Ice dance lessons in Alexandria, VA, look a lot like this: a Thursday morning at Mount Vernon Rec Center, two skaters back on the ice after a week off, and a coach with a phone filming every rep. This is the first Washington Elite practice report following Bella and Josiah, a Novice ice dance team training with Coach Bruce at Washington Elite Skating School.

Thursday, October 29, 2026: a one-minute recap of the first practice back, with two weeks to go before competition.

First Day Back: What Ice Dance Training Looks Like

A week away from the ice shows up fast. Edges feel a little less sure, timing between partners drifts, and lifts need a few reps before they feel automatic again. The goal of a first day back is not perfection. It is getting the full program back into the legs, checking every element once, and finding out what needs the most work before competition.

In the video you can see the building blocks of a Novice free dance:

• Lifts. Josiah lifting Bella in held positions, including a slow-motion rotational lift. In ice dance, lifts are timed and scored for the positions both partners hold.
• Partner work. Long sections skated in hold, where unison and spacing matter as much as speed.
• Twizzles. Fast traveling turns on one foot, skated side by side. Matching rotations exactly is one of the hardest skills in the sport.
• Side-by-side choreography. Mirror moves that show the judges two skaters thinking as one.

Meet the Team: Bella and Josiah

Bella is a performer through and through. She sings, acts, dances and plays piano, and she brings that stage presence to every program. In ice dance, the Presentation score rewards exactly that: expression, connection to the music and connection to the audience.

Josiah is the steady partner every ice dance team needs. He carries the lifts, sets the pace in hold and holds the difficult positions that earn lift levels. Watch his crouch and his rotation in the lifts: that strength and control is what lets Bella shine on top.

Together they skate three programs at Novice: a free dance and two pattern dances, the Paso Doble and the Blues.

How Washington Elite Coaches Ice Dance in Alexandria, VA

At Washington Elite Skating School, every practice follows the same structure: a full free dance run to see where things stand, focused work on the sections that need it, then run-throughs and cleanup of each pattern dance. Every element is filmed and checked against the current U.S. Figure Skating and ISU rules, so the skaters know exactly what earns points and what does not.

Who our ice dance lessons are for

• Ice dance teams preparing for competition at any level
• Solo dancers learning pattern dances like the Blues and Paso Doble
• Figure skaters who want stronger edges, turns and skating skills
• Beginners of all ages who want to start ice dancing

What’s Next

With two weeks to competition, the plan is simple: rebuild stamina with full run-throughs, clean every element against the rulebook and keep the confidence high. Follow along. The next two practice reports break the free dance down element by element, with the rules on screen.

Ice Dance Lessons: Frequently Asked Questions