In the late 1990s and early 2000s, ice dance lost much of its integrity as a sport after a series of judging scandals, which also affected the other figure skating disciplines.

There were calls to suspend the sport for a year to deal with the dispute, which seemed to affect ice dance teams from North America the most.

Each year the ISU publishes a list specifying the points that can be deducted from performance scores for various reasons, including falls, interruptions, and violations of the rules concerning time, music, and clothing.

[9] The killian, first skated in 1909 by Austrian Karl Schreiter, was the last ice dance invented before World War I still being done as of the 21st century.

[19] A second event was planned the following year, at the 1951 World Championships in Milan; Jean Westwood and Lawrence Demmy of Great Britain came in first place.

[21] Eva Romanova and Pavel Roman of Czechoslovakia were the first non-British ice dancers to win a world title, in 1962.

[22] Ice dance became an Olympic sport in 1976; Lyudmila Pakhomova and Alexandr Gorshkov from the Soviet Union were the first gold medalists.

[28] Hines asserts that Torvill and Dean, with their innovative choreography, dramatically altered "established concepts of ice dancing".

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.

The restrictions introduced during this period were designed to emphasize skating skills rather than the theatrical and dramatic aspects of ice dance.

[32] 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"[33] in recognizing the move towards more theatrical skating in ice dance.

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 controversy at the 2002 Olympics.

[35][36] The European dominance of ice dance was interrupted at the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver by Canadians Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir and Americans Meryl Davis and Charlie White.

[42] Silby estimates that the lack of effective communication within dance and pairs teams is associated with a six-fold increase in the risk of ending their partnerships.

Teams with strong skills in communication and conflict resolution, however, tend to produce more successful medalists at national championship events.

[44] According to the then-president of the ISU, Ottavio Cinquanta, the changes were also made because "the compulsory dances were not very attractive for spectators and television".

[44][48] The RD should be "developed through skating skill and quality", instead of through "non-skating actions such as sliding on one knee"[49] or through the use of toe steps (which should only be used to reflect the dance's character and the music's nuances and underlining rhythm).

[52] American ice dancers Madison Chock and Evan Bates hold the highest RD score of 93.91, which they achieved at the 2023 World Team Trophy.

It must contain required combinations of elements (spins, lifts, steps, and movements), and choreography that express both the characters of the competitors and the music chosen by them.

[58] Madison Chock and Evan Bates hold the highest FD score of 138.41 points, which they achieved at the 2023 World Team Trophy.

[63] The OD or OSP (Original Set Pattern) was first added to ice dance competitions in 1967 (1983 in WC and 1984 in Olympics).

[62] Ice dancers were able to create their own routines, but they had to use a set rhythm and type of music which, like the compulsory dances, changed every season and was selected by the ISU in advance.

The timing and interpretation of the rhythm were considered to be the most important aspects of the routine, and were worth the highest proportion of the OD score.

[65][66] Canadian ice dancers Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir hold the highest OD score of 70.27 points, achieved at the 2010 World Championships.

[81] Judges penalize ice dancers one point up to every five seconds for ending their pattern dances too early or too late.

Dancers can also be penalized one point for up to every five seconds "in excess of [the] permitted time after the last prescribed step" (their final movement and/or pose) in their pattern dances.

Figure Skating has speculated limits in the kind of costumes ice dancers chose were pushed farther during the 1990s and early 2000s than in the other disciplines, resulting in stricter rules.

Judges penalize ice dance teams with a deduction to their scores if these guidelines are not followed, although exceptions to these clothing and costume restrictions may be announced by the ISU.

According to Newcomer, by the time skaters get to a national or world championship, they have received enough feedback about their costumes and are no longer willing to risk losing points.