--- title: Olympic Ice Dancing: How to Watch During the 2018 Winter Games description: The reigning Olympic champions Meryl Davis and Charlie White provide tips on what to look for when watching ice dancing at the Olympics. canonical: https://time.com/5131461/ice-dance-olympics-2018-how-to-watch/ author: Alice Park article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2018-02-18T18:12:45.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-10-12T08:59:11.924Z article:section: Sports og:title: How to Watch Ice Dancing Like a Pro, According to These Olympic Champions og:description: What to look for when watching ice dancing at the Olympics og:url: https://time.com/5131461/ice-dance-olympics-2018-how-to-watch/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltec3f7fcafd6b1124/6988fa98929fad7b3ebef79d/meryl-davis-charlie-white.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 3559 og:image:height: 2002 og:image:alt: Bryant Park Christmas Tree lighting, New York, USA - 01 Dec 2017 og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: How to Watch Ice Dancing Like a Pro, According to These Olympic Champions twitter:description: What to look for when watching ice dancing at the Olympics twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltec3f7fcafd6b1124/6988fa98929fad7b3ebef79d/meryl-davis-charlie-white.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # How to Watch Ice Dancing Like a Pro, According to These Olympic Champions > Sponsored content. 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Terms and conditions apply. * Savings buckets are a feature of Ally Bank's Savings Account. * No ATM fees from Ally Bank at Allpoint and Moneypass ATMs plus we reimburse for fees charged by other ATM owners nationwide up to $10 per statement cycle. * Early direct deposit offers eligible direct deposits up to two days sooner. * Spending buckets are a feature of Ally Bank's Spending Account. ## Video: How To Watch Ice Dancing [Watch (HLS stream): How To Watch Ice Dancing](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/XFDXhju7.m3u8) (3:10)  _Published 2018-01-30. How to watch Ice Dancing, courtesy of Meryl Davis and Charlie White, 2014 Olympic Ice Dance Gold medalists._ by [Alice Park](https://time.com/author/alice-park/), [Julia Lull](https://time.com/author/julia-lull/) and [Jennifer Calfas](https://time.com/author/jennifer-calfas/) Feb 18, 2018 6:12 PM UTC How to watch Ice Dancing, courtesy of Meryl Davis and Charlie White, 2014 Olympic Ice Dance Gold medalists. by [Alice Park](https://time.com/author/alice-park/), [Julia Lull](https://time.com/author/julia-lull/) and [Jennifer Calfas](https://time.com/author/jennifer-calfas/) Feb 18, 2018 6:12 PM UTC No one knows ice dancing better than[ Meryl Davis and Charlie White](http://time.com/8248/meryl-davis-and-charlie-white-win-first-ice-dance-gold-for-u-s/), who were the first U.S. couple to earn gold in the event in Sochi in 2014. In a conversation with TIME, the skaters shared how viewers can get the most out of watching ice dancing during the [2018 Winter Olympics in PyeongChang](http://time.com/4932670/2018-winter-olympics-when-where/), with details on what makes the sport different from pairs figure skating and what major parts of an ice dancing performance to look forward to. Once you’re an expert, you can [tune in on Feb. 18 and Feb. 19](https://www.si.com/olympics/2017/10/18/winter-olympics-2018-figure-skating-schedule) (Feb. 19 and Feb. 20 local time in PyeongChang) to watch the U.S.’s three talented ice dancing teams: Madison Chock and Evan Bates, Madison Hubbell and Zachary Donohue, and[ Maia and Alex Shibutani](http://time.com/7986/meet-team-usa-maia-and-alex-shibutani/), each of whom has a chance at grabbing a medal. Here’s what Davis and White shared with TIME. ## There are no lifts over the head or jumps in ice dancing One of the biggest differences between pairs figure skating and ice dancing involves lifts. In ice dancing, one skater cannot lift the other over his or her head, as they do in pairs figure skating. Instead, ice dancers rely on lifts that Davis describes as “quite acrobatic.” Some require the female skater to stand on the leg of the male skater, which, White admits, can be painful. There aren’t any jumps, either, so you won’t see ice dancers doing a double or triple axel at the Olympics. ## You’ll see a lot more theatrical work in ice dancing “Ice dancing is a little bit more theatrical,” says Davis. “As per the name, it’s more dance-based.” In an ice dancing routine, partners spend quite a bit of their routine dancing closely together, face-to-face, much like what you would see in ballroom dancing. “When we’re skating around, you want to see that we’re moving together, that we’re facing each other, so that is a level of difficulty,” says White. Additionally, a good performance shows personality with choreography framed around music. ## There are many required parts of a four-minute program A four-minute program ice dancing in the Olympics has a number of requirements, including the use of spins, lifts, twizzles (a spin used to move across the ice) and dance steps. While skating around the ice, the partners are still spinning and dancing together — and not just skating side-by-side. White and Davis said one of their favorite moves is the twizzle, which White said is difficult because of the blades ice dancers wear that are more curved, rather than flat. “It’s really easy to start rocking back and forth on your blade while you’re turning,” he said. What’s more difficult, they said, is incorporating all of those moves into an integrated piece that flows well. And, White says, “at the same time you want the audience and the judges to feel like they’re a part of the story that you’re telling.” ## Transcript Here we go. This is Foxtrot. This is waltz. And this is Killian. Hi everyone. I'm Meryl Davis. And I'm Charlie White. And we are the 2014 Olympic Ice Dance champions. And we are here to tell you what you need to know about ice dancing. One of the most common questions we get is what's the difference between figure skating and ice dancing. The truth is that ice dancing is sort of a subdiscipline of the greater sport of figure skating. There's pair skating and there's ice dancing. Both of those are couples, and a lot of people are getting them confused. So in ice dancing, we do not get to do lifts over the head. In pair skating, you will see throws across the ice. We do not get to do that in ice dancing. You will see side by side spins. We do not get to do that. Ice dancing is a little bit more theatrical. As per the name, it's more dance based and so, often times, if you see a couple in a hold like this, it's probably ice dancing. [ chuckle ] One of the great things about ice dancing is How close we can be and that's really difficulty comes in. When we're skating around you want to see that we're moving together that we're facing each other, because that is a level of difficulty. So, even if I swizzle her and then we come, and then we turn, and then we turn back, and then we turn back the other way. What's important is that we're not just skating. Side- by- side the whole time. But when you see the top teams, you'll see that they are skating really close togehter. Their feet are almost touching. And yet, they're able to avoid hitting each other and making mistakes. One of our favorite elements The twizzles. [ LAUGH ] A twizzle is like a spin that you'll see a lot of skaters do in figure skating. However, it moves across the ice. And what makes it so difficult is that the blade that we're skating on, it has a rocker to it, so it's not just flat. So you have to try to hit right basically beneath the ball of your foot. You wanna try to stay centered on that as you're twizzling across the ice, but it's really easy to start rocking back and forth on your blade as you're turning. Should we try to do some side by side twizzles here? When was the last time we did twizzles, probably Sochi. Okay ready, and twizzle. [ SOUND ] [ LAUGH ] Slow got it. Slow got it. [ LAUGH ] And when turn to the left over the head or throws, we do the lifts and so the lifts sometimes are quite acrobatic. We want to try to make them unique and different and impressive and dificult in their own way. So often times, the girl stands on the guy's leg like this and also the things that he can do To make it different and unique. But one of the most interesting questions that we get is people are always worried about the girl standing on the guy's leg. And whether or not that's painful. You wanna take that one? [ LAUGH ] It is. [ LAUGH ] So another really important thing in ice dance is we want to seemlessly integrate the elements in sort of all of the things that really are difficult. Into the program and make it seem less disjointed. You have four minutes and obviously, we have to fit in certain required elements but at the same time, you want the audience and the judges to feel like they're a part of the story that you're telling. 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