The free dance (FD) is a segment of an ice dance competition, the second contested. It follows the rhythm dance (RD). Skaters perform "a creative dance program blending dance steps and movements expressing the character/rhythm(s) of the dance music chosen by the couple". [1] Its duration is four minutes for senior ice dancers, and 3.5 minutes for juniors. French ice dancers Gabriella Papadakis and Guillaume Cizeron hold the highest recorded international FD score of 137.09 points.
The free dance (FD) takes place after the rhythm dance in all junior and senior ice dance competitions. [2] The International Skating Union (ISU), the body that oversees figure skating, defines the FD as "the skating by the couple of a creative dance program blending dance steps and movements expressing the character/rhythm(s) of the dance music chosen by the couple". [1] The FD must have combinations of new or known dance steps and movements, as well as required elements. [1] The program must "utilize the full ice surface," [3] and be well-balanced. It must contain required combinations of elements (spins, lifts, steps, and movements), and choreography that express both the characters of the competitors and the music chosen by them. It must also display the skaters' "excellent skating technique" [3] and creativity in expression, concept, and arrangement. [4] The FD's choreography must reflect the music's accents, nuances, and dance character, and the ice dancers must "skate primarily in time to the rhythmic beat of the music and not to the melody alone". [3] For senior ice dancers, the FD must have a duration of four minutes; for juniors, 3.5 minutes. [4]
American ice dancers Madison Chock and Evan Bates hold the highest RD score of 93.91, which they achieved at the World Team Trophy in 2023. [5] [note 1]
The ISU announces the specific requirements for the FD each year. [7] For example, the ISU published the rules for the 2024–25 season in May 2024. The following elements are required: the Dance Lift, the Dance Spin, the Step Sequence, Synchronized Twizzles, and Choreographic Elements. [8]
| Elements [8] | Junior | Senior |
|---|---|---|
| Dance lift | Two different types of short lifts, up to eight seconds each or one combination lift, up to 13 seconds in total. | Three different types of short lifts, up to eight seconds or one short lift, up to seven seconds each, and one combination lift, up to 13 seconds in total. |
| The lifted partner's difficult pose or change of pose in the FD must be different from the same kind of short lift in the RD or part of the same kind of lift in the combination lift. If the lifted partner's difficult pose or change of pose is repeated in the same kind of lift, it is considered a simple pose and/or a change of pose in the FD. | The lifted partner's difficult pose or change of pose in the FD must be different from the same kind of short lift in the RD or part of the same kind of lift in the combination lift. If the difficult pose or change of pose is repeated in the same kind of lift, it will be considered as a simple pose and/or change of pose. | |
| Dance spin | One dance spin (spin or combination spin) A dance spin is defined as a "spin skated by the Couple together in any hold" and must be "performed on the spot around a common axis on one foot with or without change(s) of foot by one or both partners. [8] | |
| Straight line or Curve types of Step Sequences | One Step Sequence in Hold Its pattern must maintain the integrity or basic shape of the chosen pattern. Stops, loops, Retrogression, and separations of more than two arms length and/or exceeding five seconds not permitted. Hand in hand hold with fully extended arms cannot be established. The pattern of the Step Sequence must maintain the integrity or basic shape of the chosen pattern. If the pattern is chosen as a Choreographic Element, it must be a different shape than the pattern of the Choreographic Step. One One-Foot Step Sequence, Not-Touching Difficult turns must be performed on one foot by each partner and must be started with the first difficult turn at the same time. Additional difficult turns do not have to be executed simultaneously. | |
| Synchronized twizzles | One set of synchronized twizzles At least two twizzles for each partner, with a minimum of two steps and up to four steps between first and second twizzles. (Each push and/or transfer of weight while on two feet between twizzles is considered as a step.) Partners must be in contact at some point between the first and second twizzles. | |
| Choreographic elements | Two different Choreographic elements chosen from:
| Three different Choreographic elements, chosen from:
|
Figure skating is a sport in which individuals, pairs, or groups perform on figure skates on ice. It was the first winter sport to be included in the Olympic Games, with its introduction occurring at the 1908 Olympics in London. The Olympic disciplines are men's singles, women's singles, pair skating, and ice dance; the four individual disciplines are also combined into a team event, which was first included in the Winter Olympics in 2014. The non-Olympic disciplines include synchronized skating, Theater on Ice, and four skating. From intermediate through senior-level competition, skaters generally perform two programs, which, depending on the discipline, may include spins, jumps, moves in the field, lifts, throw jumps, death spirals, and other elements or moves.
Ice dance is a discipline of figure skating that historically draws from ballroom dancing. It joined the World Figure Skating Championships in 1952, and became a Winter Olympic Games medal sport in 1976. According to the International Skating Union (ISU), the governing body of figure skating, an ice dance team consists of one woman and one man.
Synchronized skating, often called synchro, is an ice skating sport where between 8 and 20 skaters perform together as a team. They move as a flowing unit at high speed over the ice, while performing elements and footwork.
The European Figure Skating Championships are an annual figure skating competition in which figure skaters compete for the title of European champion. Medals are awarded in men's singles, women's singles, pair skating, and ice dance. The event is sanctioned by the International Skating Union (ISU) and is the sport's oldest competition. The first European Championships were held in 1891 in Hamburg, Germany, and featured one segment, compulsory figures, with seven competitors. They have been held continuously since 1891, with only five interruptions, and have been sanctioned by the ISU since 1893. Women were allowed to compete for the first time in 1930, which is also the first time pair skating was added to the competition. Ice dance was added in 1954. Only eligible skaters from ISU member countries in Europe are allowed to compete.
A twizzle is "a multirotational, one-foot turn that moves across the ice" in the sport of figure skating. First performed by David Grant in 1990 the International Skating Union (ISU) defines a twizzle as "a traveling turn on one foot with one or more rotations which is quickly rotated with a continuous (uninterrupted) action". It is most often performed in ice dance, although single skaters and pair skaters also perform the element. Twizzles have been called "the quads of ice dance" because like quadruple jumps in other disciplines, twizzles are risky and technically demanding.
Pair skating is a figure skating discipline defined by the International Skating Union (ISU) as "the skating of two persons in unison who perform their movements in such harmony with each other as to give the impression of genuine Pair Skating as compared with independent Single Skating". The ISU also states that a pairs team consists of "one Woman and one Man". Pair skating, along with men's and women's single skating, has been an Olympic discipline since figure skating, the oldest Winter Olympic sport, was introduced at the 1908 Summer Olympics in London. The ISU World Figure Skating Championships introduced pair skating in 1908.
The ISU Judging System or the International Judging System (IJS), occasionally referred to as the Code of Points (COP) system, is the scoring system that has been used since 2004 to judge the figure skating disciplines of men's and ladies' singles, pair skating, ice dance, and synchronized skating. It was designed and implemented by the International Skating Union (ISU), the ruling body of the sport.
The following is a glossary of figure skating terms, sorted alphabetically.
Single skating is a discipline of figure skating in which male and female skaters compete individually. Men's singles and women's singles are governed by the International Skating Union (ISU). Figure skating is the oldest winter sport contested at the Olympics, with men's and women's single skating appearing as two of the four figure skating events at the London Games in 1908.
The short program of figure skating is the first of two segments of competitions, skated before the free skating program. It lasts, for both senior and junior singles and pair skaters, 2 minutes and 40 seconds. In synchronized skating, for both juniors and seniors, the short program lasts 2 minutes and 50 seconds. Vocal music with lyrics is allowed for all disciplines since the 2014–2015 season. The short program for single skaters and for pair skaters consists of seven required elements, and there are six required elements for synchronized skaters.
The free skating segment of figure skating, also called the free skate and the long program, is the second of two segments of competitions, skated after the short program. Its duration, across all disciplines, is four minutes for senior skaters and teams, and three and one-half minutes for junior skaters and teams. Vocal music with lyrics is allowed for all disciplines since the 2014—2015 season. The free skating program, across all disciplines, must be well-balanced and include certain elements described and published by the International Skating Union (ISU).
The 6.0 system of judging figure skating was developed during the early days of the sport, when early international competitions consisted of only compulsory figures. Skaters performed each figure three times on each foot, for a total of six, which as writer Ellyn Kestnbaum states, "gave rise to the system of awarding marks based on a standard of 6.0 as perfection". It was used in competitive figure skating until 2004, when it was replaced by the ISU Judging System in international competitions, as a result of the 2002 Winter Olympics figure skating scandal. British ice dancers Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean earned the most overall 6.0s in ice dance, Midori Ito from Japan has the most 6.0s in single skating, and Irina Rodnina from Russia, with two different partners, has the most 6.0s in pair skating.
The original dance (OD) was one of the programs performed by figure skaters in ice dance competitions, in which the ice dancers skated "a dance of their own creation to dance music they have selected for the designated rhythm(s)". It was normally the second of three programs in the competition, sandwiched between the compulsory dance (CD) and the free dance (FD). The rhythm(s) and type of music required for the OD changed every season, and were selected by the International Skating Union (ISU) before the start of the season. The ice dancers were free to choose their own music and choreography and to create their own routines. They were judged on a set of required criteria, including skating skills and how well they interpreted the music and the rhythm.
A step sequence is a required element in all four disciplines of figure skating, men's single skating, women's single skating, pair skating, and ice dance. Step sequences have been defined as "steps and turns in a pattern on the ice". Skaters earn the most points in step sequences by performing steps and movements with "flair and personality", by turning in both directions, by using one foot and then the other, and by including up and down movements.
The compulsory dance (CD), now called the pattern dance, is a part of the figure skating segment of ice dance competitions in which all the competing couples perform the same standardized steps and holds to the music of a specified tempo and genre. One or more compulsory dances were usually skated as the first phase of ice dancing competitions. The 2009–10 season was the final season in which the segment was included in International Skating Union (ISU) junior and senior level competition. In June 2010, the ISU replaced the name "compulsory dance" with "pattern dance" for ice dance, and merged it into the short dance (SD) beginning in the 2010–11 figure skating season.
Ice dance, a discipline of figure skating, has required elements that make up a well-balanced rhythm dance program and free dance program, which must be performed during competitions. They include: the dance lift, the dance spin, the step sequence, turn sequences, and choreographic elements. The elements must be performed in specific ways, as described by published communications by the International Skating Union (ISU), unless otherwise specified. The ISU has also provided a list of illegal movements.
The rhythm dance (RD) is the first segment of an ice dance competition. The International Skating Union (ISU) renamed the short dance to the "rhythm dance" in June 2018, prior to the 2018–2019 season. It became part of international competitions in July 2018. American ice dancers Madison Chock and Evan Bates hold the highest RD score of 93.91, which they achieved at the World Team Trophy in 2023.
A choreographic sequence is a required element for figure skating in all international competitions. It is required in the free skating programs of senior and junior single skaters and in the free skating programs of senior pair skaters. It is also required during ice dancers' rhythm dances and free dances. Judges do not evaluate individual elements in a choreographic sequence; rather, they note that it was accomplished. Skaters must fulfill certain requirements to fulfill the highest points possible during choreographic sequences.
The 2023 Four Continents Figure Skating Championships were held from February 7–12, 2023, at the Broadmoor World Arena in Colorado Springs, Colorado, in the United States. Held annually since 1999, the competition featured skaters from the Americas, Asia, Africa, and Oceania. Medals were awarded in men's singles, women's singles, pair skating, and ice dance. Nations from non-European countries could send three entries at most for every discipline.
The 2023 World Junior Figure Skating Championships was held in Calgary, Canada, from February 27 to March 5, 2023. Medals were awarded in men's singles, women's singles, pairs, and ice dance. The competition determined the entry quotas for each federation at the 2024 World Junior Championships.
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