Dance Patterns for SMALL Rinks

[katz in boots]

I'm hoping some of the ice dancers out there can help me with this one.

Our rink is 1/4 Olympic size, which is a real challenge for ice dance. (Bunny Hop, you know what what I mean here) For my first test, we did actually manage to squeeze a full Dutch Waltz pattern in, though we also experimented with a modified pattern. It took some strong edges, I can tell you, and I'm not known for my edge control :lol:

Next up comes Fiesta Tango, which I believe will fit okay, but the Swing Dance? 8O

I am wondering whether anyone here has access to dance patterns especially modified for small rinks, that they can share with me.

[Mrs Redboots]

You might check with the Queen's Ice Dance Club (http://www.queensicedanceclub.co.uk/) who might be able to help; they are a tiny rink but produce superb ice dancers with terrific edges!

[kateskate]

I skate at a small rink (the one mentioned above by Mrs Redboots). The rink is 50mx20m so we are giving away 10m length and width to Olympic sized rinks.

I don't know of any official alternative patterns I'm afraid since on the whole we somehow manage to fit all the dances in without too much modification. Although there is an awful lot of crossing the centre line.

I find dances that are hardest to fit in are ones that have larger end patterns as the lack of width is usually more of an issue than lack of length. Riverside rhumba and willow waltz are two that come to mind as being very tight. Although the foxtrot is also one that has its problems with the end pattern.

But for dances such as European and American waltz we would just do one lobe (which is the same for 56x26 rinks) and for the prelim foxtrot there is often an adjustment on the final run SR on the end pattern to do a bit of an inside edge in order to restart.

Swing dance seems to fit ok in our rink too although you really have to use all of the length and width. And the end pattern is not placed where it would be in a larger rink (we always end up much closer to the barrier before the long side pattern starts) but it is the only way it will work. Same with FT I find.

If you look at my youtube videos (link in signature) you will see me doing a foxtrot and willow in a small rink (although you will notice how I almost hit the barrier in the willow).

Hope that helps somewhat.

[Bunny Hop]

I skate at a small rink (the one mentioned above by Mrs Redboots). The rink is 50mx20m so we are giving away 10m length and width to Olympic sized rinks.
Katz's rink is 30mx15m, so is considerably smaller even than that! And 'a challenge' for ice dance is definitely correct. When we visited her rink a couple of Christmases back I don't think we even managed to fit in the Canasta Tango, which doesn't take a full rink normally, and we abandoned the Dutch Waltz pretty quickly. Sure was fun trying, though!

[kateskate]

Ok that is small. I don't know how you manage any full dance on that! Well done for fitting in a dutch waltz!

[katz in boots]

Ok that is small. I don't know how you manage any full dance on that! Well done for fitting in a dutch waltz!

Yep, it is tiny, and the only one in the whole of our island state.
As for fitting in Dutch Waltz, we had to take it gently, with verrrry tight lobes. I sharpened my blades with a Pro-filer, 3/8", though perhaps 5/16" might have been better, in hindsight, and sharpened them every practise to be able to rip around the tight corners.

So there must be other tiny rinks out there like ours? Or perhaps we're the only ones trying to dance on a tiny rink?