2022 World Championships: Free Dance

[ManyCairns]

Amazing dance competition. For me, the tip of the top, the absolute peak experience was Maddie and Zachary's free dance. I was carried away on the wave after wave of emotion and beautiful, powerful skating.

...

Glad you had such a great peak moment!

 

[alizardbeth]

I'm much less familiar with the elements and scoring of ice dance, so I can't contribute much beyond "I had a lot of fun watching the event." But I did! Always love seeing SBs at Worlds, and there were several.

Some of my favorites:

Muramoto/Takahashi, Reed/Ambrulevicius, Fear/Gibson, Smart/Diaz, Chock/Bates - love all these programs and they all performed them so well!

Hubbel/Donohue - Their lifts were unreal, particularly the combination! So smooth. Hers is one of my favorite costumes this year, looks beautiful on her and flows wonderfully in motion.

Papadakis/Cizeron - They truly move like one person at times, and the mind boggles. Gorgeous program, gorgeous movements, so in-sync. Her expression in particular is stunning. I just love watching them.

 

[Cilla70]

I think people get caught up in Guillaume's body line and stretch but to me Gabi is the emotional center. She takes me through the story and the emotions of the music.

I feel the same. Her facial expressions complements the movements letting me understand the story of the performance.

 

[Cilla70]

The P/C program reminds me of a ballet. Act one, the blossoming of a new relationship, act two issues appearing, act three trying to work out the issues and the final act realizing we can’t make this work.

 

[4everchan]

Welp, now I know what I’ll be doing next when the after-event verbal wrestling match begins in here.

how as it?

 

[rain]

I think people get caught up in Guillaume's body line and stretch but to me Gabi is the emotional center. She takes me through the story and the emotions of the music.

I have always said the same thing, usually trying to convince some fans that she is just as integral a part of this team's success as he is. The women in ice dance tend to get a really hard time from a lot of fans who seem to just like to gush over the male half of these partnerships.

Speaking of P/C, they were even more superb here than at the Olympics, and I didn't think that was possible. I was pretty meh on this program at the beginning of the season, but it has evolved into one of my favourites of all time. The timing and nuance of it is simply exquisite and gives me chills every time I see it. The timing on that curve lift is just so superb. It's just everything ice dance should be. One of the most beautiful things I've ever seen.

I'm only going to have time to watch a few of these programs, so I'm picking the ones from the season that I know I like. So the next one I want to talk about is Hawayek/Baker. I will never, never understand why this team with this program isn't being scored in the top group, aside form the obvious answer of politics. This choreography and performance is an absolute masterpiece. Everything is perfection from that stunning one foot step sequence to the incredible choreographic slide on just the right musical highlight. I only mourn that this, and they, seemingly, will never get the recognition they deserve. To not even score a personal best here seemed like such a downer. H/B, take some heart. I, at least, will watch this program for years to come — another that is on my all-time best list. I would far rather watch this FD than either of the free dances of the top 2 American teams.

Hope to catch up with a few more teams later.

 

[Cilla70]

Huh?? That deserved higher scores.

I agree. They drew me in to the program. Music and dancing created a dream like performance.

 

[GGFan]

I'm only going to have time to watch a few of these programs, so I'm picking the ones from the season that I know I like. So the next one I want to talk about is Hawayek/Baker. I will never, never understand why this team with this program isn't being scored in the top group, aside form the obvious answer of politics. This choreography and performance is an absolute masterpiece. Everything is perfection from that stunning one foot step sequence to the incredible choreographic slide on just the right musical highlight. I only mourn that this, and they, seemingly, will never get the recognition they deserve. To not even score a personal best here seemed like such a downer. H/B, take some heart. I, at least, will watch this program for years to come — another that is on my all-time best list. I would far rather watch this FD than either of the free dances of the top 2 American teams.

I absolutely adore H/B and have since their Amelie program. I think they've struck gold on programs several times and I think their program this year is one of the classiest. I absolutely loved Liebstraum as well. I think there are definitely hurdles to being the #3 from the US.

However, I think a lot of their scoring comes down to their lack of power, ice coverage, (and perhaps the lifts). In person they stay in the middle of the arena and don't get to the ends as much as the top teams. I wanted to know why, for example, they scored below F/G. I think H/B are polished more smooth in their transitions, make less mistakes, etc. but upon rewatch even F/G manage to skate with more power. For the judges it must be noticeable and a big part of what holds them back.

 

[cake]

I absolutely adore H/B and have since their Amelie program. I think they've struck gold on programs several times and I think their program this year is one of the classiest. I absolutely loved Liebstraum as well. I think there are definitely hurdles to being the #3 from the US.

However, I think a lot of their scoring comes down to their lack of power, ice coverage, (and perhaps the lifts). In person they stay in the middle of the arena and don't get to the ends as much as the top teams. I wanted to know why, for example, they scored below F/G. I think H/B are polished more smooth in their transitions, make less mistakes, etc. but upon rewatch even F/G manage to skate with more power. For the judges it must be noticeable and a big part of what holds them back.

Thank you for your thoughts. I have also been wondering why they don´t score higher. I will rewatch and pay special attention to the aspects you mentioned.

 

[Ladskater]

Sorry, folks I'm not fond of the constant arm moves that P/C do especially in their short program (now called Rhythm dance). Carol Lane called it Whacking - must be some new dance move. I found it too much.

 

[kappa_1]

Sorry, folks I'm not fond of the constant arm moves that P/C do especially in their short program (now called Rhythm dance). Carol Lane called it Whacking - must be some new dance move. I found it too much.

Waacking. It originated in the 70s in underground, LGBT communities of color in Los Angeles who were dancing to disco music.

Waacking - Wikipedia

en.m.wikipedia.org

 

[CellarDweller]

The I Love Lucy gifs in particular brought me much joy! Hope to see you again for at least some of Junior Worlds next month

I generally don't watch Junior Worlds.....I cap my season once the WC is over, and then start up again when the GP opens.

 

[Janice4th]

Ice Dancing was lovely, and I’ve enjoyed everyone’s comments. I just want to take a moment and say my favorite moment was Chock and Bates rotational lift. Also, Daisuke, please don’t retire! We who do not live in Japan are only now getting to watch you in Ice Dance.

 

[lariko]

I liked the 2 American teams more than P/C, and L/L much more than the second Cnd team. I still really like the Georgian team despite their dance being so low in the standings. I still find it significantly more boring than other disciplines, but with pairs being such a disaster, I feel that I will need to learn about dance, because i really like not singles disciplines.

 

[IceDancingQueen]

Hello, hope everyone enjoyed the free dance! Haven’t read the comments on here yet as wanted to give an unadulterated version of how the performances came across live. Here are some highlights:

Estonians - they were very good - they have some cool moves and I am very much looking forward to seeing how they grow as seniors. I hope they get some elite level coaching as they have the goods to develop into a great team.

Georgians- SO good!! Love this team. This was the best they’ve performed that free all year and they are definitely ones to watch for the future. Innovative, fast, good ice coverage and great confidence. They were my husband’s 2nd favourites of the night and he doesn’t know much about ice dance/figure skating.

LaLa - definitely the best of their group. Man they are fit to get through such a fast programme. I am looking forward to them having new programmes next year though as I think something with a bit more light and shade will do them good as this was quite frantic. But they got skills!

Finns - It’s a shame Matthias had the issues he did in the twizzles and the lift because it is such a beautiful programme and they really float across the ice (particularly her), but the mistakes broke the spell of the programme a bit.

Hawayek and Baker - I know there are lots of H/B fans on here (me included) so pls don’t hate me but I wasn’t as taken with their FD as I expected to be. They skated well and it was beautiful but they didn’t project out into the audience very much so it left me wanting a bit more. It was still beautiful though.

FB/S - Now these two really have presence on the ice. They really filled up the arena and it was quite noticeable in comparison to H/B who skated right before. They started SO strong but I’m not sure what happened with Nik as the programme went on as he seemed less steady and not deep into his edges, whereas Laurence was glorious throughout. Theirs was another programme that my husband commented on that he liked. It’s a shame about the low score - Nik was not happy with himself after they finished the skate.

F/G - what I can say? These two were mine and my husband’s favourites of the night, and that’s not taking away from the skill and performances of the top 5 teams. Definitely the best they skated the FD all year and these two have got the X factor. They had the first proper standing ovation of the night and I would say in terms of pure appreciation for the performance put out on the ice that night, they had the best reaction from the crowd. They skate with so much joy it is such a treat to watch. If they keep skating clean, I imagine they will be competing for top of the podium in 2026. They have just got that special something that a lot of other teams don’t have. They had a really lovely emotional moment with one of the IAM coaches after the medal ceremony - you could tell the coach was telling them how proud she was of them .

S/D - such a crowd pleasing programme but a few wee mistakes here and there did take away from the impact. Still brilliant though.

Piper and Paul - SO much better than in the RD. They really floated across the ice and created a mood. I was surprised their mark wasn’t higher but I’m assuming they lost on levels.

G/F - well skated, but I didn’t enjoy this FD as much as I enjoyed their RD. They are technically great skaters but I preferred Psquared on the night.

C/B - such a great programme. Second standing ovation of the night. You could tell the crowd really appreciated the creativity they bring in their programmes. One thing I did notice is that their ice coverage was def not as good as some of the other teams as my seats were off centre ice and they didn’t skate on my side as much as other teams did. Also, Madison Chock is perhaps the cutest person ever. She was so adorable during the medal ceremony and just seems like such a nice person!

H/D - they were so good. So sharp and that first lift really is a sight to be seen. Even though I prefer C/B, these two deserved the silver. Another standing ovation and the applause from the crowd was really beautiful as it was an appreciation for their body of work and their last performance competitive performance together.

G/G - It was so special to be in France and watch what is likely their last competitive performance together in front of their home crowd. Man the audience loved them so much. The FD was stunning and my husband commented that they really are the only team where everything blends together and you can’t tell they are performing elements.

Medal ceremony - it was so great that it was an all IAM podium because honestly there was so much love and respect between them all. At one point they were all holding hands while waiting to receive their medals and it was so sweet. It was just such a lovely display of sportsmanship and friendship. I totally geeked out as all the IAM dancers came to the sideboards to watch the medal ceremony and it was great to see them all celebrating one last time before some of them retire. My husband could not believe how much love they all had for each other - when they talk about IAM being like a family, they aren’t lying as it was really clear to see. It was quite emotional actually and I hope that the new ice dance school in Detroit and Zhuk/Svnin/Morozov are able to create something similar for their teams as what a great way to be in such a competitive sport.

Also, Nathalie Pechelat brought out N/N to celebrate with the medalists - you could tell they were hesitant and didn’t feel it was their place but she made them go out and all the medalists came over and hugged them and took photos, it was so sweet. They also had a beautiful moment with Marie-France/Patch/Romain and I wouldn’t be surprised if they end up training in Montreal next year as they had so much support from the entire IAM skaters.

 

[dorispulaski]

I am so glad to see two Spanish teams will be qualified for Worlds next year!!!

 

[IceDancingQueen]

I am so glad to see two Spanish teams will be qualified for Worlds next year!!!

I was just thinking about the irony that now that one of the Spanish teams finally gets in the top ten, one of them is retiring! Still great for Spain though!!

 

[discodisco]

Sorry, folks I'm not fond of the constant arm moves that P/C do especially in their short program (now called Rhythm dance). Carol Lane called it Whacking - must be some new dance move. I found it too much.

It's called 'whacking', but from what I can tell this form of dancing is mostly upper body movements. Contrast that with patterned dances, and I don't think whacking really works. Street dance doesn't translate well to the ice... al the SDs this year were atrocious. We need some more classic early and mid 20th century dances! Give me jive, waltz, quickstep, foxtrot, heck, even polka. Dances with a clearer definition and more focused on full body movement and feet.

 

[discodisco]

C/B - such a great programme. Second standing ovation of the night. You could tell the crowd really appreciated the creativity they bring in their programmes. One thing I did notice is that their ice coverage was def not as good as some of the other teams as my seats were off centre ice and they didn’t skate on my side as much as other teams did. Also, Madison Chock is perhaps the cutest person ever. She was so adorable during the medal ceremony and just seems like such a nice person!

Great point. Ice dance especially (but also the other disciplines) need to be viewed from a bird's-eye perspective, not a TV lens. Ie, when the camera is focused on the skater, they all look equally as fast, same edge-control, and you don't get an idea of ice-coverage. There are certainly ways of seeing that on TV (watch the boards, ads flying by, try to mentally keep track of what areas they stay in, whether they go right to the corners, etc.)

For example, I was just watching Debbie Thomas at (I think) Skate Canada 87, and Toller Cranston noted that 2/3 of the choreography was in 1/3 of the ice... or something like that. Maybe it was 1/3 of the choreography was in... whatever! The point is, that I hadn't noticed on TV, but apparently it was a 'major weakness' in the program, and Toller said "I hope that they go back and re-work the program' or something to that effect.

So when there's all this 'wuz-robbed' stuff, people need to remember to back up, and look at the program as a whole. Great point - thanks! This is why CB don't beat HD - they skate smaller, less speed, shallower edges, etc. Some people have criticized the program, but I think it's masterfully done to make them stick out (for all the right reasons) and designed to hide their weaknesses. It's not my favourite at all, but I can appreciate how well it's suited to what they bring to the table.

 

[mskater93]

Great point. Ice dance especially (but also the other disciplines) need to be viewed from a bird's-eye perspective, not a TV lens. Ie, when the camera is focused on the skater, they all look equally as fast, same edge-control, and you don't get an idea of ice-coverage. There are certainly ways of seeing that on TV (watch the boards, ads flying by, try to mentally keep track of what areas they stay in, whether they go right to the corners, etc.)

For example, I was just watching Debbie Thomas at (I think) Skate Canada 87, and Toller Cranston noted that 2/3 of the choreography was in 1/3 of the ice... or something like that. Maybe it was 1/3 of the choreography was in... whatever! The point is, that I hadn't noticed on TV, but apparently it was a 'major weakness' in the program, and Toller said "I hope that they go back and re-work the program' or something to that effect.

So when there's all this 'wuz-robbed' stuff, people need to remember to back up, and look at the program as a whole. Great point - thanks! This is why CB don't beat HD - they skate smaller, less speed, shallower edges, etc. Some people have criticized the program, but I think it's masterfully done to make them stick out (for all the right reasons) and designed to hide their weaknesses. It's not my favourite at all, but I can appreciate how well it's suited to what they bring to the table.

Agreed. I had this "argument" with someone on FB who told me I didn't know anything about figure skating. LOL! I've only been skating for 85% of my life...