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.
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.