Saturday, May 26, 2018

My Top 10 Favorite Pattern Dances

If you ask me, the Compulsory Dance event of ice dancing is a lost art of the sport. It was an event that did not reward technical difficulty, but pure skating and dancing with a partner. Although I look back at old videos from these events and see that the Compulsory Dance events are sometimes ill-attended, I can't help but pity the people who chose to skip this event. I think I could stay and watch team after team performing the same dance over and over to the same rotation of music all day long. As Dick Button once said, ice dancing is "...a wonderful exercise of a delightful way to have a great time," and I think there are some compulsory dances, now known as pattern dances, that truly showcase the beauty of both ice dancing and figure skating as a whole. Although I think there is much to be appreciated from all thirty-three pattern dances (except maybe the Swing Dance ;) ), I believe these ten dances do the most for the sport. So, here is my top 10 list for my favorite pattern dances.


10. Rhumba


This is one that I've been going back and forth on having on this list, but in the end, it won me over. The way this dance allows a team to present their best edge quality and deep lobes is probably what draws me in the most. Some may say that the Rhumba is an easy dance, due to it's small number of steps and sustained kilian hold for it's entire duration. I could not disagree more. This particular dance is one that requires a couple to have a lot of speed, since you have to go around half of the rink in 15 seconds. Of course, when a couple has this much speed, they must also have complete control of their own blades and their hold, to make sure both partners are skating as one. That control is crucial for the two choctaws that are performed near the end of the pattern. Finally, after the first pattern has been completed, the couple has to maintain the speed they created for the first pattern and carry it through for the following three pattern. So yeah, it's hard. Still, I wish this dance had more of a latin feel to it. Hopefully the upcoming dance called the Rhumba D'Amour will will have that.

9. Viennese Waltz



I think the Viennese is unique to other difficult waltzes because of how visually pleasing it is. For one thing, I love this dance's trademark timing that is seen in the very first steps of the pattern. Along with that, this dance is slow enough so that the motion of how the skaters move their legs for swing rolls is very pleasing to the eye. I find that I don't normally overanalyze this dance, because I am so distracted by the beauty of it. It doesn't quite have the same difficulty and command of skating as other dances, but it's pretty heckin' nice to watch.

8. Kilian



I tested this dance last summer, and I have to say, it's so fun! After I had learned to properly do the choctaw in the pattern, I decided to try something new and do this pattern with the other pieces of music in the rotation provided by the ISU, and I had such a good time. It wasn't just skating fast that was fun, but I also enjoyed being able to present to an audience in a commanding way for such an upbeat style of dance. I liked being able to dance a fun style while maintaining an upright back, unlike the Yankee Polka, where the upper body bends from side to side at times. Although not very complex in terms of steps, partnering is still a big factor in this dance, especially during the choctaw, the source of all evil. This dance is 8 seconds of dancing joy. (I'm not kidding. A Kilian pattern is only 8 seconds long.)

7. Quickstep



Competing this dance last season was an absolute blast. I think the Quickstep may be my favorite dance style, and the pattern dance certainly does justice to it. I'd say my favorite section would be the backward cross steps in the middle of the ice. Another thing I like about this dance is the way it allows the couple to perform outward to the audience. There are plenty of steps that allow for nuances to the dance and pleasant presentation. If I had one criticism, it would be that this dance does not have any foxtrot or quickstep holds, which are seen just about all the time in ballroom quicksteps. Still, the Quickstep matches its dance style very well through the couple's light and enjoyable expression.

6. Blues



I feel like this is a pretty underrated dance, because many people may be bored by the dance's slow tempo, but I absolutely love this dance. To me, the Blues is 25 seconds of pure skating. The edge quality and pushing that are used in this dance are absolutely breath taking, and the last step of one pattern flows effortlessly into first step of the next. I do like that this dance requires that skaters used their fullest potential for making their edges deeper, unlike the Midnight Blues, which has a noticeable mix of deep and shallow sections. This is a dance that I would love to spend more time on so I can practice skating the pattern as deeply as I can.

5. Ravensburger Waltz



I don't think I can express just how much I love how this dance moves across the ice. The swinging motion of the opening three turn section is so aesthetically pleasing, and the speed that couples need to have throughout the dance is amazing. I love how this dance shows the character of a viennese waltz in its lifting knee action and utilization of count beat 3 in each measure. In this dance, you really need to give some credit to the lady. She has to speed into three different types of twizzles and perform several other very difficult steps. The man kind of just does a bunch of chassés around the rink. I guess that means there's no excuse to let his partner fall if she needs him to catch her!

4. Paso Doble



Okay, let me explain. I know I placed this over a bunch of internationals, but just listen to this: I love this dance style. I'm not sure why, but there's something that draws me in about a dance that is based off of the connection between a matador and his cape. Like, the lady's supposed to be a cape.

A CAPE.

THAT'S REAL WILD.

My favorite part of this dance is when the couple does their slide steps right in front of the judges and stares directly into their souls. It's such a powerful moment of intensity that draws me into the performance. This dance is not incredibly difficult, but I think the captivating style and drama pull me in anyway.

3. Tango Romantica



What a fantastic blend of skating, choreography, and true dancing. The way these hold changes are designed to be executed is completely mind-blowing, and the way the skaters must do their turns to the music so quickly is incredible. To be honest, I wasn't sure how to feel about senior teams performing this dance in the coming season because I was afraid the performance of the dance would fall flat for many skaters, but looking back at old videos, I've become very excited to see what teams have to bring to this dance.

2. Finnstep



Wow, I have a lot of Virtue and Moir on this list.

Okay, so, bonus points for being a quickstep. this dance doesn't have the quick changes of hold that the Romantica has, but I'd say it does beat the other dance in timing. It's not so much the tempo that's the difference; it's the fact that just about every step is about half of a beat long. The man even has two steps that are each a quarter beat long! Because many of those steps are crossing steps, it makes for an extremely hard dance. Aside from difficultly, the steps that were created for this dance are very appropriate for the quickstep style, including the very well choreographed stop. Also, we get foxtrot and waltz holds this time! The Finnstep's complexity and light style are what make it such an enjoyable dance for me, but I can't say it's my favorite.

1. Golden Waltz



I mean, you read this blog's name, right?

The Golden Waltz is known for its high difficulty, in terms of steps, tempo, and partnering. Like the Finnstep, it takes a very long time to master. It is also similar to the Finnstep because it has very unique steps, like the opening waltz three-turn section and the spread eagle. These two dances also very fitting for their styles, whether it be viennese waltz or quickstep, but when I comes down to being able to glide across the ice, I have to give it to the Golden.  It may not be the fastest dance across the ice, but the couple is always at work to skate on the deepest edges that they can. I look at some of the steps in this dance and wonder how it's even possible to move that quickly while skating with another person. Overall, I think this is a compulsory dance at its best, and it allows a couple to present fantastic skating and dancing abilities.

Well, I hope you've enjoyed my first top 10 post! This was a very hard list to finalize. Like I said, every pattern dance has good qualities to it, so if you think I missed a particularly good one, let me know in the comments. I'd love to here what you have to say.

-TJ

Friday, May 25, 2018

Introduction

Hi everyone!

My name is TJ Carey. I'm 18 years old, and I have a huge passion for figure skating. It's become a really a big part of my life! As a skater, I am a junior-level ice dancer with my partner, Anna, and a member of Act I of Boston, a junior-level theatre on ice team. Outside of my own competitive environment, I am a big fan of skating at international events. If I am not in the rink, I am looking up results from world-class figure skating competitions and learning more about other skaters. I hope to use this blog to share my love for the sport of figure skating from the perspective of a current competitor, former synchronized skating team member, and a big fan of the entire sport.

Enjoy reading!
-TJ