That SD red dress was a perfection.
One of my favourite ice dance costumes (and the dance too, it's still my favourite SD of theirs). I don't know if you noticed, but Gabby wore that dress again. It was at Fantasy on ice in Kobe earlier this year.
I have no technical competence whatsoever, and I am not at all a skater, so whatever I say comes from a different angle (15 years of theatre). But I fully agree: the SD of 2015-16 was WOOOOOWWWWW. For me, much much more WOW than this year's. Probably because I'm not technically savvy? This does not mean that I am not very enthusiastic and excited about their present SD. I was soooo happy to see it at the Finlandia, because it simply looks very sturdy and solid, in contrast to last year's SD. When discovering the programs last year, it was immediately clear that V/M's Prince had a total WOOOOW factor, in stark contrast with Gaby and Guillaume's, which oozed discomfort and unwillingness. This year, if I may be so blunt, I found V/M's SD immediately
not WOOOW. Very well done, and they are super skaters, but nothing to WOW about. Gaby and Guillaume's doesn't have that either, but it feels much more like one whole dance than V/M's to me. (Again: I have no technical baggage to judge any of that at all; but I am arrogant enough to think that I do know a thing or two about performing, being genuine in emotion and expression, and recognizing what is genuinely overwhelming and what is faking it - regardless of whether it works or not.)
I fully understand that Gaby and Guillaume feel restricted and forced with the SD (to be fittingly renamed Rhythm Dance from next year?), but with their talent, I am convinced that they can find music with the required rhythm that they love and feel connected too. I know that the dance pattern step sequences will not leave much space for choice in gliding and smoothness, but still, I hope that they will have the confidence to know that they can take any rhythm and do their magic with it. They can then express themselves in the SD as freely and genuinely as they do in the FD now: feel more free and have
real fun.
I will never fight with Alain who knows them and speaks with them, but from what I can see in the video’s, they are not really having fun (yet) in their SD. It is obvious to me that they are doing all they can to fake the fun and sell the program, and they do it VERY well, luckily, but what I am not seeing is confidence, being at ease,
genuine fun,
owning,
being the music, the moves, the message, which creates the magic of their FD. If you look at their faces at the start, the SD has two forced smiles and overacted seductive faces; while the FD has two totally concentrated, genuine, transparent, open, quiet, undisturbed faces without any faked or overlaid emotion. In the first, they are going to sell their program just like all other teams do and have done with great success for many many years. In the second, the Gods of Ice Dance are going to skate magic.
I am fully confident that they can turn any SD into the same Gods of Ice Dance magic, as, for me, they did with the Waltz/March. OK, due to the circumstances they couldn't make it technically work as well as their SD this year (and with V/M and Olympics that simply is a non-negotiable), but still, technique without magic is just technique, but magic without technique still is magic! And technique
with magic is... Gaby and Guillaume. :hap57:
I don't want to rave about it too much as this SD is already 2 years old, but it is a pure perfection (even though not so technically clean as it should be.) Next year's theme should be tango... 
but seriously to have it seen 2 times in the stands, it's a great choice, the end of the program comes too fast:sad4: (they make you want to dance with them
)
. The "buzz" came without "publicity" (although Eurosport broadcast the competition, there was no news report on TV, in the newspapers not much). I guess for Grenoble, there will be some TV reports.
