WHICH ICE-DANCE ELEMENT DO YOU LIKE BETTER....A LIFT OR A CARRY?

[FSWer]

Say,which Ice-Dance element does everyone here like better? a lift...OR....a Carry? I myself like Carries better. But then...I like curtain Lifts too!!!

 

[overedge]

@FSWer I don't like either because I don't think lifts or carries belong in ice dance. Ice dance should emphasize edges, flow, timing and musicality, instead of trying to look like some watered-down version of pairs.

This is a really old program, but to me this shows how ice dance can be great without the elements it includes now.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qI0vwoGF234

 

[treesprite]

@FSWer I don't like either because I don't think lifts or carries belong in ice dance. Ice dance should emphasize edges, flow, timing and musicality, instead of trying to look like some watered-down version of pairs.

This is a really old program, but to me this shows how ice dance can be great without the elements it includes now.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qI0vwoGF234

I absolutely agree 100%! I thought I was the only one who felt this way.

 

[Clarice]

I just passed my Silver free dance test a couple of days ago, without doing a lift. The judges were a little confused at first, because they don't see this test very often, since adults in the US are never required to take free dance tests for anything. Apparently the lift used to be a required element, but now it's part of a list of elements from which you choose three. There was no way my partner and I could do a lift safely, so we elected to do an additional footwork sequence and both twizzle elements instead of the lift. The judges were very pleased that the rules permitted this now for adults.

 

[vireo]

I think lifts have made ice dance much more interesting and fun to watch. I don't agree that lifts have turned ice dance into "pairs lite". Generally speaking, I find dance lifts more creative and beautiful than pairs lifts. Post COP, so many pairs lifts are just fugly.

 

[Yazmeen]

Add me in as another person who isn't wild about either lifts or carries - like overedge, I love the steps and footwork and edge work. A botched or sloppy lift or carry can ruin an entire program (just ask Barbara Fusar-Poli...). I suppose some folks think that lifts or carries look romantic in some programs - but not when you the effort and strain in the faces of some dancers doing them.

 

[Shyjosie]

When a couple is strong enough, I like lifts when they match the program and the music. In some cases, I even like the reverse lifts. But carries are more elegant, and when done skillfully, I like them better, because they are more likely to emphasize the nature of ice dance, whereas lifts too often look like pairs skating, as the some people here have already pointed out.

 

[overedge]

Congratulations on passing your test, @Clarice!!

 

[FSWer]

I saw the clip. What a graceful Dance!! Colleen was lifted though. BTW. were is the Team now?

 

[overedge]

@FSWer any lifts in ice dance then were much quicker and not as far off the ice - I think the rule was that the woman's body could not be higher than the man's shoulders.

If you Google Jim and Colleen's names you should be able to find out what they are doing now. I think Jim was a judge for quite a while after retiring from skating.