The Dance Hall 13: When You Dance on the Ice and Your Feet Twizzle Twice, That's Amore

[skategal]

When Soucisse/Firus wanted start representing Ireland there was court because SC wanted that they wait two not one year

Right..I totally forgot that. D’oh.

So SC did treat LFB differently then.

Thanks!

 

[her grace]

Considering how online Weaver tends to be, I think her comments were very deliberate in trying to defend this decision, given how much criticism it received (and rightfully so).
If I'm being completely honest, I think it's a problem that the two most influential people on the IDTC (Weaver and Rettstatt) have quite a lot in common (Queer and American) in a way that clearly impacts their views and decisions. To be clear, there's absolutely nothing wrong with being Queer or American, but it does create a certain view on life and as a result, on the sport, that is different from many other countries, and given that figure skating is an international sport, the IDTC lacks impact from different POVs.

I’m not sure I understand this point. Rettstatt and Weaver’s views appear to be aligned, but that doesn’t mean that every queer or North American would agree with their position. Like, I find it hard to believe that someone would say two committee members share a similar view because they are both straight and European, and that’s a problem. This critique seems to be aimed at their identities more than their ideas.

The whole IDTC is responsible for the current mess in dance. And Rettstatt shares more blame as the Chair. OTOH I’m not sure how it’s determined that Weaver is one of the most influential members of the committee; we don’t know what’s going on behind the scenes.

 

[Former Lurve Goddess]

I’m not sure I understand this point. Rettstatt and Weaver’s views appear to be aligned, but that doesn’t mean that every queer or North American would agree with their position. Like, I find it hard to believe that someone would say two committee members share a similar view because they are both straight and European, and that’s a problem. This critique seems to be aimed at their identities more than their ideas.

The whole IDTC is responsible for the current mess in dance. And Rettstatt shares more blame as the Chair. OTOH I’m not sure how it’s determined that Weaver is one of the most influential members of the committee; we don’t know what’s going on behind the scenes.

Weaver and Rettstatt seem to be the only IDTC members that the media talks to. It's possible that the other committee members who represent Great, Britain, France and Germany also have similar views. It's also possible that some (or all) of them have completely different views about the direction of the sport.

 

[angi]

I’m not sure I understand this point. Rettstatt and Weaver’s views appear to be aligned, but that doesn’t mean that every queer or North American would agree with their position. Like, I find it hard to believe that someone would say two committee members share a similar view because they are both straight and European, and that’s a problem. This critique seems to be aimed at their identities more than their ideas.

Their identity is not an issue at all. However, their identity seems to influence the way they approach changes in the sport, and while it is fully understandable and not an issue in the slightest, in this specific case, it seems to lead to a lack of diversity of opinions within the IDTC. Perhaps the other representatives agree with them, but to me, it feels like decisions are made within the narratives that are very specific to Americans, specifically.

The whole IDTC is responsible for the current mess in dance. And Rettstatt shares more blame as the Chair. OTOH I’m not sure how it’s determined that Weaver is one of the most influential members of the committee; we don’t know what’s going on behind the scenes.

She is definitely one of the most vocal ones, which leads me to think she is also one of the most influential members. She has been vocally explaining and mostly defending the IDTC decisions in a way that makes it clear she is passionate about them.

 

[chameleonster]

I’m not sure I understand this point. Rettstatt and Weaver’s views appear to be aligned, but that doesn’t mean that every queer or North American would agree with their position. Like, I find it hard to believe that someone would say two committee members share a similar view because they are both straight and European, and that’s a problem. This critique seems to be aimed at their identities more than their ideas.

The whole IDTC is responsible for the current mess in dance. And Rettstatt shares more blame as the Chair. OTOH I’m not sure how it’s determined that Weaver is one of the most influential members of the committee; we don’t know what’s going on behind the scenes.

While Weaver has certainly been vocal in defending the current direction of the IDTC, as the Chair this is primarily Rettstatt's vision even if she agrees with it. People can have bad taste without it being linked to their identities. I myself am a queer American who has lost a lot of my love for ice dance after all these terrible rule changes, and if I were somehow made chair of the IDTC you would immediately see a return to older rules that made it such a thrilling sport and give us a waltz again at long last. I support a easing up on gender roles of course, but I loved the thing in juniors where they had to switch off who was the lead and follow. Allowing teams to express their own individuality through the waltz, the paso, etc. can be done.

Quite frankly I'm more than a little uncomfortable with the way Weaver's sexuality and identity have been discussed in this thread when there's no reason for it. Her bad ice dance opinions cannot be attributed to her identity, and we can discuss the current dismal direction of ice dance without making it a personal attack. There are six members of the IDTC in total, the remainder who are Hilary Selby of Great Britain, David Molina of France, Ingrid Charlotte Wolker of Germany, and Alper Ucar of Turkey. It's a relatively diverse group, who seem to be in relative agreement or at least not public disagreement that this is a good thing for ice dance. Just because Weaver is the most online of the six doesn't mean she's the main culprit responsible for everything you don't like about current ice dance, and certainly not because of her queerness.

 

[Vagabond]

Oftentimes, people are vocal in public because they have little influence in private.

 

[jägerbomb]

We're in the midst of the messiest, most dramatic dance season in recent memory and THIS is the conversation we're having?

I had to double check I accidently didn't click on an archived thread from twenty years ago.

 

[Tinycities]

Not sure where this would go, but does anyone have a list of what each team needs to do to qualify for the GPF? This year feels especially chaotic.

 

[MsZem]

We're in the midst of the messiest, most dramatic dance season in recent memory and THIS is the conversation we're having?

I had to double check I accidently didn't click on an archived thread from twenty years ago.

What's so dramatic about it?

20 years ago was Babs' death glare. Would that we had something like that to look forward to.

 

[thvu]

I just think the IDTC is desperate to change the narrative on the 90s rhythm dance this year. It’s been almost universally panned by fans. And now I guess an IDTC member is trying to use their platform to influence the opinions of the casuals, because right now what we’re seeing is their decision-making resulting in a spectacularly public failure.

 

[Rukia]

I just think the IDTC is desperate to change the narrative on the 90s rhythm dance this year. It’s been almost universally panned by fans.

It's been almost universally panned by skaters too in the sense that many of them have complained about how hard it is to find music they can use that meets the requirements

 

[Karen-W]

I just think the IDTC is desperate to change the narrative on the 90s rhythm dance this year. It’s been almost universally panned by fans. And now I guess an IDTC member is trying to use their platform to influence the opinions of the casuals, because right now what we’re seeing is their decision-making resulting in a spectacularly public failure.

It's been almost universally panned by skaters too in the sense that many of them have complained about how hard it is to find music they can use that meets the requirements

I have to agree that the IDTC is engaging in the classic doubling down and denying there is a problem with the RDs this season and that it is entirely of their own making. They made the choice to force the "club music" aspect of the '90s RD theme on everyone and severely limited the options every single team had with the 120bpm requirement.

They didn't even have to deviate from their "decades" theme for this Olympic cycle if they were that set on it, they just needed to pick a different time period. Chances are, had they gone with a "social dances of the '30s & 40s" RD theme with a foxtrot for the pattern dance element, they'd have a lot more interesting & successful RDs than they have.

 

[Lizziebeth]

I have now seen a lot of the RDs and I have to say I don't enjoy most of them at all. There have been a few exceptions, but most of the RDs are meh. If they were trying to be more modern they have failed. The 90s were a long time ago!

 

[jägerbomb]

What's so dramatic about it?

20 years ago was Babs' death glare. Would that we had something like that to look forward to.

I do feel like we might get a Guignard death glare by season's end if Fabbri keeps blowing the twizzles.

Granted, it's been more messy than dramatic:

Cizeron and his problematic path to becoming a repeat OGM favorite
Chock, Gilles, and Guignard all looking underprepared in their first event
The poor optics (and skating) of the Shibs' comeback
Hot mess RD
IAM politics vs. rest of the world