Editing Ice dance (section)

===1970s to 1990s===
Ice dance became an Olympic sport in 1976; [[Lyudmila Pakhomova]] and [[Aleksandr Gorshkov (figure skater)|Alexandr Gorshkov]] from the Soviet Union were the first gold medalists.{{Snf|Kestnbaum|2003|p=223}}{{Snf|Hines|2011|p=xxvi}}<ref name="russell">{{cite news |last1=Russell |first1=Susan D. |date=5 January 2013 |title=Lyudmila Pakhomova and Aleksandr Gorshkov: The Heroes of Olympic Ice Dance |url=http://www.ifsmagazine.com/articles/32605-lyudmila-pakhomova-and-aleksandr-gorshkov |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303234703/http://www.ifsmagazine.com/articles/32605-lyudmila-pakhomova-and-aleksandr-gorshkov |archive-date=3 March 2016 |access-date=18 July 2024 |work=International Figure Skating}}</ref> The Soviets dominated ice dance during most of the 1970s, as they did in pair skating. They won every Worlds and Olympic title between 1970 and 1978, and won medals at every competition between 1976 and 1982.{{Sfn|Hines|2006|p=217–218}} In 1984, British dancers [[Jayne Torvill]] and [[Christopher Dean]], who Hines calls "the greatest ice dancers in the history of the sport",{{Snf|Hines|2006|p=240}} briefly interrupted Soviet domination of ice dance by winning a gold medal at the [[1984 Winter Olympics|Olympic Games in Sarajevo]]. Their free dance to [[Maurice Ravel|Ravel's]] ''[[Boléro]]''<ref>{{cite news |date=14 February 1984 |title=1984: British Ice Couple Score Olympic Gold |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/february/14/newsid_4156000/4156053.stm |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080131145249/http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/february/14/newsid_4156000/4156053.stm |archive-date=31 January 2008 |access-date=18 July 2024 |work=BBC}}</ref> has been called "probably the most well known single program in the history of ice dance".{{Snf|Kestnbaum|2003|p=228}} Hines asserts that Torvill and Dean, with their innovative choreography, dramatically altered "established concepts of ice dancing".{{Snf|Hines|2006|p=239}}

[[File:Jayne_Torvill_and_Christopher_Dean_-_Dancing_on_Ice_2011.jpg|thumb|left|upright=1.0|[[Torvill and Dean]] performing in 2011]]

During the 1970s, there was a movement in ice dance away from its ballroom roots to a more theatrical style. The top Soviet teams were the first to emphasize the dramatic aspects of ice dance, as well as the first to choreograph their programs around a central theme. They also incorporated elements of [[ballet]] techniques, especially "the classic ballet ''[[pas de deux]]'' of the high-art instance of a man and woman dancing together".{{Snf|Kestnbaum|2003|p=228}} They performed as predictable characters, included body positions that were no longer rooted in traditional ballroom holds, and used music with less predictable rhythms.{{Snf|Kestnbaum|2003|p=228}}<ref name="russell"/>

The ISU pushed back during the 1980s and 1990s by tightening rules and definitions of ice dance to emphasize its connection to ballroom dancing, especially in the free dance. The restrictions introduced during this period were designed to emphasize skating skills rather than the theatrical and dramatic aspects of ice dance.{{Snf|Kestnbaum|2003|p=239–240}}<ref name="hostilerules">{{cite news |last1=Reiter |first1=Susan |date=1 March 1995 |title=Ice Dancing: A Dance Form Frozen in Place by Hostile Rules |url=https://www.thefreelibrary.com/Ice+dancing%3A+a+dance+form+frozen+in+place+by+hostile+rules.-a016771634 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200802024753/https://www.thefreelibrary.com/Ice%20dancing%3A%20a%20dance%20form%20frozen%20in%20place%20by%20hostile%20rules.-a016771634 |archive-date=2 August 2020 |access-date=18 July 2024 |work=Dance Magazine}}</ref> Kestnbaum argues that there was a conflict in the ice dance community between social dance, represented by the British, the Canadians, and the Americans, and theatrical dance represented by the Russians.{{Snf|Kestnbaum|2003|p=244}} Initially the historic and traditional cultural school of ice dance prevailed, but in 1998 the ISU reduced penalties for violations and relaxed rules on technical content, in what Hines describes as a "major step forward"{{Snf|Hines|2006|p=242}} in recognizing the move towards more theatrical skating in ice dance.{{Snf|Hines|2006|p=242}}

At the [[1998 Winter Olympics|1998 Olympics]], while ice dance was struggling to retain its integrity and legitimacy as a sport, writer Jere Longman reported that ice dance was "mired in controversies",<ref>{{cite news |last1=Longman |first1=Jere |date=13 February 1998 |title=The XVIII Winter Games: Figure Skating; Ice Dancers Battle It out in Quest for Credibility |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1998/02/13/sports/xviii-winter-games-figure-skating-ice-dancers-battle-it-quest-for-credibility.html |url-status=live |access-date=12 August 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200908004549/https://www.nytimes.com/1998/02/13/sports/xviii-winter-games-figure-skating-ice-dancers-battle-it-quest-for-credibility.html |archive-date=8 September 2020}}</ref> including bloc voting by the judges that favored European dance teams. There were even calls to suspend the sport for a year to deal with the dispute, which seemed to impact ice dance teams from North America the most. A series of judging scandals in the late 1990s and early 2000s, affecting most figure skating disciplines, culminated in a [[2002 Winter Olympics figure skating scandal|controversy at the 2002 Olympics]].<ref>{{cite news |last1=Hersh |first1=Philip |date=18 February 1998 |title=Too Often, Ice Dance Judges Deserve Seats on Bench |url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-1998-02-18-9802180049-story.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201027212540/https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-1998-02-18-9802180049-story.html |archive-date=27 October 2020 |access-date=18 July 2024 |work=Chicago Tribune}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=2 August 2002 |title=Judging on Thin Ice |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2002/08/02/opinion/judging-on-thin-ice.html |access-date=18 July 2024 |work=The New York Times |page=A20}}</ref>