The Dance Hall 9: Bring the Bling or No Beijing 2021-2022

[semogal]

I also still watch their 2013 rhythm dance the Giselle polka when I am feeling down. Such a joyous performance!

Me too! It is my favorite of all their many routines over the years.

 

[sap5]

Let’s randomly talk smack another Olympic championship winning team. Can we talk about Navka/Kostomorov or Bestemianova/Bukin next?

I hated the way Zhao would throw Shen for jumps. For me, it makes their programs unwatchable.

 

[PRlady]

The way Scott would pretend to pant after Tessa in their “sexy” numbers was to laugh. They were great dancers, but Moulin Rouge at the Olys was one of the only times they made passion believable.

 

[skategal]

The way Scott would pretend to pant after Tessa in their “sexy” numbers was to laugh. They were great dancers, but Moulin Rouge at the Olys was one of the only times they made passion believable.

They only had two sexy programs….Carmen and Moulin Rouge.

 

[SidelineSkater]

They only had two sexy programs….Carmen and Moulin Rouge.

What about their rarely competed Latin FD in the 10-11 season revamped into their SD for 11-12?

 

[skategal]

What about their rarely competed Latin FD in the 10-11 season revamped into their SD for 11-12?

I didn’t find that one sexy.

 

[marbri]

What about their rarely competed Latin FD in the 10-11 season revamped into their SD for 11-12?

That one was more ballroom latin dance competition and in that vein I think it was very good for what it was inspired by. I agree only Carmen and MR could be considered passionate programs.

 

[PRlady]

The Rihanna EX? And the Prince RD. Great dancing but they didn’t have the vibe for that stuff, much prefer H/D’s Janet Jackson, for example.

(This is just me poking at a beloved team long retired as done above. We can move on any time.)

 

[sap5]

They only had two sexy programs….Carmen and Moulin Rouge.

Agree, and I would think VM would say this themselves?

 

[skategal]

The Rihanna EX? And the Prince RD. Great dancing but they didn’t have the vibe for that stuff, much prefer H/D’s Janet Jackson, for example.

(This is just me poking at a beloved team long retired as done above. We can move on any time.)

That’s funny considering H/D’s Janet Jackson was pretty much a dupe of V/M’s Prince.

I liked both.

 

[clairecloutier]

So, I was afraid of this, given the delay with the announcement about the RD theme etc.

It sounds like they may be eliminating the compulsory pattern from the RD?

https://twitter.com/AnythingGOE/status/1513455160634363912

 

[Former Lurve Goddess]

So, I was afraid of this, given the delay with the announcement about the RD theme etc.

It sounds like they may be eliminating the compulsory pattern from the RD?

https://twitter.com/AnythingGOE/status/1513455160634363912

If they were to do this in alternate years with the non pattern years becoming OSP-like, I could get behind this. It would also help with themes where no prescribed patterns truly fit the rhythms.

 

[Colonel Green]

So, I was afraid of this, given the delay with the announcement about the RD theme etc.

It sounds like they may be eliminating the compulsory pattern from the RD?

https://twitter.com/AnythingGOE/status/1513455160634363912

It’s been pretty obviously trending this way for a while, I think. They want to be able to do themes without needing to fit a specific pattern.

 

[litenkyckling]

So, I was afraid of this, given the delay with the announcement about the RD theme etc.

It sounds like they may be eliminating the compulsory pattern from the RD?

https://twitter.com/AnythingGOE/status/1513455160634363912

What is the point of ice dance if teams aren’t having to learn set patterns? How do we compare teams completely like for like? The point of the pattern is to give teams a challenging series of steps that pushes them outside their comfort zone - without it we know clever coaching and choreo will be able to cover up weaknesses more easily.

 

[Wyliefan]

without it we know clever coaching and choreo will be able to cover up weaknesses more easily.

Well, that already happens -- I guess it's just moving further in that same direction.

 

[GoneWithTheWind]

What is the point of ice dance if teams aren’t having to learn set patterns? How do we compare teams completely like for like? The point of the pattern is to give teams a challenging series of steps that pushes them outside their comfort zone - without it we know clever coaching and choreo will be able to cover up weaknesses more easily.

I just hope that if the lack of pattern is confirmed, the ISU make it a requirement to have one of the step sequences in the RD in closed hold. Otherwise, I fear ice dance is going to continues its trend into hand-in-hand skating with few true ice dance holds in sight.

To me, the lack of set pattern will make the discipline even more subjective than it already is and that the lack of reward for good technical skating and edgework will continue.

 

[Debbie S]

I'm not a purist but I do think that there should be something of traditional ice dance in current programs. The patterns really separate the good teams from the weaker ones (and sometimes you have an otherwise weaker team that does a great pattern). Without it, I fear that bloc judging/politiks will take over (even more than they already do).

Has there been any more info on whether the GOE scale will be changed?

 

[VGThuy]

Not great news to read in the morning. Ugh.

 

[Rhumba d’Amour]

Not great news to read in the morning. Ugh.

My reaction exactly. Watching teams crisply and ably navigate the pattern is my favorite part of ice dance! Without it, all that is left are those boring flowy free programs.

Why do I think that the Gadbois school is probably behind this? They’ve never been big on teaching/perfecting those patterns, and I’m sure would rather not have to bother at all.

 

[skategal]

My reaction exactly. Watching teams crisply and ably navigate the pattern is my favorite part of ice dance! Without it, all that is left are those boring flowy free programs.

Why do I think that the Gadbois school is probably behind this? They’ve never been big on teaching/perfecting those patterns, and I’m sure would rather not have to bother at all.

I’m not sure why Gadbois would be behind it when they are already winning almost everything the way the scoring is set up now?

I was wondering if it was the opposite (to break the stranglehold Gadbois has on ice dance?)

 

[Colonel Green]

Starting with the Broadway theme and then also the folk dance one that had to be aborted due to the pandemic, the ISU has been visibly chafing against the need to include a pattern all quadrennial (I’d also include this season’s RD, as the blues requirement often had nothing to do with the rest of the program). I don’t think it has anything to do with a particular school.

 

[Debbie S]

Igor Shpilband was openly pushing for years to end required patterns in any form. This smells more like him/Russian coaches.

 

[escaflowne9282]

TBH. I would rather they just went back to a compulsory and an OD at this point.

 

[SkateFanBerlin]

How our attention spans have changed. I remember in the 80's US TV broadcasting Oly dance patterns - I don't rememvber what they called it - Original Dance? I was a skate nerd watching 30 teams dance the same pattern - it was like 2 repetitions then the music faded and bows taken.

 

[manhn]

Original Set Pattern

 

[ostile17]

How our attention spans have changed. I remember in the 80's US TV broadcasting Oly dance patterns - I don't rememvber what they called it - Original Dance? I was a skate nerd watching 30 teams dance the same pattern - it was like 2 repetitions then the music faded and bows taken.

Actually it was 3 repetitions of the pattern, but the couples were not all skating the same pattern.

 

[ostile17]

Deleted, for some reason I double posted

 

[wickedwitch]

It was obvious they were headed in this direction from the moment they dropped the CDs. I'm only surprised it didn't happen in 2018.

 

[Alilou]

That’s funny considering H/D’s Janet Jackson was pretty much a dupe of V/M’s Prince.

I liked both.

and V/M's was much better.

 

[Belsornia]

I will hold out a little hope until we get the announcement from the ISU....but yeah, this is not good news though not really a surprise.

I agree with those above that this has been on the cards for a while. The SD/RD concept has been a mess, and even after more than a decade they don't really seem to have a clear view of what they're trying to do with it. And recently when they've had the theme, and the rhythms, and the compulsory pattern, and the other requirements it's been trying to do too much.

I'm a bit apprehensive to see where they end up with on the technical elements. Losing the pattern from senior (and junior?) ice dance is unambiguously bad for the sport, but it could lead to more coherent programmes - stripping things back to focus on a single rhythm and footwork sequences, skating in hold etc. But I'm expecting requirements more like "a choreographic step sequence in the style of a rhumba, samba or meringue".

There's also rumour that the qualifying round will be coming back to Worlds next season. Maybe for dance all teams should enter and skate the same compulsory pattern. Just a suggestion.