Press Release Summary = A few points to look out for when watching Ice Dancing.
Press Release Body = Are You Mystified when Watching Ice Dancing? Perhaps these few facts will help.
The earliest known pair of skates dates to approximately 3000BC. They were discovered at the bottom of a lake in Switzerland. In fourteenth century Holland people made wooden platform with flat iron runners underneath. The first all iron skate which attached to a boot was invented by E.W. Bushill in 1848.
Originally skating was an aid to getting around in winter. Ice skating only became a sport in the eighteenth century. It gives an extremely good cardio-vascular workout. Ice dancing originated in Vienna at the end of the nineteenth century. Ice dancing is a form of figure skating with roots in ballroom dancing. It is always danced by a man and a woman. Like in pair skating two people skate together though there are significant differences between the two. Ice dancers unlike in pairs do not perform jumps or spins and the type of lifts is restricted. For example overhead lifts and throw jumps are not allowed. The emphasis with ice dance is on aesthetic rather than the athletic element. To maintain the feeling of dance limits are placed on the amount of time partners can be separated from each other and how far apart they can be.
Another distinguishing factor between ice dance and other categories is the use of music during a performance. The dancers must skate to music that has a definite beat or rhythm. This is unlike singles and pair skaters who often move to the melody and phrasing of their music rather than its beat. This would be heavily penalized in ice dance.
Competitions have three parts: - a compulsory dance, an original dance, and a free skate. The compulsories have fixed patterns and steps and have the strongest connection to the ballroom tradition. All compulsories are performed to standard music and each couple performs exactly the same routine. "Togetherness" and technical ability are important. Compulsory dances can include the Rumba, Polka and Waltz.
In the original dance the competitors choose their own music. Closed partnering positions and close contact are also important. One skate must be on the ice at all times.
Competitors in the free dance can choose their own rhythms, programme themes and music. The emphasis is on creativity and originality. The programme must include step sequences, lifts, dance spins and multi-rotation turns. There is also usually a slower section allowing for a change of mood. There are also more lifts than in the other categories. In the free dance both performers must keep their skates on the ice at all times except during lifts.
The vote swapping at the 2002 Olympic Games figure skating competition led to new rules. The old six point system has been replaced by one in which a performance is awarded points for a technical score as well as for other elements. Voting is now anonymous.
I hope that these few facts will increase your enjoyment while watching ice dancing competitions.
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2022
