What is the Difference between Davis/White and Virtue/Moir

prettykeys said:

Your post made me think maybe I prefer V/M for shallow reasons! I like both, but V/M have a better "look" and I'm not sure if it's true connection or just imagined connection. However, I think V/M also have a slightly better, cleaner technique.

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That is true about their technique. I watched a dance preview on the cbc website last night, and I also noticed V&M are a bit faster than D&W. Didn't notice this as much at Olympics.

I agree with Mathman that D&W are still in the development phase. Their growth each year is very interesting, and I love to see it.

D&W's biggest advantage over V&M is actually not technical-it's the ability they have developed in the last couple years to display the characters of different types of dance. Turn off the sound and its always clear what kind of dance they are doing these days. Those who know me, know that's something that I really enjoy, so I am very fond of them, particularly of their Charleston OD last year(which was over their head a bit, and was never performed perfectly) and even more so of their Bollywood OD this year, particularly the unison of hand movements in their midline not touching step sequence.. A lot of this ability is due to the attention to detail they show.

Anyone looking at the lack of detail in a normal Zoueva program and the almost excess of detail in the Bollywood program (and the Charleston program) would conclude that D&W are active contributors to their choreography.


Their second advantage is speed.

Both teams are mostly equal as to what levels they get. V&M have better circular steps (closer, smoother) and lifts. D&W have better twizzles and spins. They are about the same on not touching steps.

V&M are more classically matched and smoother than D&W. They skate closer. They specialize in lovey dovey stuff, which they do very well, and which is not my cup of tea, but I'd be one of the few. Their biggest technical pluses are their ability to develop very, very interesting lifts and their posture, closeness of skating, and smoothness.

Joe, I think bravura is an OK description for D&W and lyrical for V&M, if you like to split it that way.

I like both of them.

It's interesting you mention that, doris, because I feel "character" is the one thing they lack. I look at their POTO free dance, and I remain puzzled as to what character Charlie is portraying from the story. On top of that, while they nail the heedless passion from the show, I'm never once affected - POTO is undeniably a romantic piece of music, but I never once think they convey love/desire/obsession that they should. I also wonder how diverse D/W's music choices really are: their last two FDs are cut from the same cloth. And while you can certainly argue that "Valse Triste," "Umbrellas of Cherbourg" and "Mahler" are all delicate, light pieces of music, I don't see how that's any less diverse than the obvious robust nature of Davis/White

I think V/M have room to grow in the character department, though, but I'm always impressed with their gusto with the more fiery pieces (their OD this season, "Dark Eyes")

I'm not talking about D&W's ability to act--that's one area where they need work, and it's interesting to me that they are taking mime classes this year to work on it.

I'm talking about their ability to make a waltz lilt and look carefree and lighthearted. And to make a Charleston look bubbly, crisp and champagne like.

V&M's OD this season is not Dark Eyes which was the most ungypsy piece of gypsy choreo I ever saw, and was their 2008 OD. Their current OD is flamenco, and it lacks the dove hands thing and tries to look like flamenco with hand clapping, etc. .It is more successful than Dark Eyes, IMO, but not a patch on for example Anissina & Peizerat's 2002 Flamenco which caught the character of that dance much better than V&M.

In fact, I am not talking about FD's at all, which is my least favorite part of dance competitions most of the time.

I think V-M had greate OD last season, but they didnt have a time to make it smoother. And i think its wasnt good dissigion to made the same dances for this teams in OD last year.
D-W look better in some more humour dances, like last year OD and this year OD, then, when they try hard to show something dramatic. Speed help them, because we could see a lot off face emotions in there FDs.
And i think D-W alwayse skate powerfull drama with big speed in FD since 2006 and V-M lyrucal love FDs from 2007 (exept there PF FD, wich was super-modern, with modern moves and irs sad, they could show all potential pf this FD because of Tessas inhury).

dorispulaski said:

Joe, I think bravura is an OK description for D&W and lyrical for V&M, if you like to split it that way.

I like both of them.

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I do like to split them that way, Doris, and I too, like them both. I've seen enough Swan Queens (Swan Lake) to see the approach a ballerina will give the role. The bravura dancer will play up the bird and the lyric dancer will play up the captured princess. As I said both are valid, but looking at their best, one will get to you, one wont, but still be above the others.

For me, the Polavetzian(sp) dance that D/W did was perfect for them; and Valze Triste was perfect for V/M. That was both their beginings and neither have varied much from those styles. Can't help, but enjoy them both.

dorispulaski said:

I'm not talking about D&W's ability to act--that's one area where they need work, and it's interesting to me that they are taking mime classes this year to work on it.

I'm talking about their ability to make a waltz lilt and look carefree and lighthearted. And to make a Charleston look bubbly, crisp and champagne like.

V&M's OD this season is not Dark Eyes which was the most ungypsy piece of gypsy choreo I ever saw, and was their 2008 OD. Their current OD is flamenco, and it lacks the dove hands thing and tries to look like flamenco with hand clapping, etc. .It is more successful than Dark Eyes, IMO, but not a patch on for example Anissina & Peizerat's 2002 Flamenco which caught the character of that dance much better than V&M.

In fact, I am not talking about FD's at all, which is my least favorite part of dance competitions most of the time.

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Yeah, I meant both ODs. I wasn't confusing one for the other. While I will say that A/P's flamenco is better, I think V/M's was a remarkable dance as well. I think D/W have an advantage in that some of the stuff they do (particularly their Bollywood OD) hasn't really been done, so there's no comparison.

That said, FD's are my favourite part, so I definitely see where we differ.

[QUOTE=ImaginaryPogue;487966]Davis and White dazzle you with their effort. The sheer daring of their moves. The speed and attack.

Virtue and Moir impress with their effortlessness. They float and glide through their complex maneuvers as easily as you and I breathe. They transport you to another world. At their best, they never seem to be skating programs, but simply moving spontaneously in a world of their own making.
QUOTE]

I could not be more agree with this.
I adore both couples, this 2 together makes a FULL entertainment.
It is like " Pamina and Tamino" versus " Papageno and Papagena" in the Mozart Opera "Zauberflöte". We need them both to enjoy the whole thing.

A deeply emotioned, classy, elegant, eternal, timelessly beautiful human being versus a virtuos, bravura , more down-to-earth acting couple.
Both ot them are exquisite.

I really enjoy both of these great teams. The difference for me is that V/M are capable of creating almost indescribable moments of beauty on the ice. I always found this rare quality missing from many of the great Dance teams of the past. The Russo/E. Euro teams had great theatrics - but they never did cast a spell over me with the sheer beauty of their skating the way V/M do at their best.

Perhaps we all like different aspects of skating and the Dance - for me V/M are very special and the mood they can capture on the ice has rarely been matched.

I always feel when watching V&M that they are dancing for the sheer joy of dancing on ice ... and it pulls me into the dance ... and that they actually have joy in dancing with each other, and that they simply like being on the ice together. With Davis and White ... I just can't see the same connection, either to the discipline, or to each other.

I do appreciate both teams for what they bring to the sport. However, the biggest difference for me is between Charlie and Scott. Scott has amazing stretch in his back and his free leg extension. Charlie for me has very little free leg stretch and his free leg knee has a bend - maybe he's one of those who can't flatten their knee no matter how they try! I can't enjoy Charlie and Meryl as much as Tessa and Scott as I find that I'm so focused on watching Charlie's free leg and the whole package looks sloppier to me.

I enjoy both couples. They each have their own individual style. Hope both stay around for awhile.

Does anyone know if Tessa is dating anyone?