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Why was Jackson Haines’s International style more popular in Europe before it caught on in the United States?

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Historic champion — figure skating Katarina Witt, competing for East Germany, became the first woman since Norway's Sonja Henie (1928, 1932, and 1936) to win consecutive Olympic gold medals, doing so in 1984 and 1988.

Jackson Haines’s "International style" of figure skating was initially rejected in the United States and England because it represented a radical departure from the existing, highly formal, and cramped style of skating that dominated the sport at the time.12

Haines, a professional ballet dancer, introduced free and expressive techniques based on dance movements. While this approach failed to gain traction in his home country, it found immediate success in Europe, particularly in cities like Vienna, which was the 19th-century "waltz capital". Haines astutely capitalized on this cultural affinity by offering instruction in waltzing on ice, which resonated with European audiences and led to the founding of numerous skating schools inspired by his methods.12

It was not until the early 20th century, long after Haines had died, that his style was formalized and popularized in the United States through the efforts of skaters like Irving Brokaw and George H. Browne.2