Finding an ice dancing partner in the most unlikely places

[Neverdull44]

My rink offers ice dancing class on Saturday morning. As you guessed, it's about 8 girls, a few women, and a coach.  We have a blast. But, it's sad as there are no males to join us. 

In an effort to find an ice dancing partner, I tried something new.  At a public skate, there are a few older gentlemen (easily, late 50's/early 60s) who happen to be very good hockey skaters.  So, I asked one of them to skate around the public skating rink with me in a dance hold.  We went around and had a blast.  I told him that it was more fun then just skating around in circles.  I'm hoping that I will recruit one of these mature men to try ice dancing to broaden their skating skills.....

A gals gotta do what a gals gotta do! 

[sampaguita]

A gals gotta do what a gals gotta do! 

LOL!!! Personally, I'd never dream of asking a hockey player to be my dance partner (hockey and figure skating for me are worlds apart), but I hope you can find a recruit!

[icedancer]

Several of the ladies in my area have done this - one was a younger guy who worked at the rink - total hockey rink-rat type - one of the skaters started to teach him dance and he got really into it and eventually competed Novice level with a skater that he met in another part of the country!

It certainly can happen - another skater found a affable speed-skater to partner with for a while and then eventually she met an ex-competitive roller-skater!

We do what we can!

[jjane45]

LOL!!! Personally, I'd never dream of asking a hockey player to be my dance partner (hockey and figure skating for me are worlds apart), but I hope you can find a recruit!

Adult hockey friend once mentioned he had been recruited many, many times. Mind you this was Chicago where male dancers often dance by themselves!

[aussieskater]

Mind you this was Chicago where male dancers often dance by themselves!

Please send any spare ones down here!!

[4711]

LOL!!! Personally, I'd never dream of asking a hockey player to be my dance partner (hockey and figure skating for me are worlds apart), but I hope you can find a recruit!

Be brave!
Unless you ask, the answer is always no. 

(watch 'Cutting Edge' for inspiration...just don't bring 'toe pick' up at every turn - or fall )

[icedancer]

(watch 'Cutting Edge' for inspiration...just don't bring 'toe pick' up at every turn - or fall )

So true with the hockey people - the guy in our area who became a competitive ice-dancer was terrified of the toe-picks and did his first 6 dances in his hockey skates (you could do that back then - now I think there is a rule about only wearing figure skates) - when he finally got some figure skates he had blades on them that had NO picks whatsoever (very strange looking) and then finally finally transferred into a dance blade -

So the "toe-pic" reference does have some relevance.

[4711]

So true with the hockey people - the guy in our area who became a competitive ice-dancer was terrified of the toe-picks and did his first 6 dances in his hockey skates (you could do that back then - now I think there is a rule about only wearing figure skates) - when he finally got some figure skates he had blades on them that had NO picks whatsoever (very strange looking) and then finally finally transferred into a dance blade -

So the "toe-pic" reference does have some relevance.

LOL, I bet. But Moira Kelly's character was a bit too smug about it....

[AgnesNitt]

Shameless blogrolling!

INVISIBLE TOEPICK

[sarahspins]

Agnes, you are a trip 

[Skittl1321]

Shameless blogrolling!

INVISIBLE TOEPICK

I'm an awful person, but it cracks me up when I go to hockey games and they fall forward over the front of their skates.  (Mostly because it makes me feel better about my total inability to skate in hockey skates.)


As for a hockey partner- if you can get one; go for it!  Though there are definitely technique issues to be sorted out, if you are a beginning ice dancer, well, they would be a beginning one too. Learn together.  Besides- the hockey to figure skating transition seems to have worked well for Max Aaron.

[AgnesNitt]

Besides- the hockey to figure skating transition seems to have worked well for Max Aaron.

And Charlie White.

[1cesk8er]

My rink offers ice dancing class on Saturday morning. As you guessed, it's about 8 girls, a few women, and a coach.  We have a blast. But, it's sad as there are no males to join us. 

In an effort to find an ice dancing partner, I tried something new.  At a public skate, there are a few older gentlemen (easily, late 50's/early 60s) who happen to be very good hockey skaters.  So, I asked one of them to skate around the public skating rink with me in a dance hold.  We went around and had a blast.  I told him that it was more fun then just skating around in circles.  I'm hoping that I will recruit one of these mature men to try ice dancing to broaden their skating skills.....

A gals gotta do what a gals gotta do!

This sounds like an excellent movie plot! haha!

[nicklaszlo]

Mind you this was Chicago where male dancers often dance by themselves!

Yeah, I have no idea what this thread is talking about.  Yesterday's dance class had four males present and one female.  And she was tiny, which didn't help.

[Clarice]

Ahh!  I gotta find out when and where you guys skate!  Not that it's likely to be all that practical for me.  I'm in western Illinois - so close and yet so far!

[TreSk8sAZ]

Ahh!  I gotta find out when and where you guys skate!  Not that it's likely to be all that practical for me.  I'm in western Illinois - so close and yet so far!

Apparently you need to come out West. A friend of mine went to the Santa Fe Ice Dance Weekend and he said it was the first one he's been to where there were more men in attendance than women!