Preview and Virtual Program for the Free Dance; Oct. 23 1:30 am EST | Golden Skate

Preview and Virtual Program for the Free Dance; Oct. 23 1:30 am EST

dorispulaski

Wicked Yankee Girl
Joined
Jul 26, 2003
Country
United-States
NHK Free Dance Preview

One would expect Davis and White (USA), last year's Olympic and World silver medallists to completely blow away the competition here, and indeed, they should win the overall event easily. Changes in ice dance rules may cause some surprises for fans, though. The new short dance format was competed for the first time on the Grand Prix circuit at 2 am EST, October 22, at NHK in Nagoya, Japan, and indeed had a surprise or two. As in most years, there have been changes to the scoring system as well. Short lifts can only earn a maximum of 4 base points, instead of 5, and requirements for level 4 twizzles are more stringent. Fans will see teams starting their twizzles with a small jump, or doing three sets of twizzles instead of four in a effort to gain level 4.


Davis and White scrapped their first version of a short dance to the "Amelie" soundtrack, following monitoring at Champs' Camp, so their new program to music from "La Traviata" and "La Boheme" is quite new to them. Additionally, they have been very busy skating in TV shows and in SOI, something new for them this year. They did not perform with quite their usual speed and crispness, and skated a shade carefully in the short dance. However, their program was much better than the other teams, and was skated without any glaring error. As a result, they go into the long program 9 points ahead of Weaver and Poje, who are in second place. Davis and White will be skating their free dance to music from the Italian movie "Il Postino" (The Postman.) The Postman is a love story, and the general theme of the music is a tango romantica. I expect Davis and White to win the overall event handily, given their skills and their huge lead from the short dance.

Weaver and Poje (CAN) did not compete at Worlds last year, however they will have practiced the Golden Waltz in preparation for it. They are the reigning Four Continents champions. Their choice of "At Last'" for the Golden Waltz section of their short dance may well make it difficult to get full technical marks for that portion of the dance, due to the irregular phrasing and non-Viennese Waltz feel of the piece. They skated this dance carefully, and their very classic Audrey Hepburn on ice look served them very well in the short dance. Their free dance, to music from Moulin Rouge, should suit them well., too. They remain challengers for second, third iif Capellini and Lanotte recover in the free dance, or the Shibutanis or Illinykh and Katsapalov skate their very best.

Huge excitement has heralded the debut of World Junior Champions Ilinykh and Katsapalov (RUS) on the senior circuit this year, following their extremely well received "Schindler's List" free dance, and Andean folk dance last season. However, they arrived at the Russian test skate this summer somewhat out of shape, and their programs were criticized by Tarasova. Like the Shibutanis, the Golden Waltz is new to them. And although their choice of the waltz from "Agony" transitioned relatively well into a second half of the dance to a tango, again, it made correct performance of the Golden Waltz more difficult. Their free dance will be a ballet interpretation of Minkus' "Don Quixote". They are also strong candidates for the bronze medal, and perhaps the silver medal.

Capellini and Lanotte, who skated to a charming, light-hearted combination of the Golden Waltz and the Quickstep to "Que Sera Sera" and "Girls, Girls, Girls". Here they did not skate as well as at Nebelhorn, and had several errors that cost them technical marks. They finished in fourth place in the short dance. They could pull up in the free dance, but in general they have tended to slip in that segment of the competition. They will skate to Our Love is Easy and Goodnite by Melody Gardot, arranged by Karl Hugo.

Third place is still wide open. The Shibutanis (USA) had a disaster in their short dance at Nebelhorn this fall, where they made their senior debut. Maia fell at the beginning of their sequential twizzles, which were were awarded no points. Maia has grown three inches, and as a result, this team presents a much more mature appearance on the ice this year, but it means they are still adjusting their technique. Alex stepped on Maia's dress in the Golden Waltz in the short dance. Maia skated the rest of the program with a piece of her costume trailing behind her.. The Golden Waltz is new to them, as they are just up from juniors. The Shibutanis, skating their free dance to music from Charlie Chaplin and Irving Berlin, defeated Capellini and Lanotte in the free dance portion of Nebelhorn. The Shibutanis should not be discounted as challengers for third overall, despite their problems in the SD.

The surprise of the event may be Mysliveckova and Novak (CZE), who have done very well in the two short dances they have competed in this fall, and Nebelhorn and Nepela. They have earned a level four for one of their Golden Waltz segments in both competitions. However, here in the SD, their twizzles were wildly out of synch. Their free dance is rather a patchwork for songs with a uniting theme of money. They should finish in the top five.

Free Dance - Order of Skate is in Reverse Order of the teams' position in the Free Dance.

======================================================
WARMUP GROUP 1
======================================================

Dora TUROCZI / Balazs MAJOR HUN (ISU World Ranking: Fifty Eigth)
Coach: Ilona Berecz
Choreographer: Galit Chait
Their FD: Be Italian by Fergie
Their SD Score: 32.68

Xiaoyang YU / Chen WANG CHN (ISU World Ranking: Thirty Sixth)
Coach: Hongyan Xi
Choreographer: Natalia Linichuk
Their FD: Moonlight by Trans-Siberian Orchestra
Their SD Score: 43.50

Penny COOMES / Nicholas BUCKLAND GBR (ISU World Ranking: Thirtieth)
Coach: Evgeni Platov, Philip Askew
Choreographer: Philip Askew
Their FD: Simba Confronts Scar and King of Pride Rock/Circle of Life (from "The Lion King" soundtrack) by Elton John & Tim Rice
Their SD Score: 43.52

Cathy REED / Chris REED JPN (ISU World Ranking: Twenty Ninth)
Coach: Nikolai Morozov, Walter Rizzo
Choreographer: Nikolai Morozov, Patti Wilcox
Their FD: So She Dances by Josh Groban
Their SD Score: 44.90

Lucie MYSLIVECKOVA / Matej NOVAK CZE (ISU World Ranking: Twenth Third)
Coach: Natalia Karamysheva, Rostislav Sinicyn
Choreographer: M. Drobiazko, P. Vanagas, R. Sinicyn
Their FD: Let My People Go; Money; Jessica Rabbit (Why Don't You Do Right); Venus
Their SD Score: 45.20

======================================================
WARMUP GROUP 2
======================================================

Maia SHIBUTANI / Alex SHIBUTANI USA (ISU World Ranking: Fourteenth)
Coach: Igor Shpilband, Marina Zueva, J.Johns, A. Lenda
Choreographer: Igor Shpilband, Marina Zueva
Their FD: Smile (Charlie Chaplin soundtrack); Let's Face the Music and Dance by Irving Berlin
Their SD Score: 53.68

Anna CAPPELLINI / Luca LANOTTE ITA (ISU World Ranking: Eighth)
Coach: Muriel Zazoui, Romain Haguenauer
Choreographer: D. Ribas, M.F. Dubreuil, P. Lauzon
Their FD: Our Love is Easy and Goodnite by Melody Gardot, arranged by Karl Hugo
Their SD Score: 55.68


Elena ILINYKH / Nikita KATSALAPOV RUS (ISU World Ranking: Twenty Seventh)
Coach: Alexander Zhulin, Oleg Volkov
Choreographer: Liudmila Vlasova
Their FD: Don Quixote by Leon Minkus
Their SD Score: 56.89

Kaitlyn WEAVER / Andrew POJE CAN (ISU World Ranking: Eleventh)
Coach: S. Bourne, P. Camerlengo, A. Krylova
Choreographer: Shae-Lynn Bourne, Pasquale Camerlengo
Their FD: Sparkling Diamonds; Come What May; El Tango de Roxanne (from Moulin Rouge soundtrack)
SD Score: 58.69

Meryl DAVIS / Charlie WHITE USA (ISU World Ranking: First)
Coach: Igor Shpilband, Marina Zueva
Choreographer: Igor Shpilband, Marina Zueva
Their FD: Il Postino (soundtrack) by Luis Bacalov; and Payadora and Recuerdo (Forever Tango) by Lisandro Adrover
Score from the SD: 66.97 (highest scored SD so far)
 
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bigsisjiejie

Record Breaker
Joined
Nov 22, 2009
Maia and Alex are going to Medal!

Just tuned into the scores. I/K had some kind of issue and are now behind the Shibs, with only 2 teams (W/P & D/W) still to skate. I wonder if this is the first time the Shibs have ever beaten I/K?

C/L also had some sort of problem--I'm surprised but they won't be making this podium, which I thought was a slam-dunk. :eek:

This may be an interesting season indeed for Dance...
 

100yen

You can't explain witchcraft
Medalist
Joined
Jan 8, 2009
I AM SO HAPPY FOR MAIA AND ALEX!!! They really skate with heart and deserved this medal! I couldn't stop crying and smiling at their FD! I'm elated!! :D
 

Tanja90

On the Ice
Joined
Feb 28, 2009
The overall standings:

1 Meryl DAVIS / Charlie WHITE
USA
165.21 1 1
2 Kaitlyn WEAVER / Andrew POJE
CAN
141.57 2 3
3 Maia SHIBUTANI / Alex SHIBUTANI
USA
136.93 5 2
4 Elena ILINYKH / Nikita KATSALAPOV
RUS
135.05 3 4
5 Anna CAPPELLINI / Luca LANOTTE
ITA
127.43 4 5
6 Lucie MYSLIVECKOVA / Matej NOVAK
CZE
115.17 6 6
7 Cathy REED / Chris REED
JPN
114.52 7 7
8 Penny COOMES / Nicholas BUCKLAND
GBR
109.80 8 8
9 Xiaoyang YU / Chen WANG
CHN
102.65 9 9
10 Dora TUROCZI / Balazs MAJOR
HUN
87.40 10 10

D/W only 98.24...mmm..that's strange..
 

100yen

You can't explain witchcraft
Medalist
Joined
Jan 8, 2009
Just tuned into the scores. I/K had some kind of issue and are now behind the Shibs, with only 2 teams (W/P & D/W) still to skate. I wonder if this is the first time the Shibs have ever beaten I/K?

C/L also had some sort of problem--I'm surprised but they won't be making this podium, which I thought was a slam-dunk. :eek:

This may be an interesting season indeed for Dance...

I/K apparently held a lift too long, but the added point wouldn't have changed their placement. C/L looked really off during the FD, and didn't have really great edges either.
I hope IN puts the FD on demand very soon! :biggrin:
 

mishieru07

On the Ice
Joined
Oct 23, 2009
:party2: So happy for the Shib sibs!!!! Yaye for Maia and Alex; way to go!! Their FD is gorgeous; can't wait for it to show up on youtube!

Congrats too to Weaver/ Poje and Marlie (who dominated, as expected). :thumbsup:

OTOH, what happened to C/L and I/K, deductions aside? C/L was passed by both rising junior teams by quite a margin.
 

MikiAndoFan#1

Record Breaker
Joined
Jul 30, 2009
Ice Dance - FD

FD results
1 Meryl DAVIS / Charlie WHITE USA 98.24 46.22 52.02 8.71 8.46 8.71 8.79 8.82 0.00 #10
2 Maia SHIBUTANI / Alex SHIBUTANI USA 83.25 42.67 40.58 6.86 6.57 6.89 6.82 6.79 0.00 #6
3 Kaitlyn WEAVER / Andrew POJE CAN 82.88 40.34 42.54 7.18 6.89 7.18 7.18 7.14 0.00 #9
4 Elena ILINYKH / Nikita KATSALAPOV RUS 78.16 36.85 42.31 7.14 6.79 7.18 7.21 7.11 1.00 #8
5 Anna CAPPELLINI / Luca LANOTTE ITA 71.75 32.64 40.11 6.86 6.54 6.61 6.79 6.68 1.00 #7
6 Lucie MYSLIVECKOVA / Matej NOVAK CZE 69.97 34.16 35.81 6.11 5.71 6.07 6.07 6.04 0.00 #5
7 Cathy REED / Chris REED JPN 69.62 34.38 35.24 6.00 5.57 5.96 5.96 6.07 0.00 #4
8 Penny COOMES / Nicholas BUCKLAND GBR 66.28 33.50 32.78 5.50 5.21 5.61 5.71 5.46 0.00 #3
9 Xiaoyang YU / Chen WANG CHN 59.15 28.65 30.50 5.25 4.82 5.18 5.18 5.14 0.00 #2
10 Dora TUROCZI / Balazs MAJOR HUN 54.72 30.47 25.25 4.32 4.00 4.25 4.46 4.14 1.00 #1

Overall standings
1 Meryl DAVIS / Charlie WHITE USA
165.21 1 1
2 Kaitlyn WEAVER / Andrew POJE CAN
141.57 2 3
3 Maia SHIBUTANI / Alex SHIBUTANI USA
136.93 5 2
4 Elena ILINYKH / Nikita KATSALAPOV RUS
135.05 3 4
5 Anna CAPPELLINI / Luca LANOTTE ITA
127.43 4 5
6 Lucie MYSLIVECKOVA / Matej NOVAK CZE
115.17 6 6
7 Cathy REED / Chris REED JPN
114.52 7 7
8 Penny COOMES / Nicholas BUCKLAND GBR
109.80 8 8
9 Xiaoyang YU / Chen WANG CHN
102.65 9 9
10 Dora TUROCZI / Balazs MAJOR HUN
87.40 10 10

What a great senior debut for Maia & Alex and Elena & Nikita! I'm also very happy for Kaitlyn & Andrew!

:rock:

I wonder what happened to Anna & Luca.

:cry:
 

dorispulaski

Wicked Yankee Girl
Joined
Jul 26, 2003
Country
United-States
C/L completely blew a lift. And their twizzles were every which way. I'm wondering if Anna ate the sushi. They certainly looked out of it tonight. I expected much better from them.

Andrew Poje dropped his foot at the beginning of the twizzles, losing at least a level. The heart shape position they drew at the beginning of their Moulin Rouge program, was kind of tacky.

I/K ended with a really sloppy, slow spin, and they have not replaced last year's lifts yet with new lifts appropriate for a ballet program. The effect reminded me of a much better costumed version of this program from time to time:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FS-f2k09uAY&p=53715CCBB06C9F69&playnext=1&index=1
I see what Tarasova meant about this program. It's not soup yet (but look out at the end of the year when it is!)

I/K only competed one year against the Shibs (last year) when Alex was growing and Maia wasn't, and they had that tango program that didn't really work for them. So no, the Shibs were behind I/K all last year. Congratulations to them for beating the 8th place team in World Standings (C/L) in their senior debut.

Congratulations to the Shibutanis for executing their Smile/Face the Music depression program perfectly and winning a medal at their GP debut!!

Congratulations to W/P for their second medal, and they may well make it to the GPF!

Congratulations to D/W for winning another GP by a huge amount. They have generally skated to big opera or orchestral pieces, so a tango/romantic FD is a departure for them. Some of the stuff in that program is crazy, crazy hard, particularly that pair spin with Meryl facing upwards, and, of course for a D&W or V&M program, the lifts. The program needs practice, though, which is not a surprise with their touring schedule this spring/summer, plus having to rework the SD. I'm not sure I like the lift with the swing by the knees move in it, but then it was a little rough this first time out. However, they didn't get a deduction for it.
 

MikiAndoFan#1

Record Breaker
Joined
Jul 30, 2009
Yay for Meryl & Charlie! What a great senior debut for Maia & Alex and Elena & Nikita! I'm also very happy for Kaitlyn & Andrew!

:rock:

I wonder what happened to Anna & Luca.

:cry:
 

dorispulaski

Wicked Yankee Girl
Joined
Jul 26, 2003
Country
United-States
They ate the sushi?

(They completely blew a lift for zero points, and their twizzles weren't good)>

Also the tech panel was really tough. Level 4's were not being given out like candy, and C/L had a level 1 on one of the steps and some level 2's.
 

skatingfan04

Final Flight
Joined
Sep 1, 2007
I'm really pleased for the Shibutani's. Their program was beautiful and i'm glad they could rebound so well from their mistake in the SD.

I'm SO happy for Weaver and Poje.:biggrin::biggrin: I'll admit, when he dropped his foot on the twizzle, I was worried things would unravel, but they kept going as if nothing happened. I love their new lifts, too, and can't wait to see how much smoother they get as the season goes on. As for the program, its a real departure for them, and it took me a few views to formulate an opinion on it, but I kind of love it. I know its different and a little unrefined right now, but I think it will work really well for them this year, and I'm happy to see them changing their style. I think they have a real shot at making the grand prix final.

I LOVED Davis and White's program.:love: The music, the spin the lifts...even the costume. I'm so happy for them, and It seems like they have actually improved in the off season (if that's possible). It's a bit of a different style for them too, but I adored how they interpreted it. They should just be given the grand prix final gold now and save themselves the extra trip.:laugh:
 

KKonas

Medalist
Joined
Oct 31, 2009
Congrats to all the medalists. So happy for the Shibs. Knew they would be competitive this season after I saw them in Canton six weeks ago. Their FD is a joy to watch. I&K looked shocked in the Kiss & Cry to find themselves off the podium. I&K are talented but their programs are blah. Also enjoyed D&W FD tango. Really difficult lifts - that's what I saw them working on mostly when I was in Canton. Nice to see the whole program. They are always entertaining. Programs are still a little rough, which is probably why Meryl commented that the FD was "a battle", but to be fair, they had very late start on their programs. Expect to see both routines improve as the season progresses.
 

emma

Record Breaker
Joined
Oct 28, 2004
congrats to the medalists and doris thanks so much for all of your commentary - I love reading it!

can't wait to see some of these programs!
 

sktgirl6

Rinkside
Joined
Aug 2, 2009
Congratulations to all the medalists, but amazing that The Shibutanis beat Weaver and Poje in the free dance, and this is their first senior outing really and at a Grand Prix, Well done Maya and Alex/
 

emma

Record Breaker
Joined
Oct 28, 2004
just watched davis and white's FD and I really love it. Of course, I just always am breathless about their twizzles, overall speed and closeness, and precision. but for some reason I can't quite explain, i really noticed or got into the shapes they created this time. Really lovely. I am a little - i don't know - uncomfortable about that lift that ends up with Charlie holding her at the knees with one arm - all I could think was it felt strange at first and dangerous by the end. other than that, I really like this fd. can't wait to watch more of them.
 
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