2024-25 Rhythm Dance theme

[Mathman]

You're not going to be doing finnstep and tango in the same non FD dance pretty much ever.

Am I behind the times? I am thinking for instance of Davis and White's Giselle program;, The first half featured ballet-inspired movements and the second half was a cheerful polka.

And questioning if ice dancers are athletes is just absurd. They train just as hard as any other sport and there are lifts, holds etc (many which use propel-like movements)

You and I know that , but I still think that there is work to be done if we want to attract a a wider audience. Even among skating fans some equate athleticism with quads and believe that skaters take up ice dancing only because they can't jump.

Anyway, my point was that it must be a choeorgraphic challenge to undertake a piece that comes already with choreographic expectations. An Elvis Presley routine for instance means being all shook up. You don't want to drift too far away from Elvis' own dance moves. The audience will say, "That's not El;vis Presley!"

 

[Mathman]

BTW doesn’t Isabeau sort of remind you of Jamie Silverstein?

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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.

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I don't know about the Isabeau comparison, but in 1999 Jamie Silverstein was the IT girl. Forget Michelle Kwan, forget Sasha Cohen, Silverstein and Pecarek were poised to take the U.S by storm.

Alas, her career was derailed by off-ice challenges.

 

[Diana Delafield]

I agree with many of the posters here who are stating that the potential movie theme is too vague.

If the ISU wants to use a generic theme, then why not use "TV shows" or "video games?" Both of these media are arguably more popular in this day and age than movies and there's a lot more untapped creative potential in them...

Or "soundtrack music composed specifically for a movie"? (Morricone, Williams, Barry et al.) That would cut out the many musical scenes where the characters go to an opera, or put on a record of already-known music, or audition for a show using a popular song.

 

[Mathman]

You haven't lived until you've watched 24 ice dance teams do the same steps to the same music over and over and over and over.

I for one never got bored watching the pattern dances. After 20 repetitions or so I started to catch on. Sort of..

Plus, the movements and partnering of the dancers were so graceful and pleasing to the eye, I didn't really miss the embellishments of a full program.

 

[CoyoteChris]

The ISU needs to stop with these broad, crap themes and get back to traditional themes with Rhythm for the RD, what a concept that would be!?!

 

[icewhite]

One of the problems with this type of theme, apart from devaluing the aspects of sports and comparability further and being uninspired is that it leads to even more programs of stories and music "everybody knows". Which usually means a certain mainstream of the anglophone world.
People will likely not dare to interprete stories they are not sure people know or even sure people do not know.
That has long been the case with mostly European/Russian ballet/opera/classical pieces, but I would hope the 2020s have developed a more open mind.
A focus on a musical pattern is at least able to invite more different music (although most teams will still not use it).
We simply do not all have the same cultural background, we have not all seen the same movies. The canon of films that everybody is supposed to know is problematic in different aspects. There is not just the cultural side - I would think that the movies my son has seen differs massively from those most women now in their 70s have watched. Then in the end it's probably all back to batman and such, because even if you haven't seen one of the movies you will likely at least have a very rough idea about character and story.

 

[labgoat]

I don't know about the Isabeau comparison, but in 1999 Jamie Silverstein was the IT girl. Forget Michelle Kwan, forget Sasha Cohen, Silverstein and Pecarek were poised to take the U.S by storm.

Alas, her career was derailed by off-ice challenges.

They share the same broad smile and slender physique and their enthusiasm was infectious.
Jamie did finally achieve her Olympic dream with a different partner and retained her sparkling style.

 

[labgoat]

One of the problems with this type of theme, apart from devaluing the aspects of sports and comparability further and being uninspired is that it leads to even more programs of stories and music "everybody knows". Which usually means a certain mainstream of the anglophone world.
People will likely not dare to interprete stories they are not sure people know or even sure people do not know.
That has long been the case with mostly European/Russian ballet/opera/classical pieces, but I would hope the 2020s have developed a more open mind.
A focus on a musical pattern is at least able to invite more different music (although most teams will still not use it).
We simply do not all have the same cultural background, we have not all seen the same movies. The canon of films that everybody is supposed to know is problematic in different aspects. There is not just the cultural side - I would think that the movies my son has seen differs massively from those most women now in their 70s have watched. Then in the end it's probably all back to batman and such, because even if you haven't seen one of the movies you will likely at least have a very rough idea about character and story.

Yes to this

 

[Ic3Rabbit]

Am I behind the times? I am thinking for instance of Davis and White's Giselle program;, The first half featured ballet-inspired movements and the second half was a cheerful polka.



You and I know that , but I still think that there is work to be done if we want to attract a a wider audience. Even among skating fans some equate athleticism with quads and believe that skaters take up ice dancing only because they can't jump.

Anyway, my point was that it must be a choeorgraphic challenge to undertake a piece that comes already with choreographic expectations. An Elvis Presley routine for instance means being all shook up. You don't want to drift too far away from Elvis' own dance moves. The audience will say, "That's not El;vis Presley!"

Giselle just contained the balletic movement as additional choreo. It wasn't part of the assigned rhythm. Yankee Polka OTOH was, and this was also amongst the years of the SD, not RD.

Here was the outline of rules and required/allowed Sr. Pattern/Rhythm that season for the Short Dance (Giselle season)



SEASON: 2012-2013




SENIOR
Pattern Dance: Yankee Polka (2 sections – skated one after the other, with section 1 followed by section 2 and with step #1 skated on the judges’ side.)
Rhythms: Polka, March, Waltz One to three of the above mentioned rhythms. The Pattern Dance Elements must be skated on the Polka Rhythm, in any style of Polka. The tempo of the music throughout the Pattern Dance Elements must be constant and in accordance with the required tempo of the Pattern Dance Yankee Polka, i.e. 60 measures of two beats or 120 beats per minute, plus or minus 2 beats per minute. Polka, March, Waltz, Blues and Swing are described in the ISU Ice Dance Music Rhythms Booklet 1995 (Note: the description of Swing covers several different Rhythms, which are acceptable).

 

[labgoat]

Am I behind the times? I am thinking for instance of Davis and White's Giselle program;, The first half featured ballet-inspired movements and the second half was a cheerful polka

That was a great dance and an instant hit.

 

[Mathman]

Pattern Dance: Yankee Polka (2 sections – skated one after the other, with section 1 followed by section 2 and with step #1 skated on the judges’ side.)
Rhythms: Polka, March, Waltz One to three of the above mentioned rhythms.

Thanks for the dance lesson.

So was the idea that you could skate to march music, but you had to do the Yankee Polka whatever music might be playing?

Actually, if memory serves (never a sure thing), I think a few competitors did choose march music that year. It added an extra dimension to the competition for spectators.

 

[CoyoteChris]

I for one never got bored watching the pattern dances. After 20 repetitions or so I started to catch on. Sort of..

Plus, the movements and partnering of the dancers were so graceful and pleasing to the eye, I didn't really miss the embellishments of a full program.

Not bored...and so not the 80s... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BjLJEuL1g80

 

[NanaPat]

Thanks for the dance lesson.

So was the idea that you could skate to march music, but you had to do the Yankee Polka whatever music might be playing?

Actually, if memory serves (never a sure thing), I think a few competitors did choose march music that year. It added an extra dimension to the competition for spectators

You missed this part:

The Pattern Dance Elements must be skated on the Polka Rhythm, in any style of Polka.

The Yankee Polka pattern dance is skated to a polka rhythm. You can use other prescribed rhythms for the other parts of the dance.

 

[Diana Delafield]

I don't know about the Isabeau comparison, but in 1999 Jamie Silverstein was the IT girl. Forget Michelle Kwan, forget Sasha Cohen, Silverstein and Pecarek were poised to take the U.S by storm.

Alas, her career was derailed by off-ice challenges.

I'd almost forgotten how much excitement there was over her, and her envied appearance on the ice. I see according to Wikipedia she pretty much made her academic and working career ever since in the field of eating disorders. Her sad story deserves more publicity among young skaters today.

 

[labgoat]

Am I behind the times? I am thinking for instance of Davis and White's Giselle program;, The first half featured ballet-inspired movements and the second half was a cheerful polka.

2013 Worlds Dance SD Meryl Davis & Charlie White Giselle by Adolphe Adam

youtu.be

 

[BlissfulSynergy]

They share the same broad smile and slender physique and their enthusiasm was infectious.
Jamie did finally achieve her Olympic dream with a different partner and retained her sparkling style.

Yep, and didn't Jamie eventually become a yoga teacher in Seattle? I had forgotten that she made it to the Olympics with a different partner before retiring. Thanks for pointing that out. I wonder how Jamie herself feels about her skating career. For different reasons, not every talent makes it to the top in the sport of fs, which does not negate them having success in life, ultimately.

An interesting thread to read. Everyone gets excited, which I can understand. But the theme has not been finalized yet. It's in the rumor stage, and the original tweet sparking the rumor was quickly removed.

 

[labgoat]

But the theme has not been finalized yet. It's in the rumor stage, and the original tweet sparking the rumor was quickly removed.

We will just have to be patient and see what TPTB (the powers that be) come up with. Recently I have been noticing some of the YT posters posting a lot of tangos from skaters of nearly every country and championships over the past years. Most likely this is unrelated but was a really fun walk for me down memory lane as I got to see and compare nearly all of today's top competitors skating some really well done pattern dances (Tango Romantica no less - a favorite) within IJS rules and requirements.

 

[elektra blue]

let's assume this isn't a rumor, what soundtrack would you like to see on ice?

 

[snowed]

let's assume this isn't a rumor, what soundtrack would you like to see on ice?

Anything with waltzes

 

[Diana Delafield]

let's assume this isn't a rumor, what soundtrack would you like to see on ice?

The ones I love are all warhorses, I'm afraid. There was a random question on Facebook last week: What is the best music soundtrack from a film that was not a musical? The answers were all the standards that I love to skate to myself -- The Mission, Out of Africa, Dances With Wolves, Robin Hood, Somewhere in Time..... I can't remember if I've ever seen Apollo 13 or JFK or Born on the Fourth of July used but I have a sneaking fondness for their music even if they're more suited to American male skaters. In the dim distant past, I've used Zorba the Greek and The Killing Fields. I've seen a couple of skaters use Life is Beautiful (I think Dubreuil/Lauzon did), but it somehow never worked. It always looked too slow and it seemed to be difficult to raise the volume enough. I'm sure I can think of more in time, soundtracks and classical music being my inevitable preferences. I don't personally like storytelling on the ice for pairs. Kind of hard to work the required elements logically into a narrative. I prefer to have the music just set a mood and tempo.