Ice dancers have been warned by figure skating bosses not to flash too much flesh, with hip-hop and reggae not welcome either during next year’s Winter Olympic season.
Hot Latin American rhythms of Rhumba, Samba, Mambo, Cha Cha, Meringue, Salsa and Bachata are to ring out at Pyeongchang 2018 Winter Olympics having been selected for the short dance next season.
However, with skaters opting for sleeker, more minimal designs for their costumes, figure skating bosses want to be sure to keep things cool on the ice in South Korea.
Photo: AFP
“When is sheer nude and when is sheer acceptable, is it transparent?” International Skating Union technical committee official Shawn Rettstatt asked as he ran through guidelines at the world championships which concluded in Helsinki on Saturday.
“Sheer is now going to be a costume deduction,” Rettstatt said.
“The 50 percent rule usually goes,” he explained of the amount of upper body female skaters can reveal. “Next year for the short dance we’re going to allow 40 percent can be uncovered. Costumes need to be appropriate for an athletic ladies competition. The torso must be covered appropriately. The music is Latin American so it should be fun and sensual,” he said.
Costume guidelines were first adopted after German star Katarina Witt appeared with a skimpy showgirl outfit trimmed with feathers — and no skirt — at the 1988 European Figure Skating Championships in Prague.
“Clothing ... must be modest, dignified and appropriate for athletic competition ... and must not give the effect of excessive nudity inappropriate for the discipline,” union guidelines state.
Skaters were also been warned over their choice of music.
“All definitions of reggae are not allowed,” ice dance technical committee chairperson Halina Gordon-Poltorak said.
“Hip-hop is not allowed, this season we saw a lot of hip-hop, that is why we would like to repeat this. If it’s clear hip-hop there will be a deduction,” Gordon-Poltorak said.
World champion ice dancer Scott Moir said he and partner Tessa Virtue were eager to return to Montreal to prepare for their Olympic challenge.
“We’re going to skate to ‘Hip Hip Chin Chin,’ no, I’m just kidding,” he said. “It will be something Latin for sure for the short program.”
“It’s a big year so you have to choose wisely but, I have to say, we are excited. We love to dance and we’re really excited to be able to do the Latin rhythm,” 2010 Olympic champion Moir said after winning a third world gold.
“Also, we’re ready for a fresh free [program] so we can’t wait to get home and start creating again. That’s a process that we really enjoy, so let us at it,” he said.
Former world champion ice dancer Barbara Fusar-Poli said she could understand concerns about appropriate music choice.
“They [reggae, hip-hop] are not Latin and should not be included,” the 45-year-old Italian coach said. “I think we’ll be fine, they [the union] gave us a bit more freedom for the choice of elements.”
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