Confused about the new Waltz

[4everchan]

The American Waltz (the one I linked above) is used in novice competition. More likely "intermediate novice" (US intermediate) these days. It specifies 3/4 time, but it's counted in 6. I included it as an example of how the standard expectations of a "slow waltz" do not apply to all dances that fall into the dance category known as waltz.

If you count it in 6, it's not a "waltz". we can see in the video you posted that this is a piece in 6/8. They even talk about how the turns happen on 1 and 4. Typical 6/8 metric of two beats per measure. So the subdivisions are being counter as full beats but you can still hear the compound meter. I understand why you showed up this example and it's great to illustrate that what musicians or even just the normal person who has listened to waltzes before and can identify its typical pattern, will not hear waltzes though in here, but for skating purposes, this is what is called a waltz

So yes, it's okay. Waltzes in skating are not necessarily waltzes . However, in the example you gave, the skating looked like it was truly doing waltz moves with the big sweeping 3 turns and leg extensions. It was beautiful. I am okay with this but I certainly wish that more teams would do a bit better in 1) giving us a waltz beat that we can recognize 2) giving us better characterization of the waltz.

So far, I am confused, disappointed, and cannot get invested in most of the RDs I have seen.

 

[gkelly]

If you count it in 6, it's not a "waltz".

It's not a slow waltz. At 198 beats/minute, it is twice as fast as a typical slow waltz.

It does fall within the category of "Viennese waltz" which does not always have all the characteristics that you claim all waltzes must have.

Are you a ballroom dancer, or just a concert musician?

we can see in the video you posted that this is a piece in 6/8.

And yet the music itself is notated in 3/4

So yes, it's okay. Waltzes in skating are not necessarily waltzes .

They're certainly not all slow waltzes

However, in the example you gave, the skating looked like it was truly doing waltz moves with the big sweeping 3 turns and leg extensions.

And yet the big sweeping three turns by nature require 3 beats on the entry edge and three beats on the exit edge. Waltz threes that obey the 1 2 3 1 2 3 counting do not have that big sweeping look.
E.g.: in the European Waltz, the three turn happens on count 3, as opposed to count 4 in the American Waltz, and then there is an immediate change of foot on the next beat.

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It was beautiful. I am okay with this

This is a STANDARD ice dance that has been around probably for over a century
All teams who skate the American Waltz pattern dance are supposed to skate it that way. It's not a matter of the teams choosing anything.

In this year's junior pattern dance, all teams must skate the steps of the Westminster Waltz, so they will use timing that works with those required steps.
Regardless of how the composer chose to notate it.

 

[4everchan]

It's not a slow waltz. At 198 beats/minute, it is twice as fast as a typical slow waltz.

It does fall within the category of "Viennese waltz" which does not always have all the characteristics that you claim all waltzes must have.

Are you a ballroom dancer, or just a concert musician?

"Just" a concert musician to use your words

I know there are fast waltzes. But they are still with the 3/4 feeling . If you understand compound meter, then you can tell if it's 3/4 or 6/8 just by listening. And sure, people can notate things wrongly. If you tell me that the example you've provided is written in 3/4, then I can tell you it is wrongly written because it is a clear 6/8 pattern. It's not about the speed of the waltz, it's about the downbeat and the lift. Yes, some waltzes are shaped differently but they all have a downbeat and a lift. In the example provided, it doesn't create that feeling.

I'm aware these are set patterns and I still thought they danced it beautifully. I'd prefer seeing this than what has been done this year so far. People relate to what they comprehend. If I'm told that teams must dance a waltz, I expect that. If I don't get it, then, I'm confused
Simple right?

 

[dorispulaski]

This whole discussion reminds me of a famous quote by Nigerian author Chinua Achebe:

Chinua Achebe Quote: “Whatever music you beat on your drum there is somebody who can dance to it.”

“Whatever music you beat on your drum there is somebody who can dance to it.” — Quote by Chinua Achebe

quotefancy.com

Whatever music you beat on your drum there is somebody who can dance to it.”

— Chinua Achebe

 

[Mathman]

Despite @4everchan patient explanations concerning 3/4 and 6/8 timing, I confess I'm just not musically adept enough to follow a lot of the discussion. But I absolutely believe him.

To me, though, a person doesn't have to be a professional musician, music teacher and musicologist to hear the difference.

The 3/4 time signature has three beats per measure. 6/8 has two. Two is not three. Many military marches are written in 6/8 time: One, two, One two, left foot, right foot. Some measures insert a triplet embellishment: One-and-uh two-and-uh, One-and a two-and uh, for a more sprightly feel.

This is 6/8: Jack and Jill went Up the hill to Merrily Merrily Sing. We can imagine soldiers cheerfully hay -footing/ straw-footing along to this rhythm. Waltzing?

Edit: Historical note. During the American Civil War, 1861-1865, (and earlier, in other countries), the armies were recruited from the ranks of unlettered farm boys. The officers had a devil off a time teaching them to march because the recruits didn't know their right foot from their left. So they tied a bundle of straw to one leg and a bundle of hay to the other and barked out the cadence, Hay-foot, Straw-foot, Hay-foot, Straw-foot.

 

[FSFan1999]

So far, I am confused, disappointed, and cannot get invested in most of the RDs I have seen.

Cannot disagree, although not relating to music for me. Music aside, the golden section for most couples include unmatched free legs (begining section some are extending and bending at different times, many have weak free legs on first outside double three), incorrect step execution (e.g. at the end, meant to step wide, bring free foot to standing foot then push back before womans turns and mans long inside edge, which almost everybody is missing), and crazy patterns that just look... wrong... and reduce the edge depth throughout many parts of the dance.

 

[4everchan]

Cannot disagree, although not relating to music for me. Music aside, the golden section for most couples include unmatched free legs (begining section some are extending and bending at different times, many have weak free legs on first outside double three), incorrect step execution (e.g. at the end, meant to step wide, bring free foot to standing foot then push back before womans turns and mans long inside edge, which almost everybody is missing), and crazy patterns that just look... wrong... and reduce the edge depth throughout many parts of the dance.

Well, the skating doesn't help... but the music kills it for me... and the lack of characterization. What's the point of dancing to a waltz pattern if you are not trying to portray and characterize that dance.... it's like doing a tango but not a tango... it wouldn't make any sense.

 

[Mathman]

I confess that I cn see both sides in this discussion. If there is such a thing as a "fast waltz in 6/8 time," I for one look forward to seeing what the skaters and their choreographers can do with it. The dance itself originated as a (somewhat scandalous and vulgar) peasant folk dance long before it moved to the royal ballrooms of Vienna in the eighteenth century and attracted the interest of famed composers.

 

[gkelly]

I confess that I cn see both sides in this discussion. If there is such a thing as a "fast waltz in 6/8 time," I for one look forward to seeing what the skaters and their choreographers can do with it. The dance itself originated as a (somewhat scandalous and vulgar) peasant folk dance long before it moved to the royal ballrooms of Vienna in the eighteenth century and attracted the interest of famed composers.

History of Viennese Waltz (as an off-ice social dance): https://delta.dance/2023/03/colorful-history-of-the-viennese-waltz/ and https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Viennese_waltz

For this year's rhythm dance, the pattern dance portion of the senior RD (Golden Waltz) will need to be ~ 186 beats per minute, which is a quite fast tempo; the junior pattern (Westminster Waltz) will need to be in 162 beats per minute, moderately fast. The tempo could be different for other waltz sections of the dance. I.e., there might be some slow waltz music in these RDs, but most likely not. In addition, there will also need to be another section that is not a waltz.

 

[lariko]

I don't think it's the speed of the music. It's the music itself, what @4everchan explained as OUM-pah-pah (or ONE-two-three, ONE-two-three). If I can't hear the ONE-two-three, it doesn't sound like a waltz and waltzing moves look weird without it to me.

Lol, maybe we should vote a waltz or no-waltz game during the JGP for each program and see how many viewers recognize each presented program as a waltz. Or at least for the top 6.

 

[4everchan]

History of Viennese Waltz (as an off-ice social dance): https://delta.dance/2023/03/colorful-history-of-the-viennese-waltz/ and https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Viennese_waltz

For this year's rhythm dance, the pattern dance portion of the senior RD (Golden Waltz) will need to be ~ 186 beats per minute, which is a quite fast tempo; the junior pattern (Westminster Waltz) will need to be in 162 beats per minute, moderately fast. The tempo could be different for other waltz sections of the dance. I.e., there might be some slow waltz music in these RDs, but most likely not. In addition, there will also need to be another section that is not a waltz.

Since I am not a dancer, can you elaborate about the RPM needed ? Here's why I am asking : 186 beats per minute in eighth notes, like you get in 6/8 is not the same thing as 186 beats per minute in dotted quarter in 6/8 or in quarter in 3/4.
Ultimately, 186 per eighth note is not the same feeling in compound or simple time, even when keeping the same eighth note as the basis.
Is the ISU listing all these variations or they are just giving that number which can mean different things ?
Have they purposely chosen a faster tempo this year ? Are there other years when they chose a slower tempo ? By choosing such a fast tempo, are they conscious that they are most likely not going to get 3/4 waltzes ? Would that be why we get so many weird compound meter waltzes which do not sound like waltzes ?

I will give an example of a waltz in 3/4 which is considered a very fast waltz... I asked AI to give me an example that would be about 186 BPM of Minute Waltz by Chopin.

Here, you have a fast waltz, but in 3/4 where we clearly hear the Oom Pa Pa. However, I doubt most skaters would want to skate to this because I doubt it's conducive to a pattern with all the faster notes in the right hand.
By taking pieces in 6/8, you may think that they are "fast waltz" but since they are using the subdivision of a beat to count as the beats, they are indeed slower waltzes than the one I am sharing. I hope this is clear enough for someone who is not a musician.




I asked AI to give me a 6/8 piece with the same BPM but based on the eighth notes for the infamous 6/8 we are getting this year.


Here is AI's choices and explanation
The Direct Comparison: 186 BPM vs. 186 BPM

Feature	Chopin's Minute Waltz	Mendelssohn's Venetian Boat Song No. 2
Time Signature	3/4 time (Simple triple meter)	6/8 time (Compound duple meter)
What a Beat Is	The Quarter Note	The Eighth Note (as requested)
Metronome Setting	♩ = 186 BPM	♪ = 186 BPM
Clicks Per Measure	3 clicks per measure	6 clicks per measure
Total Beats	Rapid stream of fast quarter-note beats

Why This Comparison Works Perfectly

• Same Metronome Tick, Different Feel: If you set a metronome to 186 BPM, both pieces perfectly match the click. However, in Chopin’s waltz, the click marks the main structural steps of the dance (1-2-3). In Mendelssohn's piece, the click marks every tiny, delicate ripple of water (1-2-3-4-5-6). [1]
• The Subdivided Micro-Beat: Because you are counting the eighth note as the individual beat, Mendelssohn's 186 BPM pulse feels like a steady, flowing heartbeat. It acts as a calm, lyrical backdrop for a beautiful gondolier melody, rather than a frantic sprint. [1]
• Contrasting Left-Hand Patterns: Chopin uses the traditional waltz "oom-pah-pah" layout (a low bass note followed by two higher chords). Mendelssohn uses a rolling, constant wave pattern that repeats across two main pulses per measure. [1, 2]

Now, here is the Mendelssohn's if you want to hear...



So see, you are indeed getting slow "waltzes" in 6/8 and not fast waltzes in 3/4

Actually, this piece is a barcarolle.

 

[4everchan]

I don't think it's the speed of the music. It's the music itself, what @4everchan explained as OUM-pah-pah (or ONE-two-three, ONE-two-three). If I can't hear the ONE-two-three, it doesn't sound like a waltz and waltzing moves look weird without it to me.

Lol, maybe we should vote a waltz or no-waltz game during the JGP for each program and see how many viewers recognize each presented program as a waltz. Or at least for the top 6.

Trust me, writing "not a waltz" all season.

 

[lariko]

Trust me, writing "not a waltz" all season.

I think it will be fun.

 

[lariko]

Since I am not a dancer, can you elaborate about the RPM needed ? Here's why I am asking : 186 beats per minute in eighth notes, like you get in 6/8 is not the same thing as 186 beats per minute in dotted quarter in 6/8 or in quarter in 3/4.
Ultimately, 186 per eighth note is not the same feeling in compound or simple time, even when keeping the same eighth note as the basis.
Is the ISU listing all these variations or they are just giving that number which can mean different things ?
Have they purposely chosen a faster tempo this year ? Are there other years when they chose a slower tempo ? By choosing such a fast tempo, are they conscious that they are most likely not going to get 3/4 waltzes ? Would that be why we get so many weird compound meter waltzes which do not sound like waltzes ?

I will give an example of a waltz in 3/4 which is considered a very fast waltz... I asked AI to give me an example that would be about 186 BPM of Minute Waltz by Chopin.

Here, you have a fast waltz, but in 3/4 where we clearly hear the Oom Pa Pa. However, I doubt most skaters would want to skate to this because I doubt it's conducive to a pattern with all the faster notes in the right hand.
By taking pieces in 6/8, you may think that they are "fast waltz" but since they are using the subdivision of a beat to count as the beats, they are indeed slower waltzes than the one I am sharing. I hope this is clear enough for someone who is not a musician.




I asked AI to give me a 6/8 piece with the same BPM but based on the eighth notes for the infamous 6/8 we are getting this year.


Here is AI's choices and explanation
The Direct Comparison: 186 BPM vs. 186 BPM

Feature	Chopin's Minute Waltz	Mendelssohn's Venetian Boat Song No. 2
Time Signature	3/4 time (Simple triple meter)	6/8 time (Compound duple meter)
What a Beat Is	The Quarter Note	The Eighth Note (as requested)
Metronome Setting	♩ = 186 BPM	♪ = 186 BPM
Clicks Per Measure	3 clicks per measure	6 clicks per measure
Total Beats	Rapid stream of fast quarter-note beats

Why This Comparison Works Perfectly

• Same Metronome Tick, Different Feel: If you set a metronome to 186 BPM, both pieces perfectly match the click. However, in Chopin’s waltz, the click marks the main structural steps of the dance (1-2-3). In Mendelssohn's piece, the click marks every tiny, delicate ripple of water (1-2-3-4-5-6). [1]
• The Subdivided Micro-Beat: Because you are counting the eighth note as the individual beat, Mendelssohn's 186 BPM pulse feels like a steady, flowing heartbeat. It acts as a calm, lyrical backdrop for a beautiful gondolier melody, rather than a frantic sprint. [1]
• Contrasting Left-Hand Patterns: Chopin uses the traditional waltz "oom-pah-pah" layout (a low bass note followed by two higher chords). Mendelssohn uses a rolling, constant wave pattern that repeats across two main pulses per measure. [1, 2]

Now, here is the Mendelssohn's if you want to hear...



So see, you are indeed getting slow "waltzes" in 6/8 and not fast waltzes in 3/4

Actually, this piece is a barcarolle.

Okay, I have t work today, but I am intrigued enough to listen and look up all the unfamiliar words at some point this week. I likely don't have the ear to get it even if I listen closely, but I am this waltz-curious.

 

[Artemisa]

Since I am not a dancer, can you elaborate about the RPM needed ? Here's why I am asking : 186 beats per minute in eighth notes, like you get in 6/8 is not the same thing as 186 beats per minute in dotted quarter in 6/8 or in quarter in 3/4.
Ultimately, 186 per eighth note is not the same feeling in compound or simple time, even when keeping the same eighth note as the basis.
Is the ISU listing all these variations or they are just giving that number which can mean different things ?
Have they purposely chosen a faster tempo this year ? Are there other years when they chose a slower tempo ? By choosing such a fast tempo, are they conscious that they are most likely not going to get 3/4 waltzes ? Would that be why we get so many weird compound meter waltzes which do not sound like waltzes ?

I will give an example of a waltz in 3/4 which is considered a very fast waltz... I asked AI to give me an example that would be about 186 BPM of Minute Waltz by Chopin.

Here, you have a fast waltz, but in 3/4 where we clearly hear the Oom Pa Pa. However, I doubt most skaters would want to skate to this because I doubt it's conducive to a pattern with all the faster notes in the right hand.
By taking pieces in 6/8, you may think that they are "fast waltz" but since they are using the subdivision of a beat to count as the beats, they are indeed slower waltzes than the one I am sharing. I hope this is clear enough for someone who is not a musician.




I asked AI to give me a 6/8 piece with the same BPM but based on the eighth notes for the infamous 6/8 we are getting this year.


Here is AI's choices and explanation
The Direct Comparison: 186 BPM vs. 186 BPM

Feature	Chopin's Minute Waltz	Mendelssohn's Venetian Boat Song No. 2
Time Signature	3/4 time (Simple triple meter)	6/8 time (Compound duple meter)
What a Beat Is	The Quarter Note	The Eighth Note (as requested)
Metronome Setting	♩ = 186 BPM	♪ = 186 BPM
Clicks Per Measure	3 clicks per measure	6 clicks per measure
Total Beats	Rapid stream of fast quarter-note beats

Why This Comparison Works Perfectly

• Same Metronome Tick, Different Feel: If you set a metronome to 186 BPM, both pieces perfectly match the click. However, in Chopin’s waltz, the click marks the main structural steps of the dance (1-2-3). In Mendelssohn's piece, the click marks every tiny, delicate ripple of water (1-2-3-4-5-6). [1]
• The Subdivided Micro-Beat: Because you are counting the eighth note as the individual beat, Mendelssohn's 186 BPM pulse feels like a steady, flowing heartbeat. It acts as a calm, lyrical backdrop for a beautiful gondolier melody, rather than a frantic sprint. [1]
• Contrasting Left-Hand Patterns: Chopin uses the traditional waltz "oom-pah-pah" layout (a low bass note followed by two higher chords). Mendelssohn uses a rolling, constant wave pattern that repeats across two main pulses per measure. [1, 2]

Now, here is the Mendelssohn's if you want to hear...



So see, you are indeed getting slow "waltzes" in 6/8 and not fast waltzes in 3/4

Actually, this piece is a barcarolle.

Thank you for your post and the explanation ( because I was serious considering that I was crazy not seeing the waltz)... so there is a rhythm that is a waltz ... i can catch the waltz in your examples.. My hear can't in some music choices.. or catch the rhythm ... so I will belong to the group not a waltz all season ....

 

[gkelly]

What the ISU is specifically requiring for this year's rhythm dances, per ISU Communication 2795:

Rhythm/Theme
Rule 709, paragraph 1. a) provides that rhythm(s) and/or theme(s) are selected by the Ice Dance Technical Committee annually for the season. For the season 2026/27, the following has been determined:
The theme and music for the Junior and Senior Rhythm Dance for the 2026/27 season is “Rhythm and Waltz.” Any style of waltz is permitted, from traditional forms to modern interpretations. At least one (1) additional rhythm, tempo and dance style must be included to support the chosen concept or theme.
Music Requirements: Waltz Section must be in 3/4 or 6/8 time.

And specifically for the pattern dance sections of the RD:

Junior:
One (1) Sequence of the Westminster Waltz evaluated as two (2) sections: skated/performed to any Waltz dance music/dance style(s) with a constant tempo: minimum 54 three-beat measures per minute; 162 beats per minute, skated in 3 / 4 time or 6 / 8 time Duration: any exact number of musical phrases

Senior:
A section of the Golden Waltz Pattern Dance, 1GW. Starting with step 33, including the restart, and concluding with step 20:
Rhythm: skated/performed to any Waltz dance music/dance style(s) with a consistent tempo: minimum 62 three-beat measures per minute; 186 beats per minute, skated in 3 / 4 time or 6 / 8 time

Here are some examples of the Westminster Waltz and Golden Waltz being skated as compulsory dances, with ISU approved music.

Westminster:

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Golden:
Here's the original OSP the compulsory was based on: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q7BN7KU8bmQ

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Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube.

www.youtube.com

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Note that the official descriptions of those dances specify 3/4 time. The 2026-27 rhythm dance relaxes this by allowing 6/8 time signatures, but the music still needs to work with those specific sequences of steps, at that many beats per minute.

 

[dorispulaski]

The bpm for the Westminster and Golden Waltzes are part of the formal ISU definitions of the dances and always have been

In the CD days, there was a tape/recording of a number of ISU tracks that had the correct bpm for each CD. On a session, you got a track by the order you skated in.

Although the different tracks were supposed to be equally easy to skate to, it wasn't always so. For example: Woe betide the poor team that got "Oh Susanna" when competing in the Yankee Polka!

 

[boysoprano]

What I have heard so far is that skaters are using mostly music written in 6/8. I will try not to go too much into details of music theory but 6/8 is not a waltz. It is a measure made of 2 beats. Each beat, for the skating purposes, is divided into 3 beats. So they often have to add an artificial oum pa pa to make it sound like a waltz... But it still doesn't work because a true waltz as a very strong beat on the 1 of the 3/4. In a 3/4 measure, there are 3 beats of quarter notes. And, this is the waltz rhythm that we traditionally hear with the strong OUM on the first beat and the light Pa Pa on the second and three beats. In 6/8, there is a strong beat too on the first beat... but the second beat is light and there is no third beat so we get back to the first beat without reaching the necessary third beat of a true waltz. So when skaters use compound meter (6/8, or 12/8) our ears cannot really hear a true waltz because the OUM is missing on weak beats. I heard a team using 12/8 and 4/4 during their RD and it was shocking to me because those two time signatures are giving us 4 beats per measure which is so far away from anything waltz

Another detail, less technical maybe is that to get the right number of beats at the right speed for the rhythm dance requirements using a compound meter means that some of these songs are not meant to be heard in that way. Adding the OUM Pa Pa artificially slows down the perception of the rhythm but still not enough to have the great sweeping feeling of a true waltz.

This is a very simplified demo



Or a bit more advanced on the subdivision of beats.


So when she is beating that second pulse you can hear why it doesn't work.

Too bad she is not showing the waltz.

This is mainly correct.

The intelligent teams will pick a straightforward 3/4 waltz.

Most teams will struggle with a golden waltz to 3/4. Throwing in an underlying music to which the dance was not originally choreographed will not help anyone.

The same issue was with the finnstep, when straightforward 4/4 or r n b style 4/4 was used for a set pattern choreographed to a swing or quickstep rhythm, which is not the same things as either of the above.

Part of the reason s/k did so well when the finnstep was the set pattern in the rd was because zhulin is old school and gave them the correct music.

 

[4everchan]

What the ISU is specifically requiring for this year's rhythm dances, per ISU Communication :
Rhythm/Theme
Rule 709, paragraph 1. a) provides that rhythm(s) and/or theme(s) are selected by the Ice Dance Technical Committee annually for the season. For the season 2026/27, the following has been determined:
The theme and music for the Junior and Senior Rhythm Dance for the 2026/27 season is “Rhythm and Waltz.” Any style of waltz is permitted, from traditional forms to modern interpretations. At least one (1) additional rhythm, tempo and dance style must be included to support the chosen concept or theme.
Music Requirements: Waltz Section must be in 3/4 or 6/8 time.

Thank you for providing these. Ok. So that, we had covered, they are allowing 6/8 which is potentially an 'Interpretation of a waltz"

And specifically for the pattern dance sections of the RD:

Junior:
One (1) Sequence of the Westminster Waltz evaluated as two (2) sections: skated/performed to any Waltz dance music/dance style(s) with a constant tempo: minimum 54 three-beat measures per minute; 162 beats per minute, skated in 3 / 4 time or 6 / 8 time Duration: any exact number of musical phrases

Do you understand why this is wrong if you know music metrics ? A waltz has indeed 3 beats per measure. It's in 3/4 . 6/8 contains 2 beats per measure. So here, the beats per minutes referred to are not beats but subdivisions. If they want to use 6/8 and call it a waltz, they need to word this differently. It may make sense for choreographers and skaters and even ballroom dancers but it makes no sense to others, including musicians. The OP is not a musician but a scientist. She's heard waltzes before but I get her confusion. There's no waltz in 6/8 if you listen to the real beats, the dotted quarter note.

Senior:
A section of the Golden Waltz Pattern Dance, 1GW. Starting with step 33, including the restart, and concluding with step 20:
Rhythm: skated/performed to any Waltz dance music/dance style(s) with a consistent tempo: minimum 62 three-beat measures per minute; 186 beats per minute, skated in 3 / 4 time or 6 / 8 time

Note that the official descriptions of those dances specify 3/4 time. The 2026-27 rhythm dance relaxes this by allowing 6/8 time signatures, but the music still needs to work with those specific sequences of steps, at that many beats per minute.

So the issue is that allowing 6/8 now is defeating the purpose intended : if they truly wanted fast waltzes, they needed to require their 186 BPM strictly in 3/4. In that case, each beat is a quarter note. It goes indeed fast. By allowing compound meter, not only they did destroy the perception of what a waltz is but they actually shot themselves in the foot because now, it allows skater to use slower metric with the use of the 6/8 subdivisions.

Have you listened to the two examples I have provided ? I think you can see easily there why there is so much discussion about it. Two completely different animals.

 

[dorispulaski]

Here is a recording of an ISU Golden Waltz track

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&opi=89978449&url=https://www.youtube.com/watch%3Fv%3DBGNYIDEWCjI&ved=2ahUKEwjDlKGvkZmWAxWyKlkFHU5wGAMQo7QBegQIDxAE&usg=AOvVaw03T7q9ZtBnAFwDW-y-_NiA