Quickstep makes for ballroom blitz
The ISU’s announcement of this season’s short
dance rhythms raised a chorus of cheers and fair number of groans. The quickstep and its pattern dance variation, the Finnstep, are bubbly and entertaining. On the other hand, they are very, very quick. “Quickstep is the fastest dance for us and it’s
a real test of stamina and skill,” ballroom teacher Susan McFerran, a 10-Dance and Latin profes- sional champion, said. “To transfer it to the ice is an even bigger challenge.” “On the floor, you can change direction very
quickly,” Susan’s husband and partner, Steve, said. “On the ice, it’s much more difficult.” Madison Chock and Evan Bates take the clas-
sic approach to quickstep, foxtrot and Charleston with their short dance, a salute to the Golden Age of Hollywood. Shpilband choreographed it to the Puppini Sisters’ rendition of “Hollywood” and the Irving Berlin showstopper “There’s No Business Like Show Business.” “It’s upbeat and something we know we
can do well,” Bates said. “We wanted to do something we knew wasn’t a gamble for us.”
To better their odds, the skaters
work with the McFerrans, who coach the University of Michigan’s ballroom dance team. The couple has long had a foot in the skating world, teaching many national and international ice dancers. “Evan’s dance skill is very high,”
Steve said. “We have worked with him since he was 12 years old, back when he skated in Ann Arbor. And Madi- son has such effervescence; she just exudes femininity.” About Chock and Bates’ height
difference — nearly a foot — Steve said: “It challenges her to maintain her posture. The lady has to dance up to the man; the man never dances down to the lady.” So, what’s the most difficult thing about transferring ballroom to the ice? “Well, skates are heavy and a
little stiff,” Steve said. “All of those hops, skips and jumps in the quickstep are tough enough in shoes, harder with an eighth-of- an-inch steel blade.”
Chock’s parents work in the airline industry. Bates father is a cardiologist; his mother is an artist and golf teacher. All will travel to one or more of the team’s international events this season.
26 OCTOBER 2013
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