The biggest challenge that Maia and Alex will face as senior level skaters will be adapting to a change that all teams will face in the way that they compete. Last week at the bi-annual ISU Congress in Barcelona, Spain, it was decided that the Compulsory Dance and the Original Dance would no longer be separate parts of competition for ice dancers. Instead, teams will be required to perform a new short dance that is somewhat of a combination of the two. For this season, the dance will be the Golden Waltz, and the Shibutanis are well on their way to preparing for this change.
... "Carousel Waltz" from Rogers and Hammerstein's Carousel for their short dance. For their free dance, the duo and choreographer Marina Zoueva have chosen Charlie Chaplin's "Smile" and Irving Berlin's "Let's Face the Music and Dance," both performed by Nat King Cole.
An article published today on Icenetwork reveals the Shibutanis' program music choices for the new season.