Solo Ice Dance

[Aussie Willy]

Is there a handbook for solo dance?

An official one or just one that someone has put together to help people doing solo dance?

As far as I know there is nothing official. Except USFSA have documents on it.

 

[On My Own]

According to the handbook

 

[Sylvia]

Solo Dance | U.S. Figure Skating

www.usfigureskating.org

The 2023-23 Solo Dance Series Handbook (70 pages) is linked from USFS' Solo Dance info page (along with many other related documents):

https://www.usfigureskating.org/sites/default/files/media-files/2023%20SD%20Handbook%20with%20PD%20V7.1%20pdf.pdf

We're still awaiting the ISU to publish their guidelines on Solo Dance (we can create a thread in GSD when it happens).

ETA the link to photographer Melanie Heaney's Twitter thread today from the Picken Dance Classic: https://twitter.com/mheaneyphoto/status/1652663095896993793

 

[FSWer]

NICE VIDEOS OF THEM ALL!!! THEY SKATE VERY WELL.

 

[Sylvia]

Say,are there any other Ice-dancers with Partners [besides Emily Bratti] that were once Solo Ice-Dancers?

Adrienne Carhart was one of the top competitors in the U.S. Solo Ice Dance series (before she started competing with her new partner for Azerbaijan this season) - here's her Senior solo free dance from Chesapeake Open in June 2022: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7QhCvSRC5Uo&t=20s

 

[On My Own]

We're still awaiting the ISU to publish their guidelines on Solo Dance (we can create a thread in GSD when it happens).

Well... Hopefully significantly different from the US Solo Dance ones...

 

[skateguy776]

Today at the Paradise Coast Classic, huge scores for debut skaters Amal Israilova (Jr) and Lucas Appel (Sr). Both the reigning National Champions in their respective levels topped their fields with massive scores.

Israilova scored 62.20 (RD) + 91.60 (FD) = 153.80 points

Appel scored 69.23 (RD) + 108.58 (FD) = 177.81 points

Both train in Florida and work with Steven Belanger and Marina Zoueva’s team. They have jumped to first in their respective Sectional and National standings for their levels.

NOTE* - Israilova last season was the only Junior Dance skater to break the 70 point barrier for her Rhythm Dance at Nationals. She scored higher than the teams did at the 2023 U.S. Championships.

NOTE*- Appel becomes the first ever Solo Dance skater to break 100 points or more for the Free Dance twice. First time was at the 2022 National Solo Dance Final (115.99) and here (108.58).

 

[FSWer]

I saw a video of Lucas. I WAS wondering if any men did Solo Ice-Dance.

 

[Sylvia]

This Week in Skating's podcast episode with U.S. solo ice dancers Lucas Appel (2022 U.S. Senior Solo Dance Champion) and Brooke Tufts (2021 U.S. Senior Solo Dance Champion and 2022 U.S. Senior Solo Dance Silver Medalist):

This Week in Skating Podcast

Listen to This Week in Skating Podcast on RedCircle

redcircle.com

Ice-Dance.com's Solo Dance Hub is now open: https://www.ice-dance.com/site/solo-dance-hub/

 

[overedge]

That's a very nice story on ice-dance.com about Naomi Lang coaching solo ice dance.

 

[Sylvia]

That's a very nice story on ice-dance.com about Naomi Lang coaching solo ice dance.

Link:

Solo Dancing in the Arizona Desert – Ice-dance.com

www.ice-dance.com

Brooke Tufts Q&A:

Meet ice dancer Brooke Tufts – Ice-dance.com

www.ice-dance.com

More solo ice dancer are profiled here:

Solo Articles & Interviews – Ice-dance.com

www.ice-dance.com

 

[skateguy776]

With a large weekend of ice dance, the Solo Dance field was very competitive! In Senior it came down to less than a point separating U.S. Senior Champions Brooke Tufts and Lucas Appel. After the Rhythm Dance, Tufts lead over Lucas by 0.94 points. Tufts scored a new season's best after the Rhythm Dance (70.00) while Appel (69.04) scored just under what he scored a month ago at the Paradise Coast Classic. Then in the Free Dance, Appel scored a 103.94 for a total of 172.98 points and pulled up from second place to win the event. Lucas and Brooke earned the highest total scores of the entire competition! Very impressive rivalry for the Solo Dance circuit. Lucas earned a 177.81 in the Florida competition a month ago, but a very solid score and sheet for his Free Dance. Tufts scored a 99.47 for the Free Dance and a 169.47, which is a new seasons best for her. I am excited to see them go head to head again at Lake Placid in a few weeks!

 

[Frau Muller]

Will Solo Dance become an ISU discipline, to be seen at Worlds or Olympics? Would it be apportioned to Men & Women…or all together, as in the US? Curious about plans for the discipline. It gets more folks into the mix.

 

[gkelly]

As far as I know, the ISU has not yet announced specific plans for how they intend to develop solo dance as a discipline, only mentioned that they planned to do so.

We'll have to wait and see what they might have in mind.

 

[Sylvia]

Posted in this thread in late March:

The ISU group working on the Solo Dance rules is composed by

Benoît Lavoie (CAN) Council liaison
Chair Shawn Rettstatt (USA) IDTC liaison
Kristin Fraser-Lukanin (AZE)
John Miller (USA)
Marie-Louise Gijtenbeek (NED)
Neil Brown (FIN)
Candice Towler-Green (GBR)
Bianka Szijgyarto (HUN)
Monica MacDonald (AUS)

Source: ISU Meet The Team section which has been updated to list all the working groups now.

Rules and requirements will be then submitted to ISU Council for approval.

The ISU Council's next scheduled meeting is October 6-8, 2023 in Lausanne, Switzerland.

 

[Sylvia]

Do USFS publish the standings for the solo dance series? There seem to be a lot of competitions involved.

For @Belsornia (who asked this question in the Kiss & Cry section) - I checked USFS' Members Only section (EMS) and the current top 12 in the Senior Solo Combined Dance standings as of July 18, 2023 are:

1 E - 1 Appel, Lucas 177.81 (Dallas Classic)
2 E - 2 Tufts, Brooke 169.47 (Dalls Classic)
3 M - 1 Pan, Kiana 153.30 (Southport; also competes in Junior Women)
4 M - 2 Mumby, Abby 150.62 (Traverse City)
5 M - 3 Case, Shin Lei 144.45 (Southport)
6 E - 3 Manfield, Charlotte 140.70 (Picken)
7 E - 4 Lewis, Sophie 139.74 (Ladybug)
8 M - 4 Lee, Elizabeth 136.14 (Southport)
9 E - 5 Jordan, Madelyn 134.72 (Orange Blossom)
10 P - 1 Roberts, Brynn 134.54 (Utah Skatefest; also competes in Senior Women)
11 P - 2 Kim, Hannah 134.25 (Ladybug)
12 P - 3 Pillai, Anugraha 133.69 (Seattle Icefest)

 

[Belsornia]

Thanks @Sylvia. There are several solo dancers in the UK double hatting in singles events too.

 

[skateguy776]

Now that the final competition of the 2023 U.S. Solo Dance Series has concluded (Copper Cup), the top scores of the Senior Ryhtym Dance, Free Dance, and Total Scores are as follows...

RD:
1- Brooke Tufts - 70.00 (Dallas Classic)
2- Lucas Appel - 69.23 (Paradise Coast Classic)
3- Lucas Appel - 69.04 (Dallas Classic)
4- Brooke Tufts - 66.20 (LPIDI)
5- Brooke Tufts - 64.90 (Picken)
6- Brooke Tufts - 63.21 (SEGL Skate Nashville)
7- Charlotte Manfield - 63.00 (Copper Cup)
8- Kiana Pan - 61.27 (Southport)
9- Lucas Appel - 60.82 (LPIDI)
10- Abby Mumby - 60.33 (Traverse City)

FD:

1- Lucas Appel - 108.58 (Paradise Coast Classic)
2- Lucas Appel - 106.39 (LPIDI)
3- Lucas Appel - 103.94 (Dallas Classic)
4- Brooke Tufts - 99.47 (Dallas Classic)
5- Brooke Tufts - 96.57 (Picken)
6- Brooke Tufts - 96.20 (SEGL Skate Nashville)
7- Brooke Tufts - 94.29 (LPIDI)
8- Kiana Pan - 93.07 (Ladybug)
9- Kiana Pan - 91.43 (Southport)
10- Abby Mumby - 90.29 (Traverse)

Overall:

1- Lucas Appel - 177.81 (Paradise)
2- Lucas Appel - 172.98 (Dallas Classic)
3- Brooke Tufts - 169.47 (Dallas Classic)
4- Lucas Appel - 167.21 (LPIDI)
5- Brooke Tufts - 161.47 (Picken)
6- Brooke Tufts - 160.49 (LPIDI)
7- Brooke Tufts - 159.41 (SEGL Skate Nashville)
8- Kiana Pan - 153.30 (Ladybug)
9- Kiana Pan - 153.00 (Southport)
10- Charlotte Manfield - 152.98 (Copper Cup)

 

[Sylvia]

IDC's latest solo ice dancer feature is on "Lei Lei" Case (Sept. 10):

Meet ice dancer Shin Lei Case – Ice-dance.com

www.ice-dance.com

Excerpts:

Although Shin Lei quickly realized she enjoyed the dance aspects of skating more than singles, she continued competing in them up through Novice. In 2017, she switched solely to dance.
After a second partnership ended, she still wanted to do dance. That’s when her Coach, Logan Giulietti-Schmitt, suggested solo dance. She knew little about the discipline, so was a bit reluctant, but decided to give it a try.
“After my first season in solo dance, I was hooked,” Shin Lei said. “I really enjoyed the camaraderie and over all atmosphere. It’s a very tight-knit community, and everyone is so supportive of one another.
“I love the technical aspect of solo dance – being able to focus on my edges and refine them is something I’m really drawn to. When I competed in partnered dance, my focus was less on edge quality and more on figuring out how to skate alongside another person without falling. I don’t have to worry about partnering or getting my blades tangled up with someone else’s. I love the feeling of being free and skating on the ice by myself.”
Shin Lei attended Texas public schools all through her training and in 2020 graduated from James W. Martin High School in Arlington.

“My current interests are in sports medicine, physical medicine and rehabilitation (PM&R) and anesthesiology.”

Shin Lei stood on the podium at several USFS Solo Dance Series events this season, which qualified her for the 2023 National Solo Dance Final, September 14-17 in Glenview, Illinois. She will compete in Senior Solo Combined and International Solo Pattern Dance.

 

[Sylvia]

Good Luck to everyone who has qualified to compete later this week at the U.S. National Solo Dance Final, September 14-16, 2023, at the Glenview Community Ice Arena in Glenview, Illinois, hosted by The Skating Council of Illinois: https://www.skatingcouncilofillinois.org/2023-national-solo-dance-final/

Starting orders/Results page: https://ijs.usfigureskating.org/leaderboard/results/2023/33737/index.asp

Check this page in the days ahead for info about livestreaming: https://chicagostarproductions.com/live-streaming

 

[Sylvia]

Check this page in the days ahead for info about livestreaming

Unfortunately I've since been informed that there will be no livestream this year (there was last year for this comp.) due to copyright music rights. SIGH.

 

[Sylvia]

"More than 200 athletes traveled to Chicago, Illinois, Sept. 14-16 to compete at the 2023 National Solo Dance Final, with skaters being crowned in pattern dance, shadow dance and combined events at the senior through preliminary levels." (Sept. 17 recap):

Solo Dance Champions Crowned in Chicago | U.S. Figure Skating

www.usfigureskating.org

TSL has uploaded videos from the Senior Combined event top 3 & the Junior winner.

"Brooke Tufts (North Jersey FSC) won the top prize this year after finishing second at this same event last season. Tufts’ Latin-inspired rhythm dance to a medley of songs by Chayanne opened with a midline step sequence to secure a score of 73.10."
RD: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-WevzjA1WkE
"Her free dance to “Reel Around the Sun” from Riverdance featured five Level 4 elements, which all contributed to her free dance score of 110.68. Both scores combined for a total score of 183.78."
FD: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QE_CNobcYGc

"Lucas Appel (Florida Everblades FSC) finished three points behind Tufts to clinch the silver medal with a total score of 180.33. Skating to “Mas Que Nada” by Bellini and “Tiburon” by Proyecto Uno in the short program, Appel’s program was highlighted by a midline step sequence that earned over 10 points."
RD: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BoOOZngbCnc
FD: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jV59O-9IFNM

"Shin Lei Case (Dallas FSC) secured the bronze medal with a total score of 159.54":
RD: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SiwSyOKw_Lc
FD: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V5C9BqiGudc

"Amal Israilova (Palm Beach FSC) successfully defended her title with a total score of 163.16, which was more than 25 points higher than the second-place finisher. Her rhythm dance set to a medley of songs by Ostros Aires secured its highest points for a midline step sequence, collecting 10.79 points and a segment score of 66.01."
RD: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wswic6zzZJI
"In the free dance, Israilova achieved Level 4 distinctions on four elements to tally a score of 97.15."
FD: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OpWzJnmTJ_c

ALL RESULTS: https://ijs.usfigureskating.org/leaderboard/results/2023/33737/index.asp

 

[Mafke]

I've been getting a little into Ice Dance lately (mostly CDs and OSP's which I prefer to the current set up) but also like the idea of Solo Dance (though maybe renamed to something like Rhythmic Skating or Intepretive Skating (sadly both those names are already used...).

Also related I've seen a reference or two to new CD's (or whatever dumb name they have now) one based on a Canadian team (Maple Leaf March) and Rhumba D'Amour (based on Torvill and Deans OD for the 93-94 season?)

Any news of progress on that front?

 

[overedge]

I've been getting a little into Ice Dance lately (mostly CDs and OSP's which I prefer to the current set up) but also like the idea of Solo Dance (though maybe renamed to something like Rhythmic Skating or Intepretive Skating (sadly both those names are already used...).

Also related I've seen a reference or two to new CD's (or whatever dumb name they have now) one based on a Canadian team (Maple Leaf March) and Rhumba D'Amour (based on Torvill and Deans OD for the 93-94 season?)

Any news of progress on that front?

The Maple Leaf March is based on a pattern dance (new name for CDs) by Piper Gilles and Paul Poirier from 2016. I believe that both it and the Rhumba d'Amour have been approved by the ISU for international competition but the diagrams of the steps haven't been released yet. Maybe someone here with more ice dance info knows?

 

[orbitz]

I watched a couple of solo dance videos posted by TSL from a recent competition. I think it was interesting to watch the solo dance for the first minute or so but after that the program and performance felt very repetitive.

 

[Mafke]

program and performance felt very repetitive

Oh Solo Dance definitely needs more and better high spots... I'm not sure how though... probably look at famous solo dance routines on the ground/stage look like and deconstructing how they tick.
and I think shorter programs are better. My ideal for a competition might be a couple of CDs and then something like an OSP and something like an OD... (but then that's what I would prefer for regular Ice Dance, shorter programs based on specific rhythms rather than all the lah dee dah whoopsy interpretive stuff...

 

[FSWer]

Say,do we know of any skaters turning Solo Ice-Dancer for 2024?

 

[overedge]

Say,do we know of any skaters turning Solo Ice-Dancer for 2024?

We won't know unless they register for a solo ice dance category at a competition. They do the same training and tests as ice dancers with partners, so the only way we usually find out is from the list of entries at competitions.

 

[skateguy776]

Redefining Rivalries: Brooke Tufts & Lucas Appel | Ice-dance.com

www.ice-dance.com

New Solo Dance Story on the Senior Champions! Interesting read!

 

[3rdGenSkater]

Adrienne Carhart was one of the top competitors in the U.S. Solo Ice Dance series (before she started competing with her new partner for Azerbaijan this season) - here's her Senior solo free dance from Chesapeake Open in June 2022: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7QhCvSRC5Uo&t=20s

I really loved that performance, and can see why it should be a new separate discipline! Inspiring! I'm going to urge my two younger daughters to try solo dance. They're a bit intimidated by my mum having been a pairs skater for Canada and their older sister having been a junior pairs skater until she started medical school and retired for lack of time. I'm too tall for pairs, but my husband and I were dancers until the kids started coming along and we had to get real jobs with better money . I may give solo dance a try myself now, although I'm not sure what the opportunities are here in Scotland.