Who fell in love with the Shibutani's? (fan thread)

[Tinymavy15]

I have been in love for two years now. they have that unteachable quality that Voir has only are more adorable than romantic. Igor and Marina packaged them perfectly this season. Their translation of ballroom to the ice in the FD is delightful. I can't wait for worlds now.

 

[iluvtodd]

Loved them from the first time we saw them (2 years ago at US Nationals). Love them even more now!

 

[pangtongfan]

When you receive all Level 4s in the SD as the Shibs and Davis & White did, (no other senior dance team has done that this season so far) and have the best twizzles in the world and great speed and flow, you get high scores. I don't think they were overmarked at all. P&B are quite frankly slower as are Crone & Poirier and pretty much everybody else.

We still do know the Shibutanis are not even going to score close to Pechalat & Bourzat come Worlds this year and probably be behind Crone & Poirier too. Thus their scores were quite inflated to what they will be in front of international judges.

I think by 2014 they will be in the fight for gold with 2 or 3 other teams though.

 

[prettykeys]

I tell you after watching Maia and Alex skate that free dance I felt very excited. I have not seen an Ice dance team with flowing movements. They made it look so easy, smooth and natural.

Who else was blown away with that or this performance.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R5bOnk2IeDs

Thanks for posting! Oh, why did it take me so long to come to this thread? I don't watch Ice Dance normally, but I might start watching it along with the singles disciplines because that was beautiful. Both are lovely.

 

[KKonas]

We still do know the Shibutanis are not even going to score close to Pechalat & Bourzat come Worlds this year and probably be behind Crone & Poirier too. Thus their scores were quite inflated to what they will be in front of international judges.

I think by 2014 they will be in the fight for gold with 2 or 3 other teams though.

While I agree that the Shibs won't beat Pechalat & Bourzat at Worlds because the mostly European panel will not diss the European champions, I do think they can beat Crone & Poirer - it all depends on the results of the 4 C's. The dance panel at Nationals had some pretty high powered World Level honchos. Bob Horen the Ref is #2 man on the IDTC and Charlie Cyr Asst Ref is a World Judge, and was Tech Auditor at Nationals. Judy Blumberg 5-time US champ is ISU tech specialist and considered pretty tough and Hal Marron, Asst Tech specialist is both national and ISU Tech Specialist as well as World Judge.

 

[demarinis5]

Count me in as a fan of the Shibs. One of the things that I love about their skating is the way they flow into each element effortlessly. Also their technique is mind boggling.
The Shibs take the Fred and Ginger Award this season for putting dance back into icedancing.

 

[CARA]

I've been a huge fan of the Shibs since the Junior Worlds in 2009. Their FD with the music Cinema Paradiso was one of the most marvelous ice dance programs I saw. Love their old fashioned elegance and clean edge they bring to their discipline. I am looking forward to following their development for the next four years towards Sochi and beyond.

 

[CARA]

I finally found the Shibs' SD video at Nationals: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0N8XYC1wLbE

They have twizzle sequence to die for! The only couple at Nationals to execute three sets of twizzles. They finally danced error free SD, and the excitement and relief they felt show on Alex' face.

Here is the video of their exhibit program at the Nationals Gala.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MOIOs9uX_zY

Enjoy!

 

[heyang]

I've found these Nationals to be more exciting than most just because of all the very talented young, up & coming skaters who did so well. It will be fascinating to watch them develop & to follow their careers.

Defintiely agree. The post Olympic year usually is flat IMHO, but there were some real highlights this year.

 

[BackStage Barbie]

I've been following the Shibutanis all season and their progress is remarkable. What I love about them is they are so easy to watch. While they have great speed, especially in twizzles, they still skate with a quality that is very gentle. By easy to watch I mean that everything is crisp and clean-they have no awkward movements, no strange transitions, and they maintain such pleasant expressions without pulling their faces. Zoueva/Shpilband struck gold with the two programs they created for them this season and I look forward to great things in the future. The classical jazz feel of their free skate suits them so well and I'd love to see them skate to music by Gershwin, Irving Berlin, or Cole Porter in coming seasons.

 

[Puchi]

Count me in! There's something special about these kids... the freshness, the simple joy, the effortless quality... and god, those twizzles!

 

[Binthere]

What I actually love most about Maia and Alex is their character and positive attitudes. Something about their skating and personalities seems to connect with people from all over. Comments posted on videos come from fans all over the world, not just the US and Asia, but even Russia!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2lBDNb36iWM&feature=related

One of my all time favorite programs is Cinema Paradiso. See elegant. Maia's hand gestures at the very end are so delicate. Agree with commentator who says Alex presents such an appealing balance of softness and strength. The video was posted by a fan from France!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R1ONEuW7RxE