Madison Chock & Evan Bates‘ FD:
Despite other people’s opinion I like the dress. That white part gives the dress a little bit of playfulness, funny mood and even naughtiness (in good meaning) I hear in music.
Great choice of music. People like Gershwin’s music, it brings good mood and it also works very well on judges. This could be perfect choice for World Champs in Boston next season, where fans on the stadium would start to aplaud with first tones of music.
American in Paris music is playfull, joyfull, a little bit flirtatious kind of music. And with such dancer like Gene Kelly….I was so curious what will Sphilband do with such theme….I imagined something like Madison & Evan transforming into Gene Kelly & Leslie Caron and push their limits on the ice….well, the result is not what I expected.
First of all, I don’t understand what is the program about…???…Gershwin composed this and told that he wanted to explain the feelings of the American walking in Paris streets and looking at French athmosphere.
But there is also the musical where American artist – painter Gene Kelly falls in love with a Parissienne Lisa….OK, in opening part of the program Evan touches Madison’s face and this opening part of choreo is another romantic one where two love each other (like Madison & Evan‘s FD from past three years)…and then…I don’t see anything what would explain the music or story…just moves and moves and big smiles to judges and to each other…
In both Gershwin’s idea and musical story it is THE MAN who playes the main role, not woman…it is the American who discovers life in Paris in Gershwin’s eyes or it is Gene Kelly who dances the main character. Evan Bates has no choreo which would remind anything of that and once again the whole programs is made for Madison.
Technical side:
Number of big jumps made by Madison: 9
Small hoops made by both of them: 24
Twizzles with no speed going into it - no spacing there…no synchro in first set of Twizles - why judges gave four times +2 and once +3 for element without good synchro and with no speed?
Lifts are nice like always. First lift looks new to them, but it is another version of “Eiffel Tower“ looking like lift which many couples did past years. But the couple executes it lovely.
The movement before the first lift when Evan lifts Madison…there is a rule that says -
"A brief movement in which both skates of one of the partners leave the ice with support by the other partner and the lifted partner is not sustained in the air shall not be considered as a Dance Lift" - so the movement should be taken like transition – another jump...but in my opinion this movement looks more like rotational lift. Another problematic part is an illegal movement in lift -
"hand/arm which is used for support or balancing only or which touches any part of the body of the lifted partner is sustained by the lifting partner higher than his head for more than 2 seconds". …Evan’s right hand looks to be above his head, so it is illegal element, I think.
Madison told: “All our lifts are new and that the long time success of Tessa and Scott & Charly and Maryl helped us all a lot”!
Second lift is a copy of the lift from Doctor Zhivago‘s FD in 2012/13 season and last lift is a combo of last two lifts from Les Miserables FD in 2013/14 season.
How could the second curved lift got Level 4? During change of pose Evan put his free leg on the ice and while travelling down Madison’s right boot also touched the ice. Why they got GOE +2, +1, +1, 0, -1 for this – it was an obvious mistake.
Overall rather slower skating, no change in speed coming into last fast part, but it is the beginning of the season and the couple is maybe in trouble with physical condition yet.
Transitions had many jumps and hoops and open “pair“ skating, BUT what I was sooo glad to see…I saw dance holds during Transitions – there were five times Waltz holds for one-two seconds, one Killian hold – this is an improvement, just continue in this.
Edges moderate.
Sphilband visibly noticed bad work of Evan’s free leg, especially during step sequences…but instead of correcting the mistake (what I would expect from somebody who is taken like great technical coach)…he changed the choreo and made some steps and turns with bent free leg in second part of the turn, and not only for Evan, but for Madison as well…so another hiding of weaknesses…wise?...not really, because:
1) bent leg during second part of turn means no work of free leg there, so the couple gains absolutely no speed from this turn, which leads to very very slow step sequences where only toe steps and jumps helps not to stand on one place…
2) thanks to no work of free leg the couple is not able to execute the arc properly
3) edges are even less moderate then normally
4) thanks to those “changes“ in choreo, even Madison looses proper work of free leg.
You can’t do correct turns and difficult turns if you don’t know how to work with your skating and free leg…this is BASIC and you can never be a good technician while you don’t know this properly…
How Sphilband wants to persuade people that this couple (thanks to Evan) really deserves over 8 in Skating Skills and is really contender for World Medal taking Evan’s technique seriously, I don’t know.
They will never let me ask them stuff again if they hear about that 
