The other night I was at a family dinner, and we were discussing the US Figure Skating Championships which was currently taking place. We all commented on the spectacular skating performances, but we were especially amazed by Alysa Liu and Nathan Chen. My aunt then casually remarked how technical freestyle skating is, and how it is “way more difficult than ice dancing” because of the jumps.
There has always been a big misconception that ice dancing is “easier” than freestyle. Having competed in both disciplines, I can attest to the fact that freestyle and ice dancing focus on different skills and elements, making them both EQUALLY difficult. As it is my mission to educate my readers, I would like to explain how figure skating and ice dancing each have its own distinct challenges in order to finally put an end to the maligned perception of ice dancing.
Ice dancing is extremely technical because skaters are judged on the precision of their footwork, placement of the dance steps, accuracy of timing, and deepness of edges. Not only are ice dancers required to complete intricate footwork sequences to the exact beat of the music, they also have to master specific pattern (compulsory) dances which have standardized steps skated to a specific music genre. There are eight levels of dances- preliminary, pre-bronze, bronze, pre-silver, silver, pre-gold, gold, international- a total of 33 dances!!!
Chock & Bates’ Egyptian Snake Free Dance
Source: https://www.usfigureskating.org
Ice dancing is similar to ballroom dancing, but on ice. While freestyle skaters need to land clean triple and quadruple jumps, ice dancers must execute difficult steps and turns with extreme precision and timing. Instead of simply doing crossovers and connecting steps, ice dancers are judged on their speed, power, and flow through every turn and footwork. Skills such as rhythm, expression, musical interpretation, and gracefulness must also be mastered. Lastly, having good carriage and performing with grace are all critical to ice dancing. Before I learned to ice dance, I never worried so much about posture and extensions. Maintaining body alignment through extensions is essential in showing long lines and fluid grace. Many of these movements can be easily hidden in freestyle since jumps and spins receive all the attention.
Among all the required elements, one of the most difficult for ice dancers to master is the twizzle sequence. Twizzles are multi-rotational turns on one foot moving continuously across the ice- unlike a spin which is performed in one place. The blade has a rocker which rocks back and forth, and during a twizzle, a skater needs to stay centered on the ball of the foot to maintain balance while spinning. Twizzles also have different levels of difficulty depending on their entries, arm positions, edge positions, number of turns, and change of rotational directions.
Virtue & Moir’s Moulin Rouge Free Dance
Source: https://nationalpost.com/sports/olympics/simmons-its-not-easy-to-say-goodbye-to-tessa-virtue-and-scott-moir-for-them-or-for-us
I’ve always enjoyed watching both freestyle and ice dancing, but as I watch the US Nationals this week, I find ice dancing to be much more captivating. Of course, it’s great to see skaters land all their jumps from one end of the rink to the other. But I’ve grown to enjoy the more artistic aspect of skating, especially in ice dancing where skaters interpret their music and exhibit their character. I feel that ice dancing allows skaters to be more creative and show off their artistic expressions to reveal their unique personalities.
If you’re interested in watching an ice dance competition, you’re in luck because there a couple of local competitions you can attend in the coming weeks. On March 6-7, the Southern Connecticut Skating Club will be hosting its 1st annual Solo Dance Series Competition at the Terry Conors rink in Stamford, CT. On March 27-29, the Morris Open will have its Dance Series competition at the Mennen Sports Arena in Morristown, NJ. Please check out the “Events” tab for more details.
One should choose a skating discipline not because one is easier/harder over the other, but because the skater genuinely enjoys it more.