Thought this might be relevant for other people too---since the 2 solo dances are drawn from 2 levels, maybe there are others who are struggling to learn a new dance & get it up to snuff, which is actually a bit beyond their current capability.

I'm struggling w/ the Viennese Waltz, for the gold solo event. In reality, I have 2 pre-gold dances yet to test before I get to gold.

Anyone else working on solo dance for Nationals?

I'm also wondering if anyone from the LOC knows the numbers of how many have registered for this new event.

Great idea to have a support group!

Yes, I just started dance about a year ago, and am just barely qualified for Bronze solo dance this year - I've passed my Preliminaries and one Pre-Bronze dance. Of course, that was the Cha-Cha, and not the Fiesta that we have to do. So... I'm frantically working on the Fiesta and the Willow. I haven't even learned the Swing Dance yet, but had to skip it for the present because I simply don't have time right now. I don't expect to place well under the circumstances, but was so excited about the solo dance event that I just had to give it a try!

Woo-hoo solo dance! I'm competing in Silver and I am super excited. I love competing dance, so much less nerve-wracking than freestyle. My coach and I just made up an intro for the Tango, which is the final round dance. Hopefully I get to use it!

You will--everyone skates both rounds & the results are the combined scores.

No numbers yet. USFS said there are quite a few test level discrepancies they have to work out before they can send us the numbers.

__________________
I've got mad salchow disease!

I'm actually staring dance lessons since the Solo event has been added. I had no hope of ever having a partner to prior to this I never bothered to learn the dances. Yippee!

I'm doing the bronze. I had to learn the Willow, since I've only passed the pre-bronze dances. As a freestyler, I never thought I'd obsess over a 3-turn (Willow) or a mohawk (Fiesta)

__________________
"The only place where success comes before work is in a dictionary." -- Vidal Sasson

"Never give up on a dream just because of the time it will take to accomplish it. The time will pass anyway." -- Unknown

I happen to know that the numbers are pretty good for solo dance, if I recall 35+ for bronze, twenty-something+ for silver and 17+/-for gold.

I only have one pre gold dance but I am doing the gold solo dance, I always enjoy doing dances that are hard, I don't do them well but they help build my skills. Effort counts for a lot even if I come in last.

__________________
Who me? Couldn't be....
http://www.youtube.com/bouldersk8r

Yay!!!

Those are great numbers for the entries! Do you know if they be broken down into groups at all? I hope not, I've never competed in a field that large before, how exciting!

I've heard at the discretion of the referee, they will do either by age OR by tests (so for example, people who are more pre-silver dancers with maybe 1 silver or less passed will be together and people who are more silver dancers will be together). They could also split men off if there are enough entries, although it doesn't seem that there are any dances where the men's steps are substantially different to make it unfair. (Ever see the solo men's steps to the rocker foxtrot or the starlight??? Sure they have to drag our butts around on those so partnering isn't cake, bu the solo is.)

This number of entries does make a very strong argument for the pre levels being added next year!

I'm doing silver and I've passed both dances I'll be competing. I actually signed up to do the Blues, too, at mids and I'll do it at Troy if I go since it's my favorite dance (and I'm doing the starlight and paso at a local competition). Dance is my easy/fun event this year. I just moved up a level in freestyle and the whole jumping/spinning thing tends to stress me out, and based on who I know will be there, Silver I will be a really good/tough group this year.

__________________
2010-2011 goals:
Pass Junior MIF test
Don't break anything

WOW!! That's great!

Rachelsk8er asked a good question in another thread: will there be time for a costume change between the 2 dances? I'd love a bit of a break between, but that may be too much to wish for.....though they could mix us in w/ the couples compulsories so everyone would get a break in between...... are you listening, ref??

With the size of the groups you should be able to change pretty easily. I think if they divide the groups it will most likely be done by age since that is biggest factor in skating.

__________________
Who me? Couldn't be....
http://www.youtube.com/bouldersk8r

I'm doing Silver. I passed my Silvers in 2003 then quit dance cold turkey. I just started it up again a couple of months ago in order to do solo dance at AN, and the dances are way harder than I remember them to be! (Or maybe I am just getting old!) I am also dealing with new boots and blades, so bending is an issue right now, but hopefully I will be more bendy in April!

I don't think age is as much of a factor in dance as it is in freestyle. I know plenty of people much older than I am who are amazing dancers. Given that the test range is so broad for this, I really think that will be the best way to fairly split it. You also are going to have people who passed tests on the adult track (lower average, no solo) against people who passed standard (higher average, solo for tango and the golds). It will be interesting to see how that plays out.

There should be time to change, usually there is. The only time I've competed dance at ANs was couples one year and there were only 4 teams, I don't think anyone bothered to change because we didn't really have time.

__________________
2010-2011 goals:
Pass Junior MIF test
Don't break anything

It's considered enough of a factor that people over 50 can pass dance tests with a lower standard even that adult.

I'm glad to hear there are good numbers for solo dance because I couldn't pull it off this year but I really hope to go next year when it is in Minnisota.

j

So how's everyone doing?

I had a breakthrough on Viennese today, with that really hard step forward LFO edge in the first end pattern. If I really think about keeping my whole back against the circle, it stabilizes that whole section a lot more. I haven't tried it with music yet, but it made a big difference in the run-throughs.

Well, my Fiesta is going pretty well. The biggest challenge is the first two outside edges - I tend to get the second one on the flat, especially the first pattern. The mohawk is going okay. The Willow is worrying me more - I thought I knew how to do three-turns! Apparently not!

3 turns in dance are a whole different animal - especially the drop 3 in the Willow.

J

My coach told me today I was on my way to looking like a dancer. Is that called damning with faint praise?

__________________
"The only place where success comes before work is in a dictionary." -- Vidal Sasson

"Never give up on a dream just because of the time it will take to accomplish it. The time will pass anyway." -- Unknown

That step is the worst part of the whole dance for me...

I worked on dance for the first time in about a month last Sunday. Felt good. My dance event @ NYI got cancelled (so I've been focusing more on free). They didn't give me enough notice for me to be able to prepare and skate up in gold instead (I'm fine on the Blues, testing it soon, I know the Viennese but have never even had a lesson on it). I wish I would have known even a week earlier, I could have prepared a little and skated up for fun with no expectations. Oh well. I'm doing silver compulsory instead.

__________________
2010-2011 goals:
Pass Junior MIF test
Don't break anything

I KNOW ! I had NO idea there were so many different ways to do a 3 until I started dance! Like - really *hard* ways.

Husband always accuses me of not getting that 2nd edge in the Fiesta - it isn't easy. Make sure you look in the direction you want to go. What introductory steps do you have? Maybe if you changed your introduction you would find it easier to hit that edge?

And that 3-turn in the Willow is unprintably awful. Even in the European it's easier, as you're stepping into it from a turn, but "cold", like that, in the Willow. Yuck.

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

Good point, Mrs R. Our intro and start place were both changed to make sure that first edge was correct and the second edge ended pointing at the side (not down the rink).

We now start so we approach the centre-ish of the rink's short end on a diagonal, and the steps are: R fwd stroke (2 counts), L fwd stroke (2 counts), R fwd stroke (2 counts), L progressive (1-1 count) starting to come around the corner right on the short wall but quite a long way from the side wall, then LFO into the dance finishes the corner and ends facing the distant short end of the rink. This leaves room for the RFO to start facing the other end of the rink and end facing the side wall.

We just got the entry numbers from USFS.

There are 27 in Bronze, 17 in Silver and 21 in Gold solo dance.

__________________
I've got mad salchow disease!

Holey Moley!!