Skating duo struck gold with their perfect Bolero
So impressive, they received the first ever perfect score
FEB 14, 1984 MAURICE RAVEL composed Bolero in 1928, saying: “I have written a masterpiece. Unfortunately, there is no music in it.”
It is, he added: “One very long, gradual crescendo. There are no contrasts, and practically no invention except the plan and manner of execution.”
Regardless of the French composer’s thoughts on the tune, it is instantly recognisable to millions of people worldwide, thanks to ice dancing duo Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean’s Olympic performance on February 14, 1984.
Watched by 24 million viewers back home in the UK, Torvill and Dean showcased their routine, at the Winter Olympic Games in Sarajevo.
It was so impressive that it received the first ever perfect score – the maximum six from all nine judges.
These days, after various doping scandals at more recent Olympics and other sporting events, we are used to seeing athletes being routinely drug tested to make sure that their success is entirely unaided.
Back in 1984, Torvill and Dean’s performance was so brilliant, officials wanted to make sure there was nothing dodgy going on.
They were asked to do drug tests which, of course, they passed.
The couple had won three world championships by 1984, so this victory shouldn’t have been a surprise, but Christopher said the music was radical.
“Most skating music goes fast-slow-fast, building to a finish with a big hurrah,” he explains.
“But Bolero was different – we’d often used it as a warm-up and realised it would be perfect for where we wanted to go, as we wanted to shake things up.”
The pair performed the same routine again at the Winter Olympics in 1994 as part of the ice dance exhibition.
Their free routine to Let’s Face The Music And Dance wasn’t as well received by the judges as the Bolero from 1984, and they were only won the bronze medal.
Following retirement later that year, the pair enjoyed success with TV’s Dancing On Ice, teaching celebrities to skate.
Each series, the stars would try to recreate the legends’ iconic routine. But none came close to that special moment in 1984.