Competition elements in ice dance

Maia Shibutani and Alex Shibutani performing a twizzle, a required element in ice dance

Ice dance, a discipline of figure skating, has required elements that make up a well-balanced skating program and must be performed during competitions. They include: the dance lift, the dance spin, the step sequence, twizzles, and choreographic elements. The elements must be performed in specific ways, as described by published communications by the International Skating Union (ISU), unless otherwise specified. Choreographic elements are judged differently; they are considered complete if the minimum requirements defining the element are met.

General requirements[]

The ISU announces the list of required elements in a well-balanced program, and each element's specific requirements, each year. The following elements may be included: the dance lift, the dance spin, the step sequence, twizzles, and choreographic elements.^[1]

lllegal movements in ice dance include the following:^[2]

1. Sitting on the partner's head.
2. Standing on the partner's shoulder.
3. Lifting the partner in an upside-down split pose when the sustained angle between his or her thighs is over 45 degrees.
4. Lifting the partner by "swinging the lifted partner around by holding the skate(s)/boot(s) or leg(s) only with fully extended arm(s)".
5. Lifting the lifted partner around "without the assistance of hand(s)/arm(s) and the lifted partner holds only with legs/feet around the lifting partner’s neck".
6. Jumps or throw jumps of more than one revolution;
7. The lifting partner's "point of contact of the lifting hand(s)/arm(s) of the lifting partner with any part of the body of the lifted partner is sustained with the fully extended arm(s) higher than the lifting partner’s head", although the supporting arm can be sustained and fully extended above the head.
8. Lying on the ice.

The first six movements are permitted if they are brief and if they are not established and sustained, or if they are used only to change pose.

Dance lifts[]

Federica Faiella and Massimo Scali perform a legal reverse rotational lift.

The ISU defines dance lifts as "a movement in which one of the partners is elevated with active and/or passive assistance of the other partner to any permitted height, sustained there and set down on the ice".^[3] The ISU allows for variations or combinations of dance lifts, and announces them at the beginning of each season.^[4]

After the judging system changed from the 6.0 system to the ISU Judging System (IJS), dance lifts became more "athletic, dramatic and exciting".^[5] American ice dancer Charlie White stated that lifts have become "increasingly difficult",^[6] requiring teams to, like pair skaters, work with acrobats to develop their lifts. According to former competitive dancer Pilar Bosley, ice dance lifts rotate faster than pair lifts. In order to maximize difficulty of the lifts, dancers must hit certain patterns and positions, with differences in entering and exiting their lifts. They have also become more acrobatic, despite the fact that they do not get as high as pair skating lifts because ice dance lifts cannot be supported over the man's shoulder.^[7] Dance lifts have also become more dangerous, resulting in more falls and injuries.^[5]

There are two types of dance lifts: short lifts, which should be done in under seven seconds; and combination lifts, which should be done in under 12 seconds. There are four types of short lifts: the stationary lift, the straight-line lift, the Curve lift, and the Rotational lift. There are three types of combination lifts: two Rotational lifts in different directions, two Curve lifts performed in a serpentine pattern, and different two types of short lifts performed together.^[8][9]

These movements and/or poses done during a dance lift are illegal: sitting or lying on the other dancer's head; standing on the partner's back or shoulder; lifting the partner so that he or she is upside down, in a split pose; swinging the partner being lifted around; holding onto the partner's skates, boots, or legs without assistance from the other hand or leg.^[10][9] There are no rules against a reverse rotational lift, in which the woman lifts the man.^[5]

Dance spins[]

Jana Khokhlova and Sergei Novitski perform an upright/Biellmann spin

There are two types of dance spins: the spin and the combination spin.^[11] The ISU defines a spin as "a spin skated by the Couple together in any hold".^[12] The ISU also states, "It should be performed on the spot around a common axis on one foot by each partner simultaneously".^[12] The combination spin is defined as "a spin performed as above after which one change of foot is made by both partners simultaneously and further rotations occur".^[3] The solo spin, or pirouette, is allowed and defined as "a spinning movement performed on one foot",^[12] with or without the partner's assistance, performed by both partners at the same time but around separate centers. The ISU accepts dance spin variations or combinations, and announces them at the beginning of each season.^[4]

Dance spins have three positions. The upright position is done on one foot with the skating leg slightly bent or straight and with the upper body upright, bent to the side, or with an arched back. The sit position is done on one foot, with "the skating leg bent in a one-legged crouch position and with the free leg forward, either to the back or the side".^[3] The camel position is done on one foot, with "the skating leg straight or slightly bent forward, and with the free leg extended or bent forward horizontally or higher".^{[3][note 1]}

Step sequences[]

Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir perform part of a step sequence during a short program

The ISU defines a step sequence as "a series of prescribed or un-prescribed steps, turns and movements".^[13] Step sequences have three divisions: types, groups, and styles.^[13]

There are two types of step sequences: not-touching or in hold. Not-touching step sequences must include matching and/or mirror footwork; both ice dancers must skate as close to each other as possible, not more than two arm lengths apart, without touching, except when they are skating turns and edges in opposite directions for short distances. The dancers can switch from mirror to matching footwork, and vice versa, and they can cross each other's tracings (marks made in the ice by the skates). Step sequences in hold must be performed in any dance holds or any variation of dance holds, and must not last over one measure of music.^[13]

Types of step sequences are separated into four Groups, based upon their difficulty. Both juniors and seniors must include the combination step sequence in their free dances, but can choose any steps they like, as long as they are done simultaneously. The ISU describes and announces any variation of combination of Groups or the creation of other groups in an ISU Communication.^{[14][15][note 2]}

Twizzles[]

Kristina Gorshkova and Vitali Butikov perform a twizzle

The ISU defines a twizzle as "a traveling turn on one foot with one or more rotations which is quickly rotated with a continuous (uninterrupted) action".^[12] It has also been defined as "a multirotational, one-foot turn that moves across the ice".^[17]

A skater's weight, when performing the twizzle, "remains on the skating foot with the free foot in any position during the turn then placed beside the skating foot to skate the next step".^[12] The twizzle has four types of entry edges: the Forward Inside, the Forward Outside, the Backward Inside, and the Backward Outside. Skaters can make twizzle-like Motions, movements in which the skating foot completes less than a full turn and then a step forward while the body performs one full continuous rotation. A series of checked Three Turns does not constitute a twizzle because it is not a continuous action. If the traveling stops while the steps are being made, it is also not a twizzle; rather, it is a Pirouette, or solo spin.^[12]

There are two types of twizzle sets. A set of synchronized twizzles is a series of two twizzles performed by each partner, with up to three steps between twizzles. A set of sequential twizzles is a series of two twizzles for each partner, with up to one step between twizzles.^[12] Both types must include at least one complete rotation on one foot, completed at the same time (simultaneously) by both partners, and is when they appear most often in an ice dance program.^[12][17] Examples are: matching (side-by-side in the same direction); mirror (side-by-side in the opposite direction); and following one another, or when one partner skates forward while the other partner skates backwards, and vice versa.^[12] The ISU announces and publishes any variations, as chosen by the Ice Dance Technical Committee, on the combination of twizzles in their Communications.^[4] Starting in the 2018-2019 season, dancers are judged individually on the execution of their twizzles; their individual points are combined for the team's final score for the element.^[15]

Choreographic elements[]

The U.S. Figure Skating "2019–2020 Rulebook" defines choreographic elements in ice dance as "a listed or unlisted movement or series of movement(s) as specified".^[18] These elements are not scored in the same way as the other elements, but are "confirmed if the minimum requirements defining the element are met".^[19]

Choreographic dance lifts, which must be done after all of the other required dance lifts are performed, must last at least three seconds; they must last up to 10 seconds during a junior or senior free dance. The choreographic step sequence must fully use the entire rink and must fit the definition of a step sequence in hold. The choreographic character step sequence, which can be performed at any time during the program, must be performed around the short axis and must be done from barrier to barrier.^[20] There are no restrictions regarding the number and type of steps and holds, but they had to "infuse the flavor of the dance" and "enhance the music".^[15] Seniors had to perform the character step sequence in their free dance, while juniors could "choose to use it to fulfill the choreographic element criteria".^[15]

Alisa Agafonova and Alper Uçar perform a hydroblade, a choreographic element in ice dance

Choreographic spinning movements are spinning movements, performed at any time during a program, in which both partners, in any hold they choose, perform at least two continuous rotations on a common axis that may be moving. One foot or two feet must be elevated for less than two rotations, or a partner must be elevated for the same period of time. A combination of the three requirements is also allowed.^[20]

Twizzling movements are performed after the required set of twizzles, and are composed of two parts. The first part of the movement must be on either one foot, two feet, or a combination of both; the second part also must be on either one foot, two feet, or a combination of both. Additionally, the first part of the movement must have at least two continuous rotations skated simultaneously while travelling; for the second part, at least one partner must skate at least two continuous rotations, and one or both partners can perform the movement on the spot, travelling, or a combination of both.^[20]

Choreographic sliding movements, which can be performed at anytime during the program, are movements in which both partners perform controlled sliding movements on the ice. These movements can be performed by both partners at the same time, and on any part of the body. The movements can be in hold or not-touching, or a combination of both, and can rotate. If the partners perform controlled sliding on two knees or any other part of the body, it will not be counted as a fall or illegal element. If the partners finish the movement as a stop or by sitting or lying on the ice, it will be considered a fall or illegal movement.^[20][15]

Character step sequences can be performed at any time during the program. They must occur from barrier to barrier of the rink and must proceed around the short axis of the rink, within 10 meters on either side of the short axis. Ice dancers can touch the ice with one or both hands during a choreographic step sequence. They can be in hold or not touching, and they can skate up to four arms-lengths (four meters) apart.^[20]

Footnotes[]

References[]

Works cited[]

• "The 2020 Official U.S. Figure Skating Rulebook" (Rulebook) (PDF). Colorado Springs, Colorado: U.S Figure Skating. July 2019. Retrieved 16 July 2020.

• "Special Regulations & Technical Rules Single & Pair Skating and Ice Dance 2018" (S&P/ID). International Skating Union. June 2018. Retrieved 15 May 2019.