Kaliszek/Spodirev foxtrot chosen for CD | Golden Skate

Kaliszek/Spodirev foxtrot chosen for CD

Mohacz

Medalist
Joined
Jan 24, 2006
Country
Poland
Hello everyone,

Apparently not only Gilles/Poirier march step sequence has been acclaimed by ISU. They have also appreciated the foxtrot of the Polish couple (16th in Boston) and it also has chances to become a compulsory dance in the future. Below a translation of an interview with Halina Gordon-Poltorak (head of Ice Dance technical committee) published yesterday by Polish Eurosport (http://eurosport.onet.pl/zimowe/lyz...rzy-doceniony-przez-swiatowa-federacje/3vc0lt).

The technical committee has declared that in the opinion of all its members and international judges the foxtrot part of the short dance of the Polish couple meets all the conditions and requirements to become a compulsory dance in the near future.

- Upon the season conclusion two foxtrot dances of Kaliszek/Spodirev and the march of the Canadian couple Piper Gilles and Paul Poirier have been chosen as a proposal of new compulsory dances - Halina Gordon-Poltorak, Head of the Ice Dance Technical Committee, said.

Now both couples and their coaches have to prepare the drawings of the dance, description of each step, each dance movement and once it is accepted by the ISU, it will be released on DVD and presented to all the athletes, coaches and judges.

- Everyone would have to study them. It is a long way. I expect the catalouge of compulsory dances will be published after the 2018 Olympic Games - Gordon-Poltorak added.

As for the foxtrot, the committe has appreciated the dance created by the Polish couple reflects what can be seen on the parquet, its lightness, dancing charater of the steps, technical difficulty and excellent performance.

Kaliszek and Spodirev placed 16th in Boston. He comes from Ukraine, but this year he received Polish citizenship. The couple trains in Poland and their coach is Sylwia Nowak-Trebacka (1994 junior world champion with Sebastian Kolasinski).

They are really happy about the news and very excited about preparing all the documentation and inventing the name for their original dance.
 
Last edited:

cathlen

Team Gorgeous Cacti!
Record Breaker
Joined
May 2, 2015
Country
Poland
OMG! How come I didn't see that yesterday? This is awesome news :cheer: And your translation is really good! ;)
 

Snow63

Pray one day we'll open our eyes.
Record Breaker
Joined
Mar 26, 2014
Here it is: https://youtu.be/znQoPrKLebQ?t=1m47s

It'll be a very cute pattern. Not quite as difficult as Gilles/Poirier's march, but very cute and light and traditional. Much more traditional. A lot of simple turns, but very stylish simple steps, very nice, difficult and creative chages of holds. 6 difficult steps and turns by each (but only 5 types, since twizzle is executed twice). They didn't perform them very cleanly, but the mood is amazing.

So, there was apparently no worthy polka? At least for ISU.
 

uhh

Medalist
Joined
Nov 19, 2013
I would be really interested in hearing some of the ISU's thoughts re: which sequences they have selected as potential new pattern dances. The other one this season that stood out to me was Kim/Minov's foxtrot - it worked as a sequence on it's own & captured the mood of the dance well. For some of the higher ranked teams where the partial sequence is better integrated into the whole dance, it's harder to evaluate how well it would work just as a pattern dance.

@Snow63 - I don't think difficulty should be that much of a consideration, and it will be placed in the appropriate category by the ISU, whether Senior, Junior, or not even International standard. We need more CDs at all levels - I think the last new pattern to be fully adopted for lower level dancers was the Paradiso Rhumba in 2004, and before that Tulips from Amsterdam in 2000. It's a massive jump to go from Novice/Gold/Recreational/whatever your system calls it to the full International compulsory dances, so it would be good if this process produces more for the social dance level as well.
 

Snow63

Pray one day we'll open our eyes.
Record Breaker
Joined
Mar 26, 2014
@Snow63 - I don't think difficulty should be that much of a consideration, and it will be placed in the appropriate category by the ISU, whether Senior, Junior, or not even International standard. We need more CDs at all levels - I think the last new pattern to be fully adopted for lower level dancers was the Paradiso Rhumba in 2004, and before that Tulips from Amsterdam in 2000. It's a massive jump to go from Novice/Gold/Recreational/whatever your system calls it to the full International compulsory dances, so it would be good if this process produces more for the social dance level as well.

Well, according to Shekhovtseva, difficulty is the first thing they decided to do this. Old patterns are way too simple for the technical abilities of current dance teams. Some patterns don't even have a single step/turn that ISU considers 'difficult' now. That's why it's important, according to her.
But I agree with the rest. We need more patterns, and not only big ones.
 

uhh

Medalist
Joined
Nov 19, 2013
Ah, what does Shekhovtseva know ;) I don't want to see teams stumbling through "difficult" patterns badly, when half of them still can't execute the old "easy" patterns cleanly with great ice coverage and consistent close holds! Dance is losing so much with this focus on difficulty over quality. :(
 

karne

in Emergency Backup Mode
Record Breaker
Joined
Jan 1, 2013
Country
Australia
Oh, I remember that one! It's so pretty and light and sweet. (I also remember coveting that dress.)

The Polish Foxtrot? The Sweetheart Foxtrot? That'll make a lovely pattern.
 

Snow63

Pray one day we'll open our eyes.
Record Breaker
Joined
Mar 26, 2014
Ah, what does Shekhovtseva know ;) I don't want to see teams stumbling through "difficult" patterns badly, when half of them still can't execute the old "easy" patterns cleanly with great ice coverage and consistent close holds! Dance is losing so much with this focus on difficulty over quality. :(

She definitely knows more than we do :laugh: Have you read her article? A lot of insightful information there.
And I agree with you that it's difficulty over quality now, unfortunately. But that's what you receive when you give some points for every single step! This is crazy.
 

Ares

Record Breaker
Joined
Feb 22, 2016
Country
Poland
What a news! :eek: :luv17: Congratulations.

I think it's high time to make their own thread in Fan Fest.
 
Last edited:

Crossover

All Hail the Queen
Record Breaker
Joined
Oct 31, 2014
Amazing, what a great honor for the young Polish skaters, Natalia Kaliszek and Maksym Spodyriev and their coach & choreographer, Sylwia Nowak-Trębacka! :cheer:

Honestly, I usually watched performances of top ice dancers at Worlds and Euros/4CC, so their names are unfamiliar with me, but I'll keep my eyes on them from now.
 
Top