Author Topic: Ice Dance. Anybody still do it?!  (Read 2502 times)

WednesdayMarch

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Ice Dance. Anybody still do it?!
« on: October 12, 2017, 06:35:10 pm »
I'm an ice dancer.  Sure, I learned free skating, compulsory figures and some pair skating but it was ice dance that always held my heart and attention.  And it was always popular, especially with adults, whether they'd learned to skate as children or taken it up in later life.  Now I've started skating again, I'm struggling to find an ice dance pro to help me get back on track without slipping into bad habits!  There are a few people at the session I go to who apparently "want to try a bit of dance" but the pro who presides (very well) over that informal group lesson is very definitely a free skater and freely confesses to not really knowing much about ice dance.

To me, this is incredible.  Has it gone out of fashion?  What happened?  I feel like a right weirdo, especially as I have dance blades!  I do wonder if the shape of the Plymouth rink might have a bearing on things, as it's kind of kidney shaped and really not easy to fit any kind of pattern on...

I also note that there's no Ice Dance section/board on here...

You can be blunt.  I can take it...
Returned to the ice in Sept 2017 after a major leg injury in 1999. Skating in Jackson Elite Pro & MK Vision Syncro. Still scary after all these years.

Snufkin

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Re: Ice Dance. Anybody still do it?!
« Reply #1 on: October 12, 2017, 06:46:23 pm »
I'm not an advanced enough skater to have to about a discipline for myself yet but I hope ice dance does still have pockets of popularity. I think the only figure skaters that have managed to qualify for Team GB for Pyeongchang are Coombs and Buckland in ice dance. I bet when Dancing on Ice comes back on, you'll get loads of new skaters wanting to take up ice dance.
Started skating August 2017

Carrie

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Re: Ice Dance. Anybody still do it?!
« Reply #2 on: October 12, 2017, 08:09:06 pm »
Yes, Ice dancing is still happening, though unfortunately, it’s not as popular as it used to be!  There is a dance club at Streatham and at Guildford Spectrum.  Not sure what is happening at Chelmsford and Romford – I think they used to have clubs.   The Richmond dance club moved to Guildford when it opened and I believe some of the original members still go.  Bracknell and Slough have dancers and so do Gosport but no dance clubs.  Sadly, for you these rinks are a long way from Plymouth.
 
At Guildford we are lucky to have three male dance coaches and three female.  The main problem seems to be that very few young men take up dancing.  I used to belong to the Guildford Dance Club but couldn’t get past the lower levels of dance (problems with closed mohawks!) so could be sitting out for a lot of the hour!  Luckily, I have a dance lesson once a week with my lovely coach.  I did the children’s classes at Richmond for about 18 months and when I finished was in Roy Callaway’s dance class on the Arosa Rink, just doing the basic foxtrot and waltz movements.  It then took me over 40 years to get back to skating so I had to learn to skate again.  My mind remembered but the body didn’t!  I only wanted to dance and was so pleased to be able to learn after a few years.
 
There is a Recreational Ice Dance League in England and the final was held at Streatham on 7 October.  If you Google RIDL you will find some information about it.  I took part some 10 years ago and it was great fun.

WednesdayMarch

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Re: Ice Dance. Anybody still do it?!
« Reply #3 on: October 12, 2017, 09:12:36 pm »

At Guildford we are lucky to have three male dance coaches and three female.  The main problem seems to be that very few young men take up dancing.  I used to belong to the Guildford Dance Club but couldn’t get past the lower levels of dance (problems with closed mohawks!) so could be sitting out for a lot of the hour!  Luckily, I have a dance lesson once a week with my lovely coach.  I did the children’s classes at Richmond for about 18 months and when I finished was in Roy Callaway’s dance class on the Arosa Rink, just doing the basic foxtrot and waltz movements.  It then took me over 40 years to get back to skating so I had to learn to skate again.  My mind remembered but the body didn’t!  I only wanted to dance and was so pleased to be able to learn after a few years.
 
There is a Recreational Ice Dance League in England and the final was held at Streatham on 7 October.  If you Google RIDL you will find some information about it.  I took part some 10 years ago and it was great fun.

Thank you!

I trained with Roy Callaway in Slough, when I was a teenager, after the Richmond rink was closed.  I also remember the dance club at Richmond, and practising on the Arosa rink at the back...  Happy days!

I also used to go to the Dance Club at Guildford back in the late 90s.  If it's any consolation, I also used to stand out for much of the hour.  Whether you can dance or not, there are never enough partners to go round!  And apparently my edges used to scare people. Looking at the way the soles of my boots are worn on the outside, I'm starting to understand!  To the me who's trying to find her skating feet again, that I used to do edges that steep is almost inconceivable.  Those were the days...!

Who are the male dance pros at Guildford now?  I might be tempted to trundle up there for a lesson or two when I visit my family in Hampshire, although when I looked at the website, it didn't list the pros or seem to hold out much hope of a mere mortal being able to book a lesson!
Returned to the ice in Sept 2017 after a major leg injury in 1999. Skating in Jackson Elite Pro & MK Vision Syncro. Still scary after all these years.

WednesdayMarch

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Re: Ice Dance. Anybody still do it?!
« Reply #4 on: October 12, 2017, 09:13:24 pm »
I'm not an advanced enough skater to have to about a discipline for myself yet but I hope ice dance does still have pockets of popularity. I think the only figure skaters that have managed to qualify for Team GB for Pyeongchang are Coombs and Buckland in ice dance. I bet when Dancing on Ice comes back on, you'll get loads of new skaters wanting to take up ice dance.
Returned to the ice in Sept 2017 after a major leg injury in 1999. Skating in Jackson Elite Pro & MK Vision Syncro. Still scary after all these years.

WednesdayMarch

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Re: Ice Dance. Anybody still do it?!
« Reply #5 on: October 12, 2017, 09:17:56 pm »
I'm not an advanced enough skater to have to about a discipline for myself yet but I hope ice dance does still have pockets of popularity. I think the only figure skaters that have managed to qualify for Team GB for Pyeongchang are Coombs and Buckland in ice dance. I bet when Dancing on Ice comes back on, you'll get loads of new skaters wanting to take up ice dance.

I was quite surprised to find that apparently the DVD with the field moves on it shows two different versions of each, ie free skating technique/style and dance technique/style.  I would never really have considered that there should be a difference in something so basic but it seems that people are expected to specialise early these days!

That's a good point about Dancing on Ice.  I only ever watched the very first, pilot series (mainly because I knew some of the "pros") but I think you may well be right.  I'll try to watch it this time, now that I seem to be able to watch skating without feeling my fall and wanting to throw up (it's taken the best part of 20 years!). 

I'm a bit sad that it seems to be so out of fashion.  It's still my favourite.
Returned to the ice in Sept 2017 after a major leg injury in 1999. Skating in Jackson Elite Pro & MK Vision Syncro. Still scary after all these years.

transmissionoftheflame

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Re: Ice Dance. Anybody still do it?!
« Reply #6 on: October 12, 2017, 09:19:17 pm »
At the rinks I know about in London I would say there's at least as much dance as free going on, among the youngsters and adults.  A lot more of the dance among the youngsters is solo dance though - presumably because it makes life easier in that you don't have the complication of finding a partner.
A lot of free skaters I know do field moves with dance coaches because they tend to be very good at teaching them, and pickier.

WednesdayMarch

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Re: Ice Dance. Anybody still do it?!
« Reply #7 on: October 12, 2017, 09:25:32 pm »
A lot of free skaters I know do field moves with dance coaches because they tend to be very good at teaching them, and pickier.

Ha!  That gives me heart.  Thank you. 
Returned to the ice in Sept 2017 after a major leg injury in 1999. Skating in Jackson Elite Pro & MK Vision Syncro. Still scary after all these years.

Carrie

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Re: Ice Dance. Anybody still do it?!
« Reply #8 on: October 13, 2017, 07:20:54 pm »
Who are the male dance pros at Guildford now?  I might be tempted to trundle up there for a lesson or two when I visit my family in Hampshire, although when I looked at the website, it didn't list the pros or seem to hold out much hope of a mere mortal being able to book a lesson![/font]
 
Yes, I agree it’s a shame that the names of the pros are not advertised on the website.  There is nothing in the rink either.  In the first instance, if you wouldn’t mind having a lesson on a public session, it would be easier to arrange.  During term time it can be quiet enough – this is when I have my lessons.  Dancing does have to be at a slower pace as dancing at full speed has to be on training ice, which you could go on as a guest.  I’m not sure there would be any free slots for lessons on those sessions.  Most days during the midday session the rink is partitioned for lesson ice so is two-thirds size.  Some afternoons it is full ice.  We are coming up to the silly season with half-term and then schools start having outings to the rink leading up to Christmas! 
 
Fees have recently gone up after being £10 for 15 minutes for years and coaches were free to charge what they decided.  They hadn’t had an increase for about three years!  One went to £13 and the others £11 though I have heard they might be increasing theirs.  You would also have to pay for your ice time but that is “lesson plus session” which is £2.50 on top of the lesson ticket, not the full price for the session. 
 
I will send you a private message (if I can remember how to do this!) with information about the male dance pros so that I can add some comments.  They are all very good but different!
 

skatebrasil

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Re: Ice Dance. Anybody still do it?!
« Reply #9 on: October 21, 2017, 04:44:19 pm »
Oxford Ice Rink have an ice dance club on Tuesday evenings and lots of patch throughout the week where you can play dance music with your coach. Jason Blomfield is a top ice dance coach, highly recommend, no doubt you know him anyway. I too ice dance so, if you come down let me know.

black

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Re: Ice Dance. Anybody still do it?!
« Reply #10 on: October 22, 2017, 08:26:42 am »
Who are the male dance pros at Guildford now?  I might be tempted to trundle up there for a lesson or two when I visit my family in Hampshire, although when I looked at the website, it didn't list the pros or seem to hold out much hope of a mere mortal being able to book a lesson![/font]


I asked about coaching at Guildford a while back, and basically there is a long waiting list. I get the impression that skaters either work their way slowly up the list, or are fast tracked to coaches depending on their ability/attitude?
The greatest trick figure skaters ever pulled, was convincing the world it was easy.



 

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