Canadian Ice Dance, Oh My ! 2013-2014

[colleen o'neill]

Well, the season is upon us,and I haven't seen a whole lot yet , but I thought I'd throw a few thoughts out there and see where we go. ( I've been lying in the weeds a bit waiting for you to start a thread , Northen Dancers , but OK , I'll go first then ... )

I guess the only place to start is with V/M's SD at Quebec summer skate.. I think this will be delicious ( it was very tasty then , even for an early first outing ) and I can hardly wait to see it at Finlandia. I love all the little embellishments, always so well -timed to the music and there is no other couple anywhere that makes you feel they're just spontaneously dancing the way that these two do. Smo-o-oth.

And I was absolutely delighted with the first outing for Paul and Islam. I like both programs. The SD continues the process of bringing them out of their shell ( Mitch in particular ) that we saw with last year's SD and it looks as if there really will be a battle for the 3rd spot at Canadians. Their move to DSC is paying off big time for them , I think. Nebelhorn is just around the corner and I'm looking forward to marking their progress. Skate Canada ( so happy they got it ) will be a good test for them .. not an easy field by any means.( Costume wise , I'd like to see a bit deeper colour on Alex . I know...I'm nit picking )

It's very hard to say what I think about Ralph and Hill , we only saw the FD , and yet another unfortunate costume distraction for her, but I think the program itself suits them..I'm just not sure..sometimes programs that have a flavour of wild abandon can end up leaving an impression of sloppiness. They'll have to really be sharp to counteract this. I've also heard different versions of their music that I liked better. Still, there were some very nice elements in the program and it's too bad that we won't get a chance to see much of them 'til Canadians (As far as I can tell,that is ..I'd love it if someone could correct me ).

Orford and Williams have continued to gel, I think.. but I'm really not a fan of their FD music this year..however the judges have accepted a lot of music I've detested over the years, so who knows ?... They just placed third at Salt Lake ( I know , K/GS were very close in the FD and had 2 lift deductions, and C/B were right there too.) Nevertheless, a good start for them. This could be the year they'll need to get some outside inspiration , though..

Weaver/Poje's new programs are a hit with me.I think they'll both be very effective with audiences and I hope continue to please judges. I love all the little tap-dancey touches in 42nd Street , really well translated..as for the FD, you can hardly go wrong with anything Tango flavoured , for me ,and I have a feeling the program will pack quite an emotional punch as we go along . Love the ending sequence .I'm sure we'll see much more polish by their next competition.

Gilles and Poirier are still an unknown quantity, but I'm sure they're determined to stay in the mix.

I'm going to hold it there for tonight .There's more I could spout , but this is getting long and it's past my damn bedtime..

 

[dorispulaski]

Orford and Williams should score quite a bit better with their FD than they did at Salt Lake. The video is as far as I know, only available on IN at this time, but Thomas made a number of errors that I am sure will be gone by Canadian nationals. I think their music is from the Phantom of the Opera sequel, Love Never Dies?

And colleen, thanks for starting the Canadian dance thread!

 

[GF2445]

TSL gave Tessa and Scott's SD and Kaitlyn and Andrew's SD a mediocre review....C'mon Canada blow them away with your awesomeness!
Because Canadian Skating is awesome right
..Not at all taking away from Meryl and Charlie- their outing at SLC was absolutely stunning!

 

[TontoK]

TSL gave Tessa and Scott's SD and Kaitlyn and Andrew's SD a mediocre review....C'mon Canada blow them away with your awesomeness!
Because Canadian Skating is awesome right
..Not at all taking away from Meryl and Charlie- their outing at SLC was absolutely stunning!

I have problems with the sometimes catty nature of TSL, but that's beating a dead horse.

I wouldn't take their opinion as being a definitive judgement of the programs.

 

[ice coverage]

ICYMI:

BLOG: On the eve of a season: Kaitlyn Weaver
Ice dancer starts road to Sochi

By Kaitlyn Weaver, CBC Sports
Posted: Sep 13, 2013 11:33 AM ET Last Updated: Sep 15, 2013 4:21 PM ET
http://www.cbc.ca/sports/on-the-eve-of-a-season-kaitlyn-weaver-1.1828666​

Weaver writes expressively and at length. Her passion is so palpable, it made me cry.

@WeaverPoje's corresponding tweet referred to Weaver's "first" blog, so the implication is that she will be writing more.

 

[chuckm]

What happened with Bent/Mackeen at the JGP in Slovakia? They'd won gold in Latvia and were expected to medal in Slovakia, and clinch a spot in the JGPF. Instead, they finished 6th and now are statistically out of the running for the JGPF.

 

[dorispulaski]

They got low levels while other teams got higher ones, but that doesn't explain anything to me at all.

Kosice SD (6th in the segment)
Level 1 on the first quickstep pattern (no key points hit)
Level 1 on the not touching step
Level 2 on the second quickstep pattern
21.50 base score
23.79 TES
24.80 PCS
Total 48.59

In Latvia
SD First in segment
Level 4 first quickstep
Level 2 not touching step
Level 3 second quickstep
28.00 base score
TES 30.65
PCS 24.56
Total 55.21

Kosice FD (7th in the segment)
Level 3 twizzle
Level 2 midline step
Level 2 circular step
Base 32.20
TES total 34.65
PCS total 36.41
-1 extended lift
Total 70.06

In Riga FD 3rd in segment
Twizzle level 3
Midline step level 2
Straight line lift level 2
Circular step level 2
Total base 30.70
TES 34.81
PCS 37.91
Total 72.72

So B&M really had problems in the SD, according to the tech panel, in Slovakia.

 

[herios]

Orford and Williams should score quite a bit better with their FD than they did at Salt Lake. The video is as far as I know, only available on IN at this time, but Thomas made a number of errors that I am sure will be gone by Canadian nationals. I think their music is from the Phantom of the Opera sequel, Love Never Dies?

And colleen, thanks for starting the Canadian dance thread!

Doris, the video is available on Youtube too:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0vwgkcDmEjg

And I also agree with Colleen, the music I think is way too fast, they can't match the tempo, you feel like they are chasing it

 

[dorispulaski]

herios, what I found a bit troublesome about O&W's LP was the section where between Phantomish stuff somebody is singing about Umbrellas, all Sound of Music-ish. Now this is from the musical, but I still find it an awfully sharp change.

I see why this musical never opened on Broadway.

 

[NorthernDancers]

Thanks for starting this thread, Colleen! I've had some time to lurk now and then, but precious little time to comment. I also like to see the season start a little before getting too excited.

V/M are just delightful. I am very much looking forward to this season, and enjoying both programs. Can't wait to see what they deliver in their FD at Finlandia. I'm sure it will be different than anything else out there, and simply wonderful to watch.

W/P had an excellent start to their season. I really think these programs suit them very well, and provide a beautiful contrast from SD to FD. I was a little surprised by the music in the FD. I was kind of hoping we would see a non-vocal version. I think the vocals distract from the flow and the intensity and overall oozing hotness, but this could grow on me throughout the season. I might like this better live or on TV as opposed to a poor video quality.

I really see P/I as the 3rd team, as long as they have a solid season with solid performances. They are really lovely. The programs look quite simple, and I think are lacking in some complexity, but they have flow and edge and line and postures all covered. I'm sure they will add to the programs as the season progresses. I also agree that the FD dress colour needs to be a little stronger in colour. I get what they are doing, but I think there has to be a stronger option in there somewhere. If they skate clean, I think they are the 3rd team based on what I've seen so far.

While I am not a particular fan of O/W, they are consistent skaters. I'm tired of hokey music and formulaic programs, and I don't think ice dance should evolve into a speed contest. They are not at the level in quality in my opinion as P/I or R/H, or even perhaps some others, but they are consistent skaters by the important competitions who get the technical levels, along with speed, and sometimes this sport is about who stays on their feet and minimizes errors. It's not the best skating, but it's sometimes the best execution on the day. So let's not count them out.

I actually saw some real creativity in R/H's program from Thornhill. I think I'd like to see it some more before really making an opinion. My first reaction was to roll my eyes at the music again, but keeping an open mind, there was some really interesting choreography in the step sequence and the lifts. The costume failure was distracting, and poor Kharis looked quite upset on the video while waiting for marks, but that's fixable. This could be quite interesting. If they have strong clean performances, they could be contenders for that 3rd spot.

Looking forward to seeing the first skates of G/P. It's terrible to have such a serious injury in the Olympic year. I think the injury, combined with their placement at last year's worlds when they were healthy, will likely take away any previous positive bias/push on the part of Skate Canada and the judges. Of all the teams vying for a top 3 finish in Canada, they have the least amount of experience skating together as a team, and they needed every moment they could find to gel, working on their lines, sync'd extensions and depth of edges, positions, etc. Something tells me we won't see them until they appear on the GP. He's apparently back on ice, but it wasn't that terribly long ago I believe. But again, they are strong performers, and sometimes its about who stays on their feet with the least amount of errors.

That's 6 teams, folks, and something tells me there are some other strong teams making their way up the ranks as well. I haven't seen all the Quebec teams yet, and there could be some strong ones there. There are a couple that moved up to Senior from Junior, and a couple that are interesting already last year, and some new teams as well.

I'm going to wait a little before thinking about the Juniors. Haven't had time to look at all the performances, but I am paying attention to the JGP. Really unfortunate weekend for Bent/MacKeen. I'm not an expert on levels for SD, so I don't know if there was truly that difference between competitions. I know from the SD last year, calling the levels, including timing, is sometimes difficult if callers themselves aren't particularly musical. So it's not unheard of to get head-scratching results and level calls. Or they could have just had a bad skate. I like their skating style. Their FD last year was a real hit for me. Their SD this year is quite lovely. They are a strong Junior team. Edwards/Pang have the unfortunate situation of having to skate Junior internationally and Senior domestically. I haven't seen a huge improvement from last year to this year, to be honest. I'm looking forward to see how they develop over the season. I'm looking forward to the rest of the JGP roster, but also some of the new teams we haven't seen yet. I think there were a lot of changes at Junior last year, so it should be interesting. Success at Junior, as I have been reading, does not guarantee the same at Senior. There are those that develop and reach their peak at Junior, and then those with a slow burn that just get better and better every year until one day/year they are overnight successes. So its great to see the developing talent, too. Canada has a real rich field of talent.

 

[dorispulaski]

Do any of you have any links to Ralph & Hill's Thornhill SD?


Here's their FD:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=raZPFkjnTYw

 

[Skatie]

Do any of you have any links to Ralph & Hill's Thornhill SD?


Here's their FD:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=raZPFkjnTYw

Pretty sure they only did free dance in Thornhill and short in Minto which they won over O/W

 

[dorispulaski]

Was there any video of the Minto performance?

 

[colleen o'neill]

Yes ,R/H only skated the FD. I'd forgotten about Minto.. I don't know about video..and yes , I ,too was particularly taken with some of the lifts.

But you know , I'm really kind of distressed over some of the music so far this year.. Not W/P's, so much though , that first part is spoken like poetry and it's phrased to complement the music ( or vice versa ) and I really don't find it jarring .. no , I'm not just rationalizing... I believe the work is pretty well known in Europe , and however well known it is in Russia, I'm certain the "Maria , pasion fatal" of the lyrics is very relatable to Russian audiences.. It gives W/P a story line , which they seem to like having , and I'm sure they'll be able to bring the emotional intensity.

Love Never Dies .. should have IMO, and like doris I find that Little Bit of Heaven part suddenly jarring.

For the juniors, I love E/P but am sick to double death of Les Miz. B/M..I detest their FD ( not their skating ) so much , I can hardly begin to express it . This is is the kind of use of the spoken word that I really dislike..it makes me think they're going for something along the lines of I/K's FD last year.. here the spoken parts are not part of the music ,and it just chops the dance to bits. I don't know what happened with their SD at their 2 GPs...

Wing and Lowe have some new pairings who maybe show some promise.. but it's a bit soon to really assess them.

And I can't find any archived programs from Quebec.. but just from memory..I think it was Paradis /Ouellet who seemed very smooth but I find them oddly unmoving..I don't know why.. OTOH , Cyr and Brisebois continue to impress and progress.. I really feel like they have a bit of "it" and hope ,if someone knows of some footage from the competition they'll give us a link.

 

[blue eyed birds]

Cyr/Brisebois short dance, free dance
Paradis/Ouellette short dance, free dance
Dumas/Proulx-Senecal short dance, free dance
Hasegawa/Hasegawa short dance
Gadosy/Smyth short dance

And the junior programs are also listed on the sidebar of the video page.

 

[colleen o'neill]

Woo-Hoo! Thank you.. Let's see if my memory was slipping or not..