Tap Dance on Ice

dorispulaski · Jul 20, 2019

I am wondering whether the RD this season, which is to music from musicals, will bring out some tap dance on ice? So many of the old musicals had tap dance numbers!

Because the steps are so quick in tap, either there haven't been that many tap dance themed programs, or else I did not find them that memorable.

However three of my favorite programs have tap sequences:

Kurt Browning's awesome TV version of Singing in the Rain!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JXtd7xq7URM

Susie Wynne & Joe Druar's 1990 Tap Dance FD
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pixRtYmJ40U

Emily Samuelson & Evan Bates 2009 OD Let Yourself Go
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WGNTFc65l_s

Do you remember all other tap dance themed programs where there was an explicit tap sequence?

Ic3Rabbit · Jul 20, 2019

dorispulaski said:
I am wondering whether the RD this season, which is to music from musicals, will bring out some tap dance on ice? So many of the old musicals had tap dance numbers!

Because the steps are so quick in tap, either there haven't been that many tap dance themed programs, or else I did not find them that memorable.

However three of my favorite programs have tap sequences:

Kurt Browning's awesome TV version of Singing in the Rain!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JXtd7xq7URM

Susie Wynne & Joe Druar's 1990 Tap Dance FD
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pixRtYmJ40U

Emily Samuelson & Evan Bates 2009 OD Let Yourself Go
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WGNTFc65l_s

Do you remember all other tap dance themed programs where there was an explicit tap sequence?

It's because it's extremely hard to do on ice. I'd be thrilled to see more though. Kurt's will always be the best.

Ice Dance · Jul 20, 2019

There are a bunch of tap highlights in Grishuk & Platov's 95 Fred & Ginger FD.

ribbit · Jul 20, 2019

It's an exhibition rather than a competitive program, but Torvill and Dean's 1982 fast tap number is INSANE. The unison and synchronization are incredible, and the style really evokes classic Hollywood musicals (for me, at least--I'm no tap expert).

labgoat · Jul 20, 2019

dorispulaski said:
I am wondering whether the RD this season, which is to music from musicals, will bring out some tap dance on ice? So many of the old musicals had tap dance numbers!

Because the steps are so quick in tap, either there haven't been that many tap dance themed programs, or else I did not find them that memorable.

However three of my favorite programs have tap sequences:

Kurt Browning's awesome TV version of Singing in the Rain!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JXtd7xq7URM

Susie Wynne & Joe Druar's 1990 Tap Dance FD
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pixRtYmJ40U

Emily Samuelson & Evan Bates 2009 OD Let Yourself Go
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WGNTFc65l_s

Do you remember all other tap dance themed programs where there was an explicit tap sequence?

Judy Blumberg & Michael Seibert of USA put themeselves on the ice dancing radar with their Fred & Ginger programs which featured tap dancing.

1982 US Nationals - The Original https://youtu.be/xKg2VKl5j4M
1983 US Nationals - The sequel with even more tap dancing https://youtu.be/-Uo6kumWyO4

I love the beautiful costumes designed by Michael Seibert. As a team they were known for their incredible flow and smoothness. There is also a double pull thru where each partner pulls the other. Another of my favorite, old but legendary programs. So many dance couples were inspired by this.

Among them Klimova & Ponomarenko 1984 Olympics - two years later
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pHtjRmkBV_E

While not including tapping, Renee Roca & Gorsha Sur 1995 US Nationals used music from Cyd Charisse movies
https://youtu.be/izg3ru41KZg

Ice Dance · Jul 20, 2019

I think skating to actual tap sound effects is very hard. You have to be so exact in your movement or it looks sloppy; and, of course, you can't do tapping while skating most of the required moves so it looks really odd to have tap in your music if you aren't tapping to it. (Same thing with programs that have flamenco stomps in them, etc.)

SarahSynchro · Jul 21, 2019

Tap dance on ice immediately makes me think of another difficult dance to pull off on skates: Bourne and Kraatz’s Riverdance. Twenty one years ago, everyone was talking about how unconventionally difficult it was.

Trust me when I say that as a Canadian, if you didn’t like their Riverdance, you were basically thrown to the wolves, without so much as a good luck or a god speed. :laugh:

el henry · Jul 21, 2019

SarahSynchro said:
Tap dance on ice immediately makes me think of another difficult dance to pull off on skates: Bourne and Kraatz’s Riverdance. Twenty one years ago, everyone was talking about how unconventionally difficult it was.

Trust me when I say that as a Canadian, if you didn’t like their Riverdance, you were basically thrown to the wolves, without so much as a good luck or a god speed.

Good thing I’m not Canadian :laugh:

And I say that with love, of course

I am almost 90% Celtic ancestry and the majority of that is Irish. I hate Irish music, I hate Irish dancing, and a realistic Riverdance means next to nothing to me. My Henry ancestors would not be proud. :biggrin:

thank God Jason’s was simply wonderful, but not realistic, or I never would have come back to skating.

And to return to the thread, that T&D tap was *amazing*:shocked:

skylark · Jul 21, 2019

I've always adored G&G's Pro competition program of Crazy for You, which has tap sequences ... or would you call them "erzatz-tap"? They look good to me.

I particularly love how Sergei looked like he really, really enjoyed doing this program. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zCPl5qqzTLI

skylark · Jul 21, 2019

el henry said:
Good thing I’m not Canadian And I say that with love, of course

I am almost 90% Celtic ancestry and the majority of that is Irish. I hate Irish music, I hate Irish dancing, and a realistic Riverdance means next to nothing to me. My Henry ancestors would not be proud. thank God Jason’s was simply wonderful, but not realistic, or I never would have come back to skating.

Jason's Riverdance, to me, captures the essence of the music and exuberance and triumph of the dance. I don't care whether or not the steps are authentic or realistic, because the illusion is perfect!

dorispulaski · Jul 21, 2019

Ice Dance said:
There are a bunch of tap highlights in Grishuk & Platov's 95 Fred & Ginger FD.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MoEgkIUrIto

There are, but I did not like this number at all. They struggled to stay on the beat in large sections of the dance.

ribbit said:
It's an exhibition rather than a competitive program, but Torvill and Dean's 1982 fast tap number is INSANE. The unison and synchronization are incredible, and the style really evokes classic Hollywood musicals (for me, at least--I'm no tap expert).

This is the most insanely fast tap number I have ever seen :jaw:

And on the beat. It makes me remember why they are my GOAT ice dancers.

skylark said:
Jason's Riverdance, to me, captures the essence of the music and exuberance and triumph of the dance. I don't care whether or not the steps are authentic or realistic, because the illusion is perfect!

Jason can definitely do tap any time he chooses! He has an uncanny ability to hit the beat. Seeing his 2014 US Nationals Riverdance is one of my all time favorite live skating experiences.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sbK9AleFM_k

This program from when he was quite young is a teaser for what it might look like, although it is more a soft shoe routine:
https://youtu.be/Ow7mKHpEWik

I like Blumberg & Seibert' s routine, but it is the foxtrot part that is memorable.

Rossig · Jul 21, 2019

Two more of Torvill and Dean

Putting on the Ritz https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3T05cnnefdk

Fred and Ginger https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i0VimJAG3CA

labgoat · Jul 21, 2019

ribbit said:
It's an exhibition rather than a competitive program, but Torvill and Dean's 1982 fast tap number is INSANE. The unison and synchronization are incredible, and the style really evokes classic Hollywood musicals (for me, at least--I'm no tap expert).

This is the gold standard for fast footwork done in ice dancing. Musical, neat clean and original. I have never seen anyone match this.

skylark · Jul 21, 2019

Ilya Kulik did a Stars on Ice number that I saw in person and I've never been able to find a video. He had microphones on his skates, so his whole skate sounded like tap dancing and it was phenomenally amazing. It really made one awestruck as it was yet more audible proof of the things skaters do with their fast footwork.

I don't remember what the music was. Does anyone remember this skate? If anyone has seen a video of it, I'd love to see it and relive that electrifying experience!

Triple loop · Jul 21, 2019

I remember Kurt Browning’s wonderful performance of Singing in the Rain. Last night, I just watched Mao Asada tap dance to the same piece during this weekend’s Denis Ten tribute event in his country. Gosh, her feet are quick and light. Very impressive. I didn’t realize that she skated to it because Denis had done it in the past. It was very touching. They must have been very close friends.

dorispulaski · Jul 21, 2019

Thank you Tripleloop!

Here is a fancam of Mao Asada at the Denis Ten show, skating to Singing in the Rain:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0z9a-oqupH0

And of Denis at the 2013 World EX skating to it.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6m_JTgSlug0

Ic3Rabbit · Jul 21, 2019

Going to leave this here.

Arriba627 · Jul 21, 2019

^^^That is incredible! Wow!...I studied tap so have really enjoyed all these video clips. I guess I never associated tap and ice together!

labgoat · Jul 21, 2019

dorispulaski said:
Thank you Tripleloop!

Here is a fancam of Mao Asada at the Denis Ten show, skating to Singing in the Rain:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0z9a-oqupH0

And of Denis at the 2013 World EX skating to it.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6m_JTgSlug0

Bless you Mao for reliving a happy memory and for gracing us with your beautiful skating again.

lyverbird1 · Jul 22, 2019

el henry said:
Good thing I’m not Canadian And I say that with love, of course

I am almost 90% Celtic ancestry and the majority of that is Irish. I hate Irish music, I hate Irish dancing, and a realistic Riverdance means next to nothing to me. My Henry ancestors would not be proud. thank God Jason’s was simply wonderful, but not realistic, or I never would have come back to skating.

I'm fully Irish and I generally dislike most representations of Irish music in figure skating too! I guess it comes from years of tedium of the only Irish music ever being used coming from Riverdance and it leading to people calling Irish dancing "Riverdancing". Ugh. Jason indeed was wonderful in that he captured a good feeling of the music without clumsily trying to shoehorn in exact copies of some of the more iconic moves.

Same with tap in skating moves. If skaters can capture the feel without feeling they have to try to follow the taps exactly, it can work very well. Ice Dance mentioned this above too and talked of Grishuk and Platov's '95 FD. I thought that that programme did this well, although I remember a rather sulky Robin Cousins slamming it in BBC's commentary at the time because he was still so bitter about them winning Olympic gold the year before!

Tap Dance on Ice

dorispulaski

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Ic3Rabbit

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Done updating WJC rewatches!

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