Ice Dancing - Free Dance (Mon. Feb 22 - 16:45)

[Tinymavy15]

Virtue and Moir made me cry. That dance was perfection. They looked beautiful, the dress was lovely, they skated it with the perfect emotion. Best dance at the olympics in recent history.

Davis and White. Were better at Nationals. The dance seemed a little frantic and times but Charlie handled his nerves really well, he looked very stiff and unsure before the music started. Other than his near slip of the spread eagale in the opening lift, it was great.

F&S. Really like this program. I think it plays to thier strengths and has some very nice emotion to it.

Domina and Shabalin. Boy. They were just so slow. Hearing Reqiuem for a Dream for the second time during the broadcat also made it seem more tiring. It was thr best the skated all year, but not medal quaity. Tan ans Ben should have beaten this even after being behind after the CD.

Tanith and Ben. They impressed me. Certainly the best they have looked since they moved to Linchuck. It must have been very hard for them skating after Virtue and Moir and knowing thier gold dreams were gone before the event even started. They skated with speed, confidence and had had no awkward moments in thr lifts that they had at Nationals. Beautiful performance and just like at worlds last year, were robbed by thier teammates and teacher's pets. I keep thinking of when Tanith and Ben left Shapilband after the 2008 worlds for Linchuck to get a coach who would make them top prority, only to have Domina and Shabalin follownweeks later.

The Kerrs. I like this program a lot, not as well skated as I have seen in the past.

Samuelson ans Bates. Great job! I love the new costumes. Her positions are just so elegant and dance-like. They look so much more mature than even earlier in the season, I hope they have a breakout Worlds.

 

[formersk8ter]

Oh, come on! Maxim is a really nice person and all he said (in russian) "It was our best performance, we did all that we could". That's ALL! He didn't say anything about Virtue/Moir, he didn't even see how they skate (Oksana said in the interview that they didn't see V/M and D/W performances and didn't know the marks)!
But oh well, I know, he is just "evill russian"...

Oh okay, if that's what he said, then I feel a lot better. The translation definitely had a different meaning in the article. You're right Sniper, some journalists feel the need to make a controversy out of nothing.

 

[Wicked]

Voir and Marlie are, IMHO, just so much better than everybody else. Voir just cannot retire! This could be one of the epic skating rivalries of all time!

I really felt that B&A were better than D&S in both the OD and the FD. I cannot understand why they didn't get the bronze. I saw in the protocols that B&A got a level 2 for their twizzles in the FD. I didn't see anything wrong. Maybe I missed it.

 

[herios]

Voir and Marlie are, IMHO, just so much better than everybody else. Voir just cannot retire! This could be one of the epic skating rivalries of all time!

I really felt that B&A were better than D&S in both the OD and the FD. I cannot understand why they didn't get the bronze. I saw in the protocols that B&A got a level 2 for their twizzles in the FD. I didn't see anything wrong. Maybe I missed it.

Yes, you did. On the first twizzle, Ben had an extra turn at the end.

 

[fanofskate]

My top two teams won!!! I'm very happy for the Canton/Camp Sphilband teams. Igor and Marina must be overflowing with pride for their kids. While I'm a D/W fan, I too believe V/M rightfully won the gold. Though I think the gap is bit too much. Both opened up Ice Dancing to a whole generation in a new way (COP helped here). Different styles presented in very solid, well-executed programs. V/M-type teams will strive hard to continue to do well in their style. D/W-type teams just found validation for theirs in D/W's success. I hope we get solid, very competitive couples in the Kerrs and Khok/Nov style as well (the voidy, surreal, weird/quirky teams). .

 

[sfgirl]

Voir and Marlie are, IMHO, just so much better than everybody else. Voir just cannot retire! This could be one of the epic skating rivalries of all time!

I really felt that B&A were better than D&S in both the OD and the FD. I cannot understand why they didn't get the bronze. I saw in the protocols that B&A got a level 2 for their twizzles in the FD. I didn't see anything wrong. Maybe I missed it.

I feel so bad for B&A. They deserved better.

 

[herios]

As good as Davis and White's skating is, it's very melo-dramatic and over the top. A lot of arm waving and unfortunately Phantom of the Opera has been done many times over, you'd think they would be more creative, this being an Olympic year. Besides, I failed to see a story being told in their free dance, unlike Virtue and Moir, who were clearly the best tonight and all year!

D/W fans keep saying that V/M would have not won if this event was in canada. I completely disagree. This is a biased pov, of their fans who don't understand that D/W have some issues which puts them behind V/M as far as general dance skills. Their free leg unison is not at par with V/M's, they are skating a lot hand in hand, dragging each other, a lot less close dance holds and when they do, they slow down instantly. Until they work on these issues, they will be trailing V/M, every time they meet. The only reason V/M lost to them at the GPF, was because V/M OD was still work in progress and D/W's OD was well polished from the get go this season.

 

[dgel]

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2010/olympics/2010/writers/em_swift/02/23/icedance.final/index.html
EM Swift on the ice dance.
"Their program actually wasn't much of a dance. It was more like a staged wrestling match, in which Shabalin kept hauling Domnina around by her waist band, sometimes holding her up, sometimes tossing her in circles, sometimes lifting her in the air. It was all very theatrical and slow. But she showed great flexibility."

With snarkiness like that he should be posting on the fora....

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/mu...olympics.ice.dancing.overheads/content.1.html

some neat photos from unusual angles..

 

[ARipp42014]

One final swoon before moving over to ladies....
http://d.yimg.com/a/p/sp/getty/6c/f...5255759-getty-89775001sh079_the_today_sho.jpg
Merlie

http://d.yimg.com/a/p/sp/getty/c8/f...88e71b8-getty-89775001sh077_the_today_sho.jpg
Voir

 

[IndieBoi]

Congratulations to all the medallists!! What a wonderful night of skating. The top two teams are just a perfect showcase of rivalry, genuine friendship and mutual adoration...

The scores were tallied as both the eventual gold and silver medalists were talking to broadcast crews in the basement of the building. White and Davis ran over, still on their skates, and gave Virtue and Moir extended hugs; the two teams share the same coaches.

"I'm so proud of you!" Davis said to Virtue.

They hugged some more. As they turned to get their medals, Virtue turned toward the TV cameras and said, "I'm so proud of them!"


Only in ice dancing.

http://www.nbcolympics.com/news-features/news/newsid=440904.html#ice+dancing+worst+best+games

 

[Tesla]

I'm a D/W fan, and I think V/M deserved to win, but I do think their scores got a Canadian bump. I don't think they should've beaten D/W by that large a margin. In all honesty, I didn't care for V/M's performance. Been there, done that. I hated the music and the smaltzy romantic crap, but they skated it well. I wouldn't rank them among the greats (T/D or K/P), but they are very good. I hope if they don't retire, they think outside the box. And yes, I know, D/W skated to Phantom of the Opera, but they've switched up their programs. V/M's Mahler is very reminiscent of their Valse Trieste and Umbrellas of Cherbourgh. I wish they'd kept Pink Floyd from last season.

Anyway, kudos to V/M and I am so happy for D/W. I wish B/A had had better programs. They were robbed of bronze.

 

[Tinymavy15]

I can't believe anybody is contesting that win. I guess we will never have a 100% audience happy with the winners. Virtue and Moir were perfection, I saw that as a Meryl and Charlie fan.

 

[Tesla]

I can't believe anybody is contesting that win. I guess we will never have a 100% audience happy with the winners. Virtue and Moir were perfection, I saw that as a Meryl and Charlie fan.

I agree. It might not have liked it all that much, but I could see how good it was. It was dancing.

 

[amateur]

1 Someone asked who fell - it was the Georgian couple that got a fall deduction, but I don't know which member.

Some thoughts....

1. You know, Delobel and Schoenfelder .....

There's something sad to me about skating to "The Impossible Dream" and simply not being able to skate your best, though, that'll make their fun performances at the Olympics tinged with sorrow for me.

It was really rather poignant, wasn't it. I loved Delobel and Schoenfelder in this competition (have been only slightly enthusiastic about them in the past). They were pure class. Something radiant and expressive about Isabelle that I don't remember seeing in her before. I hope this experience was great fun for them.

Belbin/Agosto didn't have the programs or the skating to really own bronze. It was sad because I felt that they knew they were being thrown under a bus by their coaches, and I can't imagine this experience was good for them. Will they be considered the best team to never win a worlds/Olympics?

Nope! Dubreuil / Lauzon for one (not necessarily saying that they are the greatest in this category, either, but better than B/A IMO)

 

[mishieru07]

I can't believe anybody is contesting that win. I guess we will never have a 100% audience happy with the winners. Virtue and Moir were perfection, I saw that as a Meryl and Charlie fan.

Well it's figure skating. When you have two brilliant teams nailing their programmes, this is the result. But better this than a repeat of the Torino OD. It's been a great competition; well done to all the skaters! :thumbsup:

I hope both D/W and V/M stay around for the next quad. They're very young and I really can't wait to see what they'll attempt next! Hopefully, they'll continue enthralling us for years to come!

I'm still on cloud nine. I can't believe that the very people who made me a figure skating uber have won Gold with OGM worthy performances which will be remembered for a long time. I've never been this emotionally invested. And to see them finally atop the podium after such a rough season last year and some 13 - 14 years of hard work ... It's been one heck of a journey.

On a side note, I really enjoyed DelSchoes' FD. Not their best skate, but what a beautiful and befitting swansong. I'll definitely miss them!

E.M. Swift is absolutely snarky! Can't say I disagree with his comments though.

Looking forward to seeing the dancers again (Is it just the medallists or the top 5?) in the Gala!

On to ladies! (I'm really getting afraid of the Mao-tas and Yu-Na bots, judging by the tone in the practice reports thread).

 

[Dee4707]

Kind of makes me think of the whole Evan Lysacek/Nastia Liukin thing - she 'confirms' they're a couple, he insists he's single. Contradictions everywhere!

I thought you were only a couple when you're married?????

 

[taikwan]

Huge D/W fan - one of my kids graduated from U of M, but that's not why I'm here. I saw them defeating Ben and Tanith years ago (although I love them too). But V/M had THE skate of the Olympics. Just amazing, breathtaking and one of which you could freeze frame any shot and it would reveal perfection.

Loved the medal ceremony - made me want to be a Canadian, eh? Spectacular to have this happen on V/M's home ice.

 

[herios]

:

I hope both D/W and V/M stay around for the next quad. They're very young and I really can't wait to see what they'll attempt next! Hopefully, they'll continue enthralling us for years to come!

I certainly hope so. And I wish people would stop speculate on V/M retirement, following this win. They have never stated anything to hint to that, they only said they didn't think about what they will do following this season. For sure they will go to worlds, this year, because they want to win a world title which eluded them thusfar. Anything else, is pure speculation.

 

[Raatkirani]

The competition last night was so much fun to watch. I haven't been too warm on V/M in the past, more of a D/W fan, but V/M were sublime last night. They looked positively beautiful and did justice to a very emotional piece of music (to us pairs aficionados ) I loved the ending pose--it was unbelievably romantic. Costumes were very G&G-esque and I loved the clean simplicity of them. I though D/W were so amazing, so fast and so exciting to watch. Very energetic and passionate performance. I actually spent my time watching Charlie to get a new appreciation for this pair. I personally would have given them the gold, but what do I know? The scores for V/M were a bit inflated (110? do I smell a Patrick Chan-ing here?) but in the end, the podium was correct.

I feel so bad for BA, but they skated great despite their rocky year. I don't like their costumes at all, but we'll save that for another thread. Sometimes I do feel that they were neglected by Linichuk in favor of DS--they could have had better musical choices this year, especially because of the Olympic year. I guess we'll never know the motivation for those piececs.

Ahhh, DS. I don't think they're as bad as most N. Americans make them out to be. The Aboriginal dance was very risky, but I don't think their intention was to offend. It's pretty tricky when you're doing a folk dance not of your culture--who knows, maybe one wrong move and you've offended a whole nation. I didn't mind Max's costume (looked like a Medieval Jesus to me), but I didn't like the faces painted on their clothes, particularly on Oksana. That looked wrong. I'm in the minority, but I liked the ropes. Apparently, there's no rule yet banning them and I'm certain if a N. American team had done that, we'd be sitting here lauding how clever they were to come up with that idea. It was a rope on a dress, not a pulley system for goodness sake.

I really like Pechalat and Bourzat and I found their program fascinating. I also liked their circus program last year and I hope they continue to the next Olympics. I'm quite intrigued by them and find them to be an attractive pair.

It was heartwarming to see Del/Sch as well, but they were a bit slow and a bit labored. Still a respectable showing.

 

[colleen o'neill]

Oh, bliss !

Tessa and Scott...Sublime. Beyond rubies.
Meryl and Charlie...The definition of a bravura performance.

Both to be adored.

I've been worshipping at Zoueva's altar for years, but can anyone not see her as the goddess of choreography now ? I'm so delighted that she will again be getting her due.

Tanith and Ben..I so wish they hadn't made that move. They are above this material. Don't know what to hope they'll do about world's.:disapp: