Elena Ilinykh & Ruslan Zhiganshin

[Marta25]

We can only hope I/Z will stay in Novi. Kustarova gave them a good basis, but I don`t think there is more they can give them. Besides, I can imagine that Igor is also interested in keeping them. Besides of C/B, he doesn`t have any teams competing for the absolute top and with the rumors going around that W/P are going to Zueva, he could need another team, who has the potential to get into the Top 5. Besides, I don`t think any coach would say no to the possibility of having talents like Elena and Ruslan in their group.

@uhh I agree that with the way K/A behaved, I can`t imagine Elena to want to stay there, especially since she seems to be firmly in Anna`s corner. Re Ruslan, I have the feeling from the plenty pics we got from Novi, that he seems happy there, although I can imagine that this situation must be also tough for him. I really hope Anna isn`t giving up, she is still so young and she mentioned in one of her interviews, that she dreams of going to the Olympics. It probably won`t happen in 2018, but if she finds a suitable partner, 2022 would be an option.

 

[hanca]

Everyone seems to blame Kustarova for the split of Y/M, but I think we need to bear in mind how many partners Mozgov has had. I don't think it is always the coach who instigated the split. In Mozgov's case it will be very likely he himself!

 

[Alexz]

His girlfriend is a Bolshoi ballerina? Wow! Who is she?

I know a young ballerina who just joined Bolshoi dance company a year ago. She might be a relative of Ruslan, her last name is Zhiganshina too. She looks extremely pretty:
https://www.instagram.com/zhiganshina_fan/

Ksenia Zhiganshina and Elena Ilinykh seem to be a good buddies:
http://bit.ly/26Xlwrz
http://bit.ly/26XkDiI

Ksenia Zhiganshina. Vaganova Academy graduate. She is from some small city near Moscow, moved to St Petersburg to enroll in Vaganova school. Now after graduation she moved back to Moscow and is currently with Bolshoi. Never seen her live (yet), but I heard she is good. It's hard to get principal dance parts in Bolshoi, but she is getting good share of soloist part already. Hope Bolshoi will bring her along next time the company will be touring in US. She looks very promising tho:
http://youtu.be/OgTDkBoknH8

Ruslan and this ballerina Ksenia share the same last name. They might be cousins or distant relatives. They both seemed to be Muslim and both are Russians coming from Tatar families. There was a report a month ago about them both visiting mosk in Vladimir. However, I don't see them being too religious if any at all. It's typical for Russians to visit churches out of respect of their parents or per request of church for some PR. Paying respect to traditions and all that jazz.

 

[alithia]

And I say...nobody is talking about this oh so cute pic? I like how relaxed Lena and Ruslan seem, how at ease, and I love the berries in the box.Sorry I'm shallow, but I love berries.

( The Y/M drama , which was of no surprise to me anyway , has so many pages, it's like overdose)
Let's talk about blues, what do you guys think?Sexy, Jazzy? all of the above?

 

[alithia]

I know a young ballerina who just joined Bolshoi dance company a year ago. She might be a relative of Ruslan, her last name is Zhiganshina too. She looks extremely pretty:
https://www.instagram.com/zhiganshina_fan/

Ksenia Zhiganshina and Elena Ilinykh seem to be a good buddies:
http://bit.ly/26Xlwrz
http://bit.ly/26XkDiI

Ksenia Zhiganshina. Vaganova Academy graduate. She is from some small city near Moscow, moved to St Petersburg to enroll in Vaganova school. Now after graduation she moved back to Moscow and is currently with Bolshoi. Never seen her live (yet), but I heard she is good. It's hard to get principal dance parts in Bolshoi, but she is getting good share of soloist part already. Hope Bolshoi will bring her along next time the company will be touring in US. She looks very promising tho:
http://youtu.be/OgTDkBoknH8

Ruslan and this ballerina Ksenia share the same last name. They might be cousins or distant relatives. They both seemed to be Muslim and both are Russians coming from Tatar families. There was a report a month ago about them both visiting mosk in Vladimir. However, I don't see them being too religious if any at all. It's typical for Russians to visit churches out of respect of their parents or per request of church for some PR. Paying respect to traditions and all that jazz.

She's a very good dancer, indeed

 

[Marta25]

And I say...nobody is talking about this oh so cute pic? I like how relaxed Lena and Ruslan seem, how at ease, and I love the berries in the box.Sorry I'm shallow, but I love berries.

( The Y/M drama , which was of no surprise to me anyway , has so many pages, it's like overdose)
Let's talk about blues, what do you guys think?Sexy, Jazzy? all of the above?

SSSSSSSSSSSSSSexy of course!

I like these domestic Ruslena pics they are sharing on social media. I don`t know, it just gives us a glimpse of their friendship they share off-ice and it`s nice to see.

Seems like Elena is flying somewhere https://www.instagram.com/p/BFCIbpBKBrH/?taken-by=blackswanei

 

[alithia]

SSSSSSSSSSSSSSexy of course!

I like these domestic Ruslena pics they are sharing on social media. I don`t know, it just gives us a glimpse of their friendship they share off-ice and it`s nice to see.

Seems like Elena is flying somewhere https://www.instagram.com/p/BFCIbpBKBrH/?taken-by=blackswanei

It's an old pic. Her hair is longer and she has posted a month ago on Facebook as well )

 

[alithia]

SSSSSSSSSSSSSSexy of course!

I like these domestic Ruslena pics they are sharing on social media. I don`t know, it just gives us a glimpse of their friendship they share off-ice and it`s nice to see.

Seems like Elena is flying somewhere https://www.instagram.com/p/BFCIbpBKBrH/?taken-by=blackswanei

They didn't even share it, she sent it to his mom, his mom's FB doesn't have a thousandr friends, but we are all social media hunters , cause yes they look great even on the floor . LOL

And for years now I keep messing up with my quotes

 

[Marta25]

It's an old pic. Her hair is longer and she has posted a month ago on Facebook as well )

Oh, ok. Well, regarding the pic from Novi, it`s pretty high on the cuteness factor, although it does not beat the cuteness of their dance video they posted last month.

 

[alithia]

They compete with themselves!
I want a sexy blues too, it would be so nice

 

[Marta25]

They compete with themselves!
I want a sexy blues too, it would be so nice

I may be biased, but no other ice dance team beats Ruslena on cuteness and adorableness.

Anyway, I think it`s again time that Elena and Ruslan show their sexy side, which they already did with Carmen and I Put A Spell On You. Elena`s sex appeal and their chemistry are their strenghts, the Blues should therefore fit them nicely.

 

[MK's Winter]

What did Zhulin say, please? His girlfriend is a Bolshoi ballerina? Wow! Who is she? Indeed! Moreover, I bet the nobody in Rus Fed is impressed by SK's "breakthrough" into the top 10, lol. (Also can't stop smiling, as I remember Katsalapov's indignation last year over only 2 spots won for Worlds: "When has it ever been like this?") I was actually very happy with how the Russian ID teams placed at Worlds this year. I hope that the Rus Fed has learned a lesson, that the pro-SK sell-out faction has lost again, and that all teams will get what they deserve next year - not more and not less. It's a pity IZ had to leave their home city and the coaches who've made them the most exciting ID team from year 1, but I hope they'll manage to do it both ways: spend most time in the US, but also some in Moscow, and sit with both Shpilband and Kustarova and Alexxeeva in kiss-&-cry. Shpilband has shared teams with their original coachers before, hasn't he, since he's a smart man and undertands that it will only enhance his reputation. I just hope that the Rus Fed will shell out for regular training in America for them, like they've done for SK these two years, because sponsors don't usually pay for regular training, do they? What's the non touch step, please? But won't the same teams who go to SC likely go to Autumn Classic as well, to test their programs before GP?

https://youtu.be/fRGLhykquLU The non touch step starts at 1:01 and is my effing everything. Beautiful blade work and deep knees baby!

 

[Spiral]

@Spiral Even if it was Mozgov's initiative, that L/A were apparently OK with him basically giving Anna a day's notice, and not going "hey I'm not happy with this any more, maybe we should end it and look for new partners" is pretty unforgivable, and I 100% got the vibe that Lena feels similarly from what she's been posting and liking on Instagram.

But how do we know that AK were fine with Mozgov's decision and behavior and didn't give him an earful for it?

So this all just solidifies my hope that I/Z do not go back to K&A - I'm still thankful for everything that they did for I/Z in the first season, but it's been time to move on for a long while, & they need a stable training group with none of this messiness.

We can only hope I/Z will stay in Novi. Kustarova gave them a good basis, but I don`t think there is more they can give them. Besides, I can imagine that Igor is also interested in keeping them. Besides of C/B, he doesn`t have any teams competing for the absolute top and with the rumors going around that W/P are going to Zueva, he could need another team, who has the potential to get into the Top 5. Besides, I don`t think any coach would say no to the possibility of having talents like Elena and Ruslan in their group.

I agree that Shpilband sounds like he's very interested in keeping them - and no wonder! But I don't think KA are any worse as coaches, or have nothing else to give them, or that there's anything wrong with the atmosphere in Medvedkovo. Ruslan and Elena certainly seemed very happy there too, and Elena seemed very comfortable and affectionate with Kustarova. KA put two people who had trained in different groups with different coaches all their lives and from the very first season made them the most exciting ID team to watch. Are there any precedents like this? And IMO Somebody to Love and Frida were no worse than Carmen in any way. They are the only ID programs from this season that will likely stay in my memory. It's not AK's fault that they don't have the clout of Shpilband or Zueva, or that the SK faction had enjoyed a temporal sway at the Russian Fed, due to intrigues and bribery, no doubt. If anything, I respect AK for not going down on their level. I understand that IZ have to be mostly based at Novi to succeed, the sport of figure skating being what it is, but I don't think it has anything to do with AK's professional or personal qualities, and TBH, I regret this necessity. To be sure, Shpilband is an excellent coach, but he's not the only one.

Uhh and AlexZ, thank you very much for the info on Ksenia. I knew that Elena was friends with the ballerina Ksenia Zhiganshina, but I didn't know that she was the same Ksenia that was Ruslan's girlfriend. He sure has good taste! I wonder, did Elena introduce them to each other, or Ruslan introduced Elena to his girlfriend once he and Elena started skating together?

https://youtu.be/fRGLhykquLU The non touch step starts at 1:01 and is my effing everything. Beautiful blade work and deep knees baby!

Thank you!

 

[chameleon]

Ruslan started dating a different person(who also happened to be named Ksenia) a couple months after he teamed up with Elena. He started dating Ksenia Zhiganshina last fall, and I believe Elena introduced them.

 

[Spiral]

Ruslan started dating a different person(who also happened to be named Ksenia) a couple months after he teamed up with Elena. He started dating Ksenia Zhiganshina last fall, and I believe Elena introduced them.

Thank you very much!

 

[borzaya]

And I say...nobody is talking about this oh so cute pic? I like how relaxed Lena and Ruslan seem, how at ease, and I love the berries in the box.Sorry I'm shallow, but I love berries.

( The Y/M drama , which was of no surprise to me anyway , has so many pages, it's like overdose)
Let's talk about blues, what do you guys think?Sexy, Jazzy? all of the above?

Lena and Ruslan are so cute in this picture! (And I love berries, too... )


Concerning KA and Y/M situation: I also think that it's a bit hasty to pass judgements... We can't know for certain, who wanted what and whose initiative it was

 

[uhh]

Sure, we only have what Anna says to go on (although it matches with what Betina claims as well). But usually, people keep quiet because they have something to hide.

I just compare how this was handled to how D/L spoke after Hurtado/Diaz split - it's a shame to lose such a team, we wish them both well in the future and we'd be happy to work with both of them with their new partners. Even Igor who is not a stranger to his own shady practices managed to handle the Smart/Buckland split in the same way - Olivia stayed with him until she teamed up with Adri, but it was always clear that the door was open for Joe to go back with Molly if he wanted; hasn't happened in the end because they've chosen Platov, but there was none of this freezing a former pupil of theirs out completely, or making arrangements for one partner behind another's back.

 

[Marta25]

If we think about it, Elena and Ruslan were in a similar situation as YM. They also had a very disappointing season, even more than YM and are considering a coaching change. What if KA try doing something like this to them in the future? I'm just thankful that if Ruslan has to choose between coaches and Elena, he is going to always put Elena first, that's at least how I see it.

 

[gigio]

Vaytsekhovskaya just announced (in her blog) that IZ back to Moscow this month for one week. So, probably we will get new interview with Ruslena.

 

[Marta25]

Vaytsekhovskaya just announced (in her blog) that IZ back to Moscow this month for one week. So, probably we will get new interview with Ruslena.

I'm trying to not be too excited, but this sounds like they are staying with Igor. Right?