Compulsory dance

Compulsory dances, now called pattern dance in ice dancing, are a part of ice dancing and artistic roller skating in which all the couples perform the same standardized steps and holds to music of a specified tempo. One or more compulsory dances were usually skated as the first phase of ice dancing competitions. The 2009-10 season was the final season in which the segment was competed in ISU junior and senior level competition.^[1] In June 2010, the International Skating Union replaced the name "compulsory dance" with "pattern dance" for ice dancing,^[2] and merged it into the short dance beginning in the 2010–2011 figure skating season.

Compulsory dances are also popular as a form of recreational or social dance among skaters.

The patterns for most dances either cover one-half or one full circuit of the rink. The International Skating Union (ISU) and the Fédération Internationale de Roller Sports (FIRS) publish the step diagrams and descriptions of the dances that are competed internationally, and also provides a set of standard music recordings for each dance with uniform tempo and introductory phrasing for use in competition.

Ice dancing

The dances that have been performed in junior and senior international competition include:

Name	First performed	Creators	Other notes
Fourteenstep	1889^[3]	Franz Scholler	Also known as Ten Step or Scholler March.
European Waltz	before 1900^[4]	unknown
American Waltz	unknown^[5]	unknown
Kilian	1909^[6]	Karl Schreiter
Tango	1932^[7]	Paul Krechkow, Trudy Harris
Foxtrot	1933^[8]	Eric van der Weyden, Eva Keats
Argentine Tango	1934^[9]	Reginald J. Wilkie, Daphne B. Wallis
Blues	1934^[10]	Robert Dench, Lesley Turner
Rocker Foxtrot	1934^[11]	Eric van der Weyden, Eva Keats
Viennese Waltz	1934^[12]	Eric van der Weyden, Eva Keats
Paso Doble	1938^[13]	Reginald B. Wilkie, Daphne B. Wallis
Quickstep	1938^[14]	Reginald J. Wilkie, Daphne B. Wallis
Rhumba	1938^[15]	Walter Gregory
Westminster Waltz	1938^[16]	Eric van der Weyden, Eva Keats
Silver Samba	1963^[17]	Courtney J. L. Jones, Peri V. Horne
Starlight Waltz	1963^[18]	Courtney J. L. Jones, Peri V. Horne
Yankee Polka	1969^[19]	James Sladky, Judy Schwomeyer, Ronald Ludington
Ravensburger Waltz	1973^[20]	Angelika Buck, Erich Buck, Betty Callaway
Tango Romantica	1974^[21]	Lyudmila Pakhomova / Aleksandr Gorshkov, Elena Tchaikovskaia
Austrian Waltz	1979^[22]	Susi Handschmann, Peter Handschmann
Golden Waltz	1987^[23]	Natalia Dubova, Marina Klimova / Sergei Ponomarenko
Cha Cha Congelado	1989^[24]	Bernard Ford, Kelly Johnson, Laurie Palmer, Steven Belanger
Finnstep	1995^[25]	Susanna Rahkamo / Petri Kokko, Martin Skotnicky.	Kati Winkler / René Lohse helped adapt to CD.
Midnight Blues	2001^[26]	Roy Bradshaw, Sue Bradshaw, Mark Bradshaw, Julie MacDonald

The American Waltz, European Waltz, Fourteenstep, and Kilian (a march) date back to the early days of figure skating. Several of the compulsory dances were first performed by dancers in the United Kingdom in the 1930's. Others were adapted from original dances performed after that segment was added to dance competitions in the 1960s. For example, the Golden Waltz, considered the most complex and challenging of the compulsory dances, was adapted from the original set pattern performed by Marina Klimova and Sergei Ponomarenko in the 1987 season.

In addition to the international dances, there are also several simpler dances that are taught to beginning skaters. For example, in the United States, the first dance learned by most skaters is the Dutch Waltz, which features only forward skating in a side-by-side hold, skated to music with a very slow waltz tempo.

By season

Each season, the ISU published a number of compulsory dances to be competed that season on both the international senior level and junior level. Which compulsory dance was competed depended on the event, and some events, such as the Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final, had no compulsory dance segment in the competition.

Although the ISU published assigned dances for the 2010-11 season, these were not used in competition, as the compulsory and original dances were merged into a single segment, the short dance, starting in 2010-11. The International Skating Union adopted the name "pattern dance" in 2010 and in 2011 U.S. Figure Skating also switched to the new name.^[27]

Season	Senior-level	Junior-level
2005–2006	Yankee Polka Ravensburger Waltz Tango Romantica	Paso Doble Austrian Waltz Westminster Waltz Quickstep
2006–2007	Westminster Waltz Golden Waltz Rhumba	Starlight Waltz Silver Samba Midnight Blues
2007–2008	Austrian Waltz Yankee Polka Argentine Tango	Viennese Waltz Cha Cha Congelado Blues
2008–2009	Viennese Waltz Finnstep Paso Doble	Starlight Waltz Paso Doble
2009–2010	Golden Waltz Tango Romantica	Westminster Waltz Argentine Tango^[28]
2010–2011	Ravensburger Waltz Finnstep	Quickstep Blues ^[29]

Artistic roller skating

The dances that are performed in junior and senior international competition include^[30]

Argentine Tango
Blues
Castel March
Flirtation Waltz
Fourteen Step
Fourteen Step Plus
Harris Tango
Iceland Tango
Italian Foxtrot
Kilian
Paso Doble
Quickstep
Rocker Foxtrot
Starlight Waltz
Tango Delanco
Westminster Waltz

Artistic roller skating in the United States also has competitive divisions of team and solo dance for all ages and skill levels that compete at the local, regional, and national levels. At competitions, skaters perform between two and six dances set to organ music for a maximum of 3 minutes per dance. Skaters are judged on a number of things that include American technique, pattern placement, and overall performance.

By season

Season	Senior	Junior	Senior Solo	Junior Solo
2005-2006	Starlight Waltz Iceland Tango	Blues Harris Tango
2006-2007	Paso Doble Westminster Waltz	Rocker Foxtrot Flirtation Waltz		Blues Harris Tango
2007-2008	Kilian Quickstep	Fourteen Step Imperial Tango	- -	Rocker Foxtrot Flirtation Waltz
2008-2009	Italian Foxtrot Argentine Tango	Blues Harris Tango	Quickstep Westminster Waltz	14 Step Plus Imperial Tango
2009-2010	Castel March Starlight Waltz	Rocker Foxtrot Flirtation Waltz	Paso Doble Argentine Tango	Harris Tango Blues
2010-2011	Paso Doble Westminster Waltz	Fourteen Step Imperial Tango	Italian Foxtrot Iceland Tango	Flirtation Waltz Rocker Foxtrot

References

^ ISU Congress News
^ "ISU Communication 1621", International Skating Union, http://isu.sportcentric.net/db//files/serve.php?id=1893 (accessed July 19, 2011).
^ Fourteenstep
^ European Waltz
^ American Waltz
^ Kilian
^ Tango
^ Foxtrot
^ Argentine Tango
^ Blues
^ Rocker Foxtrot
^ Viennese Waltz
^ Paso Doble
^ Quickstep
^ Rhumba
^ Westminster Waltz
^ Silver Samba
^ Starlight Waltz
^ Yankee Polka
^ Ravensburger Waltz
^ Tango Romantica
^ Austrian Waltz
^ Golden Waltz
^ Cha Cha Congelado
^ Finnstep
^ Midnight Blues
^ p.32, 2011-12 Tests Book", U.S. Figure Skating http://www.usfsa.org/Content/201112TestsBook.pdf (accessed July 19, 2011).
^ "International Skating Union Communication No. 1496" (PDF). International Skating Union. 2 May 2008. Retrieved 8 February 2010.
^ "ISU Communication No. 1567 ICE DANCE" (PDF). International Skating Union. 8 May 2009. Retrieved 8 February 2010.
^ "Artistic Roller Skating Special Regulations & Sports Rules : 2009 Edition" (PDF). Federation International de Roller Skating. Retrieved 8 February 2010.

Ice-dance.com technical reference
ISU Judging System: Ice Dance at the International Skating Union

[1] ISU Congress News

[2] "ISU Communication 1621", International Skating Union, http://isu.sportcentric.net/db//files/serve.php?id=1893 (accessed July 19, 2011).

[3] Fourteenstep

[4] European Waltz

[5] American Waltz

[6] Kilian

[7] Tango

[8] Foxtrot

[9] Argentine Tango

[10] Blues

[11] Rocker Foxtrot

[12] Viennese Waltz

[13] Paso Doble

[14] Quickstep

[15] Rhumba

[16] Westminster Waltz

[17] Silver Samba

[18] Starlight Waltz

[19] Yankee Polka

[20] Ravensburger Waltz

[21] Tango Romantica

[22] Austrian Waltz

[23] Golden Waltz

[24] Cha Cha Congelado

[25] Finnstep

[26] Midnight Blues

[27] .32, 2011-12 Tests Book", U.S. Figure Skating http://www.usfsa.org/Content/201112TestsBook.pdf (accessed July 19, 2011).

[28] "International Skating Union Communication No. 1496" (PDF). International Skating Union. 2 May 2008. Retrieved 8 February 2010.

[29] "ISU Communication No. 1567 ICE DANCE" (PDF). International Skating Union. 8 May 2009. Retrieved 8 February 2010.

[30] "Artistic Roller Skating Special Regulations & Sports Rules : 2009 Edition" (PDF). Federation International de Roller Skating. Retrieved 8 February 2010.

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

[6]

[7]

[8]

[9]

[10]

[11]

[12]

[13]

[14]

[15]

[16]

[17]

[18]

[19]

[20]

[21]

[22]

[23]

[24]

[25]

[26]

[27]

[28]

[29]

[30]