I decided to take an intro to ice dancing class, and tonight was the first night. The coach was someone I knew of, she coaches a synchro team at that rink. She's a few years younger than me, and she even has clear braces on her teeth like I do.
But I digress....we learned progressives and swing rolls, and she taught us the first two dances. I like the Canasta much more than the Dutch Waltz! At the end of the 10 week class is a test session, and the coach is hoping to have us pass the Prelim dances and maybe a couple of the Pre Bronze ones. I'm having a lot of fun, and dance is harder than I thought! I'm excited to have something new to work on.
Any tips from you dancers? I've already been told to bend my knees, and be more aggressive in the patterns.

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"Where are we going and why are we in this handbasket?"

Best tip for dance: if you can, whenever you do a three-turn (you won't encounter this until -I think- the Swing Dance) turn by lifting your free hip, not by bending your free knee and essentially kicking up your heel. If you can't do it, it's not a big deal until you get to pre-silvers or silvers, but if you can, it eliminates a lot of relearning...

You can work on timing off the ice. Get a copy of the music and listen to it at home, counting the music and walking the steps. Timing is extremely important in ice dance and this is a cheap and easy way to practice it.

Posture! I had great comments about my carriage on just about every single dance I ever passed because I focused on my upper body. Evaluators really appreciate that!

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~No thinking, breathing, or hesitation!~

Posture, good knee bend, timing, good lines, ARMS, neat feet, flow, grace .... and above all ENJOY

I used to think that dance was for old people or people who were too scared to jump I only did it because I wanted to improve my basics but once I got past the baby dances (hated the Dutch Waltz) I fell in love and was totally and utterly hooked. It isn't as easy as it looks but boy does it tidy up your feet, your posture, your lines, your flow ....

Have a great time, I love Dance now


x

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The best whisper is a click

Always bring your feet back together before each step. Developing this habit now will help you avoid the awful dance sin of wide stepping.

Have you learned cross behinds yet? They are a great example of an easy place to wide step as well as fix. You can pantomime a RFI XB at home (LFO, RBI XB step to LFO). LFO edge, tuck R foot behind and put your weight on that foot. Lift up the L foot in front. Many beginning dancers would just put the L foot down in front to complete the step. To avoid wide stepping, bring your L foot back parallel to your R foot, THEN step onto LFO edge.

Good luck - you'll love dance and it will really help you with moves too! There's no nicer ego boost than easily passing the Prelim dances.

Good for you. I'd really like to learn dance, but I simply cannot afford any more lessons right now. That's the downside of being a skater and having two kids who skate too. One day though!

Nicki

Extension, extension, extension! If you focus on your extension every single step, you won't go far wrong. Especially in the Canasta Tango - this dance needs to be very "tango-ey" in feeling. My coach says it is important to wait at the end of each extension, both back and forwards. Whereas in a waltz, it can be a continuous flowing movement, in a tango it needs to be much more staccato.

Also make sure your head is up - you should feel a cold breeze on your Adam's apple all the time - your shoulders are down, and your palms, if you are dancing solo, are facing the ice. Your toe should be pointed, and your feet should touch on every step.

And yes, it is a heck of a lot easier said than done!!!!

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Mrs Redboots
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I love my computer because my friends live in it!
Ice dancers have lovely big curves!

I love dance! lol

This has probably already been said...but make sure you bring your feet together before each step (so there's no wide steps) and always extend your free leg!

Ha ha ha, we've lured another one to the dark side!

I guess I don't have anything useful to say, since everyone else has covered it. Are you going to test solo, or do they have a male coach for you to skate with too?

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Shae-Lynn and Victor: We knew you were champions, and on 3/28/03 the whole WORLD found out! Thank you for twelve wonderful years!

Toe-point (an extension of the extension advice...) is also very important!

Have fun and keep dancing!!

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Is Portland the only city with it's own ice-dance website? http://www.pdxicedance.net/

Thanks so much for all the tips, everyone. CanAm, we are partnering with the female coach for the tests. I don't remember, will we have to test the patterns solo as well as with the partner?

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"Where are we going and why are we in this handbasket?"

Wait... where are you? lol...

If you're in the U.S. I know you odn't have to test solo till Silver, Pre-gold, and Gold dances (for those you have to do partner AND solo)...

If you are doing the Standard track, solos begin at Silver level. Adult track has no solos, but uses the same passing averages.

It's true there is no solo on the Adult tests, but the passing averages were lowered last year -- at least on the Silver through Gold Dances.

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Is Portland the only city with it's own ice-dance website? http://www.pdxicedance.net/