The free dance (FD) is a segment of an
ice dance
Ice dance (sometimes referred to as ice dancing) is a discipline of figure skating that historically draws from ballroom dancing. It joined the World Figure Skating Championships in 1952, and became a Winter Olympic Games medal sport in 1976. Ac ...
competition, the second contested. It follows the
rhythm dance (RD). Skaters perform "a creative dance program blending dance steps and movements expressing the character/rhythm(s) of the dance music chosen by the couple".
[S&P/ID 2024, p. 148] Its duration is four minutes for senior ice dancers, and 3.5 minutes for juniors. French ice dancers
Gabriella Papadakis and
Guillaume Cizeron hold the highest recorded international FD score of 137.09 points.
Background
The free dance (FD) takes place after the
rhythm dance in all junior and senior ice dance competitions. The
International Skating Union
The International Skating Union (ISU) is the international sport governing body, governing body for competitive ice skating disciplines, including figure skating, synchronized skating, speed skating, and short track speed skating. It was founded ...
(ISU), the body that oversees
figure skating
Figure skating is a sport in which individuals, pairs, or groups perform on figure skates on ice. It was the first winter sport to be included in the Olympic Games, with its introduction occurring at the Figure skating at the 1908 Summer Olympi ...
, defines the FD as "the skating by the couple of a creative dance program blending dance steps and movements expressing the character/rhythm(s) of the dance music chosen by the couple".
The FD must have combinations of new or known dance steps and movements, as well as required elements.
The program must "utilize the full ice surface,"
and be well-balanced. It must contain required combinations of elements (
spins
The spins (as in having "the spins") is an adverse reaction of Substance intoxication, intoxication that causes a state of vertigo and nausea, causing one to feel as if "spinning out of control", especially when lying down. It is most commonly as ...
,
lifts,
steps, and movements), and choreography that express both the characters of the competitors and the music chosen by them. It must also display the skaters' "excellent skating technique"
[S&P/ID 2024, p. 149] and creativity in expression, concept, and arrangement.
The FD's choreography must reflect the music's accents, nuances, and dance character, and the ice dancers must "skate primarily in time to the rhythmic beat of the music and not to the melody alone".
For senior ice dancers, the FD must have a duration of four minutes; for juniors, 3.5 minutes.
American ice dancers
Madison Chock and
Evan Bates hold the highest RD score of 93.91, which they achieved at the
World Team Trophy in 2023.
Required elements
The ISU announces the specific requirements for the FD each year.
[ISU No. 2630, p. 1] For example, the ISU published the rules for the
2024–25 season in May 2024. The following elements are required: the
Dance Lift, the
Dance Spin, the
Step Sequence
A step sequence is a required element in all four disciplines of figure skating, Single skating, men's single skating, women's single skating, pair skating, and ice dance. Step sequences have been defined as "steps and turns in a pattern on the ic ...
, Synchronized
Twizzle
A twizzle is "a multirotational, one-foot turn that moves across the ice" in the sport of figure skating. First performed by David Grant in 1990 the International Skating Union (ISU) defines a twizzle as "a traveling turn on one foot with one o ...
s, and Choreographic Elements.
[ISU No. 2630, p. 7]
Footnotes
References
Works cited
"Communication No. 2630: Ice Dance Requirements for Technical Rules season 2024/25"(PDF). (ISU No. 2630) Lausanne, Switzerland: ''International Skating Union''. 6 May 2024. Retrieved 20 September 2024.
"Special Regulations & Technical Rules Single & Pair Skating and Ice Dance 2024"(S&P/ID 2024). Lausanne, Switzerland: International Skating Union. 2024. Retrieved 25 September 2024.
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Figure skating
Ice dance