ISU comm 2019: Changes accepted by the 56th ISU Congress for Ice Dance (incl. SD rythms for 17-18)

[levineismine]

The ISU published a new communication (2019): Various changes in the General Regulations, Special Regulations and Technical Rules, accepted by the 56th ISU Congress for Ice Dance

http://static.isu.org/media/344029/...s-regulations-and-rules-56th-isu-congress.pdf
http://static.isu.org/media/344029/...s-regulations-and-rules-56th-isu-congress.pdf
Among other things, they announced the SD rythm for 2017-2018: Latin American Rythms
(I don't know whether this is news or not)

Relevant excerpt:

Senior and Junior
Any number of following Latin American Rhythms: Cha Cha, Rhumba, Samba, Mambo, Meringue, Salsa, Bachata and any closely related Latin American or Caribbean Rhythms.

Senior
The Pattern Dance Element can be skated to any of the above mentioned Rhythms in the style of the chosen Latin American Rhythms, in the style of this Rhythm, with the following range of tempo: 172-180 beats per minute. The tempo of the music throughout the Pattern Dance Element must be constant.

Junior
The Pattern Dance Elements must be skated on the Cha Cha Rhythm, in the style of the Cha Cha, with the following range of tempo: 28 to 30 measures of four beats per minute (112-120 beats per minute). The tempo of music throughout the Pattern Dance Elements must be constant.

 

[GREGORY]

Also interesting :
We are happy to inform that the IDTC proposed to the Council also to resume work on the other new Pattern Dance Rhumba d’Amor, created by Jane Torvill and Christopher Dean in 1993 and presented for the first time at the European Championships in Helsinki in 1994.

It's a good news. But they are 2 mistakes in this communication :
1- It was first performed during the british championships in Sheffield in dec 1993.
2- 1994 european championships were hed in Copenhagen not in Helsinki.

 

[Dobre]

Senior
The Pattern Dance Element can be skated to any of the above mentioned Rhythms in the style of the chosen Latin American Rhythms, in the style of this Rhythm, with the following range of tempo: 172-180 beats per minute. The tempo of the music throughout the Pattern Dance Element must be constant.

OK, I'm confused. It says the senior pattern is the Rhumba. But they can choose to skate it to any Latin American rhythm? How does this make sense? (I'm just trying to imagine a rhumba pattern that would in some way work to cha cha or samba music?)

 

[Susan M]

OK, I'm confused. It says the senior pattern is the Rhumba. But they can choose to skate it to any Latin American rhythm? How does this make sense? (I'm just trying to imagine a rhumba pattern that would in some way work to cha cha or samba music?)

Well, then the skaters would probably be well advised to select one of the other ones. I agree this is a odd notion and I'm wondering what the dance committee is after with this departure. Were they worried too many skaters would select some of the same music if they were all limited to rhumba? I don't recall this being a problem in the short dance era, but there was one jive OD year where we heard a few tunes way too many times.

It also seems a bit soon to repeat rhumba (last used in 11-12) when there are so many senior level CD patterns they have not used yet in a SD.

 

[VGThuy]

I think they want the Olympic rhythm to be a fun and audience-friendly one.

I'm also happy that they added salsa and bachata, and other Caribbean/Latin American rhythms. I thought it was about time they added more Latin American rhythms to the Latin combo.

I was wondering why they didn't go with the "Cha Cha Congelado" Pattern dance. I don't think we've seen that one as a compulsory in a senior level much less as a pattern dance for a long time.

 

[SamuraiK]

It also seems a bit soon to repeat rhumba (last used in 11-12) when there are so many senior level CD patterns they have not used yet in a SD.

I agree. Specially since it's an olympic year and it wasn't that long ago tropical rhythms were used for Olympics (2006). I Know most hate it here but I was hoping for a Tango season (either Romantica or Argentine).

 

[Dobre]

I think we'll wind up with rhumba music with the pattern anyway. It's the only slow rhythm (ironically, since the Caribbean rumba it is named after is fast) and skaters tend to choose it so they can breath in the midst of the other choices, even when it isn't mandatory but an optional rhythm. I was looking up the patterns about a month ago, I think, and I believe we've had rhumba as a rhythm (not always a pattern) three times just since the inception of the SD. I'm not familiar with the bachata, but yay for adding it and salsa. Cha cha would have been fun. But I'm happy about the fast-paced options.

 

[levineismine]

I agree. Specially since it's an olympic year and it wasn't that long ago tropical rhythms were used for Olympics (2006). I Know most hate it here but I was hoping for a Tango season (either Romantica or Argentine).

Same here, I love tangos and yes maybe they allow less diversity than the Latin rhythms (293745 Piazzolla choices), but honestly I didn't find many Latin SDs in the 11-12 season memorable.. I don't think they translate as well on the ice as other rhythms.

 

[VGThuy]

Let's hope more of them are like the 2006 ones. That was probably the best batch of Latin ODs that we got thus far even if many of them weren't that great. I don't remember 2000 really being that memorable other than Anissina/Peizerat changing their middle piece, which was just a bunch of sex grunts, before Worlds and people being gaga over Fusar-Poli/Margaglio mostly because they looked the part.

I hope all of the ice dancers take a lot of dance classes and do it continuously throughout the season in preparation for the Latin OD. I think a lot of the 2012 SDs' issue was that there wasn't a lot of actual dancing being done because of the concentration on getting the pattern dance right and on getting level 4 elements.

 

[Dobre]

I don't remember 2000 really being that memorable other than Anissina/Peizerat changing their middle piece, which was just a bunch of sex grunts, before Worlds and people being gaga over Fusar-Poli/Margaglio mostly because they looked the part.

Barbara knew the art of not being subtle.

 

[VGThuy]

Wait, does this mean teams can choose to only do one rhythm if they wanted to? No more forced combos?

 

[GREGORY]

I'm still upset by the choice of the polish's partial step sequence as a Pattern Dance. They're polish, the chair ot the Ice Dance Technical Committee is polish, sylvia novak is their coach and she is the in in Ice Dance Technical Committee..

 

[GREGORY]

I hope that they choice to do a Partial Step Sequence to create news latins dances as patterns dances

 

[gkelly]

I think we'll wind up with rhumba music with the pattern anyway. It's the only slow rhythm (ironically, since the Caribbean rumba it is named after is fast)

Actually the ISU rhumba pattern dance calls for 44 measures of 4 beats per minute; 176 beats per minute, which is much faster than most typical ballroom rhumba music.

The name of the dance is "rhumba" but the musical selections chosen and the style of performance often seem like some other Latin dance to me:

Rhumba
Torvill & Dean - 1984 Olympics: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i3-3AahwHTo
Denkova & Staviski - 2007 Worlds: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RQugomdzUpM
Bestemianova & Bukin - 1984 Olympics: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YnOeR88n6TU
Grishuk & Platov - 1997 Worlds: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LYbDTKEzVoM

Perhaps a poster with Latin/ballroom expertise could weigh in.

 

[Susan M]

I'm still upset by the choice of the polish's partial step sequence as a Pattern Dance. They're polish, the chair ot the Ice Dance Technical Committee is polish, sylvia novak is their coach and she is the in in Ice Dance Technical Committee..

Not to mention that there is really nothing special about either the dance or the skaters.

 

[cheerknithanson]

I hope that some songs from the "Rio" soundtrack will be used.

 

[SamuraiK]

Same here, I love tangos and yes maybe they allow less diversity than the Latin rhythms (293745 Piazzolla choices), but honestly I didn't find many Latin SDs in the 11-12 season memorable.. I don't think they translate as well on the ice as other rhythms.

Definetly. The hip action on most tropical rhythms are hard to translate while tango is usually a treat for me. Well at leas ISU is being consistent, every 6 years there has been a latin OD/SD.

 

[Willin]

I think the hip action is what makes these latin rhythm short dances terrible. In ballroom dance, you're encouraged to move your hips and roll them with the music. Because of the mechanics of some of the moves and what skaters are taught in ice dance technique (very controlled hip movements), there just is no way to translate that smooth and musical hip movement to the ice. I view the hip movement as integral to the sexy and flirtatious manner of a lot of the latin rhythms, so when it's absent these dances look bad.

 

[Dobre]

I agree that you have to have the hip movement, but I think some of the best ice dancers have accomplished it. Oksana Grishuk & Luca Lanotte had it, IMO.

 

[kwanfan1818]

I was wondering why they didn't go with the "Cha Cha Congelado" Pattern dance.

I think that's been considered a junior pattern.

 

[VGThuy]

I think that's been considered a junior pattern.

Oops. I actually meant the Silver Samba. I don't know why I said Cha Cha Congelado.

I really liked G/P's performance here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9EKyAVbe9Qc

 

[Kecasyl]

Actually the ISU rhumba pattern dance calls for 44 measures of 4 beats per minute; 176 beats per minute, which is much faster than most typical ballroom rhumba music.

The name of the dance is "rhumba" but the musical selections chosen and the style of performance often seem like some other Latin dance to me:

Rhumba
Torvill & Dean - 1984 Olympics: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i3-3AahwHTo
Denkova & Staviski - 2007 Worlds: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RQugomdzUpM
Bestemianova & Bukin - 1984 Olympics: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YnOeR88n6TU
Grishuk & Platov - 1997 Worlds: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LYbDTKEzVoM

Perhaps a poster with Latin/ballroom expertise could weigh in.

In ballroom-
Rumba – American — the recommended tempo is 120-144 BPM (beats per minute)
Rumba – International — the recommended tempo is 96-112 BPM (beats per minute)

 

[cheerknithanson]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HNLjUTBPpLY If any of the teams uses this, I'll be SO happy!

 

[Bunny Hop]

Also interesting :
We are happy to inform that the IDTC proposed to the Council also to resume work on the other new Pattern Dance Rhumba d’Amor, created by Jane Torvill and Christopher Dean in 1993 and presented for the first time at the European Championships in Helsinki in 1994.

It's a good news. But they are 2 mistakes in this communication :
1- It was first performed during the british championships in Sheffield in dec 1993.
2- 1994 european championships were hed in Copenhagen not in Helsinki.

Three mistakes - it's Jayne Torvill, not Jane.

 

[gkelly]

Not mentioning the British Championships may not be a "mistake" -- most likely the ISU only counts international competitions.

 

[clairecloutier]

I have to disagree with some people here, as I prefer rhumba and other Latin dances to tango. I agree it's a challenge to get the hip action right, but I really like a good Latin SD. In the 2011-12 season, I really enjoyed Virtue/Moir's samba SD, Davis/White's club music SD, Pechalat/Bourzat's Brazilian samba SD (although they never quite perfected it technically). I am bored of tango right now. there is more variety in Latin dances, more fun.

 

[allezfred]

So long as a team brings THE SEX (and please do not tell me that Latin dances don't have to be sexy ) it's all good.

 

[DE93]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HNLjUTBPpLY If any of the teams uses this, I'll be SO happy!

I believe P/B did in 2012 for their SD: https://youtu.be/a6cfl9MAQz4?t=2m56s

 

[Nmsis]

Abachkina Thauron too used Rio in their 2013-2014 FD

 

[Willin]

Tons of synchro teams have used the Rio soundtrack. If they're wearing a blue, neon green, and neon orange dress, it will surely be that.