Bestemianova is one of the great acting masters of ice dance. I still get gooseflesh when I remember the Rasputin program they did as pro skaters. He played Rasputin, and she played the young Tsarevitch, Alexei. There was one moment when she looked up at him in fright and tried to smile ingratiatingly...I thought, this lady could teach film stars how to convey realistic emotion.
By and large, I could take B/B's rather avant-garde approach only in small doses, but like Rahkamo/Kokko, they added individuality and innovation to ice dancing (along with purity of technique), and I was very glad they were around. I'm more a romantic (in the sense of the Romantic era of music) by nature, but I also value diversity. I also liked that Natalia wasn't candy-floss pretty--she had such an individual look, glamorous in its own uncompromising way.
I agree with you Olympia, and thank you for your great drafting.
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