{"id":29991,"date":"2023-01-06T09:00:00","date_gmt":"2023-01-06T14:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ice-dance.com\/site\/?p=29991"},"modified":"2023-01-02T01:39:03","modified_gmt":"2023-01-02T06:39:03","slug":"the-rhythm-dance-it-is-a-changing-part-iii","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ice-dance.com\/site\/the-rhythm-dance-it-is-a-changing-part-iii\/","title":{"rendered":"The Rhythm Dance – It is a Changing: Part III"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n\n

by Anne Calder<\/em><\/p>\n

IDC concluded its discussion of the the 2022-2023 Rhythm Dance changes with interviews at the Ice Dance Final in Norwood, MA.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

Coach Ben Agosto sat down with IDC at the Skating Club of Boston after congratulating his young team, Grace & Luke Fischer for winning the Intermediate gold medal.<\/p>\n

Agosto and partner Tanith Belbin are the 2006 Olympic silver medalists, four-time World medalist, Four Continents Champion 2004-2006 and five-time U.S. National Champions. He has choreographed for Disney on Ice <\/i>and Cirque du<\/i> Soliel.<\/i> He currently coaches with his wife, Katherine Hill, in Colorado Springs, Colorado.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe removal of the pattern from the Rhythm Dance is hard for me – it\u2019s bitter sweet,\u201d Agosto said. \u201cI personally feel like I didn\u2019t really learn how to skate until I mastered the Golden Waltz for the competition at the Olympics (2006). That was such a long way into my career, and it felt like it was something that was important for me to learn to do my job correctly. So it\u2019s difficult for me to see that aspect going away because I think it still has a lot to offer.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThat being said I think everyone is doing a great job creatively trying to come up with whatever they can to fill that gap and maybe that will be the direction we go where we\u2019re starting to have more Golden Waltzes – these very fast pattern dances will be basically invented like they were way back when Torvill & Dean were competing and they were making the Original Set Patterns. (OSP)\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s where a lot of our patterns come from now. It\u2019s interesting and the sport is always evolving. I will certainly miss seeing some of that from a technical aspect and for the athletes who train it, it will be something that will be missed. But, like people were worrying about [losing] figures<\/i> and, we\u2019re still moving forward with great champions and incredible skaters.\u00a0 <\/span>So it will be exciting to see where it goes. \u201c<\/p>\n

Agosto assessed the possible concern that maybe younger coaches were too far removed from the Compulsory Dance, resulting in a problem of no one to teach it.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t know if that\u2019s the reason, but I\u2019ve woken up with the nightmare that I was getting very advanced in my age, and I was the only person left who knew how to partner one of these dances the kids needed for testing. I was like, \u201cWho\u2019s going to take over these partnering dances?\u201d Down the road it could be challenging.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s nothing like competing these pattern dances at a high level to hone the skill of it. It\u2019s one thing to train a month or two to test it, but when you have to train a whole year to compete at a World level, there\u2019s such precision that\u2019s required. All these skaters are having to skate with great precision in all different aspects but there\u2019s something very uniquely \u201cice dance\u201d about those Compulsory and Pattern Dances that will start to drift and change.<\/p>\n

\u201cRules are so nuanced. It isn\u2019t just that they fell or they stayed on their feet. It\u2019s very small details that make or break an element or a key point and really affects the score. I can see where it\u2019s difficult to watch for the average viewer if they can\u2019t tell why a team didn\u2019t score well. It\u2019s important to be able to convey it in a way that makes sense and is accessible.\u201d<\/p>\n

Greg Zuerlein is a former competitive skater, a current coach and co-founder of Michigan Ice Dance Academy. (MIDA)<\/p>\n

\u201c<\/b>I think the Choreographic Rhythm Sequence is nice. It shows more dance, more variety of dance. I do miss the basic compulsory dance. It showed the difference between the top teams.\u00a0I don\u2019t know if I\u2019d like to go back to Compulsories, but I do like the Rhythm Dance having a pattern. This year it would have been Rhumba, but they took it out and added the Choreographic Rhythm Sequence. Maybe in the future they could have both. It makes a difference when you watch the teams.”<\/p>\n

Ryan Stevens is the author of the Almanac of Canadian Figure Skating <\/i>and Skate Guard Blog.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think that getting rid of compulsory dances in seniors was an unusual choice. I’m also of two minds about the decision to incorporate them into the short\/rhythm dance in the first place. When figures were cut in the early 90’s, you didn’t see them being incorporated into free skating, because they were two very different things. Compulsory dances and the OD\/SD\/RD were really two very different things altogether too.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cIf it was up to me – and it’s not – I’d bring back one compulsory dance and make the OD\/SD\/RD one rhythm each year – not the choice of Samba, Merengue, Cha Cha, Mambo, Rhumba, etc. which are all their own very specific dances. What made compulsory dances and the OD\/SD\/RD great was the fact they forced ice dancers to master all manner of very specific rhythms and styles of dance.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cThe point of ice dancing in the first place was that teams should be just as good at a foxtrot as at a waltz or tango. That’s what we should be seeing at an elite level and instead, we have two free dances, one shorter and one longer.\u201d<\/p>\n

According to some members of the ice dance community – It\u2019s all about the Key Points.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Ben Agosto: The key points are difficult. I think their whole idea was to create a way to objectively grade the pattern dances because it felt very subjective. They were supposed to make it more objective and something that could be scored and also help the audience understand how the result was coming about.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

I always felt that every step needed to be treated the way each key point is treated. When I was training, I was told every step needs to be perfect. What I think is the struggles with the lower levels it\u2019s so difficult that everyone is skating to the key points and there are many other aspects of the skating that need to be developed.<\/p>\n

Carol Lane:<\/b> I do think the problem became not about the Pattern Dances, but about those Key Points in the Pattern Dances. We weren\u2019t working on [the whole] patten anymore, we are working on two or three steps.\u00a0 <\/span>We weren\u2019t seeing good dances, we were seeing people trying to get technical points. The Juniors still do the Pattern Dance, and I like it. I would want the Pattern Dances back in an instant if it weren\u2019t for the Key Points. I think that\u2019s what killed it.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Simon Shnapir: I will say with my limited knowledge it seems like there\u2019s so much emphasis and attention paid to that part of the dance and not on other parts. The entire dance should be judged from a technical standpoint.<\/p>\n

Jean-Luc Baker: <\/span>Everyone is only focused on how to do an outside and inside edge and get this key point as clean as possible.<\/p>\n

Danielle Earl: <\/b>I\u2019m sure as a skater it must be frustrating to not get the key points even though you felt you were on time, but it\u2019s up to the technical panel. It\u2019s hard for me since I\u2019m not a skater any more to make a judgement call on that. It would be interesting though to see if the pattern were judged as a whole instead of specific steps.<\/p>\n

Greg Zuerlein:<\/b> Emphasis used to be on the flow. Now the focus is how they put their foot down on one step, and it might not be the nicest step to watch. It\u2019s just to achieve the level. It takes away from what the compulsory dances used to look like just so they can achieve the level. I do miss that effortless look of the compulsory dance. Instead everyone is only focusing on having to put my foot down on an outside edge and you lose the flow.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

If you notice, the patterns look different now. They\u2019re not filling up the corners. It depends on the dance, and how you\u2019re going to attack it. Everyone is going for the level because it\u2019s important to get the technical points. If you can mix both the technical and have it flow and be effortless that\u2019s the solution.<\/p>\n

The Fan Perspective<\/p>\n

Figure Skating Analyst Jackie Wong asked his Twitter followers –\u00a0<\/span>Do you miss having the Pattern in the Rhythm Dance?\u00a0\u00a0<\/i>He received 1,533 responses (Yes – 89%\u00a0 <\/span>\/ \u00a0 <\/span>No – 11%).<\/p>\n

Jackie Wong: \u201cThe weird thing about not having a set pattern dance is that I keep expecting a change of rhythm accompanied by two crossovers to then go into some compulsory pattern. I\u2019m disappointed when it doesn\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n

Fan #1: \u201cAs a spectator, it\u2019s way less monotonous. The pattern dance made the RD kind of tedious to watch.\u201d<\/p>\n

Fan #2:\u00a0\u201c<\/b>It\u2019s complicated. The pattern gets boring, but it\u2019s a good way to compare teams.\u201d<\/p>\n

Fan #3:\u00a0\u201c<\/b>I think it’s the most important technical aspect of ice dance, and it’s so much harder to compare teams now. Choreographically, a lot of Rhythm Dances feel empty to me now.\u201d<\/p>\n

Linda: \u201c I miss the pattern because you could see if they were hitting the Key Points or not, and it gives you a direct comparison of who has better skating skills. Having everyone doing the same thing separates the good from the great. I miss that because It limits knowing who really should be on top\u201d.<\/p>\n

Jennifer: \u201cI like having the pattern included\u00a0 <\/span>because it is easier to clearly see the talent levels of the teams.\u201d<\/p>\n

Claudyne, a long-time fan and tour owner told IDC, \u201cI love the compulsory dance because you\u2019re able to see if they have flats, missing their edges or how far the pattern is going. That determines who is skating cleanly. Now the Rhythm Dance is like a long program (Free Dance) that\u2019s short. There are so many neat patterns, they could have at least one pattern around the arena. That\u2019s the best thing to do. The Compulsory Dances are where you learn your edges, your positioning and placement of legs and hips and arms.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

by Anne Calder IDC concluded its discussion of the the 2022-2023 Rhythm Dance changes with interviews at the Ice Dance Final in Norwood, MA.\u00a0 Coach Ben Agosto sat down with […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":29987,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"off","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"1280","_gspb_post_css":"","_uag_custom_page_level_css":"","_themeisle_gutenberg_block_has_review":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[6,142],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-29991","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-articles-interviews","category-featured"],"blocksy_meta":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.ice-dance.com\/site\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/RD-pattern-piece-2022.jpg?fit=957%2C566&ssl=1","uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.ice-dance.com\/site\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/RD-pattern-piece-2022.jpg?fit=957%2C566&ssl=1",957,566,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.ice-dance.com\/site\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/RD-pattern-piece-2022.jpg?fit=254%2C150&ssl=1",254,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.ice-dance.com\/site\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/RD-pattern-piece-2022.jpg?fit=300%2C177&ssl=1",300,177,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.ice-dance.com\/site\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/RD-pattern-piece-2022.jpg?fit=768%2C454&ssl=1",768,454,true],"large":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.ice-dance.com\/site\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/RD-pattern-piece-2022.jpg?fit=957%2C566&ssl=1",957,566,true],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.ice-dance.com\/site\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/RD-pattern-piece-2022.jpg?fit=957%2C566&ssl=1",957,566,true],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.ice-dance.com\/site\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/RD-pattern-piece-2022.jpg?fit=957%2C566&ssl=1",957,566,true],"et-pb-post-main-image":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.ice-dance.com\/site\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/RD-pattern-piece-2022.jpg?resize=400%2C250&ssl=1",400,250,true],"et-pb-post-main-image-fullwidth":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.ice-dance.com\/site\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/RD-pattern-piece-2022.jpg?resize=957%2C566&ssl=1",957,566,true],"et-pb-portfolio-image":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.ice-dance.com\/site\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/RD-pattern-piece-2022.jpg?resize=400%2C284&ssl=1",400,284,true],"et-pb-portfolio-module-image":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.ice-dance.com\/site\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/RD-pattern-piece-2022.jpg?resize=510%2C382&ssl=1",510,382,true],"et-pb-portfolio-image-single":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.ice-dance.com\/site\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/RD-pattern-piece-2022.jpg?fit=957%2C566&ssl=1",957,566,true],"et-pb-gallery-module-image-portrait":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.ice-dance.com\/site\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/RD-pattern-piece-2022.jpg?resize=400%2C516&ssl=1",400,516,true],"rpwe-thumbnail":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.ice-dance.com\/site\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/RD-pattern-piece-2022.jpg?resize=45%2C45&ssl=1",45,45,true]},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"Team IDC","author_link":"https:\/\/www.ice-dance.com\/site\/author\/idcadmin\/"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"by Anne Calder IDC concluded its discussion of the the 2022-2023 Rhythm Dance changes with interviews at the Ice Dance Final in Norwood, MA.\u00a0 Coach Ben Agosto sat down with […]","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p7GOSM-7NJ","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ice-dance.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29991","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ice-dance.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ice-dance.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ice-dance.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ice-dance.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=29991"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.ice-dance.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29991\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":29994,"href":"https:\/\/www.ice-dance.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29991\/revisions\/29994"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ice-dance.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/29987"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ice-dance.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=29991"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ice-dance.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=29991"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ice-dance.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=29991"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}