Shen and Zhao on Chinese TV Dancing competition | Golden Skate

Shen and Zhao on Chinese TV Dancing competition

aftertherain

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Jan 15, 2010
Shen Xue and Zhao Hongbo on Chinese TV Dancing competition
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G9GTP8dsWrs
Aired: September 4, 2011

The video clip is entirely in Chinese, so I did my best to roughly translate what everyone is saying. My mandarin is iffy, so please forgive me if I make any mistakes!

In the little introduction at the beginning, Shen and Zhao are introduced as a real-life pair on the ice and Olympic Champions in pairs' figure skating. Hongbo then says that although they've performed many dances on the ice, this is the first time they've performed a dance on solid ground. Xue says something cute, "because I've got my husband by my side, I never have to worry." The judge with the glasses states that when they perform, it is not like the movement of two people, but the dancing of one.

Then they perform. To be honest, it's a bit like an exhibition skate on solid ground, but it's lovely nonetheless.

The first judge basically says that they should withdraw because they're too good, in which Xue responds and says that she and Hongbo came on this show to learn from them (the judges) how to dance better on solid ground.

The second judge expresses similar sentiments and says that the winners of the show have emerged tonight and if they decided to compete further, there would be no point to the show.

The third judge, however, is a bit more critical. She says that the other judges have praised the pair too highly and that Xue's dress is a bit too flashy for the dance routine (and then jokingly tells another judge to shut up because she hasn't finished talking). The dress may be appropriate in a skating arena where you need to be seen from a distance, but not for a dancing competition. Also, she has observed that Xue reacts prematurely to Hongbo's actions in that she reacts before Hongbo even touches her; that might not be easily noticed in a skating rink, but it definitely is on stage.

They're basically too good for the show, but agree to do an encore performance. The entire crowd gives them a standing ovation and the second judge says thank you before telling them that they really are too good for the show. The judge refuse to "vote by stars" (kind of like ______ Got Talent) and that is the end of the video.
 

dorispulaski

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Thanks so much for clip and especially for the translation!

I love :love: Shen & Zhao and its great to see them even if it is only on the dance floor.

I hope that the Canadian and American celebrity dance competitions will feature V&M and D&W sometime!
 
Joined
Aug 16, 2009
Thanks so much for giving us this! It never would have occurred to me to look for Shen and Zhao dancing on YouTube. Wow...what I would have missed. I'm crying from the beauty of this.

After I could think again, I realized that there are probably very few top skating pairs who could be this masterful on the floor. I know they all practice on the floor, but the totality of a dance, with the transitions from move to move, is very different from that of a skating program, and despite the skate lifts in this routine, it's most definitely a dance. Probably most of the ballet-trained Russian pairs of the last ten years or so could manage an artistic and emotional floor program with this kind of flow--Bereshnaya and Sikharulidze, for example. But can you imagine power skaters in the mold of Brasseur and Eisler giving this a try?

And my goodness, look at their emotional connection, and the way they express the music! They are just supreme. What you said about putting V/M and D/W on the North American celebrity dance shows--I completely agree, but I also wish they'd import Shen and Zhao over so we could see them on our shows.

One thing that made me smile from your translation, Rain, is that they thought Shen's dress was unsuitable. It's so modest compared to the strips of cloth people wear in ballroom shows here. Of course, they're not doing ballroom, just couples dancing--I noticed that she's barefoot, like a modern dancer rather than a ballroom dancer.

Whatever it is they're doing, I just hope they do more of it, and that we get to see it. What a gorgeous work of art! A million thanks for your post and your translation.
 
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OS

Sedated by Modonium
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Heh, nice to see the video made the round here.

For those who are interested, particularly about S's dress and additional comments, I have made some additional translations on F S U on
/forum/showthread.php?t=80056

On a personal note, it is wonderful to see S&Z continue to push the artistry aspect of their craft, I do believe they are taking additional advanced courses in Dancing from Beijing Dance Academy, so their next performance (judges invited them back for the final to perform, not to compete) should be worth another look too. I will post the videos when they become available.

PS OT. If anyone is interested to view skating performances from an arena audience perspective, I have some fancam of the ladies final at WC 2011 (Yuna, Miki, Mao) on the same channel that you might be interested, which shows things like location of the elements, speed, coverage which you don't normally get a sense from the closeups on TV.
 
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Joined
Mar 14, 2006
I look at Xue and Hongbo every day since a photo of them at the end of their Worlds '06 FP is the background of my desktop. They are exquisite here -- you would think it's a piece of cake to transition from skating to dancing, but that can't be true. I can only guess how much work it took them to move so effortlessly on the dance floor. After this success, maybe they will have a show in which they both dance and skate -- wouldn't that be amazing!

P.S. Booted for being too good? Too bad for the viewers!
 

Violet Bliss

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Thanks for posting this. I had seen the video of only their dancing and thought it was a little overuse of Pairs lifts technique, including even the throw! The stage was also kind of small so I can't criticize the "dance floor coverage". ;) It's incredible all the judges kept telling them to quit the competition. They were, however, invited for an exhibition at the finale. Xue was very sincere in expressing that even though they had superior lifts, they needed and had intended to learn more about dance steps from the teachers in the show.

The judge who was repeatedly shot down in his attempted interjections finally got to say that Xue's dress was supplied late by the show. To make up for it, he personally guaranteed to have an Italian designed costume for her for the finale at any cost.

eta. I haven't seen how the other contestants were dressed but part of the judge's criticism was, I think, a modesty issue in that, unlike the fluid motions during skating lifts, the dance lifts were still so the view should be considered. Had she not watched any international dance competition?
 
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blue dog

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Slightly OT, but in Katia's book, she mentioned how hard it was for her and Sergei to dance on the floor, no matter how easy it was for them to dance on ice.
 

Violet Bliss

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Slightly OT, but in Katia's book, she mentioned how hard it was for her and Sergei to dance on the floor, no matter how easy it was for them to dance on ice.

Even the best single skaters find it very difficult to do simple Pairs skating. (There was a video of last year's World Champions Mao's and Dai's funny failed attempts in preparation for the gala where they succeeded in a throw single.) And dancers in one genre usually have a hard time doing a different style of dance.

Also, Xue and Hongbo, like Katia and Sergei, are Pairs skaters, not ice dancers.
 

blue dog

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Even the best single skaters find it very difficult to do simple Pairs skating. (There was a video of last year's World Champions Mao's and Dai's funny failed attempts in preparation for the gala where they succeeded in a throw single.) And dancers in one genre usually have a hard time doing a different style of dance.

Also, Xue and Hongbo, like Katia and Sergei, are Pairs skaters, not ice dancers.

Skatefiguring, I understand they're not ice dancers--I skate myself and can tell the difference. I was using a direct quote. Katia, in her book said, "Sergei and I found it was harder to dance on the floor, no matter how many times we danced on the ice."
 

Violet Bliss

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Skatefiguring, I understand they're not ice dancers--I skate myself and can tell the difference. I was using a direct quote. Katia, in her book said, "Sergei and I found it was harder to dance on the floor, no matter how many times we danced on the ice."

I wasn't disputing and picking on you, but agreeing with the fact it's not easy to transfer skills and techniques that, to many people, may appear similar or related. Ice Dancers do have more dance skills then Pairs skaters, but the two pairs mentioned are not Ice Dancers.
 

Dee4707

Ice Is Slippery - Alexie Yagudin
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OMG, how beautiful!!! I just love them.
 
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Slightly OT, but in Katia's book, she mentioned how hard it was for her and Sergei to dance on the floor, no matter how easy it was for them to dance on ice.

I don't think that's OT at all. I think it's what makes S/Z's performance on this video so extraordinary. There are certain traits of flexibility and strength that will serve skaters well as dancers, but the whole center of gravity is different, and the way to get from one move to the next is completely different. Not to mention the fact that skaters can count on acceleration to get them into a lift or other move, and that's gone on the floor. As several of you have pointed out, one can't just show up one day in the dance studio as a champion skater and be good at it, even with some prior dance training. (Though that would help, of course.) I think even ice dancers would have trouble and would have to relearn a lot of stuff.


So the fact that our pair looks this good here and manages to wring so much from the music with this new idiom of theirs is splendid and a bit unexpected. I can see that, as os168 says, they must have been studying dance. It's paying off. The fact that they use a lot of skating lifts doesn't distress me, because it's like a kind of translation and it's fun to see them worked into this new context.
 

Dee4707

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From their early days until now, is what is so beautiful. I may be wrong but I thought that in the early days they were told to do some ballet training. They have evolved not only in their skating but in their personal beauty. I don't know if many remember when Xue's teeth needed to be fixed and Hongbo needed to tone up and now look at them today...beautiful!!!
 
Joined
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From their early days until now, is what is so beautiful. I may be wrong but I thought that in the early days they were told to do some ballet training. They have evolved not only in their skating but in their personal beauty. I don't know if many remember when Xue's teeth needed to be fixed and Hongbo needed to tone up and now look at them today...beautiful!!!


Yes, I remember when their physical appearance was less glamorous. But I think the change came not from her getting her teeth fixed or his becoming more toned, but from when they started conveying the chemistry they clearly felt. Early in their career, they seemed merely businesslike, even dutiful. When they became magical (I don't know how else to describe it), suddenly we viewers couldn't take our eyes off them. I think it was in 2003 during Worlds, or at least that's when I got the first electric shock from them. After that they were radiant, and it wasn't a dentist or a gym that gave it to them, though those things certainly added gloss. Even today there's a modesty and simplicity about them that makes them different from all other pairs. They have no equal and no imitators. And now they're branching out! Keep those videos coming, whoever spots them on YouTube.
 

Dee4707

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When they became magical (I don't know how else to describe it), suddenly we viewers couldn't take our eyes off them.
Olympia, I totally understand what you mean. I was at Skate Canada in 2003 when they performed their Nutcracker program. Xue fell and the crowd made a loud uhhh sound...it was almost like we were in a trance. It was rather loud which is not heard that much on youtube.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pIIT5Jya52w
 

LuCN

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in their interviews,they said they prepared three routines to the competition.But we all see,they are to good to be there.if they continues,no one can compete with them...

Hope we can see them perform again in the final as a guest :) and maybe the foreign dance shows can invite them ~
 

Violet Bliss

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LuCN, can you explain a little the format of this competition? I'd like to know if the competing dancers enter as teams and stick together throughout or do they switch partners for different dances at various stages? A big part of Shen/Zhao magic is their connection but a really good dancer should be able to do well with different partners as well. So they were considered too good and would render the competition pointless if they continued, but it would be very different if they were to start partnering with other competitors instead of just each other. Also, they would not be able to use their skating lifts and moves so much with someone else.

eta. I'm thinking in terms of how the TV dance competitions are on N American TV, or rather in many countries since they are franchises of the same program. Dancers couldn't have prepared 3 programs ahead because a different genre is announced each week after the competition and each couple, existing or new pairing, have just one week to prepare for the next competition. It sounds like the Chinese show has fixed couples and maybe one genre only or allowing genre as selected by the competitors themselves ahead of time. In case of American "Dancing With The Stars", then it's only about Ballroom dancing and with fiexed couples, one pro and one celebrity in each pair as pre decided by the show. Not sure which format the Chinese show is more like.
 
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LuCN

Rinkside
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yeah,they always have a star + a dancer as a team.so S/Z is special~

I don't watch the show,so I don't know it very well.As I know,and the competion is a little different from the DWTS show.it has 12E-15E per season.36 team attend,every match contain 6 teams each.There are 6 first match-18 teams left.then 3 second match-12 teams left.then semifinal-8 team left.and these 8 teams reach the final.——so you just need 4 routines to win :)

about the dance genre,well,I don't know their rule,but in the first match,stars are just asked to do a "Ballroom Dance" with their partner,no more rules...and in the final,they may ask to do different genres,so maybe that's why S/Z prepare 3 routines~~
 
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