# Ice Dance as a Craft · Figure Skating Level 6: Advanced

Figure Skating · Level 6: Advanced · Insporta Book (https://book.insporta.app/figure-skating/level-6/ice-dance-as-a-craft/)

Ice Dance as a Craft in Figure Skating (Level 6: Advanced) on Insporta: 20 sourced facts behind 2 tests. Covers: what judges see in a couple.

What judges see in a dance couple: composition, presentation, skating skills and fair judging.

## Test 1: What judges see in a couple

- Stronger couples start and end elements to match the phrasing of the music. (Source: ISU Ice Dance Handbook for Referees & Judges 2026/27)
- Stronger couples use a variety of holds with more closed positions; weaker ones skate mostly side by side in open holds. (Source: ISU Ice Dance Handbook for Referees & Judges 2026/27)
- Placing elements repeatedly in the same areas of the ice is listed among the characteristics of weaker couples. (Source: ISU Ice Dance Handbook for Referees & Judges 2026/27)
- Weaker couples skate through the music rather than to it and perform choreography mechanically. (Source: ISU Ice Dance Handbook for Referees & Judges 2026/27)
- Stronger couples show a strong connection and intimacy, with meaningful eye contact with each other and the audience. (Source: ISU Ice Dance Handbook for Referees & Judges 2026/27)
- Weaker couples show shallow or flat edges, rely on simple crossovers and skate on two feet in limited directions. (Source: ISU Ice Dance Handbook for Referees & Judges 2026/27)
- Weaker skating appears laboured, loud and scratchy, lacking effortless glide; stronger skating is quiet. (Source: ISU Ice Dance Handbook for Referees & Judges 2026/27)
- The guide's focus runs from the music structure, through space, patterns and holds, to a complete, organic program. (Source: ISU Ice Dance Handbook for Referees & Judges 2026/27)
- Two-foot skating and shallow edges mark weaker couples; deep edges and quiet, effortless glide mark stronger ones. (Source: ISU Ice Dance Handbook for Referees & Judges 2026/27)
- C spreads its elements over the whole ice. A and D bunch them in one area, B uses only one end. (Source: ISU Ice Dance Handbook for Referees & Judges 2026/27)

## Test 2: Partnership and judging

- Ice dance is a discipline of figure skating that historically draws from ballroom dancing. (Source: Special Olympics Figure Skating Coaching Guide (2021))
- An ice dance team is two skaters, and Solo Ice Dance can be skated by one woman or one man. (Source: Special Olympics Figure Skating Coaching Guide (2021))
- Judges must not compensate technical errors with presentation quality; GOE and components are marked independently. (Source: ISU Ice Dance Handbook for Referees & Judges 2026/27)
- The guide asks judges to assess the complete element, not only one highlight. (Source: ISU Ice Dance Handbook for Referees & Judges 2026/27)
- Judges evaluate quality, not reputation, and must not hesitate to reward or mark down any couple. (Source: ISU Ice Dance Handbook for Referees & Judges 2026/27)
- Both partners demonstrate equal skating ability; unequal skating is a sign of weaker couples. (Source: ISU Ice Dance Handbook for Referees & Judges 2026/27)
- Judges reward quality, precision and effortless skating, and positive features must outweigh negative ones. (Source: ISU Ice Dance Handbook for Referees & Judges 2026/27)
- The guide's quick reference: Set Criteria, then quality, then positive against negative, then adjustments, then the final GOE. (Source: ISU Ice Dance Handbook for Referees & Judges 2026/27)
- The practical guides run Composition, Presentation, then Skating Skills. (Source: ISU Ice Dance Handbook for Referees & Judges 2026/27)
- B spends most of its program in closed holds. A, C and D are mostly open, the mark of weaker couples. (Source: ISU Ice Dance Handbook for Referees & Judges 2026/27)

Sources: ISU Ice Dance Handbook for Referees & Judges 2026/27; ISU Ice Dance Technical Panel Handbook 2026/27; ISU Handbook for Technical Panels, Synchronized Skating 2025/26 (the 2026/27 edition was not yet published); ISU Sports Rules, Synchronized Skating (2026); Special Olympics Figure Skating Coaching Guide (2021). Original questions authored, nothing reproduced. Dance and synchro rules belong to the rules categories; season requirements are not keyed.

Take the tests: https://insporta.app/try?utm_source=book&utm_medium=referral