I had been thinking a lot about the importance of having the right choreography this season ,and how that could make all the difference with so many teams being so tightly packed...then we went off on the Shibs..and then there were the splits, oh, the splits!
Anyway, I still think it's a pretty important question , it's just a bit more murky with teams dropping out of the equation. The three teams that I feel very confident of having really good programs ,are V/M , D/W and the Shibs. I know Z/S have some very adamant detractors, but I often feel those are like someone who plugs their ears and goes
La-la-la-la in an argument. After all, something can be not to your taste and still have merit .
I feel that with D/W trying to defend their title, we'll see a return to their strengths..dramatic theme , etc...I'm thinking V/M have more leeway to experiment..The Shibs? Let's face it ,the surface has been barely scratched..but if I was deciding, I'd say more pure dance. Doris has mentioned their wonderful timing , and who wouldn't want to see more of the sheer joy of dancing ? ( Maybe with more intricate holds , etc. to address the areas where commentators said they could improve.) And I would think they'd want to differentiate themselves from S/B (if they can come back strong ),who can completely charm an audience and use character to great effect ( and whose American in Paris I've been drooling to see for a year, now ).
I'll really be watching to see what comes out of the K/C camp , because I'm not
quite sure what to think of what's coming out choreographically, there...the Camerlengo programs I've
really loved in the last couple of years have been the ones he's done for singles. It's hard to say ... F/S had health issues, accidents , etc , which made it hard to fully appreciate their programs ; I liked their 2010 FD alright , but it really didn't wow me like some others. Using them as an example , I don't know what to predict , or hope for P/B. Their last year's programs were so perfect for them. They listed Zhulin , Najarro and Julien Cottereau as choreographers , but no breakdown of who choreographed what...but there was plenty in those programs that didn't say "Zhulin" to me..so will they use either of the other 2 again ?
Same thing with W/P..Shae Lynn and Camerlengo jointly credited, but no break down..and while I thought their SD was a knockout ( and esp. the quickstep was very ShaeLynn-like)their FD, in itself, was fairly mundane . I feel (maybe) a sort of pedestrian reliance on movie themes, etc. from that school...or it's at least that I've yet to see a FD that really stood out, that I can think of. Maybe someone else is aware of some that I'm not ?
I don't feel at all good about I/K and their move to Morozov..I'm not a fan of his choreography. I find it pretty cheesy most of the time ,and relying too much on hype and sex appeal ,often at the expense of difficulty...B/S and R/T both deserve better choreo than they were given this last year.
In Canada ,things are now simplified somewhat, at least until we get to see if Vanessa and / or Paul manage to partner up in time to make a good showing at Canadians. V/M will have good choreo..P/I had good choreo last year , but maybe music ( Durante ) was a bit problematic ( now I'm being picky , because the program itself was lovely ) and I think their team actively searches for good outside choreo , while I think Pavol Porac could be a bit of a hidden treasure. I sincerely hope R/H get away from Africa..I'm interested to see H/G , since I think W/L are making some good strides choreographically ,as well as as coaches ( it will also be interesting to see how much Orford/Williams will have progressed ). Arnold /Trojek had some Camerlengo choreo last year, so I'm looking for them, too. This brings me to the other thing I wanted to ask :
Because of V/M being absent at last year's nationals , funding was extended to include six couples after they returned ,instead of straight top 5 , which was only fair to those who had won their top 5 spot. Now , with C/P splitting , what happens with the funding, I'd like to know....Will Arnold and Trojeck now be funded , since they were the 6th couple at nationals ( I'm sure they could put it to good use ), or will SC claw back the funding to 5 , or do C/P get to split it between them even though
they've split ?
