combination of new or known dance steps and movements, including the required elements. Step sequences must be integrated into the program so that the couple's good skating technique and creativity are shown in the concept, the arrangement and the artistic expression.

The freestyle dance may not have the character of a pair skating freestyle or a show dance.

Well Balanced Program

see note

A well-balanced senior program must include the following required elements:

• at most five four different elevations
• a maximum of two 1 or ** 2 different ice dance pirouettes
• two 1 or ** 2 different step sequences (lifts, jumps, stops, dance pirouettes and turns must not be included in a step sequence unless they are permitted by the IDTC)
  • Circular step sequence - using the full width and short axes of the ice surface
  • Diagonal step sequence - diagonal to the ice surface, using the entire diagonal as far as possible
  • Longitudinal step sequence - using the complete central axis
  • Serpentine steps
• two 1 or ** 2 sets of different Twizzle

new ** It is up to the couple whether they show only one type of dance pirouette or two different synchronous twizzles or only one synchronous twizzle and 2 different types of dance pirouettes.

Prohibited elements / movements

The following elements and movements are not permitted unless otherwise stated in an ISU communication.

• acrobatic lifts
  • to sit / lie on the partner's head;
  • sitting / standing on partner's shoulders, back, or shoe;
  • to sit / stand on the partner's leg ;
  • in which the partner holds the partner by the hand or legs and rotates around them in the air (slingshot elements)
  • new: it is not allowed to lift the partner so that the head is pointing down and the legs are spread.
• Lifts that do not correspond to the permitted duration
• Jumps with more than one turn or jumps with one turn that are performed by the partners at the same time;
• kneel on both knees on the ice;
• lie on the ice.

Stand on the ice

Interpretation

Interpretation freestyle is ice skating by a couple who conduct their own program. The program has no required elements and movements and represents the character of a freely chosen music, idea or topic. It must not be a free dance that was composed for international or ISU competitions.

• The duration of an interpretation freestyle is 3 minutes and 45 seconds plus minus 15 seconds.
• The choice of dance elements is free, with the exception of pair skating elements (with the exception of spirals, pirouettes and step sequences), which are not permitted. However, it is allowed to carry out a maximum of 7 dance exercises, for which the duration is not limited.
• The dance theme has to come from the figure skating and the freestyle quality, not from the non-figure skating elements and movements.
• Props that are held in the hand, placed on the head or attached to the costume are allowed.

2008/2009 season

Compulsory dance

The following compulsory dances have been announced for the 2008/2009 season:

Juniors	Seniors
Starlight waltz	Finnstep
Paso Doble	Viennese waltz
	Paso Doble

Original dance

The following rhythm of the original dance for juniors and seniors and for all competitions has been announced for the 2008/2009 season:

Golden 20th's

Two or three different rhythms can be selected from the following groups:

• Group 1: Cha-Cha-Cha , Rumba , Samba
• Group 2: only one (1) from mambo , merengue or salsa

A rhythm from each group can be repeated once.

• It is not necessary to select a rhythm from group 2, but only one rhythm from this group may be selected.

( An example: Cha Cha, Rumba, Samba OR Cha Cha, Rumba, Mambo OR Cha Cha, Rumba, Cha Cha OR Cha Cha, Rumba OR Mambo, Rumba OR Mambo, Rumba, Mambo BUT NOT Cha Cha, Mambo and Merengue.)

• Vocal music is allowed.
• Duration: 2 minutes and 30 seconds (plus or minus 10 seconds)
• For the Latin combination, the lady is allowed to wear pants.

The following required elements must be integrated:

• a maximum of 2 different ice dance lifts from the so-called short lifts - duration up to 6 seconds
  • Stand lifting
  • Straight line elevation
  • Circle elevation
  • Rotary lifting
  • The following are not allowed during a lift :
    • lift the partner so that the head is pointing down and the legs are spread;
    • to sit / lie on the partner's head;
    • sitting / standing on partner's shoulders, back, or shoe;
    • standing on the partner's leg;
    • in which the partner holds the partner by the hand or the legs and turns around in the air (sling elements).
• at most one ice dance pirouette (or combination )
• 2 steps
  • Diagonal step sequence - any dance posture is permitted, including hand-in-hand postures
  • Longitudinal step sequence (next to each other - without touching) - with intricate footwork and two successive Twizzles,
    • During both step sequences, lifts, pirouettes, jumps with more than ½ turn and stops are not allowed . Small jumps (without turning) and a few toe steps are allowed.

Free dance

The following elements are required for a well-balanced senior freestyle dance program :

• a maximum of 4 different ice dance lifts from the following list; two of them with a maximum duration of 10 seconds

Lifts up to 6 seconds	Lifts up to 10 seconds
Stand lifting	Serpentine elevation
Gradeline elevation	Twisted turning lift
Circle elevation	Lift combination
Rotary lifting

Isabelle Delobel and Olivier Schoenfelder , doing an ice dance pirouette at the freestyle at the 2004 World Championships in Dortmund

• 2 different steps
• Pirouettes and twizzles
  • 1 possibility : a maximum of 2 different ice dance pirouettes and 1 set of synchronous twizzles
  • 2 possibilities : a maximum of 1 ice dance pirouette and 2 different sets of synchronous twizzles
    • Both partners must perform at least 3 full turns during the pirouettes, a foot change must take place in a pirouette combination - the foot change must not take more than ½ turn and the further pirouette must also have 3 turns
    • There can be a maximum of 3 steps between the twizzles

2006/2007 season

Compulsory dance

The following compulsory dances have been announced for the 2006/2007 season:

Juniors	Seniors
# 9 starlight waltz	# 6 Westminster Waltz
# 18 Silver samba	# 11 Golden waltz
# 22b midnight blues	# 16a rumba

Original dance

For the 2006/2007 season the following rhythm of the original dance for juniors and seniors and for all competitions has been announced:

tango

Each of the 3 tangotypes (Tango, Argentine Tango, Romantic Tango) can be chosen with up to 3 different tango pieces, one of which can be repeated.

• Vocal music is allowed.
• Duration: 2 minutes and 30 seconds (plus or minus 10 seconds)

annotation

The ISU changes the previous special rules of ice dancing (2004) as follows:

• Original and freestyle dance - approval of some previously forbidden facts, some of them only for the following season 2005/2006 (was crossed out) and a new ban ("new")
• Well Balanced Program - number of elements has been modified

See also

• ISU scoring system for figure skating and ice dancing

Sources and web links

Commons : Ice Dancing  - Collection of images, videos, and audio files

• Rules of the International Ice Skating Union (PDF)
• ice-dance.com - sample pictures of the compulsory dances , evaluation and much more (English)

Individual evidence

1. ^ Charles v. Korper, Max Wirth, Demeter Diamantidi: Traces on the Ice - The Development of Ice Skating on the Track of the Vienna Ice Skating Club . 1st edition. Vienna 1881, p. 81 .
2. ↑ Allgemeine Sportzeitung, January 19, 1890, p. 76.
3. ↑ Otto Bohatsch, Sport im Wiener Eislaufverein, Vienna, December 21, 1928, p. 1.
4. ↑ focus.de
5. ↑ mz-web.de
6. ↑ Communication No. 1318 ( English ) INTERNATIONAL SKATING UNION. Archived from the original on September 30, 2006. Retrieved March 25, 2019.