JGP Chemnitz 2012 Ice Dance Preview

I don't see how Stepanova & Bukin RUS can lose this event. The question is who will earn the other two medals. The next highest finishers here (from previous events) are Bruser & Lum CAN and Morosova & Zhirnov RUS, who each finished fourth in their events. Howeer, Hawayek and Baker earned a score about 17 points higher than either of them to place fifth in their event. In fact, the ninth place couple at JGP Bosphorus, Demirsal & Akalin, TUR, earned approximately the same score, about 111 points, at their previous event. as did Bruser & Lum and Morozov and Zhirnov. It will be interesting to see how this shakes out, and as always, how the blues pattern dance is called will make a huge difference in scores.


Alexandra Stepanova & Ivan Bukin RUS
SD Blues; Swing
FD Bolero, a new arrangement.
Their coaches are Alexander Svinin & Irina Zhuk. Their choreographers are Irina Zhuk & Igor Pivorovich. Alexandra is 17. Ivan just turned 19. They have skated together siuce 2006. Ivan's father is the famous ice dancer Andrei Bukin, who with his partner, Natalia Bestemaniova, won the 1988 Olympic gold medal, and four successive World championships from 1985 to 1988. Ivan is the former partner of Elena Illinykh.
Their personal best score of 149.98 was achieved last year at the ISU JGP Trofeo W. Lombardi. They placed second at Russian Junior Nationals last year. They placed second at Junior Worlds, and third at the Junior Grand Prix Final. They are the overwhelming favorites at this competition.
Their very nice SD from the recent Russian Test Skate:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ejm6nUyjrbQ
Alexandra & Ivan recently won the gold medal at JGP Bosphorus with a score of 147.73
Their Short dance from JGP Bosphorus
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TN6fPL6sdcU&feature=plcp
Their Free dance from JGP Bosphorus
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y7ox4fJvnsc&feature=plcp


Kaitlyn Hawayak & Jean-Luc Baker USA
SD Blues: Minnie the Moocher performed by Big Bad Voodoo Daddy; Swing: Gimme Some Rhythm Daddy performed by The Brian Setzer Orchestra
FD Singing in the Rain (soundtrack) by Nacio Herb Brown and Arthur Freed
Kaitlin is 15, nearly 16. Jean-Luc is almost 19. Their current coaches are Camerlengo, Krylova, Scali, Annenko-Deller & Elizabeth Punsalan. Their choreographers are Camerlengo & Krylova. Jean-Luc skated with Joylyn Yang previously. Joylyn was severely injured and retired from skating. Kaitlin formerly skated with Michael Bramante. This is a new pairing. Kaitlin & Jean-Luc skated at the Lake Placid IDC competition this summer, where they won their section in the short dance with a score of 51.21. Of the three sections, Hawayek and Baker scored less only than Aldridge & Eaton, and that by less than two points. The field included Edwards & Pang and Macnamara & Carpenter, two teams that will also compete here in Turkey. They also won their section of the Free Dance, giving them a total score for the event of 66.85+51.21 = 118.06. I would not be at all surprised to see them in the top six here.
Here is a photo from their free dance at Lake Placid:
http://photography.ice-dance.com/2012-13/12LPIDC/Jr/FDA/12LPIDC-JrFDA-1473-HB-DB.jpg.php
They skated at JGP Bosphorus, finishing fifth with a score of 127.99, their personal best now.
Their short dance from JGP Bosphorus
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fsUG3gUK3Vw&feature=plcp
Their free dance from JGP Bosphorus
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ara9PIQW8tc&feature=plcp



Daria Morozova & Mikhail Zhirnov RUS
SD Swing ; Blues
FD Tristan and Isolde
Daria & Mikhail are coached by the team of Svinin & Zhuk. Their choreographer is Alena Samarskaia. Daria is 15; Mikhail is 17.
Their personal best was 114.29, scored at the JGP Volvo Cup last year, where they finished 5th. They won the Month Blanc Trophy last year.

Their FD from Russian Junior Nationals in 2012
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=28N8Mjn2f8I
They skated at Lake Placid JGP, finishing fourth with a score of 111.49.
Their SD from JGP Lake Placid
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RqM0Fc31EKI&feature=plcp
Their free dance from JGP Lake Placid
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fDPG1D_1lWM&feature=plcp


Cagla Demirsal & Berk Akalin TUR
Their ISU biographies have yet been updated this year.
Cagla and Berk are both 17. They train with Natalia Dubova & Oleg Voiko in Stamford, CT, USA. Dubova & Voiko are also their choreographers.
They finished eighteenth at the World Junior Championships last year, where they achieved their personal best score of 101.23. They are the Turkish senior champions in dance.. They also place third in the 2011 Istanbul Cup.
Their amusing FD at last year's Junior World Championships, skated to The Flight of the Bumblebee
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DnqbQmo2v0U
They skated at JGP Bosphorus, placing ninth with a score of 111.30.
Their short dance from JGP Bosphorus
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eJRd8m4ZvG8&feature=plcp
Their free dance from JGP Bosphorus
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cbdqmxyqixg&feature=plcp



Noa Bruser & Timothy Lum CAN
SD Big and Bad by Big Bad Voodoo Daddy; Save My Soul by Big Bad Voodoo Daddy
FD Jack Sparrow theme (from Pirates of the Caribbean soundtrack) by Hans Zimmer; Moonlight Serenade by Klaus Badelt; He's a Pirate (from Pirates of the Caribbean soundtrack) by Hans Zimmer
Noa is 14; Timothy is 17.
Their coach/choreographer team is Megan Wing & Aaron Lowe.
They placed third in Juniors at Canadian Nationals
Their highest international score was 115.56 at Baltic Cup, where they placed 6th.
They recently won the SD for their section at LPIDC with a score of 46.38, but finished 4th in the FD with a score o f 65.74..
They finished fifth at JGP Lake Placid IDC.
Their SD from Lake Placid IDC
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4QcA-H3MPgU
Their FD from Lake Placid IDC
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c_Ki0liDirE
They competed at JGP Lake Placid, and finished fifth with a score of 110.67
Their Short Dance at JGP Lake Placid (They had the disadvantage of skating first).
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4QcA-H3MPgU&feature=plcp
Their Free Dance at JGP Lake Placid
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c_Ki0liDirE&feature=plcp




Mariève Cyr & Benjamin Brisebois Gaudreau CAN
SD Blues; Come to Me by Koop
FD partially to Beethoven's Fifth Symphony
Mariève and Benjamin do not yet have an ISU biography.
Their coaches are Élise Hamel, & Shawn Winter. Their choreographer is Shae Zukiwsky.
Mariève is 17; Benjamin just turned 21.
Their best total score for the 2010-2011 season was 114.61, at the Québec Summer Championships
Cyr & Brisebois Gaudreau teamed up in 2010.
Cyr has competed in all three disciplines. She competed at the novice level at 2010 and 2011 Québec Sectionals, and she competed in pairs until 2010. She won the 2009 novice silver medal in pairs with Jean-Marie Dessureault-Yesilada.
Brisebois Gaudreau previously skated with Catherine Alarie, winning a Canadian novice bronze medal with her in 2009.
A photo from the Minto Summer Skate 2012, where they finished seventh in the SD with a score of 44.26, and third in the FD with a score of 63.90.
http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_mafv6aTk6j1r5ashao1_500.jpg
They also competed at Thornhill Summer skate, finishing fifth in the FD with a score of 62.12. They did not compete in the SD at Thornhill.
And they competed at the Quebec Summer Championships, scoring 47.67 in the SD and second in the FD with a score of 71.68, within a point of Meng & Meng.
A photo
http://www.ice-dance.com/events-res...ories/photos/junior/cyr-briseboisgaudreau.jpg
Their free dance from Canadian Nationals 2012, where they finished eighth in juniors with a score of 107.12
http://www.ustream.tv/recorded/19871192
Their SD from Quebec Summer Championships 2012
http://www.ustream.tv/recorded/25794840
Their FD from Quebec Summer Championships 2012
http://www.ustream.tv/recorded/25821916
They will make their JGP debut here.



Anastasia Chiriyatyeva & Sergei Shevchenko UKR
SD Blues: Save My Soul by Big Bad Voodoo Daddy; Hip Hop: Ants by eDit
FD Tore My FD Heart by Oona; Otros Aires; Tore My Heart by Oona
This is a new pairing. Sergei formerly skated with Xenia Chepizhko. They are coached by Irina Voroninskaia, and their choreographer is Nadezhda Krasniak. Anastasia is 19; Sergei is 21.
Here's Sergei's FD with his previous partner on at last year's JGP at Sheffield, England.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sXwYeNEzc2k
They skated at JGP Bosphorus, placing thirteenth with a score of 95.11
Their short dance at JGP Bosphorus
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y2Am9R8n2ro&feature=plcp
Their free dance at JGP Bosphorus
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uUcp-z10yuM&feature=plcp




Myriam Gassoumi & Clément Le Molaire FRA
Myriam & Clément have never filed an ISU biography, despite having been international competitors since at least 2008. She is 18; he is 17. Their best total score to date of 96.89 was achieved at Baltic Cup in 2010. They recently finished ninth in Juniors at the International Ice Dance Trophy Lyon. Last year they placed third at the French National Championships in Juniors.
Here is their SD from Trophy Lyon 2012
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aJesnS0wIzs
They skated at JGP Bosphorus where they finished fourteenth with a score of 94.65
Their short dance from JGP Bosphorus
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9qlpIJd_WZA&feature=plcp
Their free dance from JGP Bosphorus
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GwdOtuXIqO4&feature=plcp



Jana Cejkova & Alexandr Sinicyn CZE
SP Blues; Hiphop
FD Libertango; Sahara; Tanguera
The couple is coached by Sinicyn's parents, Natalia Karamysheva and Rostislav Sinicyn, who competed at the international level for the Soviet Union. Both are 16 years old.
Their best score was at the Youth Olympic Games 2012, where they finished seventh and scored 92.72 points.
They are currently the junior champions of Czech Republic.
Alexandr skating with a previous partner, Jana Bryndová, in 2009
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YVUMCmVRHNM
Their short dance from last year
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ccsJJC7urE&playnext=1&list=PL91B1ACD04DF7C04D&feature=results_main
Their free dance from last year
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zQFFkiZjpBs&playnext=1&list=PLB14BCD7AF8829FCE&feature=results_main



Viola Zahklyupana & Jeremy Flemin FRA 5
SD Blues; Swing
FD
This is a couple that ws recently formed. They do not have an ISU biography, as yet.
They competed in their first JGP event at JGP Sencila-Bled, where they finished fourteenth with a score of 89.34.
Last year Jeremy skated on the JGP with his sister Jessica. Last year's SD
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nnOmpvdqVDY
Their SD at JGP Sencila-Bled
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v2s2nH1TWOE
Their FD at JGP Sencila-Bled
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IWaJug5xbjo



Ria Schiffner & Julian Salatzki GER
SD Blues: Stop and Stare by The Baseballs; Swing: Big and Bad by Big Bad Voodoo Daddy
FD Prayer in the Night by Amici Forever
They placed fourth in juniors at the last German Nationals.
Ria is 16, Julian is 18. Their coaches are Christina Beier & Vladimir Tsvetkov. Their choreographer is John Kerr.
Salatzki skated pairs with his sister Karolin before switching to ice dance.
Their personal best score was earned last year at 2011, 84.23.
They competed at JGP Sencila-Bled, placing thirteenth and scoring 96.04, a new personal best.
Their short dance from JGP Sencila-Bled
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CbnLZgPfpZE
Their free dance from JGP Sencila-Bled
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n-j0xHtSXMo


Eugenia Tkachenka & Yuri Gulitski BLR
Their ISU biography has not been updated this year.
Their coach is Tatiana Beliaeva, and their Choreographer is Volha Fomenko.
Eugenia is 14 and Yuri is 16.
Their best ever score was in the Youth Olympic Games 2012 where they finished tenth with a score of 74.56
They placed fifth in seniors at their last national championships.
They recently finished fourth at Ice Star Minsk.
They skated at Sencila-Bled and scored their personal best of 82.31, finishing sixteenth.
Their short dance at JGP Sencila-Bled
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o3vZFnfJu88&feature=plcp
Their free dance at JGP Sencila Bled
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jojno-rUemA&feature=plcp

Lisa Enderlein & Hendrik Hilpert GER
This couple does not have an ISU biography as yet.
They skated at NRW Trophy last year. A video is here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0tjzn0IIsBw
They were sixth at the last German National championships in Juniors with a score of 94.29
and tenth at the Pavel Roman Memorial in 2011.


Viviane Roscher & Kevin Gassner GER
This couple has been competing internationally since the 2010 season, but has not filed an ISU biography. A list of the results of their competitions is given below.
2011 Junior Santa Claus Cup 15 11 11 (95.55)
2011 Junior Pavel Roman Memorial 12 13 13 (92.11)
2011 Junior Bavarian Open 9 6 8 (91.12)
2011 German Junior National Championships 9 8 9 (75.50)
2010 Junior Santa Claus Cup 6 7 7 (86.80)
They were eleventh in Juniors at the 2011 German Championships.
A video of their short dance at NRW Trophy in 2011
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ftcx2f9VhhI




Victoria-Laura Lohmus & Andrei Davodov EST
Coach: Sergei Sychiov, Anna Mosenkova Choreographer: Anna Mosenkova, Sergei Sychiov

SD Blues: Perry Mason Theme; Swing: Jumpin' Jack
FD Hi de Ho (from the Mask soundtrack); This Business of Love (from the Mask soundtrack); Hey Pachuco (from the Mask soundtrack)
Best total score 70.78 at Youth Olympic Games.
JGP Baltic FD (They debuted on the JGP last year.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7eZldINC6bg
They skated at JGP Courchevel, where they finished eleventh with a score of 64.28
Their short dance from JGP Courchevel
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cieXail3_kM&feature=plcp
Their free dance from JGP Courchevel
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=suPmo5joeQY&feature=plcp

We have yet another assortment of well-balanced tech and judging panels. TC is RUS; there are only 8 judges of which 3 are from former SSRs and 2 are from Eastern Europe.

So what else is new?

Thanks Doris!

The SD is tomorrow (Saturday)
early. very early EDT