Ice Dance Requirements for Technical Rules season 2019/20

[Sylvia]

ISU Communication 2239 (dated 15 April 2019) -- Ice Dance Requirements for Technical Rules season 2019/20 -- link was posted earlier in the Dance Hall thread but here is a separate thread in GSD.

Link (9 pages): https://isu.org/inside-isu/isu-communications/communications/20804-isu-communication-2239/file

It is a requirement for certain Technical Rules to be announced annually by the Ice Dance Technical Committee and all
other rules are published in the Special Regulations & Technical Rules:

- This Communication includes the requirements defined in the Technical Rules as valid for one season (2019/20)
only, i.e.:
 Pattern Dances for International Competitions,
 Music requirements for Pattern Dances for International Competitions,
 Rhythms or themes, Required Elements (including Key Points and Key Point Features for Pattern Dance
Elements) and guidelines for Rhythm Dance – Junior/Senior,
 Required Elements for Free Dance – Junior/Senior

- All other requirements related to Novice categories are published in the updated ISU Communication SINGLE
& PAIR SKATING and ICE DANCE - GUIDELINES FOR INTERNATIONAL NOVICE COMPETITIONS for the
season 2019/20.

- Updates to the current ongoing requirements, valid as of July 1st, 2019, will be published in a subsequent
Communication.

 

[Sylvia]

And for those interested and/or who may have missed it, the Ice Dance Coaches Meeting was streamed live on March 23, 2019 during Worlds in Saitama: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RKPv2koFT_Q

 

[AxelAnnie]

Who decides which pattern dance will be chosen?

 

[Sylvia]

And for those interested and/or who may have missed it, the Ice Dance Coaches Meeting was streamed live on March 23, 2019 during Worlds in Saitama: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RKPv2koFT_Q

Highlights from the meeting are posted in this summary: https://www.ice-dance.com/site/notes-from-the-isu-coaches-meeting-in-saitama-japan/

Who decides which pattern dance will be chosen?

This question was just asked and answered in Ice-Dance.com's new weekly feature "Ask IDC Q&A": https://www.ice-dance.com/site/ask-idc-q-a-1/

"The ISU’s Ice Dance Technical Committee determines which rhythms and pattern will be skated each season."

 

[AxelAnnie]

So the COACHES get together and wrangle for what rhythm would be best for THEIR skaters, and hope and pray. Now that begs the question: Why so many Latin dances.......those seem really difficult to pull off.

Why don't they just have a list and rotate through? That would seem to be more equitable.

Who decides which rhythms/patterns will be part of the rhythm dance each year?
The ISU’s Ice Dance Technical Committee determines which rhythms and pattern will be skated each season. At the World Championships in Saitama, Japan, the ISU Ice Dance Technical Committee conducted a Coaches’ Meeting and discussed the 2019-2020 Senior and Junior Rhythm and Free Dances. On April 15, the ISU released Communication #2239, which contains technical rules for the 2019/20 season. Both are great resources to learn more about the junior and senior rhythm dances for the 2019/20 season.

 

[gkelly]

Well, they are adding some new patterns to be used in the pattern dance sections. E.g., this will be the first time for the Tea Time Foxtrot (in Juniors), and the Finnstep is also relatively new.

But they can't add a dance to the rotation until it is approved, so depending how long the cycle is, a new dance might have to wait quite a few years between approval and actually getting used. Or else there would be some last-minute switches, which would defeat the purpose of having a cycle in the first place.

 

[Tinami Amori]

Well, they are adding some new patterns to be used in the pattern dance sections. E.g., this will be the first time for the Tea Time Foxtrot (in Juniors), and the Finnstep is also relatively new.

I have a question, perhaps wrongly worded, i don't follow tech in ice dance too close.
If a dance team has options and plans to skate in both Jr. and Sr., do they have to have two different RD's because of pattern req differences? how does it work for a team who skates both levels?

 

[hanca]

I have a question, perhaps wrongly worded, i don't follow tech in ice dance too close.
If a dance team has options and plans to skate in both Jr. and Sr., do they have to have two different RD's because of pattern req differences? how does it work for a team who skates both levels?

Usually ice dancers don’t skate in junior and seniors in the same season. Even within Russia, where it is quite common for skaters to do both junior and senior events (e.g. qualifying for seniors nationals by getting to JGPF) ice dancers don’t attend the senior event if they were already skating in junior events. In pairs and singles skaters often do both, if they are still junior eligible.

 

[gkelly]

Yes, they would need two different RDs.

Prior to 2011, they would have needed to prepare different compulsory dances, but the ODs would usually have worked for either level.

With the Short Dance and now Rhythm Dance, the compulsory pattern has always been different for juniors and seniors. If the rhythm was the same, and the tempo the same or close enough, they could use the same program and just change that section of it. Some years the rhythm has been completely different between the two levels, so they would have needed two completely different dances.

This is one reason why you almost never see dance teams competing at two levels in the same season. And why coaches of internationally competitive junior teams in the US at least had wanted their teams to compete junior again at Nationals as well as internationally even after winning Nationals at junior level so they wouldn't need to prepare a separate senior dance just for Nationals.

 

[Tinami Amori]

Usually ice dancers don’t skate in junior and seniors in the same season. Even within Russia, where it is quite common for skaters to do both junior and senior events (e.g. qualifying for seniors nationals by getting to JGPF) ice dancers don’t attend the senior event if they were already skating in junior events. In pairs and singles skaters often do both, if they are still junior eligible.

Thanks to both of you guys for answers.

Re Russian ice dancer, so far none skated Jr. and Sr. My question was "can they".

 

[Dobre]

I have a question, perhaps wrongly worded, i don't follow tech in ice dance too close.
If a dance team has options and plans to skate in both Jr. and Sr., do they have to have two different RD's because of pattern req differences? how does it work for a team who skates both levels?

Over the past few seasons, the junior & senior dance styles have been similar. My general impression is that teams have been able to use similar programs with alterations for the different patterns. (Teams that have done so have probably planned in advance in order to be able to skate both levels with as few changes as possible). At times in the past (I think as recently as 2015), completely different rhythms had been selected for juniors & seniors and probably would have needed completely different programs.

Teams that have competed both juniors & seniors this season are Popova & Byelikov of Ukraine and Friend & Badaoui of Australia. I haven't done a close comparison of their RDs this year, but feel free. Popova & Byelikov skated both juniors & seniors clear through the end of the season. Their programs are similar. Friend & Badaoui switched following the JGP and I do not think they returned to juniors afterward. I think they may have had two completely different programs, but I haven't rewatched:

Popova & Byelikov:
Junior RD from Kaunas JGP
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GVP4mR_Mrlw

Senior RD from the European Championships
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sOD7iz8K24w


Friend & Badaoui:
Junior RD from Richmond JGP:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tgfDrLC4AUo

Senior RD from Universiade
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8SokIieaycg


Keep in mind that in both cases the junior links are from last fall and the senior links are from this spring so programs would have changed regardless. It would be better to compare Popova & Byelikov's junior RD from Junior Worlds rather than the JGP, but I couldn't find a link to their RD from Junior Worlds. You might have one available. Even without changing an entire program and/or one's music, I would still think that skating both the junior & senior pattern would be quite difficult. It took most of the experienced senior teams the majority of the season in order to get the keypoints on this year's Tango Romantica pattern. In P&B and F&B's case, however, doing both has apparently been worth it as each team comes from a country with an open berth at a major international (Euros & 4CCs).

 

[Sylvia]

Well, they are adding some new patterns to be used in the pattern dance sections. E.g., this will be the first time for the Tea Time Foxtrot (in Juniors)

ISU Communication No. 2241 - ICE DANCE Instructional material on the new Pattern Dance Tea-Time Foxtrot [Junior in 2019-20]: https://www.isu.org/figure-skating/rules/fsk-communications/20842-isu-communication-2241/file

 

[morqet]

https://www.isu.org/inside-isu/isu-communications/communications/21275-isu-communication-2257/file
More clarifications of the technical requirements were published today.

The ISU have also confirmed that for 2020/21 the SD will be a folk dance, with seniors having to incorporate the Ravensburger Waltz, and Junior doing the Westminster Waltz.

 

[jtpc]

I like the Ravensburger, so I don't mind seeing it again so soon. We'll see the same pattern dance at Worlds in Stockholm that we saw at Worlds in Boston in 2016.

 

[VGThuy]

I hope it’s the full Ravensburger and not just some extremely shortened version. I still hate what they did to the midnight blues by only making them do the beginning and not the more interesting parts.

 

[Sylvia]

https://www.isu.org/inside-isu/isu-communications/communications/21275-isu-communication-2257/file
More clarifications of the technical requirements were published today.

ISU Communication 2257 (May 29, 2019; 33 pages linked above)
I. Requirements for Technical Rules with ongoing validity, effective July 1st, 2019
1. Calling specifications and Levels of Difficulty for Required Elements (Novice, Junior, Senior)
2. Marking guide for Grades of Execution of Required Elements (Novice, Junior, Senior)
3. Marking guide for Components for Rhythm Dance (Junior, Senior) and Free Dance (Novice, Junior, Senior)
4. Deduction Chart – Who is Responsible – Rhythm Dance and Free Dance (Junior, Senior)
5. Marking guide for Components for Pattern Dances (Novice, Junior, Senior)
6. Explanation of Symbols on the Judges Details Per Skater (Junior, Senior)
7. Pattern Dance and Pattern Dance Element information for season 2019 - 20
Includes the Percentage of steps for Pattern Dance and Pattern Dance Elements
II. Corrections to Communication 2239
III. Part of the requirements for technical rules for Rhythm Dance Season 2020/21

ISU Communication 2256 - Ice Dance Scale of Values, Levels, and GOE guidelines for 2019-20 season (May, 27, 2019; 11 pages): https://www.isu.org/inside-isu/isu-communications/communications/21253-isu-communication-2256/file
This Communication replaces Communication No. 2167.

 

[VGThuy]

It looks like they did increase point increments between levels for the pattern dance if I'm reading the scale of values correctly. Last year the Tango Romantica 1st sequence level 1 had a BV of 5.35 while a level 4 had a BV of 6.85. If I'm reading it correctly, the FinnStep 1st sequence level 1 has a BV of 7.00 while a level 4 has a base value of 10.00. They are putting more importance on the pattern dance steps. This could have helped Guignard/Fabbri last season when they were hitting their levels over teams that were beating them in the SD.

 

[nimi]

I just noticed that the ISU Development Project YT channel has uploaded the Teatime Foxtrot Seminar in 13 installments, including a whole segment dedicated to cross rolls.

They've also uploaded the updated instructional video for Finnstep, adapted from the 2013 educational DVD showing the Key Point requirements for 2019-20.