2014 Solo Dance Nationals Blog #3: Day 3

Hello from the National Solo Dance Final again! We apologize for the delay in our blog! Yours truly have also been busy competing and gathering pictures of results so all of you can keep up to date with results. 

Before filling you in on all the events today, we want to give all our readers a crash course in the difference between the pattern dance and the combined events.  There are 8 levels of pattern dance (Preliminary, Pre-Bronze, Bronze, Pre-Silver, Silver, Pre-Gold, Gold, and International). Each level through Silver is comprised of 3 dances. Pre-Gold and Gold consist of 4 dances and there are 10 International dances (but only 5 can be done solo). For the sake of competing, the qualifying round consists of two randomly selected dances for each level. The skaters placing in the top 5 in both dances combined move onto the final/championship round. In the final round, a different third dance is chosen which determines that levels champion.  Solo dancers don’t know which dances will be chosen until a month before Nationals so we must practice all of them for the entire season.

For the combined events, it’s much like what the dance teams compete. Juvenile-Novice have one pattern dance that is selected from a pattern dance level as well as a Free-dance. Their qualifying round consists of their combined score in their respective pattern dance and Free-Dance event. In the final round of the combined event, solo dancers compete their Free-Dance one last time for a spot on the podium. A quick note about the solo Free-Dance: it is much like what you see dance teams do…there are twizzle series, footwork sequences, dance spins, and dance stops. The main difference is there are no lifts. In replacement of the lifts, solo dancers do short and long edge elements…ranging from 3 seconds to about 8 seconds in length. The music choice for the Free-Dance is up to the skater. The only requirement is that it have an audible dance beat.

For the Junior and Senior combined events, the solo dancers have a Short Dance and a Free Dance. The SD for solo dance is almost identical to a dance team’s SD…again solo dancers have an edge element in replace of a lift. For the solo Junior SD this season, the required pattern dance to be performed in the program is the Rocker Foxtrot. For this season’s solo Senior SD, the required pattern is the Quickstep. Each skater must do two patterns of the pattern dance within their program.

We know it’s a lot to take in initially, but hopefully this cleared up some questions about what solo dance is and how it is judged in the United States. Solo dance is not limited to The States, however. It is extremely popular across Europe, especially in the UK and France. France in particular has a thriving solo dance discipline even using IJS in lieu of the old 6.0 judging system. As USFS continues to improve the solo dance program, implementing IJS and catching up with other federations will be key. Combined with the great coaching and great series format USFS offers, adding IJS would position the US as the leading force in solo ice dance.

Now that you have had a crash course in solo dance, we can tell you what happened at the competition today! While the International Pattern dancers had a break from competing (Chris enjoyed having a day off), all the combined events finished up their qualifying rounds with the FD today. (Jessica won her FD and her Senior qualifying round group). There were many exciting, beautiful, and intricate free dances performed in all levels! It will be exciting and interesting to see what the judges think come tomorrow during the final rounds.

Also taking place today but in the Olympic Arena, the Pre-Silver and Silver dancers competed for the final round top 5 advancing spots in their qualifying groups. (Here at this arena, Silver pattern and above as well as Juvenile combined and above compete on the World Arena which has hosted international competitions such as Four Continents and Synchronized Worlds. The lower levels compete in a different rink that is Olympic size but not stadium seating).

Today also kicked off the championship rounds for Preliminary, Pre-Bronze, and Pre-Gold pattern dance! These skaters must wait until tomorrow evening though for the on ice awards presentation and party.

With all the qualifying rounds finished and the championship rounds beginning, today is “winding down” with official ice for the rest of the pattern dances and all the combined events.  

We hope that those of you who have competed in the final rounds today skated your best! To those of you competing for the podium tomorrow, have fun and best of luck!

-Chris and Jessica-