Ice Dance Annual Meeting

[gsk8]

The Ice Dance Technical Committee and the ISU Development Commission have the pleasure to announce that for the first time the Annual Meeting with Ice Dance Coaches, Skaters, Officials and interested representatives of the Media, held on the occasion of the ISU World Figure Skating Championships 2018 in Milan, Italy will be Live streamed.

What: Ice Dance Annual Meeting
When: March 23 at 18:00 CET
Where: ISU Development Projects YouTube channel

The main purpose of this meeting is to inform Coaches, Skaters and Officials about the technical requirements for the 2018/19 season also including some of the requirements for the 2019/20 season. In particular, the required Rhythms for the Short (Rhythm) Dance, requirements for the Free Dance and updates to the calling and marking guidelines.

Essential new information regarding the most important aspects of the Ice Dance Technical Committee proposals for the forthcoming 2018 ISU Congress in Seville (ESP) will also be presented.

 

[gmyers]

I hope Russians go! They need to go!

 

[gsk8]

For those who watch/listen, feel free to share your feedback here.

 

[mrrice]

After the disappointment of watching our ladies it is a pleasant surprise to see 2 of our teams in the final flight in ice Dance. I remember when the US was the joke of Ice Dance and it's nice to see us doing well.

 

[TryMeLater]

Great Changes in Ice Dance by ISU

Hi,
Just watched the ISU video on the proposed changes for Ice Dance.
All are subject to ISU congress approval.

5 level of difficulty on all elements - additional basic level
Free Dance Entertainment bonus - program meets the guidelines of the FD for the season.
for next season its colorful/enjoyable. majority + ref required - goes between +1,0,-1;

New Pattern dances for seniors - Tea Time Foxtrot, Maple Leaf March, Rhumba D'Amor.
GOE will be +5 to -5.
GOE -5/-4 is for fall by both partners or serious error although final GOE only has to be lower than -3 (may add the Positive GOE).
In order to receive GOE +4/+5 you must have no negative features as defined and 7-8 positive features, execution is correct, no falls/stumbles/loss of balance and element is in musical structure.

See the Ice Dance Technical committee explain the changes here

 

[chopinskate]

I like the "no negative features" rule, for maxing out the GOE. I hope it's the case for singles and pairs, too. You shouldn't get a single +4/+5 if there's even part-way flawed execution.

 

[cohen-esque]

Prior to inputting the Component Marks, judges will evaluate the Free Dance as YES/PARTLY/NO for a bonus/no action/deduction with respect to the specific focus announced in an ISU Communication for each season.

Well then what hell’s even the point of having a “free” dance anymore? “Oh, it doesn’t have to be colorful/enjoyable; that’s a just a bonus. But if you do anything else, we’re giving you a deduction.” A one point bonus is enough to decide a lot of ice dance competitions; they won’t have a choice even without a deduction. May as well ditch the free and just require everyone to make the Rhumba D’Amour romantic while they’re at it. Poor Shibs

Plus, how does one even define what counts as “entertaining?” According to the IDTC:

must be enjoyable/colorful/engaging

... But does that mean that we’re gonna swap it out the next season and give bonuses to dances that aren’t enjoyable or engaging, instead? They said the focus would be seasonable, so it can’t always be entertainment.

I do support having a holistic, general impression mark of the whole program. But I really think it would be better served by lumping components together under one general mark, or combining SS/TR and PE/CO/IN into two scores, than forcing teams into a narrowish set of themes they have to skate to for a mark.

 

[TryMeLater]

Well then what hell’s even the point of having a “free” dance anymore? “Oh, it doesn’t have to be colorful/enjoyable; that’s a just a bonus. But if you do anything else, we’re giving you a deduction.” A one point bonus is enough to decide a lot of ice dance competitions; they won’t have a choice even without a deduction. May as well ditch the free and just require everyone to make the Rhumba D’Amour romantic while they’re at it. Poor Shibs

Plus, how does one even define what counts as “entertaining?” According to the IDTC:



... But does that mean that we’re gonna swap it out the next season and give bonuses to dances that aren’t enjoyable or engaging, instead? They said the focus would be seasonable, so it can’t always be entertainment.

I do support having a holistic, general impression mark of the whole program. But I really think it would be better served by lumping components together under one general mark, or combining SS/TR and PE/CO/IN into two scores, than forcing teams into a narrowish set of themes they have to skate to for a mark.

I think they want a theme for the FD. Next season theme is fun. The one after that might be Romantic.

 

[cohen-esque]

I think they want a theme for the FD. Next season theme is fun. The one after that might be Romantic.

Yes, that’s exactly my objection. It’s the free dance; why force all the teams to set it to the same theme? We already have the short dance to watch all the teams doing the same thing, which always ends up with mostly very similar themes.

 

[TryMeLater]

Yes, that’s exactly my objection. It’s the free dance; why force all the teams to set it to the same theme? We already have the short dance to watch all the teams doing the same thing, which always ends up with mostly very similar themes.

I agree and I think it will be boring as hell.
How many programs with the same theme you can watch already?
However, I do see the reasoning behind it - it prevents a personal bias in awarding PCS when a judge connects to a certain theme more.

I have to correct myself - it's not the reason given. They say that it should help lower tier skaters with low PCS marks who do a good program with accordance to theme - this is just wrong IMO.

 

[Anyasnake]

No the bonus for the FD has more to do with engaging than anything else. If your FD is fun, let it be colorful, if it's sad, let it be engaging, etc. Just don't put out anything blandor unispired I guess. Or not well constructed.

 

[cohen-esque]

That would make sense, but it’s not really clear from how they presented it. But the thing is, “engagement” is one of the criteria for the “entertainment” focus they’re proposing for next season, which is only for next season. Which implies that for different seasonal focuses, the criteria must be different, or else they’d be meaningless.

Edit: apparently if you continue watching, they say something along the lines that the reason is to help teams who do a really good program and get low PCS scores? Which is just... wow.

 

[Feline Feeder]

It wasn't very enjoyable this year, the FD. There weren't many theme programs of any sort, just a lot of modern (?) dance routines to serious music. There should be a bonus perhaps if they portray a character, 2 bonuses if that character is NOT Carmen, Phantom, or anyone from Moulin Rouge!

 

[Ic3Rabbit]

The point of the Free Dance is to freely express yourself in the way you choose. Not to be themed.

 

[chopinskate]

I think they want a theme for the FD. Next season theme is fun. The one after that might be Romantic.

That's a problem. What about sibling teams?

 

[ChanClan]

I find it so strange that they've decided to do a full pattern for Tango Romantica next season and then just no compulsory pattern the next season. But I guess some people will be happy that they don't have to do the compulsories anymore.

 

[chopinskate]

Why not just go back to a compulsory dance and original dance again? Technical ability on the first, themed-creativity on the second. Freedom in the third.

 

[ChanClan]

Why not just go back to a compulsory dance and original dance again? Technical ability on the first, themed-creativity on the second. Freedom in the third.

I agree. I know that the CD weren't a great crowd seller but I loved them. To me, they really helped separate the good teams from the great teams.

 

[TryMeLater]

That's a problem. What about sibling teams?

They didn't actually say it will be romantic.
They only said the specific guidelines are for next season.

 

[TryMeLater]

They didn't actually say it will be romantic.
They only said the specific guidelines are for next season.

I also love how they used Virtue/Moir's Twizzles from the Olympics FD to explain what +5 GOE is (and also the Shibutani's).
B/S rotational lift from the Oly FD is a +4