2018 Worlds Free Dance

[IceDancingQueen]

Please don't apologise for a long post! !

Really enjoyed reading your feedback from seeing the skaters live . I like your enthusiasm from the competition and, like you, I always rate Guignard / Fabri.

Thanks LandShark [emoji4]. I’m always apprehensive to post on here because some posters get very angry.

Guinard/Fabri completely won me over. I always liked them but now I love them. As soon as they performed (in both the short and free) it just felt like the level of ice dancing went up in the competition. I would have put them on par with G/P and ahead of the two Russian teams even though I love S/B and really enjoyed Z/G.

G/F just seemed more assured with a better quality. Will be interesting to see what the judges will do with them if C/L do indeed retire. With V/M, Shibs, and B/S sitting out this competition, it really seemed like their compatriots stepped up their game - mentally it really must have had an affect on them knowing that they finally had a chance to move up in the ranks; and in most cases they were all rewarded by the judges.

 

[synian]

How gorgeous are they!!you just gave me my new avatar

You could take a look at Guillaume instagram storie ... there is another nice photo to look at

 

[LandShark]

I'd also just like to add , as other posters have done , how sorry I felt for the Polish couple on their Worlds experience. Last competition of the season to find out that their programme was flawed? Oh come on.

I really like K/S. I love their bouncy , enthusiastic personalities on the ice. I accept that they don't have the skating skills yet of a top couple , but you somehow want them to do well.

But let's hope they get a better programme next year. That Great Gatsby thing , well , it was awful. Got to be one of the worst constructed , clumsiest , most jarring on the ear free dances ever , and the people that conceived it for them really need their heads examined.

And yet the two of them bounced around through all that mess like two happy bunnies enjoying the first sunlight of Spring on the uplands. They're so positive and upbeat that it makes you want them to do well. They have the likeability factor , and , as others have said earlier on the thread , for a change it's the guy of the partnership that grabs the attention.

I hope they get better material to work with in the future.

 

[FlyingFeather]

I suppose W/P had a more complex program, but C/L's performances were so much better, IMHO. It's a shame.:sad4:

 

[MIM]

You could take a look at Guillaume instagram storie ... there is another nice photo to look at

Oh, good thinking! There are so many photos that I :luv17: what a gorgeous man!!
Interestingly, I find Gabby's instargram very fun and cool! She does have a great sense.

 

[bramweld]

Gabby and Guillaume were wonderful so glad they won gold . Clearest of winners. However, the judging is highly suspect. This team deserves top marks but not so many 10's really!!! This is ridiculous. Maybe and a huge maybe 10s in the free dance but reemmber GAbby is not Guillaumes equal in skating skills and that needs to be refelected in the pcs more. my gosh the marks were given out like expired candy. Ridculouss. World records are useless in skating now with the judging. I especiallly find it har to fathom how the French are given such high marks in the SD when they at this point have a limited range and while did well they were not sp ectacular - because of the limited range. They do their best ot siell it. The resutls would not change but really ridcuoous how judges just donate points to the French. Really cheapens their scores. They are excellent but with issues do not deserve such high marks. If they were so good they probably would have won the olympics. The love affair with the French is deserved to a point but the ridculous scoring of giving points to the French left and right - this is why skating loses its legitmacy to the rest of the world other than us diehards. But well deserved gold nonetheless.

hubell and donohoe skated well and seems anointed and appointed for silver. yay. nice to see them do it finally though it seemed already written in the books they would get silver. I like their programs in general and I think this means the end of the Shib sibs . Good or bad.

And yay for Weapo. Bronze. I hope they don't retire. The Italians looked like they had the bronze but afterr heartbreak in 2014 this seems like the just decision or outcome.

Despite the doom and gloom of Russia they just missed earning three spots with their 2nd and 3rd or 4th dance teams.

Can't forget Chock and Bates or h/d who had a nice competition in 10th. C and B should be happy with fifth. I a mean it is tough you have H/D; Weapo, C/L and tRussians so fifth is great - I know they wanted a medal but that log jam is real.

I liked Gilles and Porier but there is so little room onthe podium and that logjam. They seem to be the innovators but not accepted as muc as the Duchesnay's and bourne and Kraatz - interesting all with Canadian ties.

Kind of surprise Italy did not medal being homeland. They really had 4 chances and I am shocked they did not capitalize in any of the disciplines.

I find it really strange that they had a real opportunity to get back those three spots if B/S came, but they chose not to pursue that. Do they think that there chances will improve next season?

 

[Bcash]

Usually the slow-motion replay makes everyone looks great. But with P/C, every frame is just intoxicatingly divine. Their upper body movements and alignments are more "dancer-isque" than any other team in recent memory. They really use every part of their body and are hyper aware of the placement of everything. Some beautifully expressive extensions and arches were lost during the program due to the camera angle.

 

[Bcash]

I was in Milan and saw both the short and free so I just wanted to share my thoughts. I must say I was surprised at how great some couples were watching them live as opposed to TV.

Guinard/Fabri have great chemistry together - I enjoyed them so much more than I have watching them on TV. I personally think the judges should be giving them higher marks. They looked so strong on the ice.

Same goes for the Polish couple. I really enjoyed both their performances but I’ve never rated them on TV.

As for the top 6 I think the placements were definitely right. For me, H/D have such great chemistry together - there is SO much emotion in their performances. They really create a moment every with their performances and invite you into their world. I am really excited to see how they get on in the next few years.

C/L were great and it was emotional seeing the reception they got from the audience, but W/P def deserved bronze over them. This program from C/L is much less complex than the other top teams and the other programs they have done in the past.

I was SO excited to see P/C as I expected them to create a “moment” and of course they were amazing but they didn’t quite put a spell on me like I had expected. Perhaps it’s because I preferred their Mozart and to build a home programs over MS. I didn’t find that it drew me in as much as I expected it to. Also, it is very apparent in the flesh that Guillaume is a much stronger skater than Gabby. I know ppl have said it before but I never thought it was that apparent on TV, but even my French friend who was with me and is newish to watching FS noticed it right away. Gabby is still very good - it’s just that she is dancing with the best male ice dancer ever, so of course it will be hard to match that level. He really is something else - magnifique really. Gabby has great energy though and really complements his assuredness and softness. They are really cute together.

I also agree that they were a tiny bit over marked - especially in the short dance. That still doesn’t take away anything from them as they are beautiful to watch.

I was very pleased for W/P as they skated really well after some slip ups in the past. Same for C/B - however, although I loved their Imagine program all year long, even though I know a lot of ppl haven’t, I have to say it didn’t capture me the way I expected it to, it kind of ran out of steam but I can’t quite put my finger on why.

My favourite moment was watching the love and camaraderie between the three teams on the podium during the medal ceremony. They were all SO excited with their wins and it really was like a redemption of sorts for all of them after recent and not so recent disappointments over the past few years. It was really cute to see.

It was a great competition as most everyone skated their best. Shame about the freak slip for H/B in the short but their free really moved the audience. They will be ones to watch. Z/G, S/B and S/F all great too so it will be exciting to see what they produce in the future. Oh and Kana and Chris! They really pulled me in with their performances.

Sorry for the long post but just wanted to share as it was a really different experience watching the performances in person after watching them on TV since I was a little girl!

Back in the day Dean was also constantly talked about much more than Torvill, but like her, Gabby's ability to almost subconsciously respond to her partner's movements and to never upset any delicate balance is quite a gift. And Gabby certainly has come a long way since their first two seasons as seniors. Watching on TV, the sureness and depth of edge are really matching between them. Their speed and coverage, the best in the field (just watch that Ruhmba pattern), surely are a result of both partner's blade work. And Gabby's upperbody movements really has this poignant poetry to them. The angles of her head and shoulder alignment are superior to any other female dancer now, her arms are truly powered from her back, and not just the shoulders, unlike some of the other ladies in the top teams. I think Guillaume is still the best in the business man or woman, but Gabby is quickly matching up to him and adds this heartbreaking intimate touch and emotional resonance to their performance.