2021 Worlds: Free Dance

[anonymoose_au]

Catching up on this before Gala.

Ukrainians first, OMG I love them and their program! Those lifts and that choreo slide was BOSS! How do they do that?!

First French Team know how to give face! The voice over was unexpected! What was written in their arm bands I wonder....

I feel bad for the French teams, they've lost a spot haven't they

Team Koko! Love Misato's dress

Aww they dropped a place

Is Tim D from the German pair wearing pants that are pleather on the front and normal fabric on the back?! LOL. Interesting cover of It's a Man's World there... More voice overs though!

The second French Team had the biggest taking it to the judges moment aside from Kaori's Martix!

Allison and Saulius picked a very interesting song, hypnotic! And Allison's dress is so pretty especially in the Twizzles!

Wow!! Marjorie and Zach's costumes are stunning! Are they skating to bird song though? TBH still way better than voice overs Also +5 GOE for Marjorie's matching mask!

Wang/Liu are faves of mine after their Charlie Chaplin RD. Swan Lake isn't as fun, but they do it so prettily. Quality lifts and bringing it to the judges move!

Sara/Kirill. You know what I'm gonna say, I quite like Sara's dress, but that might be because I'm still scarred by the Christmas Bauble one she wore a few years back. Also her facial expressions are so fierce.

Jean Luc and Kaitlin, my absolute faves! This FD is just stunning! Not as good as at Nats, but still utterly enthralling! Give them all the points judges!!

Judges don't give them all the points, awww.

And then my laptop died because I accidentally knocked the power cable out, do'h!

I'll have to continue later.

 

[Ryan O]

Congratulations to Gilles & Poirier for their Bronze medal (and for coming so close to the Silver!)

 

[anonymoose_au]

Onto Tiff and Jon!

Whenever Tiff wears this dress I'm reminded how long her legs are! Also apart from getting new programs they should get new costumes! I feel like they've had these two 5ever!

Agree with @ancientpeas 's desire for a Dr Who program.

The Polish teams music was interesting, but their costumes totally didn't go with the rapping in the second half. That was rapping right?

Yikes almost fell in the final lift there!

Disco Brits! Love these two! I wanna Vogue along with them!

The face Lila gave at the camera! And Lewis's ending pose! Total Divas.

And wow big score.

Laurence and Nikolaj what are you wearing?! And damnit stop the voice overs! *Picks up phone* Hello, Police, I want to report malicious damage to my eardrums

Sorry couldn't get into it...voice overs ugh! Bonnie and Clyde was 2000% better.

Nice lifts tho.

Marco and Charlene! I love tiny Marco and their skating is gorgeous! I want Charlene's dress!

But voice overs! There better only be just the one!

There was, good. And awww how cute are they in the KnC!

Ivan and Sasha S! They're so cool! Although the raining sound in the first half is not good if you have to go to the bathroom!

Interestingly Mark said no mistakes but I thought the exit from the first lift was a bit wobbling. Having said that, what's up with their scores? Weird.

I like their coaches dancing along

OMG! I just realised the guy with the big flag is Keegan!!

Piper and Paul! I was so happy when I saw they had bronze! They've been dancing wonderful programs for so long! And they finally made the podium! Yassss!

The look on Paul's face at the end gave me the feels!

Huh is interpretation "from the heart" really a bullet point. That seems hard to figure out.

Aww they're so happy!

And after all that I realised I can't watch the Gala anyway, it's on too late and I have work tomorrow.

Ha ha Mark is getting overwhelmed!

Here comes the Snake

Evan Bates gives good face. Also I like Egyptian arms

Oh no the Twizzles!

That last bit was brilliant! Lots of energy, whoo!

Madison Chock's mask is goals!

Wow that Twizzle mistake really sunk them, or were there other mistakes too?

Madison and Zach now.

They start with bringing it to the judges, bold move!

I really love their choreo slide move and a very lovely skate. I wasn't as enthralled by it as C/B and H/B, but it it was very polished.

Oh wow! Piper and Paul came 2nd in FD! That's amazing!

Now Katsalapooooov and Vika...I know they won gold and people are mad.

I actually really love their music...

Also apparently Nikita messed up his Twizzle but I couldn't see it in real time whereas I could see the others so...I dunno. Unfair? Smart placement of it on the ice?

It's very romantic and tender though, they look really happy skating it.

Although that was true of all the dancers they were clearly so very happy to be there.

Also that curve lift is really lovely.

I don't feel like there was shenanigans, like I can't imagine it as impossible for them to win, or that the Russian Figure Skating Fed paid the ISU off (I've heard this accusation on Twitter), the difference in points is maybe iffy, but I think they earned this win.

And after all that I just realised I can't even watch the Gala! I have work tomorrow so have to go to bed. Do'h!

Ah well, ca la vie.

 

[IceDancingQueen]

My guess is that SK will have done enough to upstage the French pair at the Olympics. I see Papadakis will be the sulking camper again. The silver or gold has already been set. We only need the bronze and I can see now they'll probably give it to one of the American pair or happily for the Canadians their pair who have found favor. Let's face it ID have always been a favourites game. The fact is they could easily have permuted the top 6 for the podium places and it would all be the same. It's all at the discretion of the judges.

I disagree - S/K only beat P/C at Europeans because P/C had visible mistakes. P/C were not at their best when they were beaten so I think they still will be favourites for gold which is right.

I think S/K are likely for silver (barring any major errors) since they are the closest rivals to PC. Hopefully judges will go for G/P if they have another beautiful FD like they have for the last 2 years and don’t make any mistakes. C/B, H/D and S/B all had errors in one of their dances. So favouritism/politics aside, the skaters need to put out their best and clean performances as well.

 

[WeakAnkles]

I did watch NBC's coverage of World's last night, and I just have to say

NBC YOU SUCK
YOU SUCK
YOU SUCK

TWO men? ZERO Pairs. ZERO Dance.

And then you wonder why interest in the US is fading, fading, fading fast.

As for dance...

I'm hoping beyond hope that someone, anyone, posts the competition on YouTube. But I AM thrilled thrilled thrilled to finally see Piper and Paul get that well-deserved World medal. Gutted for Chock and Bates. Sad that T/V just missed the cut for the FD.

And completely, thoroughly, utterly NOT surprised that S/K won. European judges have been drooling for a European dance champion for more than a decade. And as long as the judging is organized nationally, North American skaters will ALWAYS be at a disadvantage. Always.

 

[rollerblade]

NBC YOU SUCK

TWO men? ZERO Pairs. ZERO Dance.

lol NBC's coverage is more like a "brief review" counterpart to NBCSN's coverage. Or alternately, a "marketing tactic" to get people to sign up for Peacock for the complete coverage. Although giving a 1-week free trial means people can just watch and cancel without paying a dime.

 

[anonymoose_au]

Voiceovers had their moment and now it's over.
Exception : Radionova doing Titanic, because she was cute and it was epic for its teen angst

Also a special exemption for Junliet, because that program was amazing.

 

[anonymoose_au]

Also @WeakAnkles NBC showed no dance?! Rude! I thought it was a really exciting competition even with voice overs.

Do you know how to use a VPN if not we should give you lessons. A dance competition without your insights is incomplete.

 

[Lamente Ariane]

The discovery of the event for me was Adelina Galyavieva/Louis Thauron's "Perfume" FD. It hurts that the only video of it on YouTube is a low quality capture from French Nationals last month. I hope they consider keeping it and get the chance to perform it on the Grand Prix in the fall.

Edit: the video in question https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jmiQKFfU7Vg No sound for the first 20 seconds or so (technical difficulties?) but then it kicks in loud.

 

[rain]

The discovery of the event for me was Adelina Galyavieva/Louis Thauron's "Perfume" FD. It hurts that the only video of it on YouTube is a low quality capture from French Nationals last month. I hope they consider keeping it and get the chance to perform it on the Grand Prix in the fall.

Edit: the video in question https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jmiQKFfU7Vg No sound for the first 20 seconds or so (technical difficulties?) but then it kicks in loud.

CBC has all of the video from Worlds up on their website. Here is the link to the FD https://www.cbc.ca/player/play/1878628419759 Not sure if it's geoblocked.

 

[rain]

Hawayek and Baker got screwed over in this event. They should be fighting for a podium placement with their level of skill and stunning program and instead the judges barely put them ahead of Zagorski/Guerreiro and Hurtado/Khaliavin. Don't get me wrong, I like the Spanish team, but there is a clear difference in quality. I cannot understand it, unless it's the fact they are the third American team and nobody is bothering to expend any political capital on them. Watching the programs it was just so obvious that they belonged in the final flight, not three flights back.

On another note (and unpopular opinion) I will never understand why everyone loves Fear/Gibson's Madonna program so much. I really dislike it. Aside from some great lifts, it has to be the most overrated program I've see in years. I can only hope for new material from them next season.

I was not sure how much I liked Fournier-Beaudry/Sorensen's FD after seeing it at challenge, where it was really rough, but it really grew on me here, though I'm still not a fan of the voiceovers in the music.

Guinard/Fabri - I just have such a disconnect with this team's material. Last year's Space Oddity program I actively disliked. This year it was just a total snooze.

 

[viennaskater]

I really don't get why we're supposed to believe S/K is somehow (pretty suddenly) nearly 7 points clear of the rest of the non-French field. That program was completely flat for me, it didn't go anywhere, and there wasn't much interpretation beyond both of them just smiling the entire time! It was fine, but it was not better than Piper and Paul's and I don't think it was better than H/D either.

You said it. There is no theme, like C/B's snake dance and not the smoothness and emotion of G/P. A highly overrated team in my view. Why is it a general perception that the Russians are the best at ice dance? They haven't won the gold for twelve years.

 

[cathlen]

And completely, thoroughly, utterly NOT surprised that S/K won. European judges have been drooling for a European dance champion for more than a decade. And as long as the judging is organized nationally, North American skaters ill ALWAYS be at a disadvantage. Always.

Er, we don't count P/C as European?... In the last 11 years North Americans won 5 times in ID at Worlds, while Europeans won 6 times. I don't think there was anything to drool for. I'm not saying there isn't a disadvantage for North Americans, since I don't know and don't really have and opinion on that, just saying it's not because there weren't European champions lately.

 

[keasus]

Er, we don't count P/C as European?... In the last 11 years North Americans won 5 times in ID at Worlds, while Europeans won 6 times. I don't think there was anything to drool for. I'm not saying there isn't a disadvantage for North Americans, since I don't know and don't really have and opinion on that, just saying it's not because there weren't European champions lately.

Certainly P/C are European, but they are not from the "right" European country. I think it is more accurate to say that the judges were jonesing to put a Russian dance team on top. S/K are a pallid imitation of the great Russian ice dance teams of the past. This was some of the worst judging in a discipline that is infamous for flagrant behind-the-scenes deal making.

 

[Olympic]

I watched the FD Saturday. I have to admit that Ice Dance is the discipline I pay the least amount of attention to and I don't understand the scoring well. I only know what catches my attention and if there are mistakes.

Question about G/P. I don't doubt the judging. I am sure they were technically superb but what about this program moved people to tears? The music lacked an emotional arc (Joni Mitchell) and my husband actually fell asleep. I want to understand what made them stand out.

I also normally like H/D but 'Hallelujah' is overplayed and it also had no emotional arc. Were they penalized?

I do like the snake charmer dance from C/B but I understand that they lost a level and it cost them.

S/K - I didn't really feel anything from them. I didn't see any lines. It just seemed like a cluster of moves obscured by costumes and hair. LOL

I look fwd. to the return of the French next year. I really do.

 

[WeakAnkles]

Also @WeakAnkles NBC showed no dance?! Rude! I thought it was a really exciting competition even with voice overs.

Do you know how to use a VPN if not we should give you lessons. A dance competition without your insights is incomplete.

LOL Ask SynchroSarah about how I'm an honorary Canadian every time I use a VPN. Given our recent history in the US, I would love to be a real Canadian, but that, perhaps, is for another thread.

And thank you so much for the lovely compliment. I will try to watch the ISU when I have time, which alas is in very short supply these days.

 

[rain]

Question about G/P. I don't doubt the judging. I am sure they were technically superb but what about this program moved people to tears? The music lacked an emotional arc (Joni Mitchell) and my husband actually fell asleep. I want to understand what made them stand out.

If you didn't like the song, it's not surprising you didn't really get the emotional connection of the program, since the entire thing stems from Joni Mitchell's (brilliant) lyrics. The choreography is an amazing piece of work that manages to express the lyrics of the song in an effective but non-literal way. Their choreographic lift that ends the program is the ferris wheel described in Mitchell's lyrics at the beginning of the song and also describes cyclical nature of life and love. How they move towards each other and move away, reach out and miss, look towards one another, then look away — it's all about illusions and the highs and lows, gains and losses of life and love. The music most assuredly does have a tremendous emotional arc, it's just maybe more in the lyrics than in the traditional skating music kind of crescendo.

They truly are very fine skaters. What really makes them stand out to me in the field is their unmatched ability to create a mood and convey subtle, difficult emotions like nostalgia. Anyone can do anger or terror or romantic love. Not many can do regret or resignation or the hundred other nuances they bring to their programs.

 

[viennaskater]

I watched the FD Saturday. I have to admit that Ice Dance is the discipline I pay the least amount of attention to and I don't understand the scoring well. I only know what catches my attention and if there are mistakes.

Question about G/P. I don't doubt the judging. I am sure they were technically superb but what about this program moved people to tears? The music lacked an emotional arc (Joni Mitchell) and my husband actually fell asleep. I want to understand what made them stand out.

I also normally like H/D but 'Hallelujah' is overplayed and it also had no emotional arc. Were they penalized?

I do like the snake charmer dance from C/B but I understand that they lost a level and it cost them.

S/K - I didn't really feel anything from them. I didn't see any lines. It just seemed like a cluster of moves obscured by costumes and hair. LOL

I look fwd. to the return of the French next year. I really do.

I also look forward to the return of the French. And agree about S/K. A 'cluster of moves' - that's the usual Russian style as far as I am concerned and to me it cannot compare with the ability of the other teams to produce a programme which looks smooth, technically clean and innovative, and usually with some sort of characterful theme. Russian ice dance too often looks untidy, with laboured and sometimes ugly lifts, and old-fashioned music choices. The one exception for me this time is Zagorski/Guerreiro, whom I used not to like. But this time they came up with an FD which really suits their style and is a modern music choice. That works for me.

As for G/P, I have liked them for years, and although I love the Joni Mitchell, I actually preferred their more avant-garde programmes - full of innovation and crisply performed, and always expressing emotion. Since 2017 they decided to do more conventional programmes, because the avant-garde style didn't go down too well with the judges. If you are curious, check out their FD from the 2015-16 season, it is incredible, something totally different.

 

[iluvtodd]

I am so grateful that we have Peacock! We were able to watch the entire dance competitions (rhthym & free). Now we are catching up with Peacock's coverage of the other three disciplines. I want to see every competitor, no matter what the outcome! Major kudos to Mark Hanretty & his calm, informative commentary.

 

[Olympic]

If you didn't like the song, it's not surprising you didn't really get the emotional connection of the program, since the entire thing stems from Joni Mitchell's (brilliant) lyrics. The choreography is an amazing piece of work that manages to express the lyrics of the song in an effective but non-literal way. Their choreographic lift that ends the program is the ferris wheel described in Mitchell's lyrics at the beginning of the song and also describes cyclical nature of life and love. How they move towards each other and move away, reach out and miss, look towards one another, then look away — it's all about illusions and the highs and lows, gains and losses of life and love. The music most assuredly does have a tremendous emotional arc, it's just maybe more in the lyrics than in the traditional skating music kind of crescendo.

They truly are very fine skaters. What really makes them stand out to me in the field is their unmatched ability to create a mood and convey subtle, difficult emotions like nostalgia. Anyone can do anger or terror or romantic love. Not many can do regret or resignation or the hundred other nuances they bring to their programs.

I appreciate you taking the time to explain in detail. I am not here to diss them. I really didn't get it and I barely know who Joni Mitchell is. LOL.

It sure sounds subtle. I tend to be moved in FS by my gut and subtlety escapes me in Ice Dance especially, because there aren't explosive moves like jumps, throws or lifts like in the other 3 disciplines that puts it all together for me in the moment. IOW, the music in Ice Dance has to kind of hit me in the face or the theme has to be obvious. Like I said, it's the discipline I pay the least attention to.