2012 Cup of China Free Dance | Page 4 | Golden Skate

2012 Cup of China Free Dance

clairecloutier

Final Flight
Joined
Aug 27, 2003
Thanks so much Doris for the technical explanations!!

Just from a spectator point of view, this was my first time watching all these free dance programs. Just my initial reactions:

Pechalat/Bourzat. As in the SD, they seemed well trained and sharp. I think this program really works for them. I was a little dubious at first--I'm not a big Stones fan--but it really suits P/B. There is a cool funky vibe to it that they carry off very well. It's funny--there is something inherently sexy about P/B as a team--without them having to work for this quality at all or "sell it" the way other teams do. They just naturally have it, and it's an asset in this program. I can't quite imagine any other team skating to the program (always a good sign that it's working). Technically it seemed more difficult than either B/S or W/P and better skated, except for the twizzles (although Doris I see what you mean about it being "open" whereas D/W's FD in particular had a "closed" feel to it with a lot of waltz holds). My feeling is this FD will not be enough to overtake V/M or D/W, but we'll see I guess.

Bobrova/Soloviev. Surprisingly, I really liked this FD! I've never enjoyed any of B/S's programs before, so that is saying something. It's just sort of interesting and intense, especially the first two-thirds of it. The last section, which I think is to Tosca, felt a lot more typical and less intriguing. I thought they skated it quite well and I could see the improvement everyone's talking about in this FD as opposed to their SD. I still did notice some posture problems and bent-at-the-waist skating (this time more from Oleg than Ekaterina), and I still want Ekaterina's shoulders to be less rounded. However nonetheless I did enjoy this program and thought they deserved silver.

Weaver/Poje. This program is very attractive, and yet somehow it didn't quite work for me. It felt like something was missing. The statue-coming-to-life theme isn't very original or well-sustained throughout the program. Kaitlyn and Andrew delivered it fairly well but I felt a little intensity missing. I also felt like they were skating a little "up," not down in their knees and really carving into the ice. I've had that impression before with W/P and it may simply be due to their height and long lines. The program just feels a bit lackluster after the passionate emotion of "Je Suis Malade."

Chock/Bates. Well I must disagree with some others about this program. I thought it was pretty, but that was all. I just didn't enjoy it as much as others have. Honestly I feel Dr. Zhivago is very hard music to skate to. The romance in the film is truly epic in quality and very few skaters can really carry this off. Chock/Bates didn't do it for me. Also, the program seemed a little bit easy in terms of the footwork--I felt like there was a lot of side-by-side skating, a lot of crossovers. But this is just a spectator's initial impression, and I may be wrong about it.
 

CAS

On the Ice
Joined
Aug 24, 2010
Well Zhulin did say that his goal for BS is really 2018 - I think that that's good because it means that he won't take any short cuts with them that may lead to better results at first but ultimately limit their potential (kind of like Kustarova's method of gaining speed by telling Ekaterina to bend her back more)

Does anyone really believe his goal for B&S is 2018??? He is clearly aiming for a medal in Sochi. I´m just not sure what colour he has in mind.
 

Macassar88

Medalist
Joined
Dec 21, 2011
Does anyone really believe his goal for B&S is 2018??? He is clearly aiming for a medal in Sochi. I´m just not sure what colour he has in mind.

Well I'm not saying that he isn't trying to get them a bronze in Sochi because that is one of their goals. However, I don't think he's delusional enough to expect them to be olympic gold medal contenders until 2018.
 

CAS

On the Ice
Joined
Aug 24, 2010
Well I'm not saying that he isn't trying to get them a bronze in Sochi because that is one of their goals. However, I don't think he's delusional enough to expect them to be olympic gold medal contenders until 2018.

I´d never say gold out loud but I wouldn´t be shocked to see at least one team squeeze in between the two teams everyone thinks has a lock on gold and silver. By saying 2018 is the goal makes a bronze or silver as good as gold.
 

Macassar88

Medalist
Joined
Dec 21, 2011
I´d never say gold out loud but I wouldn´t be shocked to see at least one team squeeze in between the two teams everyone thinks has a lock on gold and silver. By saying 2018 is the goal makes a bronze or silver as good as gold.

I wouldn't be shocked either, but I don't think that it will be Bobrova and Soloviev (I feel like the team that would do it if there was one would be Pechalat and Bourzat). I feel like there is too much ground for them to make up in basically a season and a half. Although I gotta say that I'm a big fan of them and wouldn't mind seeing them and Virtue and Moir going 2 and 1 in Sochi.
 

Macassar88

Medalist
Joined
Dec 21, 2011
Did Kustarova really tell her to do that!?! She should be deprived of her coaching credentials for a year . . .

Well I'm assuming that Kustarova was the one telling Bobrova to bend her back. I've noticed similar posture issues in K's other dancers.
 

Mattieu

Medalist
Joined
Dec 22, 2010
Did Kustarova really tell her to do that!?! She should be deprived of her coaching credentials for a year . . .

She does indeed tell her skaters to lean forward to gain speed and 'get into the ice', and doesn't say anything when their butt is sticking out as a consequence.
(from a reliable source, as Kustarova did a stage with French junior skaters a year or so ago)
 
Last edited:

Sea Shells

Spectator
Joined
Jan 28, 2012
From their ISU bio, their FD is to "Humanity in Motion" by Nathan Lanier. Their coaching team is



S. Bourne is Shae Lynn Bourne

Both were coached by Paul McIntosh, prior to Andrew & Kaitlyn moving to their current coaches. Kaitlyn was coached by Matthew Gates when she skated in the US with Charles Clavey.
Kaitlyn & Andrew's bio
http://www.isuresults.com/bios/isufs00009841.htm
Kaitlyn & Charles Clavey's bio
http://www.isuresults.com/bios/isufs00008770.htm

Andrew was coached by Paul Macintosh when skating with his former partners in Canada, Alexandra Nino and Alice Graham.

Thank you very much. I can see Shae Lynn's handiwork. Not heard of the music tho'. Most enjoyable.
 

WeakAnkles

Record Breaker
Joined
Aug 1, 2011
Actually, I think B/S's new FD has a good deal of potential. It's certainly a massive improvement over the Bent Crone Dance of last season. The main problem I have with it is that it doesn't really resolve itself as well as I think it can. The entire Tosca section takes the intense sturm & drang of the first 2/3rds and pushes it into melodrama. That final pose in particular is just bordering on 20s silent film "emoting." Why not end with a reversal of the starting position, which would signify the change in the couple without teetering over into melodrama? Still, it is a massive improvement over last season, and should make for an interesting second half of the season.
 

dcr

Rinkside
Joined
Feb 17, 2010
Thanks so much for taking the time to provide information on the levels and rationale behind the marks. What you say makes sense and I appreciate the fact that you make it easy to understand. I am very excited to be going to Worlds in March and would like to soak up as much knowledge as possible. I find this forum so informative...thanks everyone!
 

gmyers

Record Breaker
Joined
Mar 6, 2010
I was confused over Oleg but than I remembered it's dimitri! But had to look it up but was sure Oleg didn't seem right.
 
Top