1. COMPULSORY DANCES 2000/2001

Notwithstanding Rule 538 paras 1 & 2 but to give advance notice for all ISU Championships and International Competitions in season 2000/2001, the four Compulsory Dances are provisionally announced as follows:

             JUNIOR                      	SENIOR

	#  9  Starlight Waltz          	#   6  Westminster Waltz
	# 14  Quickstep                 #  16  Rhumba
	# 16  Rhumba                    #  18  Silver Samba
	# 20  Argentine Tango           #  21  Tango Romantica

These will be confirmed at the 1999 World Figure Skating Championships. Specific Technical Requirement and Deduction Guidelines will be published in due course.

2. ORIGINAL DANCE 1999-2000

For all ISU Championships and International Competitions, both Junior and Senior, the rhythms of the Original Dance in 1999/2000 will be:

Type:	 	Any  3  of  Cha Cha , Mambo, Merengue, Rhumba, or  Samba	
Range of Tempo:	Any tempo - with hesitation, retard or pause permitted
		2/4, 2/2 ("cut time") & 4/4 time 
		(Refer to ISU  Ice Dance Music Rhythms Booklet & Compact Disc 1995)

Rule 509 has to be strictly observed with the following alterations as indicated by italic bold:

1. The original dance must have the character of ballroom dancing translated to the ice by flow and the use of edges. The Original Dance is the skating by a couple of a dance of their own creation to ballroom dance music they have selected for the prescribed rhythm(s).

2. Requirements/Restrictions

a) The incorrect selection of music for the rhythm chosen must be severely penalized by the judges. Orchestral music is preferred. Vocal music is permitted.

b) Only music with a rhythmic beat may be used. Only one music selection may be used for each Rhythm chosen . Each rhythm may only be used once, played in any order and there shall be no restrictions on tempo or variation(s) thereof.

c ) The musical introduction to the original dance may be without beat or melody for a maximum of 10 seconds.

d) The dance shall be three minutes (plus or minus ten seconds) in duration. The timing shall commence when one of the couple begins to move or to skate. In addition the pattern of the dance must proceed in a generally constant direction (either clockwise or anti-clockwise) even during the circular footwork sequence. The dance pattern must not cross the long axis of the ice surface except once at each end of the rink (within no more than 20 meters of the end barriers) and except during the required step sequence mentioned below. Loops in either direction are permitted provided that they do not cross the center line.

e) All steps, turns, rotations and changes of position are permitted provided that they are appropriate to the Latin rhythms and the music chosen. Difficult, original and intricate footwork is required for both skaters. A program that relies heavily on the use of chasses and progressives (runs) is considered to be less difficult than one containing changes of edge, rockers, choctaws and other such steps. At least one skate of each partner must remain on the ice at all times except during the lifts. Skating on two feet (defined as showing inability to skate or maintain balance) by either partner or both, is not allowed. However, up to 2 highlights for which one or both partner(s) are on two feet may be included (maximum duration - 5 seconds). Kneeling on two knees on the ice is not permitted. Repetition of any step or step sequence is permitted. In addition a few toe steps for both partners may be included.

f) Partners must not separate except to change dance hold, or to perform movements in character with the Latin rhythms chosen provided that they are performed at not more than 2 arms-length apart.

g) There are no restrictions on dance holds, arm movements, handclaps and the like that are interpretive of the music. Brief hand-in-hand positions to express the character of the Latin rhythms are permitted except during the required step sequences. Otherwise, hand-in-hand position with extended arms are not permitted.

h) Pulling or pushing the partner by the boot and/or leg is not permitted except during the required dance lifts or dance spin.

i) No more than three stops in total are allowed. These stops must not exceed 5 seconds in duration and any appropriate Latin choreography including a separation appropriate to that music selection is permitted during the stops. A stop may not be performed during the required step sequence mentioned in paras ii) & iii) below.

j) Skating (or posing) with a hand (or hands ) on the ice is not permitted at any time including the introduction and conclusion.

The following elements must be included:

i) Two dance lifts (as described in rule 504 and 510 para 4 j) of the 1998 Dance Regulations. (More than two dance lifts are not permitted.)
Rule 504 para 16 defines a Lift as: An action in which the partner is elevated to any height and set down. During the action, the lifting partner must not raise the hands higher than the head. Any rotations and/or positions and changes of same during the lift are permitted except sitting or lying on the partner’s shoulder or back. Lifts should enhance the music chosen and emphasize its character, but not be a display of acrobatics. Acrobatic lifts are defined as moves in which the partner is held by the blade(s), foot (feet), leg(s) or arm(s) and swung around and are not permitted.

Rule 510 para 4 j) limits such lifts to a maximum duration of 5 seconds.

ii) One circular step sequence executed in the middle of the rink and utilizing the full width of the ice surface in closed, tango and/or open (but not Kilian) position and incorporating difficult footwork for both partners. This step sequence may include movements to enhance the overall impression of the chosen rhythm. No jumps or hops may be included.

iii) One straight-line step sequence along the mid-line (center axis) of the ice surface extending the full length of the ice. It must incorporate difficult mirror and/or matching footwork and at least one set of synchronized twizzles. During this step sequence the partners must remain at not more than 2 arms-length apart, but may not touch each other. Small hops or Jumps ( of not more than 1/2 rotation) may be included .

No lifts, spins, stops or pattern regressions are permitted during either step sequence.

It is recommended that both Step Sequences are placed in a position on the ice surface to be immediately apparent to the Judges and Audience to indicate that they are the Required Elements.

iv) One Dance Spin as described in Rule 504 with a minimum of 3 and maximum of 5 revolutions. In addition, this dance spin must be skated in any Kilian position (defined in Rule 505 under Kilian, Reversed Kilian, Open Kilian and Crossed Kilian) with or without a change of foot by one or both skaters.

3. ORIGINAL DANCE 2000/2001

Advance notice is given of the Rhythms chosen for the Original Dance 2000/2001 season:

Specific Guidelines will be published in due course but all three rhythms will be required to be skated, in any order.

4. CLARIFICATION - OMISSION OF SEQUENCES IN COMPULSORY DANCES (omission not interruptions)

Should one or more sequences be completely omitted during a Compulsory Dance a deduction in proportion to that omission is made in the first mark only.

       	Deduction per omitted sequence:                             
                      
      	Dance with:    	2  sequences   -   3.0
      			3  sequences   -   2.0
                        4  sequences   -   1.5
                        6  sequences   -   1.0

(such deduction not to be included in the base mark when the median mark is being determined)

5. CLARIFICATION RULE 512 - COSTUME

The over-use of the mock "Nude" look is to be discouraged as it is not in the spirit of an athletic sport and Judges are invited to make a Deduction under Rule 512 if this request is ignored.
As, at high level events, practices are sometimes televised, skaters are politely requested to note the above request, at practice session in addition to the event.

6. NEW MUSIC DISCS PART 2 - 4 1998

Due to the inconsistencies in the introduction of some pieces of music it is recommended that the following be omitted from the music rotation as outlined in Rule 522, para 3.
In these instances only 5 tunes will be used for each starting group and played in numerical order, with the first tune of the five played being repeated, if there are six couples in the group.

Delete the following:

	AUSTRIAN WALTZ   fifth tune (n. 11)     	part   2
	QUICKSTEP        first tune  (n.  7)            part   3
	BLUES            first tune  (n. 19)            part.  4

        Ice Dance Music 1998 Edition.

7. CORRECTION COMMUNICATION - No 992

BLUES (page 7) CHOCTAW AND EXIT SECTION (STEP 12 - 14)

"Step 12 and 13 should be skated with a strong inside to outside edge,"." "to outside" is missing.

Milan, 			Ottavio Cinquanta, President
                 December 15, 1998
Lausanne,				Fredi Schmid, General Secretary