2018 JGP Canada Rhythm Dance

[invisiblespiral]

I enjoyed G/S.

 

[oly2018]

S/G have a really beautiful compulsory step section. The lift was a bit wonky, but I enjoyed just watching their feet. Odd statement, but it's a compliment.

 

[ancientpeas]

Have to go walk the dog.

 

[pearly]

This is a fascinating statement. Could you expand on it for those of us who love tangos but don't actually know much about them?

Oh, where do I begin. What we see in ice skating is an interpretation of ballroom tango and show tango, very rarely do we see real Argentine tango (the kind which originated and was dances in the streets and brothels of Buenos Aires). Today that tango has evolved into a social dance and it is like a language - you don't learn the sharp leg or head movements or choreography, you learn to lead or follow by using subtle shifts of weight and energy. In that way you can dance with a person you never met before, if you have both been taught well.

The music that is used is like that of Makita/Gunara. No Roxanne or Jalouise. Cumparsita is used, although a slighty different version than the one we hear in skating, and it is traditinally the last tango to be played at a closing of a milonga.

That's the (very) short of it

 

[WeakAnkles]

Eliana GROPMAN / Ian SOMERVILLE
Country: United States of America
Music: Tango: Nuevo Tango by Cuarteto Nuevo Tango / Argentine Tango: La Cascada by Seoan (ft. Kathy) / Tango: Nuevo Tango by Cuarteto Nuevo Tango
Choreography by: Elena Novak, Gregjavasc Zuerlein, Natalia Korikova
Costumes: lovely dramatic blue dress with red for her (unusual and striking choice), black with blue belt and blue piped highlight for him

Required Elements:

Step Sequence. - she's giving tango face like the rent is due. Wayyyyyyyy overdue.
AT pattern - nice speed
Curve lift - hmm, a bit busy, no?
Twizzles - balance check from him on first set

What I find interesting is how they mix in traditional European tango poses and steps into an AT.

The experience shows.

Score: 57.30 (31.30 TES, 26.00 PCS)

 

[Colonel Green]

About three points lower than in Bratislava for Gropman and Somerville.

 

[invisiblespiral]

If I ever write that steampunk novel I mentioned in the Random Confessions thread, I'm going to steal all the names from US junior ice dancers.

 

[WeakAnkles]

About three points lower than in Bratislava for Gropman and Somerville.

They did have a few bobbles there, so I'm not entirely surprised. I thought they pushed it more this time, so it lost a bit of the flow they had in Bratislava.

 

[invisiblespiral]

D/L were fun.

 

[WeakAnkles]

Loicia DEMOUGEOT / Theo LE MERCIER
Country: France
Music: Tango: Codigo de Barras by Bajofondo
Choreography by: Karine Arribert-Narce
Costumes: Black dress, white collar for her. Black vest, white shirt, black pants for him.

Required Elements:

AT pattern - bigger than last time, much improved
Midline NT step sequence - quirky choreography (I'm a fan)
Twizzles - lots of connecting steps between first and second steps
Rotational lift -

What I also noticed this time is the small head flicks, poses, etc. were all much sharper and much more emphatic to musical beats. It adds a great deal to the performance. Details count.

Nice job.

Score: 58.36 (31.92 TES, 26.44 PCS)

 

[invisiblespiral]

G/W have kind of odd music cuts, but I liked them.

 

[WeakAnkles]

Emma GUNTER / Caleb WEIN
Country: United States of America
Music: Argentine Tango: Peligro by Gotan Project / Samba: The Beat Goes On by Sonny Bono
Choreography by: Elena Novak, Alexei Kiliakov, Natalia Skorikova
Costumes:She in trad red and black tango dress with fringe; he in trad black with red shirt

Required Elements:

AT Pattern - He's much more intense and musical than she is
Rotational lift - good speed in and out
Twizzles - a little out of sync but not bad
Midline St Seq - again, I found myself watching him much more than her

I find them a bit imbalanced. He's much more compelling to watch than her. I think he's quite the find actually. She could add more oomph.

Score: 56.12 930.68 TES, 25.44 PCS)

 

[invisiblespiral]

Was anyone else reminded of S/Z's Turnandot costumes when they saw C/X?

 

[WeakAnkles]

Xizi CHEN / Jianing XING
Country: China
Music: Tango: La Cumparsita
Choreography by: Jamie White, Xun Zheng
Costumes: Red dress with red sequins for her, basic black with red tie for him

Required Elements:

AT Pattern - again, small and tentative
Twizzles - better, more sure
Midline ST Seq - improved (well she did softly crash into him during it but still...).
Curve Lift - more sure than last time

They're new yes, and they have not gelled yet, but this was much improved from their first outing.

Score: 40.36 921.36 TES, 19.00 PCS)

 

[ancientpeas]

Oh, where do I begin. What we see in ice skating is an interpretation of ballroom tango and show tango, very rarely do we see real Argentine tango (the kind which originated and was dances in the streets and brothels of Buenos Aires). Today that tango has evolved into a social dance and it is like a language - you don't learn the sharp leg or head movements or choreography, you learn to lead or follow by using subtle shifts of weight and energy. In that way you can dance with a person you never met before, if you have both been taught well.

The music that is used is like that of Makita/Gunara. No Roxanne or Jalouise. Cumparsita is used, although a slighty different version than the one we hear in skating, and it is traditinally the last tango to be played at a closing of a milonga.

That's the (very) short of it

This is very interesting. I often hear people who know their ballroom dance saying that a lot of what the ID world calls Rumba, Salsa and others are nothing like the pure ballroom forms.

 

[invisiblespiral]

K/V were very dramatic. I liked that.

 

[Colonel Green]

They were the big question mark in this event. Strong performance, though I couldn't tell if his first twizzle set was a bit off or not. Could just have been the camera angle.

EDIT - okay, apparently it was her with the weaker twizzles.

 

[ancientpeas]

I really like her dress. Very pretty on her.

 

[WeakAnkles]

Ksenia KONKINA / Alexander VAKHNOV
Country: Russia
Music: Tango: Asi se baila el Tango performed by Veronica Verdier / Tango: Tanguera performed by Sexteto Mayor
Choreography by: Elena Borisova, Jonathan Guerreiro
Costumes: Lovely blue dress with darker blue skirt and sequined flowered neckline for her; basic black for him

Required Elements:

St Line Lift
AT Pattern - the basics are good; but they're not a PAIR yet
St Seq - FINALLY they look at each other
Twizzles - a bit frantic

Man, this is one throwback of a tango (you know what I mean Doris, with all those leg flicks, her leg between his; etc. I thought it was 1985 again). They skate OUT so they don't skate as a couple yet. The basics are all there, but you can smell the newness. I want to see them when they have some more experience together. Because the basics are quite good -- they're in first so far for that reason.

Score: 60.34 (31.58 TES, 28.76 PCS)

 

[WeakAnkles]

This is very interesting. I often hear people who know their ballroom dance saying that a lot of what the ID world calls Rumba, Salsa and others are nothing like the pure ballroom forms.

Given how much Latin dance is about the hips, if skaters performed more "pure ballroom" dances, they'd probably spend a lot more time on their butts!