Stepanova/Bukin SD https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a5GVARGXykc&feature=youtu.be
2017-2018 State of Russian Ice Dance
- Thread starter gmyers
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better than the other teams but the Chandelier song was weird. I love her dress!
. No news from Alla and Pavel SD? I prefer the junior team S/S to any russian senior. At least the SD was good IMO, I am waiting their FD in Riga right now
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Eta. Russian stars
SHPILEVAYA / SMIRNOV https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1rzcujT8H3I
SHEVCHENKO/ EREMENKO https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C2jgKVoG9So
Well-deserved and unexpected win by Sofia and Igor at JGP Riga. I liked their FD way more than Anastasia and Grigory's. Really cool, modern, and interesting... Whereas, with A&G, for such a young team, I felt like their FD was so old and out-dated. It's such a shame, because A&G have some really lovely technical elements and they do have potential. I'm afraid the terrible music choice will not help them in any way, shape, or form this season. Like literally, when I was watching them, all I could think of is "Not this piece again, Make it stop"... 
Well-deserved and unexpected win by Sofia and Igor at JGP Riga. I liked their FD way more than Anastasia and Grigory's. Really cool, modern, and interesting... Whereas, with A&G, for such a young team, I felt like their FD was so old and out-dated. It's such a shame, because A&G have some really lovely technical elements and they do have potential. I'm afraid the terrible music choice will not help them in any way, shape, or form this season. Like literally, when I was watching them, all I could think of is "Not this piece again, Make it stop"...
At this point i just thank that is not Hallelujah :disapp:, Carmen or MR. It is a shame that their twizzles just get L1
hwell: https://youtu.be/1rzcujT8H3I?t=61.
sigh, no improvement and to think they are the future of russian ice dance :con3:
I'm convinced height has nothing to do with Stepanova's issues, the junior Konkina who is same build as her can bend her knees, can accelerate speed with good posture and very good skating skills. something isn't right with these two or they need an overhaul since their senior careers.
even Ted has praised their skills ! that's new for a russian junior
https://youtu.be/G5EDpp0w5yA?t=258
oh no, they are 22 and 23 yo, they are not the future, they are the very present. 4 years being seniors.
and who else are there ? Bobrova / Soloviev are near retirement, Ilinykh is pairing up with anyone, Loboda / Drozd another junior to senior disappointment. we'll have to dig to the current russian juniors then for future prospects.
Yes, we just have to accept the sad senior present, and wait for the juniors to become seniors and try to rescue it. And I think L/D can still be rescued if they change coach and/or get new choreographers.
watching the juniors, there is some hope at least for future prospects.
Shpilevaya / Smirnov - refined and good skating, needs to increase levels - they always either lose levels in twizzles or step sequences (same S/B coaches ?)
Konkina / Yakushev - fast, agile and very technical skaters, just need to tone down and not rush things
Shevchenko / Eremenko - very unique style
Polischuk / Vakhnov - a better Loboda/Drozd in skating skills
Yes, the same coaches as for Step/Bukin. And I think that the twizzles level was coaching team's fault, not S/S. Often they try innovative elements, but don't hit the levels
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How could they be at worlds and do this? They see what wins gold and medals and places in the top 5. How can they do no transitions and have so much two foot skating? And why are there twizzle so slow? This is a the problem in representing Russia. You do things the Russian way. That doesn't win anything! They all need to face facts and start copying North Americans. Abolish influence of tarasova zhulin kustarova. They could learn a lot from hubble and Donahue and carerra ponomarenko and etc
Zhulin is half arsed coaching his teams. He once again gave both teams the same ******* SD. And it doesn't work at all.
Fixed the twizzles of Nikita by having them doing them on the spot. Bobrova look worse than last season's beginning. His teams are not going anywhere although I heard the FD are cool.
Kustarova on the other hand is adjusting to IJS a lot more. Z&G already shows what a proper training can bring in a team. In only three months with some weeks off due to injury. They both look fit (which has never been the case with Zhulin). Even Elena looks fine. Both teams do have proper choreographed SDs. Waiting for their FD.
Bukin has no chance with Stepanova who is so weak. Considering what the junior team that trains with them achieved yesterday, you can tell the problem comes from her skating skills big time. Their SD isn't working one bit. I had hopes. And they are not skating today meaning their FD might need a lot of work.
Popova is more improved than Stepanova, but she lags in SS. She can sell the out of any crap, but as long as she doesn't learn how to skate, it's not going to matter much.
Fixed the twizzles of Nikita by having them doing them on the spot. Bobrova look worse than last season's beginning. His teams are not going anywhere although I heard the FD are cool.
Kustarova on the other hand is adjusting to IJS a lot more. Z&G already shows what a proper training can bring in a team. In only three months with some weeks off due to injury. They both look fit (which has never been the case with Zhulin). Even Elena looks fine. Both teams do have proper choreographed SDs. Waiting for their FD.
Bukin has no chance with Stepanova who is so weak. Considering what the junior team that trains with them achieved yesterday, you can tell the problem comes from her skating skills big time. Their SD isn't working one bit. I had hopes. And they are not skating today meaning their FD might need a lot of work.
Popova is more improved than Stepanova, but she lags in SS. She can sell the out of any crap, but as long as she doesn't learn how to skate, it's not going to matter much.
Agree on the Zhulin coaching issues. The Russian Fed needs to let this guy stop... Like for real, the dude has no vision. Stuck in the 80s. I'm so happy that Tiff and Jon moved to Kustarova. They, along with Elena and Anton, have much better-packaged programs.
Popova is giving me a lot of Ilinykh vibes with the expression and all that, but yeah... P/M have better programs than Zhulin's teams. Smart choice for them to pick Carmen. It's doing them favors.
Stepanova and Bukin are not skating today, because Ivan caught a flu... I thought they were included in the list of 'one of the few decent SDs' yesterday.
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At least, he doesn't advantage one team over another. That's fair. Not like some other coach.
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I don't necessarily think copying the N.Americans is the way to go. After all, it didn't immediately do wonders when everyone and their mother moved to Zueva and Shpilband a few years ago. I&Z were rather uninspiring under Igor and Marina didn't magically fix Katsalapov's twizzles.
That said, the Russian ice dancers could greatly benefit from adopting the N. American work ethic and coaching, i.e. constructing routines that reflect the skaters' personalities and hitting their levels, as opposed to mixing two random pieces of music together like Zhulin's teams and praying the judges award them the levels they feel entitled to.
Staying together also helps, but that goes without saying given that the two teams who will represent Russia in Pyeongchang have been skating together for more than ten years.
What you say about adopting North American form is largely what I mean by copying. It's at that point where seeing what is going on now and how it means no success for any Russian team makes it very impossible to watch! How can there be so much history of golds at worlds and Olympics and people do all these terrible programs with no acknowledgement of ijs and what's winning? How can they put in the work they do and have no thought about upholding the winning tradition by adopting what wins now? It's such a waste of time to not do modern ijs requirements! How can the dance teams ans coaches and elites of Russian dance be so commfmtted to losing strategies? It's so awful. No pride in tradition of victory!
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Any news of Annabelle Morozov?
Ilinykh/Shibnev FD https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w7Ox7YtmlP0
The non-Zhulin teams have the best choreo Russian ice dance has had in a long time.
Zhulin is doing something that is neither traditional Russian or new NA style, and it's getting lost in the middle. S/K look good in the FD now, but I think it will be the same as in 2015/16 - the program is too simple, so they can master it and look good now, but when everyone else has more mileage on their programs in a few months, they will fall behind. B/S are ok, and have admitted that they are only 70% there, but I don't think this suits their style. They can work well with more epic music and these cuts don't make any sense.
P/M, Z/G and even I/S have programs that marry the best of the old dramatic style of Russian ice dance with the demands of IJS. We have waited for this for years, but unfortunately these aren't the teams with the best skating skills or the backing of the Federation, so I guess we won't see any of it past December. Love how Bettina sells the Carmen character, Tiff & Jon have much improved speed and flow, and Elena and Anton are really working with the music (ADORE the twizzles) - now to see if Anton can really build up his basics for the step sequences because that's what is really lacking at the moment.
Zhulin is doing something that is neither traditional Russian or new NA style, and it's getting lost in the middle. S/K look good in the FD now, but I think it will be the same as in 2015/16 - the program is too simple, so they can master it and look good now, but when everyone else has more mileage on their programs in a few months, they will fall behind. B/S are ok, and have admitted that they are only 70% there, but I don't think this suits their style. They can work well with more epic music and these cuts don't make any sense.
P/M, Z/G and even I/S have programs that marry the best of the old dramatic style of Russian ice dance with the demands of IJS. We have waited for this for years, but unfortunately these aren't the teams with the best skating skills or the backing of the Federation, so I guess we won't see any of it past December. Love how Bettina sells the Carmen character, Tiff & Jon have much improved speed and flow, and Elena and Anton are really working with the music (ADORE the twizzles) - now to see if Anton can really build up his basics for the step sequences because that's what is really lacking at the moment.
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I was very surprised by the Kustarova`s teams, tbh. I/S look good after only 2 or 3 months of skating together, step sequences need work, but I think that was to be expected, lifts are great though. I was also very pleased with Z/G. I couldn`t find their FD yet, so this is only based on their SD, but they seemed faster and more crisp compared to when they skated in Zhulin`s group. Now, I can`t wait to see Skoptcova/Aleshin in 2 weeks.
I don`t really like the Free Dances Zhulin gave to B/S and S/K, but maybe they will grow on me once they are more polished. I was disappointed that S/B couldn`t skate, I watched the JGP in Riga this weekend and I was very impressed with S/S and S/E who are both in the same training group as S/B. I guess I have to wait until Finlandia to see their Free Dance.
I don`t really like the Free Dances Zhulin gave to B/S and S/K, but maybe they will grow on me once they are more polished. I was disappointed that S/B couldn`t skate, I watched the JGP in Riga this weekend and I was very impressed with S/S and S/E who are both in the same training group as S/B. I guess I have to wait until Finlandia to see their Free Dance.
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