The Dance Hall 11: Movin' On Up 2023-2024

[On My Own]

My parents went to dance parties in the 20th century with Benny Goodman swing. I went to dance parties with 1960s pop (I think the first song I ever danced to was Midnight Confessions.) My daughter danced to the Spice Girls as a tween. I mean, really?

But 2024-2025 with 100 years of options is a choice….

Isn't this why it's exciting? That there's so much potential for variety?

 

[once_upon]

Wasn't Thriller done as a paso on DWTS? I know 80's but I think it could happen?

 

[Trillian]

Because that leaves them without the option to keep picking really weird crap in hopes of somehow forcing something to "go viral"

I don’t know how they think leaving open the option for 50% of the teams to keep skating to the same half dozen Michael Jackson, Prince, and George Michael songs is somehow going to lead to anything “going viral,” but I am sure this is exactly what they want.

Here’s what I will say for the 21st century theme - I do think it will be good for the sport’s appeal in an Olympic year. People I know who don’t follow skating at all loved C&B’s programs in 2022. There has been a lot of great music released this century and I am looking forward to hearing some of it. But I also didn’t think practically every team would end up skating to the same damn songs as everyone else with the 80s theme, so it’s safe to assume most of them will still find a way to make it lame.

 

[kwanfan1818]

The traditional waltz didn't die as a social dance form until the early 20th century. There are plenty of 20th and 21st century offshoots of waltz across the world.

Maybe someone will do the waltz they played for the cèilidh from the movie Local Hero, and they can get 20th century, folk dance, and movies in the same program. Or a country western dance that was hugely popular in the dance hall circuit in Ireland.

So many opportunities, many of which will not be taken.

 

[Karen-W]

Isn't this why it's exciting? That there's so much potential for variety?

No. It's going to be a hodge-podge of crap that is hard to compare to one another. It is an ENTIRE century of music and that means so many different genres. @PRlady's kid danced to Spice Girls in the mid-late 1990s whereas I was dancing to the Dixie Chicks in that same era and Riverdance was a worldwide phenomenon. And that's just the 1990s. Multiply that by 10 decades and we're talking about way too many music/dance genres to even be fair. It's literally going to be a popularity contest.

 

[her grace]

So many opportunities, many of which will not be taken.

But why would you, when you can skate to Muse?

 

[Karen-W]

But why would you, when you can skate to Muse?

Or Einaudi.

 

[On My Own]

No. It's going to be a hodge-podge of crap that is hard to compare to one another. It is an ENTIRE century of music and that means so many different genres. @PRlady's kid danced to Spice Girls in the mid-late 1990s whereas I was dancing to the Dixie Chicks in that same era and Riverdance was a worldwide phenomenon. And that's just the 1990s. Multiply that by 10 decades and we're talking about way too many music/dance genres to even be fair. It's literally going to be a popularity contest.

I am not seeing the problem from an artistic standpoint, because it needs to be vague for there to be any sort of creativity.

Whether the teams have the talent to do anything creative and whether the judges have the talent to judge creativity is a different issue.

 

[Trillian]

But why would you, when you can skate to Muse?

I just googled to find out whether Muse could possibly meet anyone’s definition of “dance party” music (result: unclear), and found out that they actually formed way back in 1994. So if we’re very lucky, we might have two seasons of Muse RDs to look forward to.

 

[Karen-W]

I am not seeing the problem from an artistic standpoint, because it needs to be vague for there to be any sort of creativity.

Whether the teams have the talent to do anything creative and whether the judges have the talent to judge creativity is a different issue.

LMAO. There was plenty of creativity back when it was the OSP or the OD and it had to be a specific rhythm. There is absolutely no need for the theme to be so vague as to cover an entire CENTURY or even a quarter century of music.

 

[quartz]

Could this be the year someone takes on the goddess that is Ann Margaret and puts her Viva Las Vegas dance on the ice. Please??

Eta…or just anything that is Ann Margaret dance, all of it.

 

[BlueRidge]

LMAO. There was plenty of creativity back when it was the OSP or the OD and it had to be a specific rhythm. There is absolutely no need for the theme to be so vague as to cover an entire CENTURY or even a quarter century of music.

There was all kinds of good stuff in the days of the short dance.

If we just want it to be wide open for creativity then they do not need to specify a theme at all.

What is the point of the OSP/OS/SD/RD? Is it to show something technical, then have a specific dance pattern and rhythm, if its just to be creative then don't.

 

[skategal]

Whether the teams have the talent to do anything creative and whether the judges have the talent to judge creativity is a different issue.

Because past behaviour is the best predictor of future behaviour, you will have to forgive me for not expecting this to happen at all….

 

[Wyliefan]

Could this be the year someone takes on the goddess that is Ann Margaret and puts her Viva Las Vegas dance on the ice. Please??

But that means an Elvis vocal, and you know how some of the fans get about Elvis vocals.

 

[On My Own]

Because past behaviour is the best predictor of future behaviour, you will have to forgive me for not expecting this to happen at all….

I am not saying teams will or will not do it, rather I find no problem with the vague theme.

I also just disagree the SDs and ODs were all that amazing. Some were. Not sure I would say most were. Idk. Maybe we just fundamentally disagree.

 

[quartz]

But that means an Elvis vocal, and you know how some of the fans get about Elvis vocals.

Yeah…that’s why I edited it to add anything Ann Margaret.

 

[Jay42]

I don't like these as themes but they wouldn't be so bad if skaters didn't keep choosing such boring music. If people actually looked at the themes and did something creative with it, but every season there's like 4 or 5 teams that do something fun and unique and everyone else chooses the same basic stuff.

That said if someone skates to any combination of Eiffel 65's Move Your Body and Blue I will be very happy.

Also since arguably one could dance to any country type song if it has enough of a beat, Shania Twain's Man I Feel Like a Woman and That Don't Impress Me Much could be fun.

 

[BlueRidge]

I am not saying teams will or will not do it, rather I find no problem with the vague theme.

I also just disagree the SDs and ODs were all that amazing. Some were. Not sure I would say most were. Idk. Maybe we just fundamentally disagree.

There is a book called Authority & Freedom: A Defense of the Arts, and much of its thesis is that art needs both authority--guidelines, traditions--and the ability to transcend authority. So a short/rhythm dance that has a set rhythm/theme can be the authority that provides the tableau for art to assert its freedom.

And then there is the fact that ice dance is a sport and an athletic competition...

 

[Former Lurve Goddess]

Rockafeller Skank

 

[Former Lurve Goddess]

There is a book called Authority & Freedom: A Defense of the Arts, and much of its thesis is that art needs both authority--guidelines, traditions--and the ability to transcend authority. So a short/rhythm dance that has a set rhythm/theme can be the authority that provides the tableau for art to assert its freedom.

And then there is the fact that ice dance is a sport and an athletic competition...

In creative writing I call this the gift of constraint.

 

[On My Own]

There is a book called Authority & Freedom: A Defense of the Arts, and much of its thesis is that art needs both authority--guidelines, traditions--and the ability to transcend authority. So a short/rhythm dance that has a set rhythm/theme can be the authority that provides the tableau for art to assert its freedom.

And then there is the fact that ice dance is a sport and an athletic competition...

Well I agree. Which is why I wasn't commenting on your post that there needn't be a theme at all if all we desire for is artistic freedom... my logic was it is poking people towards creativity while still keeping a semblance of a guideline, whereas it is the directionless short programs that end up as messes.

The CoP rules and rhythms tend to be too restrictive and throttling in my view.

Dance creativity does indeed challenge athleticism, look at how many contemporary ballet dancers work.

 

[BlueRidge]

Well I agree. Which is why I wasn't commenting on your post that there needn't be a theme at all if all we desire for is artistic freedom... my logic was it is poking people towards creativity while still keeping a semblance of a guideline, whereas it is the directionless short programs that end up as messes.

The CoP rules and rhythms tend to be too restrictive and throttling in my view.

Dance creativity does indeed challenge athleticism, look at how many contemporary ballet dancers work.

I think the COP rules are too restrictive but I don't think that the rhythms and prescribed pattern are. I think they are exactly the authority that provides the tableau for creativity that makes the short/rhythm dance potentially interesting. The free dance is for the less restricted creativity (tho restricted by the technical requirements for various elements that often disrupt the possibility for things to be truly creative).

I don't think the short/rhythm dance should be the same as the free dance, lets see how the artistic works with more authority and then in the free dance how it works with less.

 

[airgelaal]

No. It's going to be a hodge-podge of crap that is hard to compare to one another. It is an ENTIRE century of music and that means so many different genres. @PRlady's kid danced to Spice Girls in the mid-late 1990s whereas I was dancing to the Dixie Chicks in that same era and Riverdance was a worldwide phenomenon. And that's just the 1990s. Multiply that by 10 decades and we're talking about way too many music/dance genres to even be fair. It's literally going to be a popularity contest.

Come and find me, my name is Macarena
Always at the party con las chicas que son buenas
Come join me
Dance with me
And all you fellows chant along with me

 

[screech]

Could this be the year someone takes on the goddess that is Ann Margaret and puts her Viva Las Vegas dance on the ice. Please??

Eta…or just anything that is Ann Margaret dance, all of it.

When I think of her dancing, I think of this. When I think of an Ann Margret song, I think of this Razzie Award winning masterpiece.

 

[NinjaTurtles]

I wonder if they really want things to be upbeat/peppy/fun to counterbalance the likelihood of softer, slower, lyrical, etc. type FDs?

Just do the spirit finger dance remix from Bring It On and be done with it.

 

[Tesla]

Could this be the year someone takes on the goddess that is Ann Margaret and puts her Viva Las Vegas dance on the ice. Please??

Eta…or just anything that is Ann Margaret dance, all of it.

Bye Bye Birdie in 2 1/2 minutes

 

[thvu]

I just can’t. I wish I had something else scathing or witty to say, but I’m really just more annoyed than anything at the proposed RDs.

 

[Karen-W]

And Tim Koleto wins the internet, or at least FS Twitter, forever. LMAO.

https://twitter.com/Timkoleto/status/1764709967309730277?t=n6yyDDRrDHV6SenDZ5RP_w&s=19

 

[Rukia]

And Tim Koleto wins the internet, or at least FS Twitter, forever. LMAO.

https://twitter.com/Timkoleto/status/1764709967309730277?t=n6yyDDRrDHV6SenDZ5RP_w&s=19

this is what he was made for

 

[Karen-W]

this is what he was made for

he deserves an Olympic GOLD medal in FS snark - or a permanent membership subscription to FSU.