Solo Free Dance test requirements?

I was looking thru the PSA's Dance booklet and found something interesting. The partnered Free Dance tests require you to pass the partnered pattern dances first. But the solo Free Dance tests do NOT require you to take the solo pattern dance tests first.
The solo Free Dance tests require either a solo pattern dance test OR a MIF test or the previous level free dance test.

Solo Free Dance test - prerequisite
Juve - prelim pattern dance (solo or partner), OR juvenile MIF test
Interm - bronze dance OR intermediate MIF test OR previous free dance test (juve)
Novice - pre-silver dance OR novice MIF test OR previous free dance test (interm)
Junior - silver dance OR junior MIF test or previous free dance test (novice)
Senior - gold dance OR senior MIF test or previous free dance test (junior)


I'm wondering why the prerequisites for the solo free dance are different from the partnered free dance. Technically, you could just pass juvenile MIF and then pass all of the solo free dance tests (without taking any pattern dance tests at all or any more MIF tests).
I know it would probably be a really weird choice to do that, but I'm just wondering what in the world they were thinking by setting it up this way. You would think you would want to require all of the pattern dances and not MIF, just like the partnered free dance tests.


Side Note:
Also thought it was interesting that the booklet says once a skater passes pre-gold test, they can take either the gold dance tests or the international dance tests. They aren't required to pass gold first before moving on to international dances. I know you get a "gold medal" for BOTH gold tests and international tests, but I was surprised they actually don't care about the order in which you do them. In my mind, international is harder than gold.

Arwen17 said:

I'm wondering why the prerequisites for the solo free dance are different from the partnered free dance. Technically, you could just pass juvenile MIF and then pass all of the solo free dance tests (without taking any pattern dance tests at all or any more MIF tests).
I know it would probably be a really weird choice to do that, but I'm just wondering what in the world they were thinking by setting it up this way. You would think you would want to require all of the pattern dances and not MIF, just like the partnered free dance tests.

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My understanding (partly guesswork) is that the standard partnered testing track is designed to be very rigorous in its requirements because one of its main purposes is the systematic development of elite competitive ice dancers who will be qualified to represent the US in international ice dance competitions.

The tests are designed so that a skater who passes all pattern dance tests and free dance tests in order (and also the MIF tests also required for standard dance competition within the US) will develop in a meaningful sequence all the necessary ice dance skills that high-level competitive dancers need to keep up with the rest of the world.

Other skaters are welcome to pass those standard tests as well, although skaters who are not aiming at elite partnered competition do now also have options to take their ice dance tests solo, or at adult or "masters" standards if they meet those age requirements.

Especially since solo ice dance is a fairly new discipline, skaters who want to compete in solo ice dance may have reached a higher general skill level by focusing on other disciplines and having passed MIF or pattern dance tests at lower levels but not necessarily both and not any lower free dance tests.

Since this is not a competition track that is (yet?) building toward international competition, the testing track to qualify for each solo free dance level is more geared toward making it easy for skaters to qualify for the solo competition level that best matches their current skill level, without making them go back and pass tests from lower levels.

Also thought it was interesting that the booklet says once a skater passes pre-gold test, they can take either the gold dance tests or the international dance tests. They aren't required to pass gold first before moving on to international dances. I know you get a "gold medal" for BOTH gold tests and international tests, but I was surprised they actually don't care about the order in which you do them. In my mind, international is harder than gold.

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This would be to the benefit of the national/international competitive teams. The junior and senior pattern dances (until 2010) and the pattern dance part of the Short Dance are chosen from the ISU pool of dances that includes some that are on the USFS Gold dance test (and some Pre-Gold at junior level) and also all of those that are used for international competition but are not part of the developmental Preliminary through Gold tests. All those other dances are grouped together as "International" dances, but they're each tested individually and don't really add up to one complete test even if you pass all the international dances on the test schedule at the time that you pass them -- the ISU might always add some more new dances to the international competition pool and then the USFS will add them to the test schedule.

Meanwhile, in any given season junior and senior dancers will need to learn whatever pattern is required for that year's Short Dance -- sorry, Rhythm Dance. So they might as well pass the test when they're working on it anyway, if they haven't already. And the ISU doesn't choose the patterns for the Rhythm Dance in order of the US test structure. A junior team might need to learn an international dance for competition before they've passed all their gold dances.

Adult ice dancers and solo ice dancers at levels that include Rhythm Dances also need to learn the patterns required for competition that year even if they haven't passed all the dances in the Pre-Gold or Gold tests.

(Ice dancers at lower levels also might be required to compete with a pattern dance from a higher level than they're ready to test yet. At those levels, they'll have to wait until they pass all the previous level before they can test the higher level. For the competitive teams, when to pass tests is often more a matter of finding the time than developing the technical skills.)

gkelly said:

Especially since solo ice dance is a fairly new discipline, skaters who want to compete in solo ice dance may have reached a higher general skill level by focusing on other disciplines and having passed MIF or pattern dance tests at lower levels but not necessarily both and not any lower free dance tests.

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This explanation is really helpful. Thank you.

I am grateful that the USFS solo dance test rules allow this. My daughter is able to compete at a solo dance level that’s right for her without the testing process being cumbersome.

I know a few young ladies who tested their senior solo free dance (no other solo free dance test and maybe some pattern dance tests) after they passed their senior moves test. I think it was a relatively quick way to get another gold medal, and they were able to add that to their synchro resume.

gkelly said:

Meanwhile, in any given season junior and senior dancers will need to learn whatever pattern is required for that year's Short Dance -- sorry, Rhythm Dance. So they might as well pass the test when they're working on it anyway, if they haven't already. And the ISU doesn't choose the patterns for the Rhythm Dance in order of the US test structure. A junior team might need to learn an international dance for competition before they've passed all their gold dances.

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I recall a few years ago at a test session that my daughter went to…. a junior dance couple had competed that season with the Silver Samba in their short dance (an international pattern dance). After the season ended, they both tested the Silver Samba. I knew the girl was still working on her gold pattern dances then, so I was surprised that she was testing an international pattern. This makes sense now.

gkelly should get a special title on this forum for best, most thorough answerer.