Solo Ice Dance is now an official ISU discipline

[Aussie Willy]

The ISU have now released the regulations for the official discipline of Solo Ice Dance.

Solo Dance

Solo Ice Dance is a parallel discipline to Ice Dance. Skaters perform the same Pattern Dances, Rhythm Dance and Free Dance segments.

www.isu.org

 

[FSWer]

ALL-RIGHT...COOOOOOOL!!!!!!!! I would love to see it make TV. sometime along with all the others.

 

[Vagabond]

I expect Dancing With Myself to be the Carmen of the discipline.

 

[Aussie Willy]

I expect Dancing With Myself to be the Carmen of the discipline.

Or On my Own from Les Misérables.

Checked the rules. Skaters can pick their own music for the patterns but can choose the ISU music if they want.

 

[Karen-W]

All By Myself if you want something with a classical base.

 

[FSWer]

Or On my Own from Les Misérables.

Checked the rules. Skaters can pick their own music for the patterns but can choose the ISU music if they want.

Say..btw. now that's it's an official, discipline..who is your favorite Solo Ice Dancer? I can name at least 2 right now....Brooke Tuffs and Sophie Lewis.

 

[Aussie Willy]

Say..btw. now that's it's an official, discipline..who is your favorite Solo Ice Dancer? I can name at least 2 right now....Brooke Tuffs and Sophie Lewis.

I am in Australia and haven't watched any of the Solo Dance competitions in the US

 

[VGThuy]

I think this is a much-needed step that will open so many opportunities for many skaters now that they aren’t dependent on finding a partner to continue competing and figuring out how to fund two skaters.

 

[miffy]

I saw 10 year old Olivia Smart win a national solo dance title in 2007! (I can’t remember what the level was called, probably basic novice, but it was the youngest of 5 levels and she beat about 20 other girls. It was a long couple of days.)

 

[taz'smum]

I saw 10 year old Olivia Smart win a national solo dance title in 2007! (I can’t remember what the level was called, probably basic novice, but it was the youngest of 5 levels and she beat about 20 other girls. It was a long couple of days.)

I remember that dance well, she skated her FD to 'I wish I was a punk rocker'!
She had so much personality even at that age!

 

[Judy]

Wow.

 

[alizadavida]

got to see Brooke Tuft's performance at SCOB and it was great! she's doing it again for the Boston NYE show so i might go down and watch

 

[Aussie Willy]

I think this is a much-needed step that will open so many opportunities for many skaters now that they aren’t dependent on finding a partner to continue competing and figuring out how to fund two skaters.

You can also still do ice dance and don't have to worry about personality differences.

And it also gives further opportunities for Synchro skaters if they want to also do something as a solo skater which helps improve their Synchro skills.

 

[Coco]

Hmm...is there already a solo division for adult skaters? Has anyone told Karen Chen?

 

[Aussie Willy]

Hmm...is there already a solo division for adult skaters? Has anyone told Karen Chen?

We have had solo dance in our ice dance rules for years here in Australia. I did it over 20 years ago. But no-one has taken it seriously until the ISU got behind it.

 

[hoptoad]

Did they announce anywhere what competitions will be offered? Will solo dance now be included at GP events, championships, etc.?

Also, is it open to both men and women? With the same requirements and scale of values?

 

[Aussie Willy]

Did they announce anywhere what competitions will be offered? Will solo dance now be included at GP events, championships, etc.?

No they have just finalised the regulations around competitions.

The reason for having a set of regulations is to provide a framework for those who want to hold events, including having international competitors, a set of standards that everyone can follow. If you don't the different federations have their own rules which is what has happened to date.

So what that means if I was a solo dancer and wanted to compete in a US or UK event, I would need to follow their rules. It could mean having to learn a new pattern dance from what I am doing here or if there was a RD theme then I might have to do a new program just for that event. We had that issue in Australia around artistic events years ago. Every club did their own thing, including program music timing. Which meant you may have had to totally change your program.

It also opens up the opportunity to have those international events sanctioned by the ISU so that skaters from ISU member countries can compete without having to worry about non-sanctioned events.

So before you can even consider events you need to have the rules in place.

The other thing I am hoping is that the divisions, parameters and elements will all be set up in the software for events. Until this time whenever we have had solo dance competitions we have kind of had to make it up and fit in best you can into the system. Currently the system doesn't allow you to set up an ice dance event for a solo skater, it has to be a couple. If they can sort that out it will make it much easier for those doing all the computer stuff.

Hope that helps

ETA - I am loving this discussion about one of my passion disciplines. Roller sports have been doing it for years. It is time ice got on board.

 

[gkelly]

Did they announce anywhere what competitions will be offered? Will solo dance now be included at GP events, championships, etc.?

Not yet

Also, is it open to both men and women? With the same requirements and scale of values?

Men and women will compete against each other in the same events

Go to the link Aussie Willy posted in the first post of the thread and scroll down to download the rules that have now been published.

In the International Solo Ice Dance Competition Guidelines:

1.1 Category and Age Requirements for Solo Ice Dance
1.1.1 Category Requirements
In International Solo Ice Dance Competitions male and female skaters compete together in the same category

 

[hoptoad]

Thank you both! That makes a lot of sense for building up the discipline.

I think it will be great to have an event both men and women can enter. It will be interesting to see how it develops.

 

[Aussie Willy]

Thank you both! That makes a lot of sense for building up the discipline.

I think it will be great to have an event both men and women can enter. It will be interesting to see how it develops.

We had Jiri Porkorny and his wife come and compete in an event in Australia years ago. I think they competed in the Olympics in the 70s. He decided to also do the solo dance event. It was so lovely seeing him skate the Blues pattern which I was judging. His technique was excellent.

 

[caseyedwards]

Who is winning

 

[purple skates]

The ISU have now released the regulations for the official discipline of Solo Ice Dance.

Solo Dance

Solo Ice Dance is a parallel discipline to Ice Dance. Skaters perform the same Pattern Dances, Rhythm Dance and Free Dance segments.

www.isu.org

This is awesome for adult skaters in ISU events!

 

[Aussie Willy]

This is awesome for adult skaters in ISU events!

There is nothing in the Adult Tech Regs yet. I am hoping it will be included. Solo dance is a great discipline for adult skaters, particularly those who don't like to jump (raises hand ).

 

[Tak]

So can dancers now compete together and separately? Or do you have to pick one.

 

[gkelly]

So can dancers now compete together and separately? Or do you have to pick one.

Can freestylers compete in both singles and pairs? Or do they have to pick one?

 

[Aussie Willy]

So can dancers now compete together and separately? Or do you have to pick one.

It doesn't mention it in the regulations. I dare say it will be the same as you can compete in one or more disciplines.

However the intention is to provide an option for skaters who cannot find partners.

 

[Tak]

Can freestylers compete in both singles and pairs? Or do they have to pick one?

Singles and pairs require different skill sets for a lot of the elements. But solo ice dancing should use the same elements - step sequence, twizzles, one foot skating etc - as you would have to do with a partner. Are there any new elements a solo dancer would have to do? Something new to learn and practice ? That's what I meant.

It should be pretty easy for a dancer to do both - they could even use the same sequences for a lot of it that they are doing with their partner. It would give them more chances to practice before the judges and for more junior teams more opportunity for the judges to get to know them.

But I wonder if Im assuming things that aren't true.

 

[gkelly]

Singles and pairs require different skill sets for a lot of the elements. But solo ice dancing should use the same elements - step sequence, twizzles, one foot skating etc - as you would have to do with a partner. Are there any new elements a solo dancer would have to do? Something new to learn and practice ? That's what I meant.

It should be pretty easy for a dancer to do both - they could even use the same sequences for a lot of it that they are doing with their partner. It would give them more chances to practice before the judges and for more junior teams more opportunity for the judges to get to know them.

But I wonder if Im assuming things that aren't true.

The rules are linked from the first post.

There are obviously no lifts in solo dance. In their place, skaters do edge elements:

Short Dance Edge Elements include the following 4 Types:
A. Spirals in varied positions or an Attitude
B. Crouch in varied positions ie; one leg extended to the side, back or front, on or off the ice
C. Spread Eagle
D. Ina Bauer
Combination Edge Element
A Combination Edge Element consists of two Short Edge Elements performed consecutively that progress on two separate curves to form a serpentine-like (S-shaped) pattern.

The required/allowed elements for the rhythm dance and free dance are otherwise similar to those for partnered dance. So in theory a skater who has a partnered free dance could just change the lifts into edge elements and skate it without the partner.

More likely, skaters who do choose to do both disciplines would have different programs for each.

 

[coralline]

ETA - I am loving this discussion about one of my passion disciplines. Roller sports have been doing it for years. It is time ice got on board.

Oh I accidentally started to follow artistic roller skating last year. Their Solo Dance rules are quite sophisticated and they have some of the most interesting music choices! (and they still have pattern dance in senior dance）
I’d like to recommend this Style Dance (like RD in ice dance) from Italian roller skater Roberta Sasso (newly-crowned world champion this year). The theme is Musical/Opera, she chose a Korean musical: Mata Hari. Her TW (in roller skating it’s called “Traveling”) is the fastest I’ve seen in roller skating.
https://youtu.be/NMqa69Q869c?si=aC82Gr1WbcJf4PkR

And I realize that some ice dance coaches also choreographed programs for roller dancers. I think
Mark Hanretty choreographed a FD to Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. Matteo Zanni also helped some Italian roller dancers.

 

[Dobre]

Solo ice dance also opens up the sport to female athletes who are a different body type than most ice dancers that compete with partners. It doesn't require the acrobatic lift elements that give smaller, skinny girls an advantage in finding partners; and it does require strength, speed, and skating skills.