Betina Popova & Yuri Vlasenko

[The Finn]

Great FD. They got silver after winning the FD.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_9PZ6ygdlUA

 

[tulosai]

Great FD. They got silver after winning the FD.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_9PZ6ygdlUA

Wonderful! Thanks for posting!!

 

[NicolettaL]

Betina's new hair style suits much more to this FD.

Wooho! And congrats on the silver, because they are my favourite russian junior dance team

 

[cathlen]

Rock that Master & Margarita SD today, please! :luv17:

 

[tulosai]

Love these two! Good luck to them!

 

[cathlen]

I wonder who made them change their awesome SD to that wishy washy program. That person should be hanged :dev2: (let's pretend it's Woland emoticon )

 

[tulosai]

I wonder who made them change their awesome SD to that wishy washy program. That person should be hanged :dev2: (let's pretend it's Woland emoticon )

Yes I am still bummed about the new program

 

[bramweld]

Yes I am still bummed about the new program

Absolute nonsense. The Russian experts are such cowards or more accurately borderline incompetent. They obviously have very narrow vision as to what makes for great ice dance. It's a pity.

 

[dorispulaski]

Soundhound gives me that the SD program was

SD2 "The Blizzard: Waltz" by Vladimir Fedoseyev and "Feuerfest Polka francaise, opus 269" by Strauss

However, the video says Waltz, March, Waltz

There was no change back to a walz, plus Feuerfest is a Polka.

What is up with their coaches???
This new SD rots in comparison with their previous one.

 

[Alex D]

Betina & Yuri Junior Worlds FD

I sadly can not help you there Doris, but the Free was back, to where they belong, even with the errors.

My extended thoughts from the review,

...

Before, I want to take a closer look at this, let´s start with the absolute best lady on ice, Betina who is such a beast every time that I see her and together with Gracie Gold, she is someone who you can really fall in love with and if I had a million dollars, I would spend it for just one evening with either of these two.
As different they are, as fantastic their personalities come across and as for Betina, she was holding back in the short, but oh boy in that Free to "crazy in love", the wildcat was back! For me, the best story line, the best choreography and interpretation of music at the juniors this season, everything is just so spot on, from her hair cut, the pictures that both can create, like in the straight line lift, the fantastic opener with the spin – it´s just all so "crazy in love".

As a skater you always try to be what you skate and they absolutely nailed that for me. We all know sex on the beach or sex on the rock and that was sex on the ice! The elements picked, the change of tempo, - the piano solo superb interpreted, when they start their program or during the break down in the middle, when they stand back on back, it is absolutely gorgeous if you ask me and one of the reasons, why they so grab me, it´s not just her, it´s them!
Same story with the drama, when it get´s more busy with the musical arrangement, the twizzles come out or that superb rotational lift with the pitch raise in music, huge moment in their performance.

I really think, that Yuri has stepped up his game a lot this season and we must be honest here, no matter how much we want to be nice to the ladies, especially me, the mistake by her in the second twizzle of their sequence, did cost them quite a few points, but overall, the top two positions were still out of reach, due the reasons mentioned above. I so want them to become the top Russian pair in future, but they need to be perfect, not just in what they already are, performance, interpretation, but also the execution of their elements, striving for these grades of execution, that can mean so much these days.

 

[tulosai]

I also really enjoyed the free as always- it was actually the highlight of the LP's for me. I do worry a bit for them next year when they transition to seniors with such a tough field in Russia, but I will be cheering for them. They probably should get one GP net year (they are currently 23 on the SB list) but unfortunately it's going to be rough for them to get 2.

 

[sarama]

I didn't really like them until this year (I used to find Betina way over the top and overshadowing Yuri). Now I think they are very well balanced, although she is the ''Diva'', and I ove their unique edgy-sexy-macabre style (I was so disappointed they changed the SD). I know next season will be tough, but I really hope they manage to have a successful senior career because it would be such a waste if they were to disappear like too many junior ice dance teams do. (And that is why I should not get too invested in juniors, but I can't help myself)

 

[Alex D]

Extended Review Junior Worlds

This is my extended review, of these two at Junior Worlds.

2.3 Betina & her slave

I admit, that this expression does not come from me, but I saw someone at the forum use it, so I hope it is ok to if I do the same now. Betina Popova and Yuri Vlasenko are around for a few years now and I still remember how I once said, that this girl is someone I would marry. She has so much fire and energy, I honestly have no idea how a date with her could look like, maybe it ends up in prison with a bloody nose or we would rob a bank like Bonnie and Clyde. Whatever it would be, I am sure it would be totally worth it, I so love that character of hers and Yuri I believe, doesn´t has a lot to say in their partnership, but he really improved a lot since the first time that I saw them skate, years ago.

While they lack the consistency and perfection in their elements, they bring something to the table, that is as I called it "sex on the ice". Their FD is exactly where I see their strength in, a choreography that was for me, the most entertaining and fresh that we saw this season with the juniors.

Skating to "I am a slave for you", oh pardon me I got carried away there....

Skating to, "Crazy in love", these two made my day with a super unique performance, non alike anything we saw that day.
Huge interpretation, the elements spot on, so was her hair cut and he was able to really play a part in that duo, one of the biggest criteria in Ice Dance, the presence, but also personality which must come out, from both skaters.
Of course, he doesn't has the hair cut like her, but he played a very important role on ice, all these great pictures like with the straight line, wouldn't be possible without him and over the years, he has really grown for me.

Needless to say, that I love that remix, the original I hate – but the remix, brilliant and how they sneak over the ice, to the calmer section at the start and then just totally explode with that rotational lift during the pitch raise section. I love when skaters do that, you need perfect timings, else it looks off beat and it is a real pleasure to see those two on ice. My favorite Russian team in the juniors since years, I so wish they can up their game to no longer miss out on points, they so deserve credit. I love skaters who have a totally different approach to their skating performances.

Russian Ice Dance is not dead yet, ...

 

[dorispulaski]

I hope they will survive the transition to seniors...I updated their OP. Iwas able to ID their early program music, and added Junior Worlds videos.

 

[tulosai]

I hope they will survive the transition to seniors...I updated their OP. Iwas able to ID their early program music, and added Junior Worlds videos.

I hope they survive it too... I'm scared that it's going to be rough for them to get out of Russia with all the other teams they'll be competing against. Hopefully they'll be able to improve a bit technically and work with a lift specialist over the summer. They should be guaranteed at least 1 GP next year though, so at least we'll be able to see them there

 

[sarama]

I hope they survive it too... I'm scared that it's going to be rough for them to get out of Russia with all the other teams they'll be competing against. Hopefully they'll be able to improve a bit technically and work with a lift specialist over the summer. They should be guaranteed at least 1 GP next year though, so at least we'll be able to see them there

Let's hope they fix their levels issues.... they really need a miracle on that department:hopelessness:

 

[Abraxis12345]

There are rumors Betina was changing partners and given her coach just had a major meltdown on Facebook, it seems like those rumors are true...

 

[tulosai]

There are rumors Betina was changing partners and given her coach just had a major meltdown on Facebook, it seems like those rumors are true...

I find this to be shocking... is there any news on who she might be switching to? While I do think she's the 'star' in the partnership (it is hard to take your eyes off her), I think she's also the weaker technical skater...

 

[Abraxis12345]

I find this to be shocking... is there any news on who she might be switching to? While I do think she's the 'star' in the partnership (it is hard to take your eyes off her), I think she's also the weaker technical skater...

The rumors were Mozgov, as Anna's injury was said to be pretty bad. The rant definitely seemed directed at Kustarova and Ryabinina, and I can understand her feeling betrayed. The junior coaches seem to try to maintain good relations with one another as they often have to find partners from other groups.

Yuri's the better technical skater but he might not be as invested in his career as she is.

 

[uhh]

I heard the rumours too about Y/M a while ago, but things that Anna posted since then look like she's still in training & still at the Medvedkovo rink. If she's still skating, it would be a shame for her & Sergei to split; it wasn't the easiest season but it hardly ever is for teams newly in seniors & they were contending with her injury, plus she is, for all her flaws, a much stronger skater than Betina at this point.