- Joined
- Dec 16, 2006
I got my start in skating because I wanted to be an ice dancer, because (shoot me for this), I'm one of the few who actually liked the histrionics and dramatics of ice dance. Friends and I used to joke--if skating was cable, singles skating would be HBO, pairs would be ESPN during the XGames, and ice dance would be...Lifetime.
At any rate, there seems to be two styles in ice dance-- people who are better suited for stage dancing (which shows in their programs), and people who would be great as ballroom dancers. Do you think the current rules have shifted ice dancers more from one towards the other? Are there ice dancers that actually fit both?
I'll start-- I think the current rules are making it so that the shift is more towards stage dancing, rather than ballroom dancing. I remember some commentators stating that ice dancing is finally making its way back to its roots--ballroom dancing on ice. I think now that dance has become more acrobatic, teams are starting to look like ballet and modern dancers, rather than ballroom dancers.
Of our current crop, I think Tessa, Charlie, and Jana K seem to be leaning more towards stage dancing. Scott, Meryl, Andrew P all seem more ballroom-y to me. Andrew's partner, Kaitlyn, while a good ice dancer in her own right, seems more suited to pairs skating, to me.
At any rate, there seems to be two styles in ice dance-- people who are better suited for stage dancing (which shows in their programs), and people who would be great as ballroom dancers. Do you think the current rules have shifted ice dancers more from one towards the other? Are there ice dancers that actually fit both?
I'll start-- I think the current rules are making it so that the shift is more towards stage dancing, rather than ballroom dancing. I remember some commentators stating that ice dancing is finally making its way back to its roots--ballroom dancing on ice. I think now that dance has become more acrobatic, teams are starting to look like ballet and modern dancers, rather than ballroom dancers.
Of our current crop, I think Tessa, Charlie, and Jana K seem to be leaning more towards stage dancing. Scott, Meryl, Andrew P all seem more ballroom-y to me. Andrew's partner, Kaitlyn, while a good ice dancer in her own right, seems more suited to pairs skating, to me.