bravo Doris! One can tell that you love dance and I aplaude that.
Every year, Ice Dance just keeps slipping more and more from my grasp. I'm amazed with your detailed reportage, but know that I could never give that kind of effort to it as I just don't care. Singles and pairs, yes. Ice Dance? I tried to watch both the CD and OD, but got horribly bored both times and left the room. I went to the FD at Euros, but almost gauged my own eyes out from boredom and frustration.
They have great facial expression!
N/K's skating just not my cup of tea. They have too much facial expression. Too distract. I like Bulg. couple much better.
Originally posted by DORISPULASKI
4. They skated in the CD in a group having N&K, W&L and DelSchoes, all of whom are superior in the CD. The dance chosen was the Midnight Blues, which is a new dance. Like any blues it emphasizes edges and extension. C&S's forte is speed and quickstepping. They came in fourth in their group. W&L and N&K are definitely superior for edges and extension. The best C&S could have hoped in this group was to be 3rd. As it was the DelSchoes hopped over them too. I didn't see it, and therefore won't try to explain that.
I will. Olivier Schoenfelder danced like Fred Astaire. Del&Sch had superior edges and ice coverage and superb rhythm. From what my scotch-loving friends tell me, they were smooth as an 18-year old single malt. I keep hearing that Del&Sch are rhythmically tone deaf, but that hasn't been my experience of seeing them in the last two years.
For me it would have been a tough call between Del&Sch and W&L for first in the CD, because W&L were so on in every phrase. It was W&L who had the perfect lines in the blues CD, not N&K.
As to where others placed, the DelSchoes had had a break in practice, and Olivier still had an injured hand. According to Isabelle, she missed his hand on the last lift of the LP.
I would bet that they lost a little energy toward the end of the program due to the training break, too, although ABC chacked them, so I can't say.
Their FD didn't have quite the same energy or precision that they had earlier in the year, yet they were a joy to watch. Merlin is a great program to watch as theater, but I think they're going to have to dance a bit more in the future. I'm surprised that he could lift her at all, given that he had a hand full of stitches.
I don't think they belonged in 4th in the CD. They were unfortunate enough to open the group, but I think this was to safeguard G&G's spot. He especially was terrific in the blues, very patient and smooth, but with a wonderful pulse.Consequently they placed behind B&A, who had the absolute skate of their life of WSS, not missing a thing. If you are a B&A fan, their big problem was placement in the CD. Again, they are team that excels in quick stepping, close skating, and varied hand holds. Not a super blues couple. Shpilband couples often do not seem to skate as well as they should in the CD's. B&A were 4th in their CD group, as were C&S.
The only performance I missed in a week at Dortmund was G&G's OD because of the rest room line. When I got back to my seat, my compatriots in crime told me they skated very well. I didn't realize they made mistakes.However, B&A skated great in the OD, and yet were placed behind G&G, who had a uniformity break in one of the S/L sequence and missed a handhold. ESPN showed G&G last night. I am shocked that G&G scored ahead of W&L or B&A in the OD.
Their OD is a nice composition but it was not well skated.
What struck me most is how it dropped a notch at about the 2/3 mark, as if they hit an air pocket.And G&G made mistakes in the LP.
I'm not a Canadian, but in my opinion, watching them is like hearing fingernails on chalk boards. They have very fine lifts and spins, but they don't move across the ice. Her knees are bent, but they are locked in place, and they don't flow across the ice, but get bogged down instead, and have to fight to regain speed.As to what happened to Dubreuil/Lauzon, you need to ask a Canadian. I have not seen their performances yet.
When they came out for the warm-up they did a very exaggerated, theatrical take on the blues. (One of the musical cuts played during each warmup period.) When they skated in the competition, they were sedate. Yes, she had nice line, but there was no push or pulse or beat to their performance. A nice technical performance, maybe, but there was no sense of this being a dance, rather than an exercise. I would have had them in 3rd in their group, behind W&L and Del&Sch.Now as to what is so great about N&K this year:
1. If the CD is Midnight Blues, I bet they were miles better than D&S, because of Navka's line and extension. The blues section of their OD is also completely gorgeous. That gives them the edge over D&S in those two items.
There were two men who really felt the blues: Agosto and Atilla Elek of Hungary. (Re Elek, you have to watch out for those quiet ones. He's a very passionate dancer.) The only couple to feel the blues were Denkova and Staviyski. They melted the ice, and her line was quite stretched, and just fine. They so outdanced everyone else. As great at W&L and Del&Sch were in performing a ballroom blues number, they didn't compare to Den&Sta. Den&Sta's CD was one of my favorite performances of the competition.
Someone asked how the Candians skated. W&L had a problem with a spin in thier FD, and D&L were badly out of synch on their first twizzles. D&L also lost ground in the OD. I don't think it was anything specific, it just happened to be their weakest portion of the competition this year.
I must habe missed the mistakes by G&G too. Can anyone enlighten us?
I find it odd that some people seem to think Ice Dance is boring when I think it is the bist discipline of figure skating! lol. I love the top ice dancers today. They are a relief from the endless boredom and derived dances of B&K. Denkova and Staviski are fantastic in their creativity and ability to express their music. Delobel and Schoenfelder are great because of the difficulty in their programs. They're my current top two favs obviously :D. Even Ice Dance Junior Worlds was more interesting than ladies this season. I actually liked M&Z, Z&Z, and C&Z's FDs much more than ladies all season.Originally posted by berthes ghost
bravo Doris! One can tell that you love dance and I aplaude that.
Every year, Ice Dance just keeps slipping more and more from my grasp. I'm amazed with your detailed reportage, but know that I could never give that kind of effort to it as I just don't care. Singles and pairs, yes. Ice Dance? I tried to watch both the CD and OD, but got horribly bored both times and left the room. I went to the FD at Euros, but almost gauged my own eyes out from boredom and frustration.
lol, I think this sport would suck without Ice Dance
TV
Don't hurt me, Thvudragon, but I was one of those that found ice dancing horribly "boring".....before this year! Before, I was just never very interested when I watched (though I tried to be). I was quite surprised to find myself completely into the ice dancing phase of this year's Worlds. I hadn't seen any of the top couples except for B&A, but I must say that I thought N&K and D&S were spectacular. N&K didn't really deserve 9 6.0s from what I could see, but they do have a quality to their presentation that is very enticing. They are exciting to watch. They have energy and expression.
PML! Why would I hurt you? It's not like you said Langois and Archetto have choreography!Originally posted by BronzeisGolden
Don't hurt me, Thvudragon, but I was one of those that found ice dancing horribly "boring".....before this year! Before, I was just never very interested when I watched (though I tried to be). I was quite surprised to find myself completely into the ice dancing phase of this year's Worlds. I hadn't seen any of the top couples except for B&A, but I must say that I thought N&K and D&S were spectacular. N&K didn't really deserve 9 6.0s from what I could see, but they do have a quality to their presentation that is very enticing. They are exciting to watch. They have energy and expression.
TV
I don't like the word 'fix'. I believe the roar of the crowd does have an affect on the judging. But that's just from my own sentiments. Lindeman was fine in doing his boyish engegy style. I don't object to his bronze. I just feel sorry for Lambiel, and yes even Klimkin who are much better artists than Lindemann.Originally posted by thvudragon
What? Lindemann would have won bronze either way and I can see arguements to both sides. How can there be a "fix" when the result was just either way?TV
As for the dancers, N and K, did a fine job. I am not a dance expert but I do see artistry (especially when it is natural and not forced). I haven't a clue as to whether the twizzles were off or not.
Joe
I thought Lambiel's long program was much more entertaining than Lindemann's. But as TV Dragon mentioned on another thread, even if Lambiel had placed ahead of Lindemann in the LP, Lindemann still would have won the bronze because of the short program (Lindemann was second and Lambiel sixth). I think that, in addition to responding to the enthusiasm of the home crowd, judges often give good scores in the LP just so the winner (who was going to win regardless) will not feel like he/she backed into the medal. Maria Butyrskaya in 1999 for example, was so far ahead after the qualifying round and the short progrm that she didn't need to win the LP to win the championship.
About ice dance, I agree that it is the most fun of the four disciplines to watch. The reason, for me, is that ice dancers almost never fall down, so you can just sit back and enjoy the show without biting your nails at each jumping pass. Watching the ladies leaves me collapsed in a bundle of nerves. (Not that I'm an armchair choker, you understand.)
Mathman
I always watch the pairs comp, and think "woooo tricks!! however do I watch ice dance - they don't do anything exciting!"Originally posted by Mathman
About ice dance, I agree that it is the most fun of the four disciplines to watch. The reason, for me, is that ice dancers almost never fall down, so you can just sit back and enjoy the show without biting your nails at each jumping pass. Watching the ladies leaves me collapsed in a bundle of nerves. (Not that I'm an armchair choker, you understand.)
Mathman
and then afterwards I watch the ice-dance, and go "woooo exciting, intricate, pairs is so dull and empty of content!"
and I do the same thing every year! I love both, but for different reasons.
k
shine,don't tell me your jealous of navka's fab body and tan:D N&K are superb,great lines very sophisticated elegant pair on the ice. She is a Diva.
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