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More show
business than sport, ice dancing is the least popular -- and least understood --
of the figure skating events; but it can also be the most creative. Moving far
afield from their roots in ballroom dancing, today's competitors look anywhere
and everywhere for music and moves that will make them stand out. I enjoy
ice dancing more in the professional realm, where the dancers are free to
explore their creativity without being judged.
Speaking
of judging, "mysterious" and "arbitrary" are the nicest words I can use to describe the
judging of international ice dancing. "Crooked" is a less-flattering
synonym. How can I say that, you ask? Well, scandals in recent years of foot-tapping signals and bribery
speak for themselves. And as for this particular
competition, when twenty-four couples
skate through four different events and the placements remain EXACTLY the same
-- nobody moves up, nobody moves down -- well, you do the math. From my
own personal observations, I was completely puzzled by the results of this
event. While I acknowledge that I am not qualified to evaluate the technical
aspects,
my impressions of who was good and who was not-so-good certainly didn't line up
with the scores!
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