Breaking Down the Elements: Junior Short Dance

The Junior short dance consists of 4 elements that must be performed between 2 minutes and 40 seconds and 3 minutes.

1. Short lift, maximum 6 seconds

2. Midline not-touching step sequence, cannot include the twizzles, sequence must incorporate mirror and/or matching footwork, both partners may cross each others tracings and may switch from matching footwork to mirror and vice versa, the partners should remain as close together as possible but they must not touch, the distance between the skaters should generally not be more than 2 arms length apart.  Dance lifts, jumps of more than 1/2 rotation, stops, dance spins, pirouettes, pattern regressions and loops are not to be included in the step sequence.

3. Set of sequential twizzles, two twizzles skated simultaneously with up to one step in between twizzles, may be skated anywhere in the program except in the required midline not touching step sequence.

4. 2 full sequences of the Cha Cha Congelado, both sequences must be skated consecutively and each will be considered a required element and will receive a level and GOE.  Step #1 of each Pattern Dance sequence must be skated on a different side of the ice surface.  The Pattern Dance Element must be skated in strict time to the music with the start of Step #1 of each sequence on beat one of a four measure musical phrase.  The Pattern Dance Element must be skated on the Cha Cha Rhythm, in the style of the Cha Cha, with the following range of tempo: 28 to 30 measures of four beats per minute.  The tempo of music throughout the Pattern Dance Elements must be constant.

Notes: One traditional dance lift (max 6 seconds), but no more, performed optionally after the required dance lift.  If a 3rd lift is executed it will be considered by the Technical Panel as an extra element.  Transitional Dance Lift to be considered by the judges in the Choreography component.  



Music Requirements: Cha Cha or Cha Cha plus one of the following Latin American Rhythms: Rhumba, Samba, Mambo, Merengue.  

The concept and choreography must produce the feeling of a unified dance.  The Pattern Dance elements may be skated anywhere in the Short Dance and should be integrated into the composition of the dance so that there should not be the feeling that there are just rhythms put together without thought of how they fit together. 

Kneeling or sliding on 2 knees is not permitted.  It will be considered as a fall and the appropriate deduction will be applied.  Touching the ice with hand(s) is not permitted.

A spinning movement skated by the couple together in any hold around common axis on one foot (or two feet) with any number of rotations is permitted.  A couple may choose to use this movement as part of their choreography.  The Technical Panel will ignore these movements and the Judges will not consider these movements as one of the permitted stops.