2017 GP Rostelecom Cup Short Dance

[coldblueeyes]

http://www.isuresults.com/results/season1718/gprus2017/gprus2017_IceDance_SD_Scores.pdf

Protocols out - PCS and GOE made the difference between S/S and B/S.

 

[NoNameFace]

some good stuff with lvl4- Shibutanis nailed this partial step sequence (probably my favourite element in that dance), Ekaterina and Dmitri - non-touching step sequence

 

[skylark]

I loved Bobrova and her partner's skate today! (sorry can't recall his name).

Their overall performance quality, taking into consideration their emotional connection with the music and with their performance itself, was better than the Shibs imo, who always have a cool vibe, almost cold today for me. So for me, the placement is wrong; B/S should be first with that performance today.

It wasn't audience connection, I don't think, because I thought the Shibs received warm welcome from the audience.

 

[WeakAnkles]

Will the board be better for the short dance?

*jazz hands* Go team Turkey!

No, the board was essentially inaccessible. Not good.

None of those dances rose above the level of "serviceable" today. Though I agree with the placements. I would have the Shibs two points higher, even though I find the program uninspired. They played it safe. And B/S were sloppy sloppy sloppy. Dear God, POSTURE!!!

Really that whole event was about as Latino as a Belgian Waffle.

 

[Barb]

Even without the twizzles error, it seems that the Parsons would scored only 64 maybe.

 

[Mrs. P]

No, the board was essentially inaccessible. Not good.

None of those dances rose above the level of "serviceable" today. Though I agree with the placements. I would have the Shibs two points higher, even though I find the program uninspired. They played it safe.

I think the SD needs more mileage, but I don't think this is where they need to do anything crazy. This is a perfect contrast to the non-Latin music SDs from the top two couples.

I actually don't think it was a bad outing. I think they did what they needed to do at this point in the season. I hope they will have it to the pint where it will be more impressive to those who aren't quite on board yet.

 

[SarahSynchro]

Oi vey, what’s with the lag here? It took me 20 minutes just to get to the end of this thread. I was concerned for a moment there and had to make sure I didn’t sleep like a hibernating bear for nearly five months and wake up during the olympics...

 

[ancientpeas]

No, the board was essentially inaccessible. Not good.

None of those dances rose above the level of "serviceable" today. Though I agree with the placements. I would have the Shibs two points higher, even though I find the program uninspired. They played it safe. And B/S were sloppy sloppy sloppy. Dear God, POSTURE!!!

Really that whole event was about as Latino as a Belgian Waffle.

hehe.. as usual WeakAnkles does not hold back. What about waffles with salsa? Tim Hortons now sells a buffalo wing inspired latte.

who have we not seen yet? Chock and Bates, right? I have a feeling Madison can bring latin flare but Evan? um... um... *cough* no comment.

 

[Anyasnake]

I think top 2 is fair, the Shibs were very clean, and kudos to them and B/S for reaching those levels 4, happy me :thumbsup: I want for the next competition to have the Shibs slightly less tentative et B/S less laboured (especially towards the end).
Shibs have the edge for the same Base Value.
They both cannot afford to make any mistake tomorrow.
NOW, I completely disagree with 3 and 4, that should be reversed BIG TIME, because if we talk performances, today, G/P were very good and cleaner than S/B. The protocols is a pattern level 3 for S/B and level 2 for G/P. But the overall pattern of G/P was way better I thought.
I'm not happy with that placement at all.
Too bad for G/F 2nd twizzle.

Reminder/little help from one competition to another (since the scoring tends to change drastically) : look at the PCS scores and the overall range of the score (70+, 75+, etc...).

 

[labgoat]

No, the board was essentially inaccessible. Not good.

None of those dances rose above the level of "serviceable" today. Though I agree with the placements. I would have the Shibs two points higher, even though I find the program uninspired. They played it safe. And B/S were sloppy sloppy sloppy. Dear God, POSTURE!!!

Really that whole event was about as Latino as a Belgian Waffle.

If B/S were not as sloppy, would you have put them ahead of Shibs? I too think Shibs should have been higher. Lack of speed maybe, cause I thought their interpretation was better.

 

[Roast Toast]

It's like this every season with a compulsory latin theme. Not sure why people are still surprised. Only team I really liked here were G/P, the rest of the field just screamed "fake" to me.

 

[VIETgrlTerifa]

I'm very happy that the Shibs hit their TES in a way where they have the second highest TES score of the season so far and thus the second highest scoring SD so far. I think Worlds was a wake up call to get their tech in order. Level 4s for the rhumba pattern and partial step on their actual first outing of this SD and with stiff competition on their closest competitor's home city/country. I think since it was their debut performance, they still have to figure out how to pace their energy and know which spots to hit it all out and which spots they can dial it back in a bit for the program to have maximum effect. However, this was not a bad debut performance from them at all.

 

[Barb]

Shibs program is the kind of program that grow on people with time and that is perfect for this season. Same as B/S program, almost everyone thought it was a nightmare the first time they performed it and now people are praising it. I think Maia and Alex sold the program very well, and probably they were mainly focused in the technical elements because they are not stupid, they, same like we all, knew that they were competing in a very difficult territory.

And about the program not being enough latin after watching almost all the other programs, well, I better .

 

[moon]

Why do the middle section of S/S feel more like waltz than Latin? Lol

Because it does look like a waltz and I am disappointed it has been choreographed that way. It shows to me that latin is not one of their strengths. They are precise and straight backed. It doesnt have to be sexual, just one drop of sensuality in their movements would be lovely

 

[4everchan]

well... i think piper and paul deserved to place higher....

there... i said it.

 

[VIETgrlTerifa]

You mean the partial step sequence? I get that criticism. I do like that there's a lot of face-to-face skating and great changes of hold in it it though just for difficulty's sake. They should add more sensual movement in that area though also make sure they keep hitting that level 4.

 

[NoNameFace]

No, the board was essentially inaccessible. Not good.

None of those dances rose above the level of "serviceable" today. Though I agree with the placements. I would have the Shibs two points higher, even though I find the program uninspired. They played it safe. And B/S were sloppy sloppy sloppy. Dear God, POSTURE!!!

Really that whole event was about as Latino as a Belgian Waffle.

for me, the biggest issue I have with SD this season is 'mis-packaging' or just missed mark in terms of matching the vibe/tuning the stuff rightly for particular team. There are basically 3 groups crystalized for now:

- 'Latin wannabes', throwing themselves into so-so called 'Latin convention' ('Latin' music, 'Latin' movement) without any deeper thought about fit, often adding OTT expression and gesticulation which throws the reception totally off for me about the wholesome presented; often spiced with ill-fitting/ill-looking costuming, also missing 'Latino' mark; overall impression of mine as superficial and not balanced;

- 'Latinas unexpected', those who are using non-conventional tools to have more 'customized' effect, still fulfilling rhythmic requirement and staying more or less in convention; also hit or miss - it takes a right hand (in choreography) and right skill and attitude (in skaters) to pull this kind of not typical stuff convincingly; moreover - it takes lots of confidence and devotion to unusual concept and take on the rhythm and theme to make it work with the flow;

- 'Diggers in Latin tradition' for those like Gilles/Poirier or Shibutanis who are sourcing from 'traditional' Latin music/themes and trying to find some balance between this reference and making it accessible, visually alluring, interesting; it takes even more skilled hand to make a right choreography for the music and to 'style' the team to match it all, allowing them to actually feel the vibe and feel comfortable performing; there is a very thin line between inspired by tradition/vintage outlook and being borderline cliché with no room for fresh air; some succeeded - or have promising material in that department - and some did not, falling into 'Latin wannabes' category of stuff;

Of course - there is a lot of stuff in between those basic three categories I see myself, but the key is always a right match and the fit of the stuff to the team for me, especially with such aesthetic and rhythms like Latin. Teams are struggling not only because of technique - pattern for me is one of the toughest out there to do in attractive way - but also due to 'mistaken identity' put out there, as they have to often make themselves uncomfortable for the sake of having 'Latin program/performance'. The struggle lays also in lack of clear style, direction taken in general by the team, or just plain lack of confidence/skill in performance - this generates OTT expression and other things we cringe upon more than less. I always try to see the team behind the package, but it is difficult when the package is trying to make an entire new team.

 

[Mrs. P]

You mean the partial step sequence? I get that criticism. I do like that there's a lot of face-to-face skating and great changes of hold in it it though just for difficulty's sake. They should add more sensual movement in that area though also make sure they keep hitting that level 4.

I believe it's a cha-cha rhythm, IIRC; I don't their posture is out of line for that kind of dance. I do think it would be better with more hip movement though. Nobody said their SD was perfect, I think it was good for a first outing.

for me, the biggest issue I have with SD this season is 'mis-packaging' or just missed mark in terms of matching the vibe/tuning the stuff rightly for particular team. There are basically 3 groups crystalized for now:

- 'Latin wannabes', throwing themselves into so-so called 'Latin convention' ('Latin' music, 'Latin' movement) without any deeper thought about fit, often adding OTT expression and gesticulation which throws the reception totally off for me about the wholesome presented; often spiced with ill-fitting/ill-looking costuming, also missing 'Latino' mark; overall impression of mine as superficial and not balanced;

- 'Latinas unexpected', those who are using non-conventional tools to have more 'customized' effect, still fulfilling rhythmic requirement and staying more or less in convention; also hit or miss - it takes a right hand (in choreography) and right skill and attitude (in skaters) to pull this kind of not typical stuff convincingly; moreover - it takes lots of confidence and devotion to unusual concept and take on the rhythm and theme to make it work with the flow;

- 'Diggers in Latin tradition' for those like Gilles/Poirier or Shibutanis who are sourcing from 'traditional' Latin music/themes and trying to find some balance between this reference and making it accessible, visually alluring, interesting; it takes even more skilled hand to make a right choreography for the music and to 'style' the team to match it all, allowing them to actually feel the vibe and feel comfortable performing; there is a very thin line between inspired by tradition/vintage outlook and being borderline cliché with no room for fresh air; some succeeded - or have promising material in that department - and some did not, falling into 'Latin wannabes' category of stuff;

Of course - there is a lot of stuff in between those basic three categories I see myself, but the key is always a right match and the fit of the stuff to the team for me, especially with such aesthetic and rhythms like Latin. Teams are struggling not only because of technique - pattern for me is one of the toughest out there to do in attractive way - but also due to 'mistaken identity' put out there, as they have to often make themselves uncomfortable for the sake of having 'Latin program/performance'. The struggle lays also in lack of clear style, direction taken in general by the team, or just plain lack of confidence/skill in performance - this generates OTT expression and other things we cringe upon more than less. I always try to see the team behind the package, but it is difficult when the package is trying to make an entire new team.

Great thoughts, as always. I also think we have to remember there are inheritant challenges in doing Latin on ice too, which I try to keep in mind. There's a certain amount of steps, twizzles, etc that have to be done in the Partial step, so that already makes it more difficult to do "true latin."

 

[bramweld]

I really liked the change B/S made to the ending of the dance, and confidence has really added to this dance. In previous outings, they looked like they didn't understand what the dance was about. However I still think there should be at least 2 points between them and the Shibs. The FD is going to be stellar. I hope G/P will move up to the podium.

 

[4everchan]

oh... and i loved the shibs... though their middle twizzles weren't as good as we expect them to be... the first one though on the 1 2 3 4 5 WOW!!!!!!!

alex really carried that short dance... he was acting out and selling it like crazy.... i loved seeing him so involved.... though i would expect a bit more from maia, especially in latin dance.

In the end, i am glad they are in first, very well deserved and I see that home ice advantage wasn't strong enough for BobSol to take the shibs over : they are just too sloppy and with perhaps other teams they could have a case but not with a well perfected machine like the shibs... their pattern was so gorgeous... WOW... and well : i love the costumes... there is nothing like a guy, shirtless wearing glitter.... welcome to my life !!!

... though I am not sure what S/Bukin do in 3rd place... i get it.... fun to see Russia in first in the season... maybe other hosts will play payback

anyways..