I don't feel the music fits them, nor will it show their brilliance to advantage or even adequately. Like you, I'm obsessed with M/G.
I can see how much you are in love with Mishina/Galliamov. I wonder whether you fell in love with their personalities, their looks, the way they look together on the ice, and/or the way they move? I think they are a nice looking pair, and they have sweet personalities and a lot of desire. They are physically beautiful and their partnership is growing, especially so with Moskvina's help. Last year, they took a big step up with programs that truly brought out their talent and youthful pizzazz. But they still haven't done very much yet, and they are still developing. They are lucky to be working with Moskvina and they were very lucky to be assigned to 2021 Worlds, with some of the adversities they had to overcome last season. Good for them that they took advantage of their opportunity. Having Moskvina as their coach, and rocking buzzworthy programs, gave them a great deal of confidence. With further growth, they certainly seem capable of reaching greater heights. But that's a slow process for the best of teams. They will have a lot of competition, and in figure skating, anything can happen.
Personally, I am more obsessed about pairs generally, than completely bowled over by any one team. My first pairs crush was Tai & Randy. I have so many fond memories of following their career. Sadly, they weren't able to achieve all that they were capable of achieving, but that doesn't lessen my love for them, nor did it diminish their talents and their contributions to pairs skating. In addition to rooting for U.S. pairs, I enjoy and respect a great many pairs teams. The only Russian teams I would include on my list of fave pairs are Gordeeva/ Grinkov, Mishkuteniok/ Dmitriev, and Berezhnaya/ Sikharulidze. Plus, Kavaguti/Smirnov had some wonderful moments. Elena Bechke/ Denis Petrov, I enjoyed more during their pro career. I admired Totmianina/Marinin's lovely lines and superb technique, but I was bored by their inability to emote or to connect with each other or the audience. I admired Tat/Max (Volosozhar/Trankov), but they weren't together long enough (having paired late in their careers) to make a truly lasting impression or substantive contribution.
Meanwhile, Tarasova/Morozov have been the model Russian pair able to give a tech clinic, and always on the cusp of becoming great, but so far they haven't reached that level. If they can overcome their self-doubts, maybe they will finally win Olympic gold. Their problems with being able to project well on the ice, and failing to select good music has held them back. This season, under Eteri, they are looking more confident, and their music choices are okay, so we'll see what happens.
For me, Savchenko/Szolkowy, are one of the most important teams who made a definitive impact in pairs over the past 25 years, under Ingo Steuer's tutelage (and of course, Bruno Massot, with Savchenko, were influential in the lead-up to and during the 2018 Olympics, but theirs was a short career span, during which Massot was catching up to match Savchenko's intensity and brilliance). Also, the great Shen/Zhao who built their career slowly but surely and were on fire by the early 2000s. S/Z epitomized desire and passion, along with hard work. Chinese pairs in general (including Pang/Tong, et al) during those years made an impact with their amazing throws and 3-twists. S/Z and P/T also brought some aesthetic talent to the ice. Later, Sui/Han came along with amazing tricks, but IMO, it took them time before they developed impactful aesthetic qualities (under the tutelage of Shen/Zhao). What distinguishes S/H for me, is their absolute force of will and desire. Over the last four years, James/Cipres made an influential impact with their talent and charismatic presence. With the help of their coaches and choreographers who had ice dance backgrounds, J/C competed great programs three years straight (both sp and fp), infusing the discipline with energy, innovation and palpable excitement that's still being felt, despite the demise of their partnership.
The story is yet to fully unfold for up-and-coming B/K, M/G, Pav/Kho, and other Russian teams, along with other young talented contenders (plus veterans winding down their careers) in the very exciting pairs discipline.
Specifically on the U.S. pairs side, I'm hopeful that Calalang/Johnson can overcome their much talked about sbs jump weakness, which is the main thing holding them back from greatness. They are a magical team. But they need to bear down and believe in themselves. I hope that Knierim/Frazier might decide to stick around for at least another two years at least, post-Olympics. They have a lot of athleticism, power and potential, but are still in the process of discovering who they are together on the ice. Also, my fingers are crossed for Ashley/Timothy and Chelsea/Danny to make significant strides this season.
Both Italian siblings will be competing at Nebelhorn!
