ITAberthes ghost said:The Protopopovs all the way!
lulu said:I think influencial & advanced the sport are two different topics. (IMO ) For influencial I think it is those pairs who have a style, that you can see the effects of that in other pairs.
For advanced the sport-I see that as all skaters who have added something technically & artistically to the sport.
Top of my list is the Protopopovs: They started not only the Russian domination of the sport, but the influence of the Russian ballet into skating. As well, as embodied Uncle Dick's favorite phrase about pairs "two should become one"
Rodnina & Zaitsev/Rodnina & Ulanov really influenced pairs in the 70s-a lot of the other Soviet Pairs were like mini Rodnina/Zaitsev clones back then. But, they were the ones who really introduced the more athletic aspects of skating-speed, lifts, jumps etc.
Valova & Vasiliev are somewhat underappreciated, but they were the first pair to do consistant side-by-side triples & they were the first wildly successful pair using the Moskvinaesque choreography.
Gordeeva & Grinkov have advanced the sport through their technical perfection-they were remarkably consistant (save Katia's growth spur years) and almost everything they did was "textbook" As, pros-they added a new sense of Artistry to their skating. And in 1994-1995 meshed together their artistry & technical abilities.
Mishkutenok & Dmitrev/Kazakova & Dmitriev took the Moskvina choreography, along w/ Artur's strong involvement in the choreography & took it to a new stratosphere. Adding a new, unique, artistic dimension to pairs skating. And Artur himself has had influence on the state of male pairs skaters-and I think we now expect the men to be more "active" on the ice. When before, they were the silent partners.
Berezhnaya & Sikhaurlidze have advanced the sport by being themselves & at the sametime-sort of a middle point between the strong artistry & choreography of M&D and the techincal perfection of G&G.
I think Shen & Zhao have opened pairs skating up to Chinese athletes like never before, and are have helped made China a powerhouse in pairs.
Not to be nitpicky-but Klimova & Ponomarenko are an ice dance couple not pairs