Skating Skills
(Balance)
Transitions
(Conncetions)
Balance, rhythmic knee
action and precision of foot
placement:
a. Focus on body lean
and depth of edge –
record how the
skaters are moving
their body in order
to move quickly
and powerfully
across the ice (or
not). Is there
merely a vertical
body line, or is
there only forwardleaning body
breaks, or do they
incorporate a full
range of movement
off the vertical axis
– and how do the
power, speed, and
flow differ between
skaters with these
qualities?
Variety:
a. Name the variety of
transitions used
b. In Dance: Is there a
variety of dance holds?
Use of asymmetry and
symmetry in positions?
c. In dance where are the
interesting highlights?
Performance / Execution
( Delivery)
Choreography
(Design)
Interpretation
(Feeling)
Performance =Physical,
emotional, and intellectual
involvement:
a. Commitment to
performance and
making it work. Did the
falls and errors break
this commitment and
how will you reflect
this?
b. Was there a physical,
emotional and
intellectual
understanding of their
music and its character
in the performance?
c. At what point(s) in the
program did the skater
convey this?
d. How did the skater
convey this?
Purpose :
a. Do moves and elements
correspond to development of
a story, theme or
interpretation of musical
composition?
b. Do the skater(s) use
movement as a language to
express a concept?
c. Do elements have a purpose
and meaning?
Musical movement:
a. Was the skater successful
at reflecting the style,
character and phrasing of
the music?
b. Did they rely on repetitive
movements?
c. If so was it effective or
uninteresting?
.
Flow and effortless glide:
Cleanness and sureness of
deep edges, steps and turns:
a. Identify the depth
of skating
vocabulary for
each skater… how
many rockers,
counters, changes
of edge do you see
versus mohawks
and three turns?
How does this
compare with
Difficulty:
a. Which transitions did
you consider difficult
and why?
b. In dance, were they
difficult for both?
c. Identify only the body
movements that have
an effect on the
balance of the body
core (follow up with a
discussion on which
components these type
of body movements
affect, and why (not
just transitions!!)
Intricacy:
a. Did they use any series
of transitional tools?
b. Which elements had
transitions in and out
of them?
c. In dance did the
intricacy predominate
while being mixed with
moments of less
intricacy?
Quality:
a. Which transitions were
performed with
quality? What makes
them quality
Performance = Projection:
a. Was the skater able to
establish a connection
with the audience? Did
you connect with the
energy they radiate?
b. Was it consistent
throughout the
program?
c. When was the skater
most comfortable
projecting?
Execution = Carriage:
a. Did the skater(s)
demonstrate strong
carriage throughout the
program?
b. How did it affect their
ease of movement?
Structure and pattern:
a. Make a drawing of the
programs. Are there
clockwise and counter
clockwise movements?
And linear and circular?
b. Is there a logical and
pleasing pattern on the
ice? Is the full ice surface
used?
Body design / dimension:
a. Half the group: pay
attention to the body
design/dimension. Is the
body used as a tool to
create dimension? Upright
or full range of motion?
Music and movement phrasing:
a. The other half of the
group: pay attention to the
music and movement
phrasing, then switch. Do
elements match the
musical phrasing?
b. Are the elements placed
where the music calls for
them?
c. Do movements reflect
musical energy ?( tension
or release of tension)
Expressive / Nuanced movement:
a. Did the skater or team
express musical details?
b. How “detailed” were they
able to be?
c. Were such movements
sporadic or consistent
throughout the program?
d. Did they understand the
concept of a nuance?
Effortless movement:
a. Did the program appear
effortless?
b. If the effortless nature
faded, at what point and
how did that affect their
component score?
(In Dance this Component is called
“INTERPRETATION TIMING”)
In dance especially, were they in
time with the music?
In Short Dance, did they express
the character of the rhythms
appropriately?
In dance were they able to relate as
one to express the music’s style and
character?
Skating Skills
(Balance)
speed and flow of
the skaters?
Power, energy and
acceleration:
a. Identify areas
where the skater is
varying their
power and speed as
dictated by the
music. How do they
generate power –
from turns,
mohawks, power
threes, or stroking?
Get the
participants to
identify areas in the
program where
they see changes in
skating quality, or
skating difficulty,
or changes in speed
and power. Ask
them to identify
what they think is
generating these
changes.
Mastery of multidirectional
skating:
Mastery of one foot skating:
a. Identify the depth
of skating
vocabulary for
each skater… how
many one foot
turns are
performed like
rockers, counters,
Transitions
(Conncetions)
b.
transitions?
In Dance: Are the
transitions in unison?
Do you think that any of the
four criteria is more important
than the other? Why or why
not?
Short Dance: Is there a creative
link into and out of the Pattern
Dance section and between the
rest of the Short Dance?
Performance / Execution
( Delivery)
Execution=Style, Individuality,
Personality:
a. Did the skater(s)
demonstrate/achieve a
certain style or flair
(individuality)?
b. How so? Expressiveness
indicates individuality.
Could this be clearly
seen?
c. Did it occur throughout
the program or was it
more evident in
particular sections (or to
particular
rhythms/selections of
music?)
Execution=Clarity of movement:
a. Were movements
precisely performed?
b. How did their clarity or
lack of it affect style,
projection?
Execution=Variety and contrast
of movement:
a. What examples were
there in the program of
variety and contrast?
b. Were they effective?
Execution=Unison:
a. Did the couple
demonstrate this?
b. In Dance, did they move
as one?
c. In Pairs and Dance,
were they equal in
projection, style,
carriage?
Choreography
(Design)
Interpretation
(Feeling)
Skating Skills
(Balance)
etc.
Equal mastery of technique
by both partners shown in
unison (Pairs and Dance):
a. For pairs and
dance teams, study
the differences
between the two
skaters with a keen
eye. What do you
see and how do you
reflect this in your
mark?
Ice coverage (Pattern
Dance) :
Transitions
(Conncetions)
Performance / Execution
( Delivery)
Choreography
(Design)
Interpretation
(Feeling)