2023 Grand Prix de France Free Dance

[labgoat]

Interesting that Hawayek and Baker used this music about 5-6 years ago and it was considered too obscure and no one got the story. Either more people watched the movie or Charlene and Marco just did a better job of telling the story. I still like Hawayek/Baker's version but I get the skills that G/F demonstrate just make it that much better.

It makes me miss Hawayek and Baker and their beautiful skating. I hope things are improving for them as I would like to see them on the US team.

 

[4everchan]

Okay. I just saw that you love good gliding and skating skills and I think this team, although it doesn't excite me at all, really has those.

Yup. They do have that and I recognize that. I don't think I said they shouldn't win three judges did say that. Not me. I liked their RD.. but this FD almost put me to sleep. I made a second coffee, I should be better for the men..

Also, in dance, there is this undeniable aspect of creating a moment, whether it's story telling or emotional connection. I can live without that in singles skating, even in pairs... but in ice dance, I need it. I don't think this FD for the Italians is doing this at this point. Maybe I will get it when I see them live in Montreal but on stream, it hasn't done it for me so far.

Finally, good gliding and skating skills : there is a much larger gap between single skaters, compared to ice dance teams... even the middle of the pack ice dance teams have superior skating skills. The Italians are better but other top teams are not to dismiss here. Huge difference when comparing a Patrick Chan or a Kévin Aymoz to the middle of the pack men.

 

[purplecat]

Interesting that Hawayek and Baker used this music about 5-6 years ago and it was considered too obscure and no one got the story. Either more people watched the movie or Charlene and Marco just did a better job of telling the story. I still like Hawayek/Baker's version but I get the skills that G/F demonstrate just make it that much better.

Thank you, I knew someone had skated to it but it was killing me trying to remember who! Lovely music! And like others I miss H&B's skating and hope they are back soon!

 

[kolyadafan2002]

this music is meaningless... it leads nowhere. We see more and more and more of these in ice dance. Just a canvas to "showcase" (this is for you @viennaskater ) the free dance.

I preferred their RD. To me the FD is well skated but doesn't convince me. Easy win for them here, but I prefer Piper and Paul by a landslide when it comes to the FD this year.

I love the FD, but see where you're coming from. I feel G/F don't play as well into the slow moments as Piper and Paul do - they tend to carry a lot of fast arm movements throughout slow music (both in RD and FD), whereas Piper and Paul have a lot of musicality within the slow parts as well as the fast parts. But on the other hand G/F do carry a lot more speed across the ice. I think both have FD's capable of winning Worlds, and I enjoy both quite well. In my head, I can't split them (I can for certain categories, but as overall couples I struggle to). Especially as Piper and Paul this year feel much stronger and more creative than Piper and Paul from last year. They also have better softness than G/F, even though the pushing and extension imo isn't as good.

Please send me your thoughts after seeing both teams live in Montreal (if you go), as I really struggle with streams sometimes.

Going against the grain of this thread, I prefer both Charlene/Marco & Piper/Paul over Chock/Bates (Purely as I think they are a lot more intricate and have a lot more difficulty in the skating, and both members of both couples have more equal roles in the program compared to C/B). I also prefer FB/S over C/B, purely as I like that FB and S both provide power within their skating whereas it feels that Evan provides most of the power in C/B. But for me, I look very closely at the skating itself rather than overall impact, so I might be missing something in C/B's FD.

It's interesting that the majority of people I see (on twitter etc) prefer G/F's FD to their RD. Maybe it's because of bad music cuts in the RD? Some people were disappointed they couldn't recognise the silver samba for first half of it (But personally I think this shows more creativity). I know many people don't like Marcos MiSt slide in the RD.

Last comment: Whilst I still stand by G/F being the best skaters this year (Note: Best skaters != Best Dancers), I do want to point out one niggle for me: The third twizzle in their twizzle sequence. I appreciate they twizzle much faster than most skaters, but the first two twizzles match up perfectly and on the third (forward outside twizzle) Charlene and Marco have slightly different foot placement. It annoyed me a little more in the RD than the FD. They match so precisely in almost everything, so it throws me off a little to see this.

 

[4everchan]

I love the FD, but see where you're coming from. I feel G/F don't play as well into the slow moments as Piper and Paul do - they tend to carry a lot of fast arm movements throughout slow music (both in RD and FD), whereas Piper and Paul have a lot of musicality within the slow parts as well as the fast parts. But on the other hand G/F do carry a lot more speed across the ice. I think both have FD's capable of winning Worlds, and I enjoy both quite well. In my head, I can't split them (I can for certain categories, but as overall couples I struggle to). Especially as Piper and Paul this year feel much stronger and more creative than Piper and Paul from last year. They also have better softness than G/F, even though the pushing and extension imo isn't as good.

That seems like a good explanation. The care and attention in softer, slower part. This may well be why I sometimes find GF "one-note" as their range of colours is narrower.

Please send me your thoughts after seeing both teams live in Montreal (if you go), as I really struggle with streams sometimes.

Yes.. that's key. The last time I saw Piper and Paul live, it was at ACI and both Weapo and Virtue-Moir competed there too. Back then, there wasn't a doubt about the superiority of Virtue-Moir among these three teams in pretty much all areas. I feel that Piper and Paul have improved tons since then, well it's been 6 years ! And I agree their material is more creative this year and better than the last couple years.

I will for sure share my impressions from Montreal worlds. Tickets have been purchased already. I am attending the whole week.

 

[Ares]

That lift with Charlene being upside down was breathtaking here! And it's very difficult too, they made it look efffortless though.

 

[Ares]

Olivia & Tim were amusing but it was quite a rough skate from both. Balance checks, one missed twizzle etc.

 

[DancingCactus]

I loved FBS. And I'm so glad they didn't use the horrible song from Notre Dame de Paris everyone else uses. They are really powerful, the lifts were amazing, the drama, the musicality, the abs, the shirt...

G/F were really floaty at the beginning, but then they mixed in some ugly looking poses that kinda interrupted the flow for me. Their skating to me mostly feels like a tech demo and not a dance. And the only ones who ever looked good with one partner hopping ass first into the other's face were Tessa and Scott. Also, the knee slide was as unsexy as in the RD. Please stop.

The French were a bit bloodless, although she has really good posture. C/P bore me and Corpse Bride was fun.

 

[rain]

Some thoughts on the free dances:

Dupayage/Nabais: this was messy, and while I appreciated the originality that was evident again here in the FD, I didn't get it. What were they trying to convey? What story? What feeling? It didn't hold together for me. Still think this team are future stars. I liked their RD better.

McNamara/Spiridonov: I felt like the material let them down. This was obviously trying to be the very successful standout program Green/Parsons had two years ago, but it suffered by comparison, badly. It didn't have enough modern dance/shapes/movement. It was mostly just generic ice dance.

Lim/Quon: Well the judges loved this, and their star quality shone through. The emotion was a little over the top for me at the end, though I loved that portion of the choreography. Sorry.

Smart/Dieck: That was pretty messy. You can see their newness more exposed here. Love the transition into the dance spin. It looked in a couple of spots like he was having trouble keeping up with her, and this led him to hunch forward.

Lauriault/LeGac: underrated, in my opinion. I loved this dance even more than the first time I saw it. Love the originality and well skated. I hope they at least get 4CC. The camerawork annoyed me in a couple of instances where they'd do close-ups or almost lose them altogether. Terrible.

Careirra/Ponomarenko: This is the most interesting FD I've seen from them. Loved the final slide. Some interesting choreography and it looked like they had good speed, for the most part. He scares me on the twizzles. It looks like he just throws himself into them and prays.

Lopareva/Brissaud: This bored me at their last GP and it bored me again here. The beginning has promise, then drifts off for me. For entertainment value, I like both C/P and L/L better.

Fournier-Beaudry-Sorensen: I wish I liked this more than I do. There are parts I find boring. It's well-skated and there are elements I like a lot. The rotational/stationary lift on the music change was brilliant. Twizzles are iffy. It's a bit of a miss for me so far. I preferred last year's program, and like Lajoie/Lagha's FD better.

Guignard/Fabri: The music is boring. The choreography is actually pretty good and if paired with different music could really make some great highlights. Great speed across the ice. He is trying way too hard in the choreo sequence at the boards. But deserved win here, I think.
But with the incredibly innovative programs both Piper and Paul and Maddie and Evan are doing this season, this dance isn't in the same league in my opinion. It lacks magic.

 

[lariko]

Sorry wrong thread

 

[anonymoose_au]

Catching up on the Free Dance and I just wanna say.

Tim with an E and Olivia are the best, I love them and I hope they skate for as many seasons as they want!

PS. The Elvis plushie!!! I can't tell the difference between it and Tim

PPS. Charlene and Mighty Marco were absolutely stunning as always, I love them!

 

[TallyT]

I now officially love Marie-Jade and Romain, and her costume rocks. That's all.

 

[lileychristie]

I just finished catching up on the free dance and on this thread.... One question, is Tim called 'Tim with an E' because his name is Tim Dieck?

 

[anonymoose_au]

I just finished catching up on the free dance and on this thread.... One question, is Tim called 'Tim with an E' because his name is Tim Dieck?

Haha yes.

I think it originally started as the opposite to refer to someone (not Tim Dieck) - like "That guy is a real Tim without an E", or at least that's how I used it once.

 

[labgoat]

I just finished catching up on the free dance and on this thread.... One question, is Tim called 'Tim with an E' because his name is Tim Dieck?

@elektra blue came up with the name and that tells you everything.
yes - the E is also for Evil Elvis

 

[Ruthypegs]

Marie DUPAYAGE / Thomas NABAIS FRA are always unique and interesting. This is very abstract and full of interesting shapes

I was really impressed with Thomas's ice dancing - very precise but also expressive - looking forward to seeing this team in the future.

 

[throw_triple_flip]

I need more weird from Tim with an E

Do you remember the Bodyguard themed Free Dance he did with Katharina Müller?

At one point a shot rings out in the music and he pretends he got shot.. then I Will Always Love You Kicks in. It was utterly ridiculous, but it made me chuckle.

 

[Seven Sisters]

Do you remember the Bodyguard themed Free Dance he did with Katharina Müller?

At one point a shot rings out in the music and he pretends he got shot.. then I Will Always Love You Kicks in. It was utterly ridiculous, but it made me chuckle.

And then there was their Joker/Harley Quinn program where Tim aka Elvis with an E got to chew the scenery, just a bit I remember them performing this at that comp in, where is it, Austria? With the scores presented to the camera on post it notes, and the brilliant, semi-pro announcer?
Anyway, as it ended, Brilliant Semi-Pro Announcer—obviously stunned speechless—drew a breath and finally said, Well, you have to hand it to him, He Took the Brief…
We all need more Elvis with an E, and more Brilliant Semi-Pro Announcer, in our lives

 

[viennaskater]

Lauriault/LeGac: underrated, in my opinion. I loved this dance even more than the first time I saw it. Love the originality and well skated. I hope they at least get 4CC. The camerawork annoyed me in a couple of instances where they'd do close-ups or almost lose them altogether. Terrible.

Careirra/Ponomarenko: This is the most interesting FD I've seen from them. Loved the final slide. Some interesting choreography and it looked like they had good speed, for the most part. He scares me on the twizzles. It looks like he just throws himself into them and prays.

Lopareva/Brissaud: This bored me at their last GP and it bored me again here. The beginning has promise, then drifts off for me. For entertainment value, I like both C/P and L/L better.

Fournier-Beaudry-Sorensen: I wish I liked this more than I do. There are parts I find boring. It's well-skated and there are elements I like a lot. The rotational/stationary lift on the music change was brilliant. Twizzles are iffy. It's a bit of a miss for me so far. I preferred last year's program, and like Lajoie/Lagha's FD better.

Guignard/Fabri: The music is boring. The choreography is actually pretty good and if paired with different music could really make some great highlights. Great speed across the ice. He is trying way too hard in the choreo sequence at the boards. But deserved win here, I think.
But with the incredibly innovative programs both Piper and Paul and Maddie and Evan are doing this season, this dance isn't in the same league in my opinion. It lacks magic.

I am with you on all these points. About bad camera work, there really is NO excuse for this. So far this season it's been quite good but here, they were zooming out from time to time (just NO!) and what is the point of zooming in on the skaters' upper bodies, unless it's the beginning or end poses??

I cannot understand HOW the superb Lauriault/Le Gac got marked less than Lopareva/Brissaud (bloodless). What IS it about this French team that the judges love so much? I would rather watch Dupayage/Nabais any time, even with the errors. (BTW, if you haven't seen their FD from last year, dig it out!)

FB/S have done many good programs but I just tune out with the slow bit (Ave Maria). It just sags in the middle.

G/F: loved them last season and to me they still look sharp, but yes the music is dull.

 

[kolyadafan2002]

I am with you on all these points. About bad camera work, there really is NO excuse for this. So far this season it's been quite good but here, they were zooming out from time to time (just NO!) and what is the point of zooming in on the skaters' upper bodies, unless it's the beginning or end poses??

I cannot understand HOW the superb Lauriault/Le Gac got marked less than Lopareva/Brissaud (bloodless). What IS it about this French team that the judges love so much? I would rather watch Dupayage/Nabais any time, even with the errors. (BTW, if you haven't seen their FD from last year, dig it out!)

FB/S have done many good programs but I just tune out with the slow bit (Ave Maria). It just sags in the middle.

G/F: loved them last season and to me they still look sharp, but yes the music is dull.

Lauriault/Le gac have very unique programs that I always enjoy. And the transitions and personality are incredible. As well as the acrobatics.

iIreally like them, but I'd personally have the French ahead: LLG don't have the level of skating skills as the French who, whilst you might find them boring, have very strong glide, kneebend etc. The French also have a lot more refinement (Llg look awkward in a few of the moments in the program). I also feel the French have superior turn technique.