Maia Shibutani & Alex Shibutani

New vlog https://youtu.be/tYOOJsbXY8s?t=215
70 HOURS IN JUNE! - ShibSibs (Vlog #47)

Monitoring, VidCon, Olympic Day, costume fittings and working on their music.

Maia looks great with the new dress . I always wanted them to show something of how they design their costumes :yes:.

There's fancam from Golden Moment!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HKTxgXYbu_Y - That's Life

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2xGhX03ejOk - Opening number

I think the person who uploaded this has most of the show on their channel, if you want to check them out

Rostelecom is next week , finally the season will begin for me .

The schedule is here http://www.isuresults.com/schedules/gprus2017_ColouredTimeSchedule.pdf , I guess the practice is thursday 19th 12:00 pm, and the competition (short dance) is friday 20th 16:00h, Free dance saturday 21th 15:45h Moscow time.

USA east time:

Practice thursday 19th 05:00am
Friday SD 20th 09:00am
Saturday FD 21th 08:45am
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And they just broke 40,000 subscribers on their youtube channel!! https://www.instagram.com/p/BaDAHZwhS97/?taken-by=shibsibs

They have a contest for their new banner.

New vlog from the Shibs. 140 hours in June:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=89QuQ0xDUtM

We get a good chunk of their SD music here at around 4:38. It sounds like a modern but faithful production of "Cherezo Rosa" aka "Cherry Pink, Apple Blossom White". So it seems like that and "Mambo No. 5" will make up their SD.

I'm getting excited! I like they are doing modern but with actual Latin music. I hope the final product will be amazing!

Mrs. P said:

I'm getting excited! I like they are doing modern but with actual Latin music. I hope the final product will be amazing!

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for me - another example of smart thinking from them: not to force themselves into full 'traditional Latin', 'ballroom Latin' aesthetics, but to adapt it to their own way of expressing themselves in Ice Dance. Enough space to present more than just dance - to add the attitude, interpretation, some personality; the music should be a good platform to show off their sleekness, crispness in movement they have in general and the ability to play on traditional-modern sides of dance, musical interpretation (meshing this 'Cherezo Rosa' translation with 'Mambo no.5').

They now take something from both worlds and make it their own. I have no doubt that work with professional ballroom dancers, especially Jenna Johnson who has both technique and performance abilities on point, will pay off and be visible big time in Maia and Alex's work presented next week.

Looking forward with excitement

Chris Martin is wearing the beanie that Maia and Alex gave them some weeks ago, so sweet.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BaO_J3TFi3D/?taken-by=maiashibutani

Ralph Lauren definitely made a good decision choosing to Maia and Alex.

Their information was updated:

SD: Mambo: Mambo No. 5 by Perez Prado, Cha Cha: Cherry Pink And Apple Blossom White by Perez Prado, Samba: Mambo Jambo/Mambo No. 8 by Perez Prado5";
choreo by M Zueva, M. Scali, R. Roca, S. Lambiel

FD: "Paradise" by Coldplay;
choreo by M Zueva, M. Scali, R. Roca, S. Lambiel

I am really happy about Mambo Jambo and Mambo n. 8, but I am not sure about ONLY Paradise for FD, I was hoping they would add Sky full of stars, well, let's hope Ryan has made the necessary arrangements.

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They leave to Russia today!!! :hpull:

One thing is for sure. Coldplay and Paradise is NOTHING like Moonlight Sonata or Moulin Rouge, LOL.

Both programs sound super high energy, which sounds wonderful for an Olympic year. I can't wait to see them. I am nervous for them. I'm not the superstitious type, but having to face Bobrova/Soloviev at home in Russia after getting a world bronze medal that could have gone to some other team is giving me all sorts of 2011 COC/2012 RC vibes...I hope they will make way better memories this time around.

I can't wait to see them in action, especially for the FD! Good luck Shibs

chapis said:

Their information was updated:

SD: Mambo: Mambo No. 5 by Perez Prado, Cha Cha: Cherry Pink And Apple Blossom White by Perez Prado, Samba: Mambo Jambo/Mambo No. 8 by Perez Prado5";
choreo by M Zueva, M. Scali, R. Roca, S. Lambiel

FD: "Paradise" by Coldplay;
choreo by M Zueva, M. Scali, R. Roca, S. Lambiel

I am really happy about Mambo Jambo and Mambo n. 8, but I am not sure about ONLY Paradise for FD, I was hoping they would add Sky full of stars, well, let's hope Ryan has made the necessary arrangements.

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They leave to Russia today!!! :hpull:

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as for 'Paradise' only FD - looking back at 'Fix You' FD, it ended with 'The Scientist' instrumental version part included, I think that Ryan and Maia/Alex themselves made sure to achieve something multi-dimensional in terms of sound, mixing and musical effect. Actually, I'm even more excited about 'Paradise' than 'Fix You' one to be honest - I am not a music/sound mixing expert, but I do feel that piano part in 'Paradise' could be for example extended to make up for a nice intro into the dance and blossom into 'general' part of the program. the song itself for me gives nice high/low balance instrumentally I feel, which could make a balanced, effective program for Maia and Alex.

Myself, if I had to choose a song to mix 'Paradise' with, it would be definitely 'Viva La Vida' - I think that strings in 'Viva La Vida' would go quite well with 'Paradise' piano, both songs are very energetic, uplifting, with great message in them; they somehow for me make up for modern, pop manifests of dreaming and living up that dream, encouraging to do so. Shibutanis I feel embody this kind of message in the best way possible - their last 2 seasons proved that they really focused on living up THEIR dream and vision of Ice Dance than someone else's one. I admire and respect their point of view to take on pop songs - but quite universal ones - and make it as a part of their Ice Dance journey competitively. the program sure will stand out and with their 'new confidence' and individual approach towards programs, I have no doubt they will back it up beautifully and convincingly; it will be just up to people to TRY go outside of their prejudices, convictions and personal expectations to see the effort and beauty in what Shibutanis do. I try my best to allow teams to be themselves and understand their path, it's much easier to appreciate each of them then

I actually think that their SD could make a huge difference and I'm looking forward to that shake; the big power and advantage of Shibutanis is their sleek, streamline, sharp technique which is very adaptable in various styles and rhythms - adding to that this individuality in approach towards packaging: music, mixing sound, costuming, expression, choreography details, it makes a stunning, impactful wholesome for me in regards to their SD. I think that their Latin SD will actually succeed a lot because of the fact that it will convey the universal feel of joy, festive atmosphere, vibe of Latin music through modernized music arrangement and sleek execution - it will be nothing of 'Latin cliché', 'Latin romance', 'Latin seduction', full of meaningless poses or gestures, it's just not them: they do it in a smart way, because they are taking the approach towards rhythms/conventions that is reflection of their own perspective.

Mrs. P said:

One thing is for sure. Coldplay and Paradise is NOTHING like Moonlight Sonata or Moulin Rouge, LOL.

Both programs sound super high energy, which sounds wonderful for an Olympic year. I can't wait to see them. I am nervous for them. I'm not the superstitious type, but having to face Bobrova/Soloviev at home in Russia after getting a world bronze medal that could have gone to some other team is giving me all sorts of 2011 COC/2012 RC vibes...I hope they will make way better memories this time around.

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, as for the facing Ekaterina/Dmitri on their ground - it's more on judges' hands, I do not really want to tarnish the excitement of Shibutanis' debut with this one, at least for now; I'm making myself more focused on how Shibutanis will do on their own: how programs will look like/resonate within audience, what will be their scores/levels, what points/areas they should work on...I try to convince myself that the result, this face-to-face competition with Russian team is not the most important thing - I think that the most important is to present both programs with conviction and confidence and see what will be the reception of them. I trust that they put a huge amount of work, dedication not only to this 'usual' training part, but also to the whole packaging thing; I feel like this is quite personal thing for them and I trust their guts to go for what they want (maybe I'm too much of optimist, but I try to make it up for being so pessimistic about singles)

Icenetwork article about their new programs and why they did not do Challenger comp this season
http://web.icenetwork.com/news/2017/10/18/258922394

some parts that I found interesting:

"We connect to those lyrics so well," Alex said. "Maia started skating first; it was her dream. Then it became both of our dreams, something we could do together. And if you've followed our career, you know things flew away from our reach at a point. There were trials and tribulations and gut-check moments where you have to continue to dream."
"The song is something we feel in a layered, personal way," Maia said. "It's allowed us to find new ways to share who we are as people. To reach the point we're at, it wouldn't have been possible if we didn't believe in ourselves."

"You know, in skating, you hire someone to do choreography, or you pay someone to create with you," Alex said. "We've been very lucky and really grateful that the relationships that have started out as purely business have turned into really valuable friendships. I think that's what helps our work quality."
Coaches Marina Zoueva and Massimo Scali remain the primary choreographers, with collaboration from Alex and Maia.

"I don't know very many coaches that are open to working the way Marina does with us," Alex said. "That's the strength of our relationship for 10 years. She loves us, and she wants the best for us. Anyone who can help us along the way is good with her."

"We did Latin (in the 2011-12 season), but the choreography is so much more exciting this time around," Maia said. "We've realized how much stronger a team we are, and we are able to get into details we weren't even thinking of the last time around."

Agreed! I am optimistic for Maia and Alex BUT there seemed to be an allegiance with Bobrova/Soliev last year with some judges that seemed to me to go beyond what they produced on the ice. It would be a huge step backwards for ice dance judges to reward overly dramatic facial expressions and flailing arms as signs of superior skills. In fairness, I have not seen this year's program of B/S so we'll see what that's like before presuming that they are being over-marked.

slider11 said:

Agreed! I am optimistic for Maia and Alex BUT there seemed to be an allegiance with Bobrova/Soliev last year with some judges that seemed to me to go beyond what they produced on the ice. It would be a huge step backwards for ice dance judges to reward overly dramatic facial expressions and flailing arms as signs of superior skills. In fairness, I have not seen this year's program of B/S so we'll see what that's like before presuming that they are being over-marked.

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I like their FD but I think Maia and Alex are perfectly capable to beat them.

I think they have a pretty big chance to win SA, so even if the judges do mark B/S ahead of them (which I had on my predictions just because of politics) then they'll still have a rather large chance for the final. Personally, I hope they put their eggs not into the GP but into the GPF, Nationals, and the Olympics. (And possibly Worlds).

Maia has just tweeted a photo from Moscow. Maia and Alex have improved so much in the previous seasons and they will not miss a podium spot at the GP Series.

https://twitter.com/MaiaShibutani/status/920716649426292750

I am so happy for them after reading the latest Ice Network article! They have come such a long way in their career and have become truly invested in their programs. They are in a wonderful place where they have gained perspective. I am so looking forward to these programs just from reading what Maia and Alex say about them. I got chills reading the article. Best of luck to the Shibs in Russia!

And what a beautiful picture Maia posted today! :yes:

Maia's blog for Team USA:

https://www.teamusa.org/News/2017/O....eative-Process

It's a long one, which I appreciated. She talks a lot about their programs here and goes into detail about their competitive history. Their "Paradise" FD will also feature Korean artist and BGA member, Jun Curry Anh who is also known for his violin covers of popular songs.

Regarding Rostelecom Cup, I liked Maia's thoughts on it here:

I only realized it as I was writing this blog, but competing in Moscow for our third time has special meaning. Our first time here was when we medaled at our first world championships in 2011. Expectations following that result were definitely high and hopeful. The second time we competed in Moscow was in 2013. At that point, things were already flying away from our reach. We were young and hadn’t developed our own point of view. Alex and I didn’t really connect to either program we were competing at the time. Both program ideas had been suggested to us by others. That competition was the only time in our seven years of competing on the grand prix series (14 competitions in total) that we didn’t medal. Our sense of self wasn’t entirely tied to our competitive results, but the thing that was most challenging for us was that we didn’t truly feel ownership of what we were doing.

Heading into this weekend, I can reflect and know that we have grown so much. This free dance has layers of connection that go at least four or five layers deeper than what I have explained. Creating a program like this has been challenging, but those challenges have led to special and important breakthroughs. We are committed and connected to every moment of our programs. This off-season, Alex and I have worked the hardest we ever have, and we are in the best shape of our lives. I feel really ready! This year, our goal is to do the best that we can do and the best that we have ever have.

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^ thank You all for articles/photos/updates posted!

I think that the most important thing that pops out for me now, based even on what Maia said in her blog post, is that now there's this feeling about their work of 'being on their own', doing things they truly want to do and they want to take the ownership for. For me, they really went a long, sometimes very difficult road to this discovery, that there could be identity behind this façade - they became great performers, engaged ones from executors of stuff; I think that last two seasons, this risk they've taken about making their stuff more 'personalized', going into certain direction instead of cosy mainstream, were eye-opening not only for audiences, but mostly for them. This professional - and personal - journey helped them to find right balance and centre of all things, then allowing them to spread wings and express themselves freely in various areas.

It starts today, I'm excited beyond means to see how their programs will look like, I'm at work, so I'll have to re-watch practice from today