But Usova/Zhulin.... They're the rare ice dance team that you can't see a single ugly movement. Seriously - stop a youtube video and try to see if the image they create is ugly. Hint... it's not. Very few teams have that ability. Virtue/Moir. Klimova/Ponamarenko. It's so rare and so awesome to see two dancers so in tune with one another their bodies practically melt together .
That's one thing I noticed right away watching youtube clips of Usova & Zhulin's routines, especially in their Four Seasons free dance. One thing about Zhulin, he's one of the few male skating partners, along with Christopher Dean, Artur Dmitriev and John Zimmerman that really grabs your attention more than their female partners. Maya Usova had an lovely on ice presence, her lines and extensions are exquisite, but I always find my eyes focusing on Zhulin, and it has (almost nothing) to do with the tights.
Earlier, I mentioned that I would have liked to have seen G&P revisit this music in 1996, 1997, 1998, when they were at their peak, but looking back at their performance, what made it so powerful was rawness of it. That same rawness and edgyness may not have been present when a more polished G&P skated.
What do you think of Usova & Zhulin's 1994 Free Dance? Stylistically, it is a departure from all of their previous free dances.
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