From Simple English Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Ice dancing
is a form of
figure skating
related to
ballroom dancing
. Its first competition was at the
World Figure Skating Championships
in 1952, but it did not become a
Winter Olympic Games
medal sport until 1976. As in pair skating, dancers compete as a couple, a man and a woman.
Ice dancing is different from pair skating because it limits the figures to those which are imitative of dance. Skaters must stay close together, and may not perform jumps. There are set dances, in which the style must be appropriate for the type of dance, and there is a Free Dance section which allows lifts up to shoulder level.
Ice dancing is the only form of figure skating to allow vocal music in official competitions.