Ice dancing
Ice dancing is a form of figure skating related to ballroom dancing. Its first competition was at the World Figure Skating Championships in 1952, but it did not become a Winter Olympic Games medal sport until 1976. As in pair skating, dancers compete as a couple, a man and a woman.
Ice dancing is different from pair skating because it limits the figures to those which are imitative of dance. Skaters must stay close together, and may not perform jumps. There are set dances, in which the style must be appropriate for the type of dance, and there is a Free Dance section which allows lifts up to shoulder level.
Ice dancing is the only form of figure skating to allow vocal music in official competitions.
Ice Dancing Media
Eva Romanová and Pavel Roman in 1965
Canadian ice dancers Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir are the most decorated figure skaters in Olympic history.
Federica Faiella and Massimo Scali perform their compulsory dance at the 2009 Cup of China.
Lilah Fear and Lewis Gibson perform a Curve dance lift.
Other websites
- Ice-dance.com
- Care to Ice Dance? Archived 2007-09-02 at the Wayback Machine
- Ice Dancers Online[dead link]
- ISU Home - International Skating Union website