Ice Dance in the 1990's and other Vintage programs | Page 3 | Golden Skate

Ice Dance in the 1990's and other Vintage programs

Dragonlady

Final Flight
Joined
Aug 23, 2003
Dancing is almost always considered to be romantic in nature - the vertical expression of a horizontal desire. Going dancing is a courtship ritual. In ballet, the pas de deux is usually a romantic dance between the two leads. To complain that too many dances have romantic themes is to complain that leopards have spots. This is why teams which cannot, for whatever reason, convey a romantic theme is to severely limit their choices of both music and theme. This is not to say that dances must always express romantic themes, and certainly there are balletic dances featuring male cast members which are dramatic and powerful, and dances with very young dancers which are fun and playful, but to suggest that teams shouldn't express romance is to ignore the whole point of couples dancing together in the first place.
 

gkelly

Record Breaker
Joined
Jul 26, 2003
No one is saying that no team should ever do romantic dances.

But to write off all teams who don't do romantic dances, or to require all teams to perform dances that are about heterosexual courtship, is unnecessarily exclusionary. There are plenty of other options. They may not be your favorite options, but your favorites may be my least favorites. Why not be more inclusive?
 

BlackPack

Medalist
Joined
Mar 20, 2013
There were four brother-sister teams in the top 12 in 1988:

Kathrin and Christoff Beck

Isabelle and Paul Duchesnay

Antonia and Ferdinand Becherer

Karyn and Rodney Garossino

That might be a record.

I'm glad you took the time to correct me. That still isn't many, however. Obviously, the Duchesnays, as of now, are still the most successful brother-sister ice dancers possibly ever. It may have created the "ick" reaction in some viewers, but your mileage may vary, thus subjective. It doesn't bother me much. Their sibling status certainly didn't prevent them from winning Worlds, Olympic silver, and many other medals. The argument that being siblings is a handicap is weak.
 

BlackPack

Medalist
Joined
Mar 20, 2013
Dancing is almost always considered to be romantic in nature - the vertical expression of a horizontal desire. Going dancing is a courtship ritual. In ballet, the pas de deux is usually a romantic dance between the two leads. To complain that too many dances have romantic themes is to complain that leopards have spots. This is why teams which cannot, for whatever reason, convey a romantic theme is to severely limit their choices of both music and theme. This is not to say that dances must always express romantic themes, and certainly there are balletic dances featuring male cast members which are dramatic and powerful, and dances with very young dancers which are fun and playful, but to suggest that teams shouldn't express romance is to ignore the whole point of couples dancing together in the first place.

Maybe if you're talking about Neolithic times, when the origins of dance were a means to sublimate sexual desire. However, the origins and development of dance are highly varied across different cultures. Many dances were religious or mystical rituals. If you wanted a common denominator, the expression of the human experience would be it. Dance shouldn't be limited to romantic themes, nor was dance historically and globally a purely exclusive expression of romance. Not the Mayan priest nor the Shinto priestess was serenading to the moonlight.

If you're talking about duets in ballet, then it's one thing, which really has only been in serious development since the European Enlightenment.

However, dance has evolved and changed. Even if you've seen Stravinsky's Rite of Spring, there were some romantic stories, but many were pastoral celebrations. That was already 100 years ago.

If dance wasn't always a struggle between a man and woman, it was about man against man, man against nature, man against god, man against fate, and so forth. These themes are just as interesting as any romance.
 

KKonas

Medalist
Joined
Oct 31, 2009
Dancing is almost always considered to be romantic in nature - the vertical expression of a horizontal desire. Going dancing is a courtship ritual. In ballet, the pas de deux is usually a romantic dance between the two leads. To complain that too many dances have romantic themes is to complain that leopards have spots. This is why teams which cannot, for whatever reason, convey a romantic theme is to severely limit their choices of both music and theme. This is not to say that dances must always express romantic themes, and certainly there are balletic dances featuring male cast members which are dramatic and powerful, and dances with very young dancers which are fun and playful, but to suggest that teams shouldn't express romance is to ignore the whole point of couples dancing together in the first place.

Disagree with your premise that all (couples) dance is about romance. Social dance is simply an expression of emotion, whether joy, sadness (blues), celebration, struggle, prayer, love or romance, usually set to some type of music. Two people dancing together can convey whichever emotion they choose depending on their musical choice.
 
Joined
Aug 16, 2009
Disagree with your premise that all (couples) dance is about romance. Social dance is simply an expression of emotion, whether joy, sadness (blues), celebration, struggle, prayer, love or romance, usually set to some type of music. Two people dancing together can convey whichever emotion they choose depending on their musical choice.

Agreed. A couple such as Bestemianova/Bukhin, for example, might head in the direction of some more innovative form of visual expression rather than a romantic moment. I think the racecar program of Punsalan/Swallow was in that category as well. Vive la difference!
 
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