Ice Dance - short dance

[emma]

just got home....and I'm hating that I'm missing worlds, but thank you all for your pbps and commentary.

[ImaginaryPogue]

YOu know what my fear is: that next year, when they're more likely to win bronze due to favoritism or whatever, W/P have a dance that I enjoy less than "Je Suis Malade." I'll be fine with them missing the podium here if they deserve to make it next year (and if their polka and FD match what they've done this year). Otherwise I'll feel a little let down.

[CassAgain]

P and B have been and remain my favorites in the short dance round. The program is tourists in Brazil who go from drinking cocktails to getting drawn into carnival, yeah? This is relatable and gets around being not having the most obvious proclivities in Latin dance. A+

[Sevice]

Some other thoughts:
- I am so over slowing down songs to fit the program/tempo/whatever. It never looks or sounds good.
- 3 music cuts in one program is more than necessary *cough*Igor*cough*
- I can't help but notice how much better constructed Krylova/Carmelengo's programs are than Shpilband/Zoueva's. They actually use the music - shocking, I know. All their teams had far better Latin expression than S/Z's team, and that can't be a coincidence.

Agree: The music is what kills D/W's program for me, specifically on the rhumba patterns: the tempo is reduced and some sequences are repeated twice in a row to strech it to the end of the rhumba sequence. It just sounds terrible. I really like the choice of P/B to use a continuous piece of music.

[chuckm]

The three Russian ladies' costumes would be very appropriate for a coven gathering.

BTW, I despise "Je Suis Malade". That song literally makes me ill.

[blainechan]

P/B was overmarked. W/P should have been 3rd. P/B was slow on the twizzle, and out of synch, the unison was way off. Yup, home ice advantage for sure.

[Whitneyskates]

Yup, home ice advantage for sure.

Which is why just thinking about 2013 terrifies me

[blainechan]

Which is why just thinking about 2013 terrifies me

We don't know 2013, so your guessing is premature. But we just saw what happened today. CBC had P/B's twizzle in slow-mo, and they were way off, not even close! Either the judges didn't see the slow-mo or decided to ignore that P/B did a bad twizzle.

[ImaginaryPogue]

Judges don't have slow-mo, as I understand it, just the tech panel.

[gioccia]

V/M deserve to be in the lead. For D/W were overmarked, there is no way they were 4 points better that W/P who I think are hard done by to be back in 4th. Enjoyed P/B, it had a real sense of fun to it.

I would have it
V/M (clear lead)
W/P (my favourite of the night)
P/B (real party feel)
D/W (overmarked, but I thought they expected much higher)

Was very impressed with I/K for the first 2/3rd of the dance and then it petered out, they really catch your attention starting of. Enjoyed C/L but again I think they performed this better the first time I seen it but they were better than in Euros. Dissapointed for B/S was really enjoying their dance till the fall and then they seemed to lose it, they were hit a bit on the levels. I would have had R/T above them. I/K can really lay claim to the Russian No.1 spot if they skate well in the free. There is no way the Shibs PCS should be up with C/L and I/K, they had a really cold and distant performance there was no latin spirit.

I completely agree with you. VM are better both technically and artistically. When you perform well and add some little tricks so that people can't take their eyes of you - I think that adds as GOE to the elements. What's for the WP, I did like them, but, don't get me wrong, I can't say they are a beautiful couple, she is not that pretty (or she should work with smb to change her look), you know. And in figure skating THAT counts as well. That's why IK got better PCS, IMO. I wouldn't like talking about the conspiracy "Can over US". My favourites today are VM, CL, IK. I like Krylova's choreo, I don't like the way the dress and put make up on them and it ruins impression.

[NorthernDancers]

On second look on my PVR on a tv instead of a corner of my computer screen:

Shibs: this made me smile. They are sweet wonderful kids who are anything but rhumba. They are technically sound, but not even close on the second mark. This is the right position. I expect they will do better with polka next year.

C/L: such tidy feet and beautiful Latin flavour. I think they should have been 5th. I think I figured out what is missing... She needs to open up and relax her shoulders and chest. You can see the difference in how he moves vs she. Below the waist is awesome. Above the waist needs some more off-ice dance. But big improvements this year.

I/K: they are growing on me, but I felt they were over-scored. They just had too many little errors for my liking to be in 5th. He has improved a great deal this year. She is really hot. And can they please find some original music? Until they can skate like Scott and Tessa, they should avoid drawing comparisons for their own good.

W/P: still awesome the second time today. They rightfully belong in 3rd. Just amazing energy and flavour.

P/B: huge props for skating on a broken nose. But let's be real here...this was hometown cooking. I've been watching these 2 for a few years, and find them inventive and interesting. But this did not have the sensual sultryness of rhumba. It was fun without the Latin sexual tension (see C/L, I/K, W/P and V/M). It lacked the energy and tight quality of W/P. Badly overscored.

D/W: um...not their best skate. They looked tight and nervous. And Latin isn't their thing. They looked frantic, and their rhumbas were off. On second look, I think they do deserve 2nd, although I do think they were overscored. Their twizzles were really fast and very in sync, as was their step sequence. But W/P are awfully close.

V/M: in a league of their own. Complexity, ease, hotness, exceptional quality elements, real Latin flavour. It was fantastic for both of them, and they deserve their position. It could have been even higher. It says a lot when high level skaters and coaches have nothing but good things to say about their skating.

[Becki]

The three Russian ladies' costumes would be very appropriate for a coven gathering.

BTW, I despise "Je Suis Malade". That song literally makes me ill.

I love "Je Suis Malade", the song makes me happy

[gioccia]

I don't agree about IK's misic choice, I think their HIP HIP was better than VM's. But I have to admit that during the second part part of the program they were concentrated. Zhulin said that VM were better than any pair, PB should be close to DW (that's what happened), he found errors in DW's skating. IMO there's a huge difference in VM' and DW's performances. There's some attitude, chemistry in VM, DW are just good skaters, I like their FD, though. It suits them.

[ImaginaryPogue]

From the National Post

“I wouldn’t say the word was frustration, but with the levels and stuff, we really don’t understand why we didn’t get the levels,” said Moir, “why we’re not getting the Choctaws . . . we work every day on that in practice, we must be missing something, but it’s a really finicky thing.

“But that’s dance. You gotta come here and skate, that’s the best thing about the new system, you can’t just show up and kind of muck through the steps any more.”

“We weren’t terribly pleased with our marks, but it’s our job to focus on what we’re in control of, so we’re moving on to tomorrow,” said Davis.

“We felt a little bit more confident than the marks that we got,” said White, a blond-maned head-tosser nearly in the class of 2002 French Olympic champion Gwendal Peizerat, who’s been around this week.

“We really felt we were hitting those Choctaws — of course we’ll definitely want to find out — but it’s not going to help us now. Moving forward, we just want to bring that energy level we had in the short dance to the free dance, and just sell it.”

[gioccia]

Is it true that CL are joining the Shp/Zue group?