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)". [1] 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 (within the specified constraints) 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.
The ISU voted in 2010 to discontinue the OD, along with the CD, and to introduce the short dance (SD) as a replacement. Accordingly, after the 2009–2010 season, the ice dance competition structure was changed and the original dance was removed from all ISU junior and senior level competitions.
The original dance (OD) was added to ice dance competitions in 1967, when it became a replacement for one of the two compulsory dances. It was previously called the "original set pattern dance" (OSPD), [2] but its name was simplified to the "original dance" in 1990. The OD remained the second competition segment, after the compulsory dance (CD) and before the free dance (FD), until the competition structure was changed prior to the 2010–2011 season. [3] In the late 1920s, an original dance event was skated at the U.S. Figure Skating Championships, replacing the fourteenstep, one of the oldest dances in the sport, with the stipulation that it had to be skated to a fox trot. [4]
The highest recorded OD score is 70.27 points, which was achieved by Canadian ice dancers Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir at the 2010 World Championships. [5]
Ice dancers were able to select their own music for the OD and create an "original" routine, but they were required to use a set rhythm and type of music, which changed every season (as did the CD) and were chosen beforehand by the ISU. The OD needed to reflect the character of the music's rhythm and "be translated to the ice by demonstrating technical skill in steps and movements along with flow and the use of edges". [1]
The five program components included in the OD were: skating skills; footwork and movement (particularly the transitions linking them); performance and/or execution of the program; choreography and composition of the program; and the interpretation and timing of the music. [6] The judges also considered how well the competitors performed certain elements in the OD, such as dance spins, lifts, synchronized twizzles, and step sequences. [7]
During the OD, apart from the mandatory step sequences, ice dancers were only permitted to cross the long axis of the ice surface once at each end of the rink, within 20 meters of the barrier. All rotations, turns, steps, and changes of hold were allowed, as long as they followed the music's rhythm. [1] Interpretation of the rhythm was considered to be the most important aspect of the OD so, along with the timing, this was scored the highest. The OD had a time limit of two minutes and was worth 30% of the total score. [8] [9] [10]
In 2010, the ISU voted to eliminate both the CD and the OD, and to restructure ice dance competitions to include a new short dance (SD) segment alongside the existing FD segment. [11] Despite the anticipated change, the ISU published their OD rhythm/music choices for both junior and senior ice dance teams for the 2010–2011 season, "rhythms and dances of the 1950s, 1960s or 1970s". The OD was included in competitions for the last time in the 2009–2010 season, when the choice of rhythm/music for both juniors and seniors was "folk/country" or "any type of folk/country dance music or typical dance of the country". [8]
The following is a list of senior level original dance rhythms. [12]
Season | Rhythm |
---|---|
1983–1984 | Paso Doble |
1984–1985 | Quickstep |
1985–1986 | Polka |
1986–1987 | Viennese Waltz |
1987–1988 | Tango |
1988–1989 | Charleston |
1989–1990 | Samba |
1990–1991 | Blues |
1991–1992 | Polka |
1992–1993 | Viennese Waltz |
1993–1994 | Rhumba |
1994–1995 | Quickstep |
1995–1996 | Paso Doble |
1996–1997 | Tango |
1997–1998 | Jive |
1998–1999 | Waltz |
1999–2000 | Latin Combination: Merengue, Cha Cha, Samba, Mambo, Rumba |
2000–2001 | Charleston, Foxtrot, Quickstep, March |
2001–2002 | Tango, Flamenco, Paso Doble, Spanish Waltz |
2002–2003 | Memories of a Grand Ball: Waltz, Polka, March, Galop |
2003–2004 | Swing Combo: Jive, Boogie Woogie, Jitterbug, Rock'n'Roll, Blues |
2004–2005 | Foxtrot, Quickstep, Charleston |
2005–2006 | Latin Combination: Merengue, Cha Cha, Samba, Mambo, Rumba |
2006–2007 | Tango |
2007–2008 | Folk, Country |
2008-2009 | Rhythms of the 1920s, 1930s, and 1940s |
2009–2010 | Folk, Country |
2010–2011 | Rhythms and Dances of the 1950s, 1960s or 1970s |
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.
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Scott Patrick Moir is a Canadian retired ice dancer and coach. With ice dance partner Tessa Virtue, he is the 2010 and 2018 Olympic champion, the 2014 Olympic silver medallist, a three-time World champion, a three-time Four Continents champion, the 2016–17 Grand Prix Final champion, an eight-time Canadian national champion, the 2006 World Junior champion and the 2006 Junior Grand Prix champion. Moir and Virtue are also the 2018 Olympic gold medallists in the team event and the 2014 Olympic silver medallists in the team event. Upon winning their third Olympic gold medal, they became the most decorated Canadian ice dance team of all time and the most decorated Olympic figure skaters of all time. Widely regarded as one of the greatest ice dance teams of all time, they are the only ice dancers in history to achieve a Super Slam, having won all major international competitions in their senior and junior careers. Virtue and Moir are holders of the world record score for the now-defunct original dance.
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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.
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