The ISU has now issued Communication No. 1937, addressing level requirements for the 2015-16 season in ice dance. While many changes of varying significance appear in the document, some are of particular interest. Lift requirements, for example, now include the option of an Exit Feature, including “significant transitional movement” by the lifted partner or a “difficult exit position” for the lifter, and the consideration of a “continuous combination of intricate steps and/or movements” as an Entry or Exit Feature. Choreographic Elements, including the new twizzling option, are discussed on page 22.
Also notable is the announcement on page 24 of the short dance requirements for the 2016-17 season: Midnight Blues as pattern dance for seniors and Blues for juniors, with blues as the primary rhythm at each level and swing and hip hop as supplemental options. With Midnight Blues having last appeared in senior competition in the 2004-05 season (having been discarded as a season’s compulsory for 2010-11 with the short dance’s emergence), this site welcomes its return.