Breaking Down the Elements: Short Dance

The 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. Circular 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.  The element must either be performed in the clockwise or counterclockwise direction utilizing the full width of the ice surface on the short axis of the rink.  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 circular not touching step sequence.

4. 2 Full sequences of the Rhumba, either skated one after the other or not skated one after the other.  Each sequence 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 of Rhumba on beat 1 of a four measure musical phrase.  The Pattern Dance Element can be skated to any of the allowable Latin American rhythms (both elements to the same rhythm or one element to one rhythm and the second element to a different rhythm) in the style of this (these) rhythm(s), with the following range of tempo: 43 to 45 measures of four beats per minute.  The tempo of the music throughout the Pattern Dance elements must be constant.

Notes: One transitional Dance Lift (maximum 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: One to three of the following Latin American Rhythms: Cha Cha, 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.


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.

Kneeling or sliding on 2 knees or sitting on the ice is not allowed and will be considered as a fall by the Technical Panel.  Touching the ice with hand(s) is not permitted.