by Anne Calder | On-Ice Images by Daphne Backman, Off-Ice Images by Gina Capellazzi
Since its early historical past, ice dance has emphasised technical, intricate footwork and deep edges. Over time the names and automobiles used to compete these priorities have modified.
- (1968 -1990) {Couples} carried out Obligatory Dances set to a chosen sample plus the Authentic Set Sample phase (OSP) the place groups created their very own dance to a selected, yearly-changing rhythm.
- (1990 – 2010) The OSP steadily grew to become simplified and for 20 years was referred to as the Authentic Dance.
- (2010) The Obligatory and Authentic Dances have been eradicated and the Brief dance was created.
- (2018 – 2019) The Brief Dance was renamed the Rhythm Dance, which higher mirrored the phase’s particular rhythms and themes chosen yearly by the ISU Dance Committee.
The previous six years Senior Rhythm Dance has included the next Music/Theme – Rhythm/Theme:
- 2019-2020 & 2020-2021: Music: Musicals, Operetta, Broadway
- 2021-2022: Music/Theme: Road Dance Rhythms
- 2022-2023: Music/Theme: Latin Dance Types
- 2023-2024: Rhythm/Theme: Music and Feeling of the Eighties
- 2024-2025: Rhythm/Theme: Social Dances and Types of the 1950’s, 1960’s and 1970’s
- 2025-2026: Rhythm/Theme: Music and Feeling of the Nineties
On the 2026 U.S. Championships in St. Louis, MO, IDC requested the Senior Ice Dancers the next query:
If you happen to might select the 2026-2027 Rhythm Dance Music/Theme or Rhythm/Theme what wouldn’t it be?
Emily Bratti & Ian Somerville
Emily: I’d like to do a waltz…and a sample.
Ian: I actually benefit from the sample dances. It’s actually enjoyable to do them. I do know it may be fairly boring for the viewers to look at them. Additionally, the 80s theme was my favourite theme we’ve ever completed, however perhaps we should always transfer on to one thing a bit bit totally different as a result of the previous couple of years have been very showy, which is admittedly enjoyable to do.
Emily: I believe bringing again the sample could be wonderful simply because there isn’t actually anyway to match instantly skating abilities proper now. I believe that ought to be.
Oona Brown & Gage Brown
Oona: I truthfully wouldn’t be too mad if it was tango.
Gage: I agree with tango. Technically we’re doing hip hop this season, however we love skating to tango. We beloved skating to hip hop after they used to do a hip hop / blues theme. We actually like that. If they’d carry that again, we’d not be mad at them. Like Oona stated, a tango could be one thing cool. We all the time have enjoyable with tango. Lots of people prefer to painting it as a really romantic dance, however we sort of painting it as a battle, much like our Godfather free dance. We like stern, sharp, fierce genres for certain.
Christina Carreira & Anthony Ponomarenko
Christina: I would love a waltz.
Anthony: I’d say tango. Total I really feel waltz is a incredible avenue. We haven’t completed one since junior, so it’s time for it. If it have been to get chosen, we’d be wanting ahead to it.
Amy Cui & Jonathan Rogers (pictured under)
Amy: We actually loved the hip hop sort of how artistic and enjoyable we get to be with this sort of dance type. So positively one thing 2000s. I used to be born in 2006, in order that music could be one thing that’s nostalgic to me. However that may be actually enjoyable to sort of discover that sort of hip hop / R&B type.
Jonathan: I utterly agree. I like that 2000s, early music, that I grew up on. It actually set the muse for lots of my dancing. I’m additionally fairly egocentric a bit. I really like Bruno Mars. I really like dancing to Bruno Mars. Any kind of theme that may perhaps lock that music in for us could be superior.
Isabella Flores & Linus Colmer Jepsen
Linus: If you happen to go along with a extra simplistic method, I believe we’ve seen a number of extra trendy dance types, and I believe it’d be a pleasant change of tempo to do one thing, perhaps a bit extra classical, like we haven’t seen shortly.
We really spoke with our coach about what had been stated by Coach Patrice Lauzon (I.AM). He had this concept that you’ve got a couple of totally different sample dances to select from. It might be a tango, waltz, no matter you wish to have, perhaps 4. Then every couple can determine which one they wish to have their program be about.
I believe that’s a extremely cool thought particularly provided that the standard criticism about rhythm dances is that it’s an excessive amount of of the identical. I believe that may be a terrific thought to get some variation whereas nonetheless getting an excellent mixture of basic conventional issues after which one thing extra trendy.
Isabella: I like that concept as effectively. The previous few years have been the a long time. That’s been one thing very totally different, however I believe a number of us right here grew up with conventional dances as sort of like a base. I’d sort of have an interest to see it gear again that method. There’s a number of totally different dance types on the market.
Caroline Inexperienced & Michael Parsons
Michael: Waltzes! Waltzes! Waltzes! I really like waltzes! I really like dancing to waltzes! I really like listening to Waltzes. It has to occur.
Caroline: We have been watching Howl’s Transferring Fort, and the waltz theme that’s in that’s simply, mwah. So good! It was like, Oh, it will be so good to have the ability to do a waltz for as soon as. So, we’d be excited to carry that again.
Michael: Deliver again the “one foot sections” within the footwork. I believe folks would love that.
Caroline: I miss the sample dance usually. Possibly patterns as an alternative of PSt? I don’t know. I really feel like having an opportunity to have that goal comparability between groups is admittedly thrilling and one thing an informal fan can actually latch on to. I’ve tried to clarify PSt to my mother and father and informal watchers, they usually’re like, what? I would love to see a waltz!
Raffaella Koncius & Alexey Shchepetov (pictured, under)
Raffaella: Truthfully, I get pleasure from extra bluesy kind type applications, like a bit bit extra sultry. I really feel just like the rhythm dances the final couple of years, have been so excessive paced, or quick paced that it will be good to see one thing at the very least go a slower tempo into a better tempo and never have it so excessive tempo the entire time. I would love a extra number of tempo within the Rhythm Dance for subsequent yr. So I believe bluesy and sultry and likewise it will be enjoyable to do present music – like stuff you hear on the radio proper now.
Alexey: Some extra trendy songs could be cool. It will additionally draw in additional followers. I really feel like it will be good to do one other blues sample. I like the thought of patterns – like again to the outdated days.
Raffaella: I just like the Choreo stuff, although.
Alexey: You could possibly nonetheless do the Choreo stuff, however as an alternative of like partial steps do one sample. That method we will sort of mix the outdated and the brand new, and it’d be an fascinating variation, I believe.
Leah Neset & Artem Markelov
Leah: I truthfully would love a waltz. I simply love waltz.
Artem: Our Free Dance this yr has a bit little bit of waltz in it as a result of it’s a Napoleon and Josephine theme. We actually loved choreographing it and training it. It actually feels free whenever you skate it out. I believe followers will get pleasure from it as effectively.
Leah: I really feel just like the waltz actually strikes effectively on the ice. I competed waltz as soon as in intermediate, however since then, we haven’t actually completed a waltz, so it will be actually enjoyable to do it.
Eva Pate & Logan Bye
Eva: Individuals are gonna get mad at me for saying this, however I actually would love a waltz. I’d additionally love a sample. I really like doing sample dances, and it’s actually unhappy that we haven’t been in a position to do them the previous couple of years. I really feel perhaps it’s a bit unpopular opinion for a waltz, however I simply assume it’s so lovely, and you may actually work on refining your posture.
Logan: I believe there’s been a misplaced artwork to the sample dances from the outdated compulsories, and to have these sort of taken away the previous two or three years is unhappy. It’s one thing that you just do need to spend a ton of time on. So by way of the coaching, it’s good to have the ability to sort of let that one go a bit bit. However on the identical time, it’s one thing that’s custom that we as ice dancers have been rooted in. It’s the place we began from. So it will be good to sort of see these comeback. I’m undecided if different skaters really feel that method. I do assume a number of them do just like the sample dances. To maintain them again within the rhythm dance could be incredible.
Elliana Peal & Ethan Peal
Elliana: I’d love an upbeat hip hop really feel, however we’ve completed it for therefore lengthy.
Ethan: I believe it will be actually cool to attempt to method a rhythm dance that may be a little bit slower, perhaps a six depend tempo, like a waltz, that may perhaps encourage folks to do extra upbeat free dances, as a result of I really feel proper now everybody looks like they need to do slower free dances to enhance the extra upbeat rhythm. I assume it might be a cool change of tempo that may perhaps promote some several types of free dances.
Elliana: I do assume perhaps including extra little, tiny spots to bop extra within the rhythm dance, in order to not be so factor based mostly. It will be cool to have a mixture of issues.
Vanessa Pham & Anton Spiridonov
Anton: The concept of the 2000s and ’90s, ’80s, ’70s, all that, I like that, and I believe it ought to proceed. I’d actually get pleasure from skating to the 2000s, or much more latest 2010s, 2020s music. That will be actually fascinating to see actually trendy stuff. I additionally loved the season we had Broadway.
Vanessa: Sure, I loved that, too – as a junior even.
Katarina Wolfkostin & Dimitry Tsarevski (pictured, under)
Dimitry: For me, musicals. I really like musicals. Undoubtedly musicals. Deliver again some musicals. I’d find it irresistible.
Katarina: I like musicals, too.
IDC: Musicals get two votes.
Emilea Zingas & Vadym Kolesnik
Emilea: I’ve an thought. I believe that they need to do a ballroom theme, and perhaps it may well proceed for the following 4 years. They’ll have a set of 5, six or seven totally different dance types, and groups can decide from every of these dance types.
So, say, we wish to select Latin or a rumba for our dance type. That’s high-quality. If somebody desires to decide on a waltz, that’s additionally high-quality. The one constraint is whichever rhythm you select, you need to carry out a partial a part of a sample that goes with that dance type. There’s a spread you may select from. The opposite rule is you may’t repeat the identical style or type greater than twice in 4 years.
So, say we decide Latin subsequent yr, the next yr, we’d decide a waltz. The next yr, we’d decide a flamenco or Paso Doble or one thing.
Vadym: I believe my thought is inferior to that. I wish to do Broadway. I bear in mind doing that as a junior, I believed it was a extremely enjoyable theme, as a result of it opens up doorways to many different themes within it, if you recognize what I imply. It’s in all probability going to be exhausting for the judges to match apples to bananas, but it surely’s determine skating, I’m sorry. You are able to do it, everybody. Modify.
