2018 EC Gabriella Papadakis Guillaume Cizeron 2018-01-20 16-55-44 (4)

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 The rhythm dance (RD) is the first segment of an ice dance competition. The International Skating Union (ISU) renamed the short dance to the "rhythm dance" in June 2018, prior to the 2018–2019 season. It became part of international competitio ...

(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 2022, p. 143 Its duration is four minutes for senior ice dancers, and 3.5 minutes for juniors. French ice dancers

Gabriella Papadakis Gabriella Maria Papadakis (born 10 May 1995) is a French ice dancer. With her partner, Guillaume Cizeron, she is a 2022 Olympic champion, 2018 Olympic silver medalist, a five-time World champion (2015–2016, 2018–2019, 2022), a five-time con ...

and

Guillaume Cizeron Guillaume Cizeron (born 12 November 1994) is a French ice dancer. With his partner, Gabriella Papadakis, he is the 2022 Olympic champion, the 2018 Olympic silver medalist, a five-time World champion (2015–2016, 2018–2019, 2022), a five-time ...

hold the highest recorded international FD score of 137.09 points.

Background

The free dance (FD) takes place after the

in all junior and senior ice dance competitions. The

International Skating Union The International Skating Union (ISU) is the international governing body for competitive ice skating disciplines, including figure skating, synchronized skating, speed skating, and short track speed skating. It was founded in Scheveningen, Net ...

(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, when contested at the 1908 Olympics in London. The Olympic disciplines are me ...

, 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")Diane Marie Leiva. ''The Florida State University College of Education''Women's Voices on College Drinking: The First-Year College Experience"/ref> is an adverse reaction of intoxication that causes a state of v ...

, 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" 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.

and

hold the highest FD score of 137.09 points, which they achieved at the 2022 World Championships. They also hold the six highest recorded FD scores.

Required elements

The ISU announces the specific requirements for the FD each year.S&P/ID 2022, p. 145 For example, the ISU published the rules for the 2022–23 season in April 2022. The following elements make up a well-balanced program: the

Dance Lift Dance partnering is dancing performed by a pair of dancers, typically a male and a female, in which the pair strives to achieve a harmony of coordinated movements so that the audience remains unaware of the mechanics. It relies on the application ...

, the Dance Spin, the

Step Sequence A step sequence is a required element in all four disciplines of figure 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 ice". Skaters ear ...

, 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.

Footnotes

References

Works cited

"Special Regulations & Technical Rules Single & Pair Skating and Ice Dance 2022"
(S&P/ID 2022). Lausanne, Switzerland: International Skating Union. 2022. Retrieved 27 September 2022. {{figure skating Figure skating Ice dance