2017-2018 State of Russian Ice Dance

[Skater Boy]

I don't think Russian ice dancing is all that horrible. Yes, for Russia but they are doing better comparatively than say the American pairs and their drought or spell is not like the American ladies before Ashley got her world silver. They still have a slim shot at bronze.

 

[surimi]

I don't think Russian ice dancing is all that horrible. Yes, for Russia but they are doing better comparatively than say the American pairs and their drought or spell is not like the American ladies before Ashley got her world silver. They still have a slim shot at bronze.

Yes, for now. But after Bobrova/Soloviev and Stepanova/Bukin retire, I wonder who will step up. Way too many Russian ice dance couples and pairs are breaking up these days, both on senior and junior level. Loboda/Drozd's debut will be telling, and I'm quite curious what about the brand new couple of Ilinykh/Shibnev made TAT happy. Test skate results will be interesting.

 

[bramweld]

Yes, for now. But after Bobrova/Soloviev and Stepanova/Bukin retire, I wonder who will step up. Way too many Russian ice dance couples and pairs are breaking up these days, both on senior and junior level. Loboda/Drozd's debut will be telling, and I'm quite curious what about the brand new couple of Ilinykh/Shibnev made TAT happy. Test skate results will be interesting.

They will not factor into this season barring aggregious injury or illness or another meldonium like fiasco. We'll get at best a vague estimation of their potential but nothing more. The candidates for the national team are B/S, S/B and S/K.

 

[Barb]

They will not factor into this season barring aggregious injury or illness or another meldonium like fiasco. We'll get at best a vague estimation of their potential but nothing more. The candidates for the national team are B/S, S/B and S/K.

oh, come on!, they do not have a chance.

 

[coldblueeyes]

Tell that to Zhulin.

 

[Abraxis12345]

Something doesn't really make sense here;


3. Considering also how Mosgov treated Anya, Lena really tried out with him?

Considering the way Kustarova and Alexeeva treated Anya, would she go back to them? Oh wait...

 

[surimi]

They will not factor into this season barring aggregious injury or illness or another meldonium like fiasco. We'll get at best a vague estimation of their potential but nothing more. The candidates for the national team are B/S, S/B and S/K.

That's right, and I never implied otherwise. Couples like L/D and Z/G are also much more likely to get onto the team than I/S.

 

[lauravvv]

I was talking about the Olympic season programs. Empty in choreography? Really? I can't. Maybe you should check out their performances at Sochi again and see why they won that Olympic Bronze Medal.

They got that bronze because their skating was really good, elements were good (even those twizzles were amazing in their speed and ice coverage when they managed to get them under control), the programs really suited their performance abilities, therefore they performed well, FD music was grand, their skating matched it (the music), the positions Elena made were beautiful + they were Russians in Russia. And judges closed their eyes on the lack of transitions and close skating (the same as they do now, just to be fair). Sure, there were beautiful moments in the FD choreography - mainly the lifts and poses that Elena did. There was not a lot of choreography in-between. Just to be clear, I did not mind that much, as I could appreciate all of the above, and their 'Swan Lake' FD was indeed an improvement over their previous ones.

 

[bramweld]

They got that bronze because their skating was really good, elements were good (even those twizzles were amazing in their speed and ice coverage when they managed to get them under control), the programs really suited their performance abilities, therefore they performed well, FD music was grand, their skating matched it (the music), the positions Elena made were beautiful + they were Russians in Russia. And judges closed their eyes on the lack of transitions and close skating (the same as they do now, just to be fair). Sure, there were beautiful moments in the FD choreography - mainly the lifts and poses that Elena did. There was not a lot of choreography in-between. Just to be clear, I did not mind that much, as I could appreciate all of the above, and their 'Swan Lake' FD was indeed an improvement over their previous ones.

Well we had better thank Lena for that. She had to throw fits for Katsalapov to even consider having any worthy transitions in that dance.

 

[bramweld]

Considering the way Kustarova and Alexeeva treated Anya, would she go back to them? Oh wait...

Well, lets get real here, whom else does she really have. KA always treated HER well, so.....What, do you think she was going to run to Zhulin? He has a hard time putting together dances for one pair in an Olympic season much less for four worthy pairs. Svinnin and Zhuk? Who else is there? Averbuch or probably they could have gone with Volkov? Help...

 

[surimi]

Well, lets get real here, whom else does she really have. KA always treated HER well, so.....What, do you think she was going to run to Zhulin? He has a hard time putting together dances for one pair in an Olympic season much less for four worthy pairs. Svinnin and Zhuk? Who else is there? Averbuch or probably they could have gone with Volkov? Help...

Well, Platov is among the names that people wished for with I/Z. It would be great if the new couple went to him, provided a) they show promise and keep improving, and b) they get the money and motivation to make a move. Count me sceptical when it comes to Kustarova/Alexeeva and the packaging/programs/music they allowed their couples to have. I'm mostly talking I/Z programs (Queen music waltz, I'm looking at you), but Yanovskaya/Mozgov weren't exactly memorable in their first (and only) senior GP either.

 

[VIETgrlTerifa]

Well we had better thank Lena for that. She had to throw fits for Katsalapov to even consider having any worthy transitions in that dance.

Seems like the fits didn't work. Anyway, if she was throwing fits, then that just shows again how that whole relationship between the two plus Morosov really was on borrowed time and was going to implode onto itself sooner or later no matter what.

 

[noidont]

No one can make Shibnev a good dancer overnight. Soloviev might not want Elena now, but does he really want to go on the Elena route and end up with I don't know, Maria Stavitskaya?

 

[Ice Dance]

oh, come on!, they do not have a chance.

S&K have a chance. They are a faster team than S&B and now have a real full-time coach. (I'm rooting for B&S, S&B, and L&D at Russian Nationals this season, though. Have so had it with the Elena/Nikita drama. Though if someone wants to come up with a bang-up great program, I will be cheering for it no matter who performs it).

 

[bramweld]

No one can make Shibnev a good dancer overnight. Soloviev might not want Elena now, but does he really want to go on the Elena route and end up with I don't know, Maria Stavitskaya?

Who says he needs to be? Exhibit A and B, Stepanova and Soloviev. He only needs to be strong, capable, elegant and have good technique. The dancing part he can learn with time.

 

[coldblueeyes]

Who says he needs to be? Exhibit A and B, Stepanova and Soloviev. He only needs to be strong, capable, elegant and have good technique. The dancing part he can learn with time.

So, now not only Katia and Alexandra that are bad dancers, Dmitri is too? And is Anton strong, capable, elegant and have good technique, yet he never accomplished nothing of anything?

Let's reach a bit less, please. At least give Anton and her some time before the fandom do the work of embarrassing them before they even skate. Let's not make the same mistakes that have been done for Elena and Ruslan in the past.

 

[Barb]

S&K have a chance. They are a faster team than S&B and now have a real full-time coach. (I'm rooting for B&S, S&B, and L&D at Russian Nationals this season, though. Have so had it with the Elena/Nikita drama. Though if someone wants to come up with a bang-up great program, I will be cheering for it no matter who performs it).

And the twizzles were already eliminated from ice dance?

 

[Snow63]

Well we had better thank Lena for that. She had to throw fits for Katsalapov to even consider having any worthy transitions in that dance.

She also insisted on the 'modern rock waltz', flowers in her hair in 'Frida' FD, Najarro choreography for Frida. It's only from the latest. Nothing of this really worked.

- - - Updated - - -

Who says he needs to be? Exhibit A and B, Stepanova and Soloviev. He only needs to be strong, capable, elegant and have good technique. The dancing part he can learn with time.

Yeah, right.

 

[Snow63]

And the twizzles were already eliminated from ice dance?

Are twizzles the only part of ice dance now?

 

[gmyers]

Are twizzles the only part of ice dance now?

You must do them well! It should be the foundation of any team. If you don't have good twizzles you may as well not be an ice dancer anymore. So when a team is being formed the very first thing tested should be twizzle coordination. I would even say ice dance coaches could be renamed twizzle coordinators.