Ice Dance - Short Dance

From the ISU Communication 1621:

II. SHORT DANCE GUIDELINES AND REQUIREMENTS - Season 2010/2011

1. Requirements and Restrictions

a) General

The Short Dance consists of choreography created by the skaters expressing designated dance rhythms and contains required elements including sequences or sections of the specified Pattern dance which are considered as required elements as well. (The number of sequences or sections of the Pattern dance is determined by the time relationship between the Pattern Dance part and the Creative part. The intention is to have approximately up to 1 minute of the program to be a Pattern dance part with the rest of the dance being creative).
The entire dance must reflect the character of the selected dance rhythm(s) and be translated to the ice by demonstrating technical skill with steps and movements along with flow and the use of edges.
The concept and choreography must produce the feeling of a unified dance.
The sequence(s) or sections of the specified Pattern Dance may be skated anywhere in the Short Dance and should be integrated into the composition of the dance so that there should not be the feeling that there are just rhythms put together without thought of how they fit together.
If more than one sequence of the Pattern dance is required, the sequences must be skated one after the other.

b) Duration of Short Dance

The duration of the Short Dance is two (2) minutes and 50 seconds (plus or minus 10 seconds). The time must be reckoned from the moment when one of the Couple begins to move or to skate until arriving at a complete stop at the end of the Short Dance.

c) Music

The music for the entire Short Dance (including music for specified Pattern Dance) is provided by the couple. Vocal music is permitted and can be used for any part of the dance. The music for the specified Pattern dance must be within the announced tempo range.
If the rhythm or range of tempo is incorrect it will be penalized.
For the Creative part, the music can be either the same rhythm as for specified Pattern Dance but the tune may be different. Or a couple may chose to skate in this part a different rhythm or rhythms than the specified Pattern dance, but in this case the additional rhythm(s) must be chosen from the group of rhythms announced for the season (see below). Only music with a rhythmic beat may be used and the couples must skate primarily to the rhythmic beat. The musical introduction to the Short Dance may be without beat or melody for a maximum of 10
seconds.

d) Pattern

The pattern of the specified Pattern dance must be in accordance with Rule 608 paragraph 1 b) and with the description, chart and diagram of this dance.
The pattern of the Creative part must proceed in a generally constant direction (either clockwise or anti-clockwise) and must not cross the long axis of the ice surface except once at each end of the rink not more than 20 meters from the barrier (unless specified in Communication). Loops in either direction are permitted provided that they do not cross the center axis.

e) All steps, turns, rotations and changes of hold are permitted provided that they are appropriate to the rhythm. Difficult, original, varied and intricate footwork is required for both skaters. Hops and jumps of not more than one full (1) rotation are permitted. Jumps of 1 rotation may not be performed simultaneously and are not permitted at all in any step sequence. Kneeling or sliding on two knees or sitting on the ice is not permitted (if this happens it will be considered as a fall and the appropriate deduction will be applied). Touching the ice with hand(s) is/are not permitted.

f) Partners must not separate except to change dance hold, to perform the not-touching step sequence or the permitted full stop. Separations at the beginning and/or end of the program may be up to 10 seconds in duration without restrictions on distance of the separations.

g) There are no restrictions on dance holds. Skating in Hand-in-Hand hold with full extended arms is permitted only if in the character of the rhythm chosen but must not be used excessively.

h) After the clock is started with the first movement, the couple must not remain in one place (even if doing brief extra stops which are permitted) for longer than 10 seconds. During the program two (2) full stops (maximum duration up to 5 seconds each) are permitted. Any choreography appropriate to the music selection (including a separation of not more than 2 arms length apart) may be included.

i) Required Elements:
The composition of the Short Dance in the season 2010/2011 will contain 5 Required Elements in total:
– 2 Required Elements in the Pattern Dance part:
Junior - 2 sequence of the Viennese Waltz performed one after the other will be considered as two Required Elements (see paragraph 2 below);
Senior -1 sequence of the Golden Waltz is divided into 2 sections and each of these sections is considered as one of the two Required Elements (see paragraph 2 below); and
– 3 Required Elements in the Creative part (Short Lift, Midline Not-touching Step Sequence and Set of Sequential Twizzles) – see paragraph 3 below.
Each Sequence of the Viennese Waltz and each Section of the Golden Waltz will have a Base Value and will
be given a Level by the Technical Panel.

2. Pattern Dance part:

a) JUNIOR
The Pattern Dance to be skated is Viennese Waltz (51-53 measures of 3 beats per minute) – 2 full sequences of the dance must be performed.
The Viennese Waltz may be skated anywhere in the Short Dance but it must be started with step #1 and skated toward the Judges (the step #1 of the dance must be skated on the left side from the Judges position). Two full sequences of the dance must be performed one after the other.
Four (4) “Key points” in each sequence of the Viennese Waltz will be assessed by the Technical Panel to evaluate the Level of the whole sequence as ONE unit and Judges will give one GOE for the whole sequence.
The following “Key Points” will be taken into consideration by the Technical Panel to establish the Level of each sequence of the Viennese Waltz (see Calling Specification for details):
1st Sequence:
I. Man’s steps 9-10 - Man’s Closed Choctaw (ClCho)
II. Lady’s steps 10-11 - Lady’s Open Mohawk (OpMo)
III. Man’s &Lady’s steps 19-20
IV. Man’s &Lady’s steps 23-24
2nd Sequence:
I. Man’s &Lady’s steps 4-5
II. Man’s steps 9-10 - Man’s Closed Choctaw (Cl Cho):
III. Lady’s steps 10-11 - Lady’s Open Mohawk (OpMo):
IV. Man’s &Lady’s steps 23-24

b) SENIOR
The specified Pattern Dance to be skated is Golden Waltz (61-63 measures of 3 beats per minute) – 1 full sequence of the dance must be performed.
The sequence of the Golden Waltz is divided into two (2) sections (Section 1 - steps 1-22 and Section 2 - steps 23- 47) which will be considered as two (2) Required Elements. Each Section of the dance will have a Base Value.
The Golden Waltz may be skated anywhere in the Short Dance and it may be started either with Section 1 (starting with step # 1) followed by Section 2 or with Section 2 (starting with step #23) followed by Section 1 but in any case one full sequence of the dance must be performed.
No matter which Section (1 or 2) of the Golden Waltz will be started first, the dance must be skated with step number 1 on the right side opposite the Judges.
Four (4) “Key points” are determined for each Section of the Golden Waltz. These “Key points” will be assessed by the Technical Panel to evaluate the Level of each of these Sections as ONE unit and Judges will give a GOE also for each of these Sections.
The following “Key points” will be taken into consideration by the Technical Panel to establish the Level of each section of the Golden Waltz (see Calling Specification for details):
Section 1:
I. Man’s &Lady’s steps 1-4 (“Walk-around” 3-turns):
II. Man’s step 15 (xb-LFI-opMo)
III. Lady’s step 15 (xb-LFI-Br)
IV. Lady’s step 21 (“Shoot the Duck” and side by side LFI Three Turn)
Section 2:
I. Man’s steps 26a-26c (RBO 3-Turn, Pivot, RFI-LBI SprE, RFIRk)
II. Lady’s step 30 b (Twizzles + layback position)
III. Man’s &Lady’s steps 34-35 (RFI SwOpCho - LBO)
IV. Man’s & Lady’s steps 39-40 (XB-LFI OpCho – RBO)

3. Creative Part - Junior and Senior
The choreography of the Creative part may be to the same rhythm as the specified Pattern Dance (Waltz) or to one or two of the rhythms chosen from the following rhythms:
Foxtrot, Quickstep, Tango.
The following three (3) required elements must be included:
One (1) Short Lift but no more than two (2)
A couple may choose to skate either one or two lifts but the first performed lift only will be identified and considered in determining the level of difficulty. Any type of lift may be used for the second lift and it may be performed without any requirements for the Level of difficulty provided that its duration is within permitted 6 seconds and it is not illegal. The second Lift will be considered by the Judges in marking the Choreography.
However, if a third Lift is performed, it will be considered by the Technical Panel as an Extra Element.
One (1) Midline Not Touching Step Sequence (NOT incorporating the Sequential Twizzles)
The Not Touching Step Sequence must incorporate mirror and/or matching footwork. Both partners may cross each other’s tracing(s) and may switch from matching footwork to mirror and vice versa. The partners should remain as close together as possible, but they must not touch. The distance between the skaters should generally not be more than 2 arms length apart.
One (1) Set of Sequential Twizzles
The Set of Twizzles (two twizzles skated simultaneously with up to one step in between twizzles). The Set of Twizzles may be skated anywhere in the program except in the required “Non-touching Step Sequence ”.

NOTE: The DANCE SPIN is not included in the list of Required Elements for the Short Dance season 2010/2011.

Nevertheless, a Spinning movement skated by the couple together in any hold around common axis on one foot (or two feet) with any number of rotations is permitted. A couple may choose to use this movement as part of their choreography. The Technical Panel will ignore these movements and the judges will not consider these movements as the permitted stops.

Note: These Required Elements may be skated anywhere in the Creative part and may be used as the “linking movements” between Creative and Pattern parts of the dance. But only the first performed Required Element will be taken into consideration by the Technical Panel.

Note: Any other dance elements suitable for the rhythm are permitted but the composition should be predominant with dance steps and turns.

Note: Because the dance should be choreographed as an integrated program, and not 2 separate parts, the Pattern Dance part can be placed anywhere in the program: the beginning, the middle, or the end. A dance that begins with the Pattern Dance part, and then simply changes to the Creative part, will be considered choreographically inferior to a program which
integrates the 2 parts together in a seamless way.