Freestylers turned dancers

[sampaguita]

I came across this really beautiful video of a solo Dutch Waltz. For some reason, I'm 100% sure that this skater was an accomplished freestyle skater before going into ice dance. There's something about her skating. Is it her manner of stroking? Or probably the posture? I think dancers would prefer the torso to be more upright, but this skater's style makes the dance a lot more lyrical, IMO. Any other "signs" that an ice dancer started out as a high-level freestyle skater?

[Clarice]

I would say that anybody who acquires strong skating skills before starting ice dance will have an easier time with it.  My daughter didn't start dance until after she had passed Senior Moves, and found dance very easy, at least in the beginning.  She didn't really have to work at it until she hit the Silver level.

[CaraSkates]

I would say that anybody who acquires strong skating skills before starting ice dance will have an easier time with it.  My daughter didn't start dance until after she had passed Senior Moves, and found dance very easy, at least in the beginning.  She didn't really have to work at it until she hit the Silver level.

A friend of mine started dance after passing Senior MIF - two and a half years later, she now has her gold in dance! She didn't find the dances challenging till Pre-Gold. She is a very talented skater, a triple gold medalist (MIF, FS and Dance) and has never failed a test. SHe plans to work on Solo Free Dance next.

[Clarice]

A friend of mine started dance after passing Senior MIF - two and a half years later, she now has her gold in dance! She didn't find the dances challenging till Pre-Gold. She is a very talented skater, a triple gold medalist (MIF, FS and Dance) and has never failed a test. SHe plans to work on Solo Free Dance next.

Yes, that's been pretty much my daughter's experience, too (although she has had a few retries along the way!).  She's on her Golds now.  She has always found the actual skating quite easy, but sometimes had to work to get the correct dance expression.  The judges got more and more demanding about that as she advanced.

[CaraSkates]

Yes, that's been pretty much my daughter's experience, too (although she has had a few retries along the way!).  She's on her Golds now.  She has always found the actual skating quite easy, but sometimes had to work to get the correct dance expression.  The judges got more and more demanding about that as she advanced.

That's been my experience too - I am working on Silvers now and just got my first dance retry - need more expression and better timing on the solo! The actual steps are easy for me, it's putting it all together I need to work on.

[aussieskater]

(Glad that's not what's required for passing standard down here ... I'd still be trying to pass my first dances!  )

Thanks for posting the link sampaguita.  That was just lovely - and what a gorgeous dress!!

[SynchKat]

Most kids here start doing both dance and freeskate and then you figure out which you have more of an aptitude for.

You can generally tell a "free skate trained" dancer though, which obviously this girl in the video is.  Gorgeous dance and skater but there is just something with the feet.  Freeskaters tend to lift their feet higher than someone who has done mainly dance.  There is just not as much ease of transitioning from one foot to the other in my opinion.  Maybe it is the toe point, I don't know, but dancers just typically have "neater" feet than freeskaters.

[AgnesNitt]

I'm hardly an expert but I say her posture was too far forward, I was taught ice dance was more erect. Also the progressives were more crossover-like. And shoot me, but her presentation was less dance and more performance.

[Clarice]

I'm hardly an expert but I say her posture was too far forward, I was taught ice dance was more erect. Also the progressives were more crossover-like. And shoot me, but her presentation was less dance and more performance.

All true, but, hey, it was a Dutch Waltz!  At the Preliminary dance level, it wouldn't be expected that all those things be correct.  That was sure a lot prettier than my Dutch Waltz test was!

[PrettySk8Dress]

You can generally tell a "free skate trained" dancer though, which obviously this girl in the video is.  Gorgeous dance and skater but there is just something with the feet.  Freeskaters tend to lift their feet higher than someone who has done mainly dance.  There is just not as much ease of transitioning from one foot to the other in my opinion.  Maybe it is the toe point, I don't know, but dancers just typically have "neater" feet than freeskaters.

I'm hardly an expert but I say her posture was too far forward, I was taught ice dance was more erect. Also the progressives were more crossover-like. And shoot me, but her presentation was less dance and more performance.

My impressions exactly. I have done both freestyle ( actually pairs ) and ice dance, and I can tell just by looking at this skater that she is primarily a freeskater. Her dance style fairly screams it ! Progressives that look more like crossovers, " performance " moves rather than actual ice dance expression, body too far forward and lacking the erect carriage that even a beginner ice dancer has to have, etc. One's freestyle accomplishments are valuable when one begins to learn ice dancing, but are not a " bye " to ice dancing, without learning ice dance basics. And that should apply no matter how high a freestylist you are.

[JSM]

That's probably what my Dutch Waltz looks like!  (Still, she did a good job) 

I only started ice dance last year, and quite frankly I have a lot to learn when it comes to Dance Expression.  I know I'm a freestyler doing dance - and when I do dance I feel like an impostor.

I am still on the lower levels, but when I do get higher I know I have a lot of work to do on the little things that make Ice dance so different from 'regular' skating.

[sampaguita]

All true, but, hey, it was a Dutch Waltz!  At the Preliminary dance level, it wouldn't be expected that all those things be correct.  That was sure a lot prettier than my Dutch Waltz test was!

I think we all agree that her Dutch Waltz is really nice, much nicer than most beginning ice dancers (especially those without freestyle training!) would have. What I was interested in was her dance style...something about it just makes me think she's a high-level freestyler.

Btw, based on her other video (Canasta), she's participated in Solo Dance Nationals, and has placed there (1st) as well.