Gabriella Papadakis & Guillaume Cizeron

[Rossig]

I love the FD a lot. But I really dislike the music edit between 1nd and 2nd piece. While P/C transition is smooth, imho the edit is not. I wish it was changed.

 

[VikiLeeks]

Guillaume has long legs, no?? And Gaby isn't petite? I don't really get it. Yes, Alexandra Stepanova has the body of a model, but not really of a ballerina. I think you can't have a ballerina body, you need to have more muscle bulk for ice skating. I find bodies like Stepanova's totally delightfully beautiful, but I find Gaby also very beautifully proportioned and totally graceful. It's not a big difference. If only people with a body like Stepanova should be allowed in ice dance, we can have a very very tiny competition. Anyway, I don't see how Tessa compares to Alexandra, if the Match guy considered that V/M were a worthy winner. I may be completely wrong, but I suppose that if he is a hater, he probably adores V/M? :-D

Well, I started this topic, maybe I should explain a bit more. In his opinion, Guillaume is a guy with short legs. Gabriella's are fine for him. I strongly doubt that he had a chance to measure those legs but he keeps pushing forward the idea that such legs and great flexibility are a natural unfair advantage for a man on ice. Short or not, but I believe that Guillaume has a perfect body for figure skating. And what is more impotant he knows how to use it. Soooo, God bless those legs, and arms, and everything

 

[lupina015]

I love the FD a lot. But I really dislike the music edit between 1nd and 2nd piece. While P/C transition is smooth, imho the edit is not. I wish it was changed.

I have to agree on that one. I hope they'll work on this.

 

[IceDancingQueen]

Sadly there was no B. Esp coverage of the free dance here. Maybe at Europeans!

There was coverage last night (GMT). They enjoyed the free dance. They weren’t as effusive in their praise as they have been in the past but they still liked it and praised their quality. I do get a feeling though that even B Eurosport presenters want them to try a completely different style.

 

[Roast Toast]

I remember very well the male Match commentator. At one time someone translated a bit where he made fun of Gaby's face, but what stayed with me was when he complained that G&G weren't "a real man and a woman" dancing. Just a big ball of misogyny and homophobia. His opinion is not worth giving the time of day.

edit: ah, thank you for the info IceDancingQueen! I saw there was no live broadcast so I assumed. Hopefully they'll end up on youtube at some point

 

[Spot]

Short or not, but I believe that Guillaume has a perfect body for figure skating. And what is more impotant he knows how to use it. Soooo, God bless those legs, and arms, and everything

Amen!

 

[Spot]

I remember very well the male Match commentator. At one time someone translated a bit where he made fun of Gaby's face, but what stayed with me was when he complained that G&G weren't "a real man and a woman" dancing. Just a big ball of misogyny and homophobia. His opinion is not worth giving the time of day.

Ugh. So idiotic. You are right then, that his opinion is not worth knowing.

 

[lupina015]

I remember very well the male Match commentator. At one time someone translated a bit where he made fun of Gaby's face, but what stayed with me was when he complained that G&G weren't "a real man and a woman" dancing. Just a big ball of misogyny and homophobia. His opinion is not worth giving the time of day.

As far as I know, Guillaume is 100% male and Gabriella is 100% female.
I don't think that private lives of skaters should be brought into the valuation of what they portray on ice.

 

[oakandbirch]

https://www.instagram.com/p/BqkLr7NANbP/

 

[Eleanor]

Well, I started this topic, maybe I should explain a bit more. In his opinion, Guillaume is a guy with short legs. Gabriella's are fine for him. I strongly doubt that he had a chance to measure those legs but he keeps pushing forward the idea that such legs and great flexibility are a natural unfair advantage for a man on ice. Short or not, but I believe that Guillaume has a perfect body for figure skating. And what is more impotant he knows how to use it. Soooo, God bless those legs, and arms, and everything

This is something I find very disturbing and recurrent whether it's from commentators or fs fans.
Yes, some people are born with abilities that makes it a tiny bit easier form them. But NOTHING comes without hard work and Guillaume is no exception. Besides, I also believe he had an excellent training as well. And it's all these factors that makes him the skater and the dancer he is today.
But it's neither natural nor unfair. He worked for this, he was trained for this, and it paid. Maybe, others should follow instead of badmouthing.

 

[Bcash]

I really want to hear the B-ESp guys on this FD. I discovered GG with the Europeans FD, B-ESp commentary in which they say: "You cannot comprehend how difficult that was. And how easy they made it look." I feel that this FD was that accomplishment squared.

I was very much looking forward to hearing Mark Hanretty talk about their performance. He's always so appreciative.

 

[Bcash]

Here is their FD commented by Nathalie Pechalat and Alban Préaubert and another woman who I still couldn't identify. I did translate in FSU but leave it here for you to enjoy:


In the intro she doesn't say anything new but a summary of their late start of the season and how they had a great start yesterday with the RD.
End of the FD (she sounds impressed): "Beautiful program from P/C, we had shivers here, this program was very moving. It was the French in all their glory. It was beautifully skated, everything, whether the feelings or the edges, feels full and feels like a whole. Every seconds is interpreted with a welcome change of pace at the end which makes what they want to convey more pertinent. We were expecting something like this(the change of pace) and they gave it to us with as usual a lot of intensity and also intimacy. We always feel like we're in their bubble. They are not "generous" per say and this is not meant as a negative. Their aim is not to entertain us but rather to invite us in which they excel at, it is their style."
Then the guy, who I ignore the name starts talking. He was worried when he heard the choice of music and expected for the first time to be disappointed by P/C's program (a bit like me tbh) but seeing it, he thinks they absolutely transcended the music with their quality especially their softness. Natalie adds that the softness is not monotonous though which makes it beautiful and moving.
Commenting the scores, Natalie mentions how one could see the difference of quality even though she loved the Canadians.

Thanks for the translation. I was curious what she had to say. And I definitely agree with the bolded part. IMO this is a higher form of artistry and deeper understanding of performing.

 

[floatingworld]

I remember very well the male Match commentator. At one time someone translated a bit where he made fun of Gaby's face, but what stayed with me was when he complained that G&G weren't "a real man and a woman" dancing. Just a big ball of misogyny and homophobia. His opinion is not worth giving the time of day.

edit: ah, thank you for the info IceDancingQueen! I saw there was no live broadcast so I assumed. Hopefully they'll end up on youtube at some point

I wouldn’t be surprised if he also displayed a tad of racism and prejudice in his comments on Vanessa James’ performances and looks.

 

[Bcash]

Long legs is with no doubts the main Russian criteria for dancers. They don’t mind if they miss anything else as musicality sense of rhythm, but they must have long legs, the same selection as a prima ballerina, at least physically. They seem to believe you can make dance properly anybody so the only difference will be in the length of the legs. I wonder how Usova Zhulin had a chance in their time. As a matter of fact, long legs Grishuk Platov got the OG. Stepanova’s legs have it all... to please the Russian criterias, I mean, Zahorsky as well. No chance for Guillaume or Gaby in that respect.

If only Stepanova knew how to align her upper and lower bodies and express the beauty of movement with her legs.

 

[Bcash]

Ok, I saw it.
Their new spin looks really nice (at the end).
I heard people complaining that it is "the same style" again. But how so?
The second half of their FD was a clearly different pace. Their Shortdance was also clearly different!

This has been discussed ad nauseam. My thought on this still is: none of the music they used in the past four years are of the same style, and their choreo certainly responded to the music well, so what same style "again"? Baryshnikov will always move like Baryshnikov weather he dances Petipa, Balanchine or Twyla Tharp. He's not going to move like Beyonce. I don't remember there being such a complaint about Meryl and Charlie even though they always skated to dramatic operatic music and adhered to one style of movement.

I love the FD a lot. But I really dislike the music edit between 1nd and 2nd piece. While P/C transition is smooth, imho the edit is not. I wish it was changed.

I agree with this. I kinda wish they did more with the editing. Right now it's just a rather simple segue.

Well, I started this topic, maybe I should explain a bit more. In his opinion, Guillaume is a guy with short legs. Gabriella's are fine for him. I strongly doubt that he had a chance to measure those legs but he keeps pushing forward the idea that such legs and great flexibility are a natural unfair advantage for a man on ice. Short or not, but I believe that Guillaume has a perfect body for figure skating. And what is more impotant he knows how to use it. Soooo, God bless those legs, and arms, and everything

Lol I can't take him seriously, but after hearing this, I did find that G's legs no longer seem as long as I thought they looked. But this only confirms your last point, which is that how you use your body and project a line matters more than anything else. If Bukin or Kastalapov has longer legs, I'm not seeing it.

 

[Gotlev]

Well, I started this topic, maybe I should explain a bit more. In his opinion, Guillaume is a guy with short legs. Gabriella's are fine for him. I strongly doubt that he had a chance to measure those legs but he keeps pushing forward the idea that such legs and great flexibility are a natural unfair advantage for a man on ice. Short or not, but I believe that Guillaume has a perfect body for figure skating. And what is more impotant he knows how to use it. Soooo, God bless those legs, and arms, and everything

Guillaume has a perfect body by any measure or standard and for any purpose. I want to be his boyfriend and kiss him all over!!! :taunt:

 

[Gotlev]

https://www.instagram.com/p/BqkLr7NANbP/

 

[Bcash]

This is something I find very disturbing and recurrent whether it's from commentators or fs fans.
Yes, some people are born with abilities that makes it a tiny bit easier form them. But NOTHING comes without hard work and Guillaume is no exception. Besides, I also believe he had an excellent training as well. And it's all these factors that makes him the skater and the dancer he is today.
But it's neither natural nor unfair. He worked for this, he was trained for this, and it paid. Maybe, others should follow instead of badmouthing.

I certainly think the exceptional combination of pliancy and strength is what distinguishes them from all others, and that combination is both a physical gift and something that their coaches over the years wisely encouraged and amplified.

 

[oakandbirch]

What?

 

[peepsquick]

I like Guillaume's outfit ... why am I the only one????