Free Dance Review | Golden Skate

Free Dance Review

EWalker

On the Ice
Joined
Jan 16, 2005
I got to the rink late because of a work meeting that I had, plus I wanted to get the Ladies SP report as close to finished as possible. I was able to make the event for the final flight of skaters, so it was a real treat. The theme of the afternoon was both Latin Rhythms and Igor Shpilbanc.

First to skate was Lefevbre and Markov (CAN) Music by Berndt Stralo.
Both are dressed in black and red costumes. Arseni is beginning to channel Ilia Averbukh in his look. It’s been done before, and again (with the Reys), let’s move on to our own look, please. Begin the program with interprestive stutter steps. Twizzle sequence that gotout of synch fast, but the twizzles themselves were quite slow. 1 arm catch foot rotational lift that was very nice. Spread eagel curve lift with 3 positions, followed by a curve lift with 2 positions. Dance spin was okay, but I think that it looks the same as most others. Twizzle sequence… 4 in one direction, and 3 in the other, but he botched the second group. Transitional footwork with nice dance holds. 1-arm change of direct rotational lift to close.
Tech: 46.10; Comp: 36.27; Total: 82.37/161.97.

Mathews/Zavozin (USA) “Moulin Rouge”
Dance spin to start with a nice catch-foot position. Twizzle sequence with 4 twizzles in both directions. Nice serpentine dance pattern with evolving dance holds, and difficult footwork. Lift that starts as a striaghtline lift then goes into rotational lift with nicely extended Biellman position with him on 1 foot. One foot sit-style straightline lift. Twizzle sequence with 5 rotations one direction, 4 in the other. 1 foot catch foot curve change of direction lift. Biellman rotational life with skid at the end by him. 4 Backwards twizzles. Tech: 48.46; Comp: 39.50; Total: 87.96/171.69.

Virtue/Moir (CAN) “Malaguena”
She had a balance break in the opening moves that almost lead to a fall. Curve lift to rotational lift. Midsteps that had 3 twizzles in one direction then 4 in the other. Crunched up dance spin with little extension. Nice handhold footwork. 5 twizzles in one direction-3 in the other in which the first half are out of synch. Split position on change of direction lift. 2 footed sit position straightline lift. Twizzle footwork again. Rotational lift in which she falls out of position and out of the lift. Very akward ending like they didn’t know what to do. Tech: 46.32; Comp: 39.05; Total: 85.37/168.66.

Silverstein/O’Meara (USA) Tango music.
Curve rotational lift with many positions. Jamie very much in tune with the music; Ryan? Not so much. Split lift on a spread eagle. 4 twizzles in each direction he stumbled on the 3rd of the first set. Dance holds and such into 4-3 twizzles in which he was definitely not over his blade. Nice curve change of direction lift with nice positions, Dance spin with (surprise!) a catch foot position! Dance-hold footwork, and he takes a stumble on a back crossover connection move. Rotation lift in catch foot position. Ryan was just plain awful today… I think that the USFS made a hasty decision in selecting this team for the Olys so early. Losing to Canada’s number 5 is somewhat of an embarrassment for them and US Ice Dance in that US number 4 is 2nd here. I thought from the start that the USFS should have sent M/Z and S/O here to compete for the last spot on the Oly team. Such poor judgement on their part. Tech: 41.87; Comp: 34.53; Ded: -1.00; Total: 75.40/150.76.

Belbin/Agosto (USA) We all know the music, but I can’t remember the name. J
Begin almost immediately with a nice curve lift with Tanith interpreting the music with her entire body. 5-4 Twizzle sequence in perfect unison! Beautiful, difficult, and FAST dance pattern with nice dance holds. Another dance pattern with even more difficult choreography. Dance spin with nice variations on the typical theme. 1 footed backwards lift. An OMG lift with a flip entry and changes of edge by Ben and multiple positions by Tanith. Twizzle pattern that was a bit off for them. Circular footwork. End with a powerful rotational lift in split position with her leg on his shoulder and perfect back position by both. AMAZING! They are ready for the Olympics! Tech: 53.16; Comp: 49.06; Total: 102.22/199.73. Wow!:agree:

Final results are posted in the other FD thread.
 

JOHIO2

Medalist
Joined
Jul 29, 2003
EW,
thanks for posting your firsthand reports. I've been enjoying them. Have fun for the rest of the comp.
 

EWalker

On the Ice
Joined
Jan 16, 2005
JOHIO2 said:
EW,
thanks for posting your firsthand reports. I've been enjoying them. Have fun for the rest of the comp.

Thanks! It's fun until there are skaters who are not at a good level. Hope the reports are interesting to you all...
 

Tonichelle

Idita-Rock-n-Roll
Record Breaker
Joined
Jun 27, 2003
good to hear that Tanith and Ben had more intensity than the FD at nationals...

and yeay for a good skate to Moulin Rouge (actually isn't it just Tango De Roxanne from Moulin Rouge? ;)) I'm always up for a skating program that features Ewan McGregor vocals!
 

jayta

Rinkside
Joined
Dec 26, 2004
I feel bad that they had two subpar performances this international meet...V&M, I mean. I love them to death and I hate to think how disappointed they must be with what happened. But that's the nature of sport, eh?

It's gotta happen sometime. Well, not all at once today, but I think they definitely had nerves kind of keeping them a little on edge. I mean, think of how they could have done if they had a clean skate...

It reminds me of Jr. Worlds last year when it was fairly close between the two teams and V&M baubled to keep them from medaling gold. Not that they necessarily could have...but there was always the possibility.

ETA: As I've watched both programs, I have to say despite the imbalance at the beginning and the slight miscue into the entry of the lift, which caused Tessa to exit early, I didn't see any un-synchronisity. Maybe it was just where they placed the cameras, but the only part that seemed to be spot on as usual, was the twizzles....

And now that I've watched M&Z, I have to say that I was wondering if anyone noticed how far apart they skated? Even in the 'close' holds during their footwork, it seemed that they had so much space inbetween them. Maybe it was the way the choreography called for them to be, to be able to do their footwork, but I thought it was weird how much space was inbetween them.

I think both these teams have a lot of growing pains to go through. I also think they have a lot to learn and as athletes/dancers they have a lot to grow into.
 
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Ptichka

Forum translator
Record Breaker
Joined
Jul 28, 2003
I wish USFS used the same sysem as the Japanese federation and actually looked at 4CC as well as Nationals to select the Olympics team. Then M & Z could have gone instead of S & O'M...
 

hockeyfan228

Record Breaker
Joined
Jul 26, 2003
If the US would take 4C's into consideration for Worlds and Olympics for the open spots (not the 1st, guaranteed spot), then the fields at 4C's wouldn't be so thin.
 

Ptichka

Forum translator
Record Breaker
Joined
Jul 28, 2003
hockeyfan228 said:
If the US would take 4C's into consideration for Worlds and Olympics for the open spots (not the 1st, guaranteed spot), then the fields at 4C's wouldn't be so thin.
I think the Japanese federation has it right. If the skater has already done well at the Grand Prix circle and Nationals, they do not need to go to 4CC as well (if Kwan skated at Nationals and won, Cohen would have had silver, yet it would have been silly to ask her to prove herself any more than she already has). However, when it's close (as it is for M&Z/ S&O'M or Meissner/ Hughes), it would be beneficial. Of course, you can just imagine the wails about favoritism and such in that case...
 
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