Who are your all-time favorite ice dancers? | Page 2 | Golden Skate

Who are your all-time favorite ice dancers?

Joined
Aug 16, 2009
I just went back and watched Klimova and Ponomarenko's chaikovsky's Fifth Symphony program. They were so sublime. The fact that she looked like a pre-Raphaelite painting and he looked like a premier danseur noble (as Anton Sikharulidze did among pairs skaters) didn't hurt at all. But even more significant than that was their emotional bond. Like Gordeyeva/Grinkov, they created such strong chemistry together that every program had meaning. Their purity of technique, their inventiveness, especially as pros, lifted them above their competitors. I always found it interesting that he seemed to have a turnout while she didn't, or at least she didn't use one. He often did beautiful spreadeagles, while her feet always pointed in the same direction. With Bereshnaya/Sikharulidze it was the opposite, as I recall. She would do a bit of a backbend in a spreadeagle position, and he would brace her with his arms but have different leg postions from hers.

Anyway, as far as I'm concerned, Klimova/Ponomarenko were probably the best exponent of Russian ice dancing beauty in terms of technique and artistry together. I wouldn't put any other Russian or Soviet couple ahead of them.
 

seniorita

Record Breaker
Joined
Jun 3, 2008
I ve never watched ice dance a lot but I remember I used to watch always Anissina and Peizerat because I liked their hair. :) Later years I liked a lot the Kerrs so I was watching for sometime.
 
Joined
Aug 16, 2009
Oh, Seniorita, if you like hair, you should hunt up Klimova/Ponomarenko. Hers is like out of a painting by Edward Burne-Jones, and his isn't bad either. Their programs from the pro years are more free-form and less traditionally ice dance-ish, and they might appeal to you. Even in their amateur career they were not as traditional, because the rules of the era allowed for more innovation and a broader interpretation of ice dance.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DOHJDV1dcIk

They're very dramatic and romantic, almost like pairs skaters without the jumps.
 

Scrufflet

Final Flight
Joined
Mar 1, 2010
I loved Klim/Pon. Egads, so many wonderful Russian ice dancers. Was astounded when Torvill/Dean showed you didn't have to be Russian to win. It reallyis depressing when the same country wins all the time.
Things really started to change when other countries challenged legitimately - Den/Sta, Rak/Kho, Drob/Van and even North Americans! Woo! Wilson/McCall laid the groundwork for me but then Bourne/Kraatz really did it. What inspiration! And now we have Virtue/Moir! Truly love the American development - Roca/Sur, Punsalan/Swallow, Lang/Tsern and now Davis/White. Another wow!
I remember Paul Martini publicly taking the judges to task for treating Pun/Swallow poorly. I loved him for that!
 

snejina

Rinkside
Joined
Jan 9, 2012
Anissina Peizerat
Grishuk & Platov
Torvill Dean
Virtue Moir
Krylova-Ovssianikov
Denkova Staviski
Krylova Ovsyannikov
Drobiazko Vanagas
Moiseeva Minenkov
 

dorispulaski

Wicked Yankee Girl
Joined
Jul 26, 2003
Country
United-States
Some of my favorites are favorites because they had programs that I play over again on youtube frequently, despite how they finished in the medals.

All time favorites *Torvill & Dean* :drumroll: :17gunsalute:

Among the many runners up (I like so many dancers :love: ):
It takes 4 on the replay list to make my happy, happy joy joy playlist for a current team; just good memories for a past team (sometimes, they are only in my memory, having been erased or missing from youtube:

Pakhomova & Gorshkov, Moiseeva & Minenkov, Barber & Slater, Blumberg & Siebert, Wilson & McCall, Duchesnays, Engi & Toth, Rahkamo & Kokko (Extra Special Mention!!), Usova & Zhulin (Extra Special Mention!!), Krylova & Ovsiannakov, Denkova & Staviyski, Davis & White (both this year's programs, Eleanor Rigby, Samson & Delilah, and Bollywood are on my playlist), the Kerrs, Belbin & Agosto, Pechalat & Bourzat (4 Seasons, Les Mis, Clowns, Chaplin)

Teams that I haven't seen enough of yet, and are still active: Virtue & Moir, Weaver & Poje, . If they retired, they'd be in the upper list.
 
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Joined
Aug 16, 2009
Over on the thread discussing who skated the best interpretation of certain pieces of music, someone linked to Anissina/Piezerat's interpretation of Prokofiev's Romeo and Juliet, which I think they did in the Nagano Olympics.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N4Wqpc4xL5Q

Their emotional bond, their lyricism, the boldness of their moves (while retaining the light touch of dance) and their speed particularly impress me in this program.

I have to rank them near the top of my list. I'm sorry they didn't seem to do any pro skating (at least, none where I got to see it, on American TV), because it would have been interesting to see their work when they didn't have the constraints of competition rules.

ETA: I have investigated further and have discovered that A/P did indeed skate professionally for some years after 2002. Drat! How come I missed them? I feel deprived. I'll have to go searching on YouTube to see if any of their programs from that era are posted.
 
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Big Deal

Final Flight
Joined
Jan 23, 2004
Having watched all the amateur and pro programmes of most of the retired teams my clear order is as follows:

1.Torvill, Dean. Not just because Bolero. They has created tons of unusual, remarkable, artistically and technically innovative programmes. They also has been perfectionist in its best way. I think that after almost 30 years all the recent interesting, quality programmes still come down from their legacy.

2. Klimova /Ponomarenko. The best ever couple of the Russian school at its best. Pure beauty with perfect technique. Their farewel amateur programme at the Olympic 1992. is one of my all-time favourite programmes.

3.Pakhomova, Gorskov. This couple validated the ice dance as a sport. A lots of original innovation, passion and lovable quality. Without them the ice dance never would improved to be as it did. They has founded the basics and the spirit of the still existing modern ice dance.

Some of the most important couples in the history didn't really got their recognition in their hay-days, which is pity, because they have been the best of all, their legacy proved to be timeless:

Moiseeva&Minenkov,
Usova&Zhulin,
Denkova&Staviyski,(because of the politics behind Navka&Kostomarov. Without them they immediately won the World, after had beeing 5th at the Olympics...)
Rahkamo&Kokko,
Anissina& Peizerat (they won 1 single Worldchamp. title, and the Olympics with 1 single vote majority, which was ridiculous, instead of winning 3-4 WorldCh.titles)
Drobiazko&Vanagas (what happened with them was almost unreal, would worth a couple of Euro and WorldCh. titles instead of 1 single bronze....)

I think that the reason of the VERY high quality of the present days comes from the fact some of the most succesful coaches try to combine all of these above mentioned qualities.

If it goes like that, Virtue&Moir, Davis&White, The Shibutanis, Weaver&Poje can be on that list later on.
The quality is there, but they have to find their own personal style instead of doing only what their coaches saying them.
Virtue&Moir is far ahead of the other teams in order to this at the moment.
 
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Joined
Aug 16, 2009
Bigdeal, I agree that teams like Denkova/Stavisky and Drobiazko/Vanagas should have more awards. But I think one of the problems is that especially in the last ten or twenty years, there have been so many splendid teams that it's just too crowded at the top. This is a good thing for skating and a great thing for fans (just look at how empty American ladies' singles is right now, and how bored and frustrated many fans have become), though it's hard on the skaters not to have a lot of medals in the record books. We fans will remember them, though.
 

dorispulaski

Wicked Yankee Girl
Joined
Jul 26, 2003
Country
United-States
As I am not a fan of SOI, etc, I am never anxious for any high quality team in active competition to retire. To be honest, I would like V&M better if they had not inadvertently picked too many pieces of music to skate that I would rather never hear again (and therefore, I never go back and watch them over again). To be clear, this is my bad taste, and not their fault. It shows my lack of adventurousness in music, or lack of taste:

S'Wonderful in the Funny Face FD
The whole of Umbrellas of Cherbourg with the caterwauling left in, and the I will wait for you business

I would rather have my teeth drilled than listen to either of those 2 pieces of music.

Great Gig in the Sky from Pink Floyd (and this is almost the only cut on that PF Dark Side of the Moon album that I don't like).
endless footstomping without music sequence in Farrucas
Temptation with the "everything is made of dreams" part that still sounds to me like "everything is made from beans" in this year's SD and last year's FD
"Hip hip chin chin" with the silly lyrics

I dislike the above 3 songs, but would probably not get up to turn off the radio, if one of them came on.

The only thing they ever skated to that I actively like the whole piece of music is Sebelius' Finlandia. I'm OK with Mahler too, but I'm not as fond of Mahler as of Sebelius.

I'm still hoping they will skate to some music I adore. It's a testament to their great skill as dancers, that I don't turn off the TV set while they are skating to stuff I hate. (Sometimes, I'm tempted to mute the sound, though).

Perhaps you could blame S&Z for their consistently picking music that does not appeal to everyone. Or perhaps it is their own taste. Or both. I'm in no position to know.
 
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npa

Match Penalty
Joined
Nov 17, 2006
As I am not a fan of SOI, etc, I am never anxious for any high quality team in active competition to retire. To be honest, I would like V&M better if they had not inadvertently picked too many pieces of music to skate that I would rather never hear again (and therefore, I never go back and watch them over again). To be clear, this is my bad taste, and not their fault. It shows my lack of adventurousness in music, or lack of taste:

S'Wonderful in the Funny Face FD
The whole of Umbrellas of Cherbourg with the caterwauling left in, and the I will wait for you business

I would rather have my teeth drilled than listen to either of those 2 pieces of music.

Great Gig in the Sky from Pink Floyd (and this is almost the only cut on that PF Dark Side of the Moon album that I don't like).
endless footstomping without music sequence in Farrucas
Temptation with the "everything is made of dreams" part that still sounds to me like "everything is made from beans" in this year's SD and last year's FD
"Hip hip chin chin" with the silly lyrics

I dislike the above 3 songs, but would probably not get up to turn off the radio, if one of them came on.

The only thing they ever skated to that I actively like the whole piece of music is Sebelius' Finlandia. I'm OK with Mahler too, but I'm not as fond of Mahler as of Sebelius.

I'm still hoping they will skate to some music I adore. It's a testament to their great skill as dancers, that I don't turn off the TV set while they are skating to stuff I hate. (Sometimes, I'm tempted to mute the sound, though).

Perhaps you could blame S&Z for their consistently picking music that does not appeal to everyone. Or perhaps it is their own taste. Or both. I'm in no position to know.

Doris, sorry, but you try to made impression you know a lot about ice dancing, but this post cross everything. If you are talking about music, why you need to see someone skate on TV screen if you could simply listen good music? :laugh:
For you no matter howice dance team skating, but most important did they use music, wish you like- funny.
Look like a little nervouse now, after V-M said they changed SD and FD. Its look like it was the same last season - after you saw T-S FD first time you made so negative post about anything in there FD, especially about Tessa ect. ut when V-M lose to D-W you start post different things about last year FD :p
Sorry, but you made like a little child :rolleye:
Listen lyrics i D-W SD better.
 

dorispulaski

Wicked Yankee Girl
Joined
Jul 26, 2003
Country
United-States
Pani, I never claim to be anything but a fan

I am not trying to convince anyone to dislike Tessa & Scott.

As I said-this is my problem, not Tessa & Scott's. They do many, many things, I have liked, particularly the creativity of their lifts in the 2009 season, for example. Their basic skating skills are excellent, too. I just like them better with the music muted. I respect their dancing very much, but they aren't my favorites to watch.

This is a thread about who you personally watch over and over and really, really like. (Your favorites) not about who are the greatest ever dancers. Many teams I love and watch over are not on anybody's list of the greatest ever. I just like them. A lot. (For example, Engi & Toth and the Kerrs)

Your mileage of course, may and does vary.

But truly, would you ever listen to S'wonderful if Tessa and Scott were not skating to it? It has dreadful lyrics.

And if you look at my list of favorites, they all had some programs that I don't like that much and don't watch over. I didn't like the second coming of the Kerrs Muse program (I liked the first one). I don't watch the Duchesnay's West Side Story or Lonely Goatherd. I don't watch Torvill & Dean's 1985 Diablo Tango. I don't like D&W's Kalinka, nor Phantom enough to watch them for fun a year later.


I wish V&M would skate to more music I am fond of.

Yes, it is shallow of me.
 
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npa

Match Penalty
Joined
Nov 17, 2006
You even didnt see what your problem is. The mst important thisn in ice dance is DACING and SKATING SKILLS, not what MUSIC they used. Sorry, but its look, like i miss something in ice dancing/
And yes, you love another teams, because they never beat D-W.
Its funny how you came in V-M thread and try to show how you love V-M, there programs, but then to read your posts at Golden Skate ;)
Your D-W won WCh, now they will get all 10th at WCh - why you could stop post all this about V-M? Still happy with D-W, turn off TV during V-M skating and left them along.
 
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Joined
Aug 16, 2009
Doris, I'm chuckling at your music sentiments. I'd take you on about "S'Wonderful" only because it's Gershwin, whom I defend at all costs, but I completely understand how music colors your appreciation of a particular program. My personal example is "Roxanne," which I find difficult to take--all that growling and melodrama--though two of my very favorite skaters have done splendid programs to it, YuNa and Takahashi, and I love their programs. Another example for me is the overheated music (along with a voiceover by Martin Luther King, which I prefer to hear in other contexts, not a sports event) used by Anissina/Piezerat at the 2002 Olympics. But I'm so glad they won, and I adore them. They're probably in my top five on my forever list. (No one's vaulting past Klimova and Ponomarenko or Torvill and Dean.) In other words, I agree that it's easier to sink ecstatically into a program when one loves the music.

I hope you can think of other Gershwin tunes (not counting his orchestral stuff--I mean just his songs) that you like! How about "Our Love Is Here to Stay"? Or "Wintergreen for President"? Or "I Got Rhythm"? Or "Summertime"? (Though this last one is cheating a bit, because it comes from his opera.)

I've often joked that I'm only here for the music. This is partly because I mostly understand how music is put together, but for all my years of watching skating, I realize since I've been on GS that I know nothing, nothing about how skating is put together. Most of the stuff you guys notice and talk about is completely new to me. I mean, I knew that certain skaters and teams were among the immortals--like Kurt and Michelle--but I couldn't possibly parse why Meryl and Charlie and Tessa and Scott are so much more splendid than the opposition. To me the music is crucial, though I can certainly appreciate that I'm watching something top-flight when I see a great skater interpreting "Roxanne."
 
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ImaginaryPogue

Record Breaker
Joined
Jun 3, 2009
But truly, would you ever listen to S'wonderful if Tessa and Scott were not skating to it? It has dreadful lyrics.

Yes. I don't mind the lyrics, because the aural shapes of the words are dazzling.

It's definitely interesting how anti-doris V/M have been in music selection. I don't think I have that problem. It's a rare music selection/cut that I find actively repulsive.
 
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