h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Entry: Torvill and Dean - A20249255
Author: Runescribe - U634640

This is in response to an Editor's T-shirt Challenge.

This is great, Runescribe
Very well done.

You don't need the first Header "Torvill and Dean" as the first para counts as the introduction.

T-shirt well-earned, I'd say

Galaxy Babe
Scout

One aspect of T & D I find fascinating is that while they were training, and started being sucessful, they both worked full time. Jane in a Building Society I think, Dean as a policeman. They were training on ice rinks in the early hours on top of that.

Nottingham Council decided to back them, gave them the financial support (seems amazing now for Local Government to do such a thing) to concentrate on training full time. The Council's part in this deserves mention - they took a real risk in that decision.

Their skating is extraordinary, but they come from the very everyday. I think that's inspiring. They have an understanding of movement and line and they just dedicated themselves to that without being enticed or distracted (as far as I've ever seen) by glitz, fame, success... Paid off didn't it?

I'm a big fan of their skating, only saw them live once though - at Skate Aid. They did a beautiful dance based on the missing in, oh, one of the South America countries. I can't remember the name just now.

Glad you're putting them in the EG.

Thanks GalaxyBabe, I've removed the header.

I will put something in about being funded by the council in a day or so when I have time to research dates and such.

"The clock only starts once this first blade has made contact - neatly side-stepping the rules and allowing the music to be used."

This loophole was closed after this.

Really? Thanks.

What's an OBE?

Officer of the Order of the British Empire.

I tend to forget that , had to look it up again.

'Dancing On Ice Live' is touring the UK too. T&D will perform some of their fave dances. Quotes from Janye and Chris in regards to this;

Jayne - "The tour will be taking the show that's seen on TV live onto the rink and we're taking a selection of both last yea's and this year's celebrities."

Chris - "We're going to recreate the studio, and the audience get to vote by mobile phone."

Don't know if that's useful

Having raised the Nottingham Council thing, I looked it up. The way it went was that after becoming British Champions they wanted to skate full time. They quit their jobs in 1980, feeling guilty about joining the then 2million unemployed to do what felt like a hobby. Dean was a policeman at that time.

Nottingham City Council were one of those applied to and they granted them £14K per year up to the next Olympics. (They were some interesting comments from unimpressed Nottingham rate-payers at the time .) That funding allowed them to go to Germany to train.

Other bits I picked up that may or may not be of use

-Janet Sawbridge became pregnant and stopped coaching them at that time too. That's when they started with Betty Calloway, who stayed with them till they became professional.

-They changed ice-dancing in their approach to giving a performance on ice. Mack & Mabel (1982 free dance) was designed to give a flavour of the silent movies, Barnum (1983) to reflect the atmosphere of the circus. Michael Crawford helped them with that one and they got a standing ovation from the audience at the World Championships.

-After winning the Olympics, Nottingham gave them a parade and a civic reception. The Nottingham rate-payers now seemed pretty impressed .

Thanks LLwas!

*headdesk* LLwaz, I mean.

You could put some quotes in. Personal opinions of one another. That kind of thing. Making for a more rounded read.

I've put your info in, LLwaz.

This is looking really good, Runescribe!

I think it would also be good to include some stuff about the other routines as well, such as the Barnum one, which they came up with the help of Michael Crawford.

Hi Runescribe!

Taking a look, as promised:

Personally, I'd change the title to "Torvil and Dean - Ice Dancers" as people who don't know who they are will be more willing to read it if they know what it's about.

"Jane Torvill and Christopher Dean are ice-dancers" I would specify that they're British, as at the moment it's just assumed.

Footnote 2 needs a full stop.

"the two million unemployed in the UK." Could you specify that it was 2 million at the time, otherwise it sounds like an average figure.

"Bolero received twelve 6.0's from a possible 18, including nine for artistic impression - a perfect score."

I'm a bit unclear about this - if they only get 12 sixes out of a possible 18, how is it a perfect score?

"but "the audience base wouldn't support it."" - I think quotes need to be single not double.

Great entry, Runescribe! I enoyed it and I'm now inspired to look up Bolero on youtube.

I've just started the video - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t2zbbN4OL98 if anyone's interested - and the 48 seconds bit is when Dean's skates touched the ice. Torvill's had some time before. Was the rule that it started when both skaters had blades to the ice?

Eighteen, not forty-eight.

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