I see a trend going on with Zhulin and his pairs and I don't like it. While I have nothing against B/S skating to Anna Karenina, I hate that he gets most of his ideas from a cheap Ice Age show. In the past few years, he has given I/K Schindler's list which was skated in the exact same costume by Navka and one of the celebrities before, then he gave B/S the Bird program from Ice Age which was performed initially by Domnina/Alexei Tikhonov. Eventually, he changed the original music to Mozart and then threw away the program altogether. Now, I am pretty sure that giving B/S Anna Karenina was inspired by Navka/Kostomarov's performance. Also, one of the worst Zlobina/Sitnikova's programs (who are from Azerbaijan) was also from Ice Age. It was this:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v3IBKSqsG8c
Which came from Navka/Ruslan Goncharov program:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=loNs9B1SBSc
It seems like he rarely comes up with something on his own that was not initially on Ice Age. And I don't like it. On the other hand, I think B/S will be able to do a really good program with Anna Karenina -- I think the concept and music suits them and is not overused either.
Ice Age and such ice shows where Averbukh and Zhulin took part like choreographers or skaters are here from 2007.
Zhulin statistics like coach and choreographer (finding at Internet):
Ice Age 2007: 8 couples from Zhulin…12 evenings with the show…5 couples got to the final…
around 70 programs…
Ice Age 2008: 9 couples from Zhulin…around 11 evenings with the show…12 couples in the final, probably 6 of them coached by Zhulin…Zhulin and Averbuhk changed couples…
around 75 programs…
Ice Age 2009: 7 couples from Zhulin…around 15 competive evenings…all couples got into the final…
105 programs…
Ice and Fire 2010: 9 couples coached by Zhulin…15 evenings…half of them dancing on the floor, so 7 evenings on the ice…14 couples got into final, 6 of them were from Zhulin…
around 50 programs on the ice…
Cup of Profesionals 2012: 21 people making 10 couples…10 evenings…
44 programs...
Ice Age 2013: 14 couples…coaches were changing once again…14 evenings…
73 programs…
(Plus Zhulin had some own show in 2010 or around that date…which means another new programs with new ideas…)
Overall
since 2007 he created around 373 programs, plus original and short dances for all his couples since 2007 which could be hardly taken from Ice Age shows.
I can’t imagine Zueva, Sphilband or Morozov bringing to live around 400 programs in 7 years (it was probably more, I think he did more than 27 original or short dances since 2007) and especially for competive dancing try to creat next 20 new programs.
What is important for music and story choice in shows? To take people’s attention. What is important for music and story choice in eligible skating? To take people‘s attention. Why are some ideas or music the same in both show and competive skating is not suprising then. Many people use Romeo and Juliette, Phantom of the Opera, Tango by Piazolla, West Side Story etc. Who criticised Zueva for taking POTO or Tango for Meryl and Charlie when somebody else already took it in past years?
For sure programs for competive skating must be changed to suit judging system, which is not always easy. But I don’t see any reason why shouldn’t be ideas from shows taken to competive skating. Schindler‘s List and Psycho program of B&S last season were a big success. With restrictions of using ideas from shows in competive skating – those programs would never be created for Ice Dance and it would be a pity.
As I know Monko & Khaliavin, Agafonova & Ucar and Zenkova & Sinitsin have different programs which you couldn‘t see in Ice Age.
Birds program was very good and extremely difficult program, it never reached its potencial thanks to more reasons, but other B&S’s programs under Zhulin – two SD and FD in 2012/13 season were great. Overall Zhulin is a very creative choreographer, his work is nowhere similar to other top choreographers and there are no big similarities in his programs comparing all his couples (while for example Morozov‘s choreography always contains the same steps for all cathegories where you immediatelly notice that it must be Morozov’s work). In times when many couples and their choreographers are concentrating on elements mainly, while other choreographers use overused music and “save“ music, Zhulin comes with unusual programs. If he takes ideas from Ice Age or not…it is still mainly his ideas because he was one of two choreographers in all those shows. So the idea is original and it comes from his head.
of course, not Dima 
