Gabriella Papadakis & Guillaume Cizeron

[schizoanalyst]

I wrote a little bit about P/C here and why I appreciate them in a separate thread: https://www.goldenskate.com/forum/s...gure-Skating-Free-Dance&p=1991785#post1991785. I thought some fans here might be interested in my perspective on their FD. I don't want to bash any skaters in a fan thread, so here is the edited portion of what I wrote (I just linked the whole comment for context if someone wants it).

P/C's choreography, however, heightens and complicates our understanding of the piece. To give an example, a feature of Moonlight Sonata is an ostinato triplet and it’s first movement is a dark, heavy, burdened piece of music. Many have described this pattern as a swaying feeling (which is why sometimes people imagine a boat on a lake swaying over moonlight). But P/C do something different with it. They imagine instead we are moving forward propulsively, not swaying, as they enter the curve lift during the first movement and gazing longingly upward as the pitch heightens. It’s a bold interpretation. It’s foreshadowing the possibility of the third movement - a motion propelling us to the resolution of burden to one of excitement and possibility. It’s a completely different way of viewing the first movement than we are accustomed to.

Edit: I might do a similar analysis of their entire dance and post it here, since I find it such an intricate, compelling work - but that's a bit of work and only if fans would appreciate such a thing. If no one wants to hear my blathering it's all good

 

[MelDee]

G&G are the best. Absolute champions of these Games.

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

 

[Escarbille]

What emotions !!
A unique program that I do not dare qualify as words seem narrow and reductive.
Infinite gratitude and admiration to Gaby and Guillaume for sharing such moments out of time; how not to be touched by their athletic and artistic talent, by their obvious human qualities and sensitivity when we see them skating together, by their strength of character at all times during these two days.
An unwavering support also for the incredible competitors they are, because the color of the medal is not quite perfect for them as for us.
A look turned to the future and not to the past (and if the dress ... and if the order of passage ... and if the Canadian judge ... All this is sterile, useless).
We will have the chance - and the honor - to see them again amaze us in a month in Milan with these two programs ... And then they will have the chance to take a very very big vacation !!!

 

[cocotaffy]

I wrote a little bit about P/C here and why I appreciate them in a separate thread: https://www.goldenskate.com/forum/s...gure-Skating-Free-Dance&p=1991785#post1991785. I thought some fans here might be interested in my perspective on their FD. I don't want to bash any skaters in a fan thread, so here is the edited portion of what I wrote (I just linked the whole comment for context if someone wants it).

P/C's choreography, however, heightens and complicates our understanding of the piece. To give an example, a feature of Moonlight Sonata is an ostinato triplet and it’s first movement is a dark, heavy, burdened piece of music. Many have described this pattern as a swaying feeling (which is why sometimes people imagine a boat on a lake swaying over moonlight). But P/C do something different with it. They imagine instead we are moving forward propulsively, not swaying, as they enter the curve lift during the first movement and gazing longingly upward as the pitch heightens. It’s a bold interpretation. It’s foreshadowing the possibility of the third movement - a motion propelling us to the resolution of burden to one of excitement and possibility. It’s a completely different way of viewing the first movement than we are accustomed to.

Edit: I might do a similar analysis of their entire dance and post it here, since I find it such an intricate, compelling work - but that's a bit of work and only if fans would appreciate such a thing. If no one wants to hear my blathering it's all good

Please do. A very interesting analysis indeed one which reminds me of a saying by Pablo Casals which I love: "The art of interpretation is not to play what is written"

 

[Anyasnake]

Interview after the FD : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b2gWsfuO6Ks

Gaby to the interviewer : "I'm so emotionnal right now, I might cry if you tell me that your grandma's dog had died"
Interviewer : "No he didn't"

 

[MelDee]

Gaby and Guillaume at the medal ceremony

https://www.instagram.com/p/BfamKx_j_CO/?hl=cs&taken-by=davidbaden

 

[Anyasnake]

Gaby and Guillaume at the medal ceremony

https://www.instagram.com/p/BfamKx_j_CO/?hl=cs&taken-by=davidbaden

The realisation that they got a freaking silver medal at the Olympics at 22/23 years old (not to count the multiple titles they already have) =

 

[Aurore]

Didier Gailhaguet. In the columns of the Parisian, he admits that if "the money is not dishonorable", the couple of skaters will have to "change their style to open more to the world". A criticism that passes badly with the interested guests of Europe Midi: "Honestly, we do not really understand.We will have a conservation with him.

 

[Anyasnake]

Didier Gailhaguet. In the columns of the Parisian, he admits that if "the money is not dishonorable", the couple of skaters will have to "change their style to open more to the world". A criticism that passes badly with the interested guests of Europe Midi: "Honestly, we do not really understand.We will have a conservation with him.

Basically he'd like to "sell" them more. He was not able to give them any decent exposure, and now he's complaining. They have the biggest numbers of titles owned by a French Dance team but he doesn't seem to care obviously. These are people, not marketable objects :dev2:

 

[yuna13]

guillaume parents: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eBwpG2A6sik
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DNzmA_AVlow

gabriella father: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cpDMl8zAstY:)

 

[Charis]

https://video-streaming.orange.fr/s...essent-un-gout-de-defaite-CNT000000YylWH.html


And please somebody to translate!!!

- - - Updated - - -

guillaume parents: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eBwpG2A6sik
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DNzmA_AVlow

gabriella father: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cpDMl8zAstY:)

Geoblocked

 

[oakandbirch]

I listened to that Europe1 interview. Seems there is zero relationship with the French Fed, and I thought Gabriella was not very polite to Didier Gailhaguet. She sounded "sarcastic". :disagree:

 

[oakandbirch]

https://video-streaming.orange.fr/s...essent-un-gout-de-defaite-CNT000000YylWH.html


:

She is not happy and she is right. She should have been P/C's mental coach. Of course this silver medal is a defeat. She got the right attitude.

 

[yuna13]

sorry for my poor english:

they are amazing!! for the hundred times: i'm in love with the way they move!!
i felt like the all world was against them. i have no idea how they deal with this hate. all the conspiracy talk and nothing about caron (she is famous in france now).
the good things is we still have four years of P/C and hopefully no more bloodbath.

thanks to all of you it really helped to have a place where we could talk about them, share our fear, our hope and our joy.
Anyasnake : thank you for your explanation about the technique i understand and learn a lot thanks to you.
Alain: our eyes and ears. our link to gabriella and guillaume thanks for all your reports.

cheers we still have worlds.

 

[alain06fr]

Basically he'd like to "sell" them more. He was not able to give them any decent exposure, and now he's complaining. They have the biggest numbers of titles owned by a French Dance team but he doesn't seem to care obviously. These are people, not marketable objects :dev2:

Hummm... I may be wrong but Gailhaguet doesn't target Gabriella and Guillaume at all when he says "the couple of skaters will have to "change their style to open more to the world".
I understand he would like them to leave Gadbois and move somewhere else to prepare the next Olympics with a new team of coaches.

 

[Anyasnake]

Hummm... I may be wrong but Gailhaguet doesn't target Gabriella and Guillaume at all when he says "the couple of skaters will have to "change their style to open more to the world".
I understand he would like them to leave Gadbois and move somewhere else to prepare the next Olympics with a new team of coaches.

Oh, I understood that he want to market them a bit more to get exposure.

I don't want them to leave Gadbois, well I want them to do what they want. Not being forced to do anything and be free in their creative process, otherwise, medals for medals is clearly "not enough" for them, as Guillaume said. It has been a long time since we had (internationally) skaters with such freedom and I don't want them to lose this identity.

 

[oakandbirch]

Hummm... I may be wrong but Gailhaguet doesn't target Gabriella and Guillaume at all when he says "the couple of skaters will have to "change their style to open more to the world".
I understand he would like them to leave Gadbois and move somewhere else to prepare the next Olympics with a new team of coaches.

I think you are right.

 

[alain06fr]

Oh, I understood that he want to market them a bit more to get exposure.

I don't want them to leave Gadbois, well I want them to do what they want. Not being forced to do anything and be free in their creative process, otherwise, medals for medals is clearly "not enough" for them, as Guillaume said. It has been a long time since we had (internationally) skaters with such freedom and I don't want them to lose this identity.

Once again, I am not 100% sure, but "change their style" sounds like "change their coaches", mainly Marie-France Dubreuil, who choreographs their last 4 FDs.

 

[AliAle]

I wrote a little bit about P/C here and why I appreciate them in a separate thread: https://www.goldenskate.com/forum/s...gure-Skating-Free-Dance&p=1991785#post1991785. I thought some fans here might be interested in my perspective on their FD. I don't want to bash any skaters in a fan thread, so here is the edited portion of what I wrote (I just linked the whole comment for context if someone wants it).

P/C's choreography, however, heightens and complicates our understanding of the piece. To give an example, a feature of Moonlight Sonata is an ostinato triplet and it’s first movement is a dark, heavy, burdened piece of music. Many have described this pattern as a swaying feeling (which is why sometimes people imagine a boat on a lake swaying over moonlight). But P/C do something different with it. They imagine instead we are moving forward propulsively, not swaying, as they enter the curve lift during the first movement and gazing longingly upward as the pitch heightens. It’s a bold interpretation. It’s foreshadowing the possibility of the third movement - a motion propelling us to the resolution of burden to one of excitement and possibility. It’s a completely different way of viewing the first movement than we are accustomed to.

Edit: I might do a similar analysis of their entire dance and post it here, since I find it such an intricate, compelling work - but that's a bit of work and only if fans would appreciate such a thing. If no one wants to hear my blathering it's all good

I don't think it's bashing as long as you're able to articulate what you appreciate about P/C as opposed to not liking about V/M.

For me, the biggest dissapointment about them not getting the OG is that it somehow feels like a celebration of the same old things in ice dance and failing to acknowledge the way P/C managed to change the sport (for the better) in the past 4 years. I remember seeing them with Pink Floyd as Juniors and with Woodkid in their first year as Seniors and thinking, wow, the French have something very special on their hands. But nothing prepared me for Mozart and how it suddenly was everything I never knew I wanted and needed in ice dance. The way they rise and fall and become the music, the way they always make you forget about the technical elements, the butter smooth quality of their edges, the perfect incorportion of contemporary ballet into their upper body movements, it all makes for a completely different aesthetic than anything seen before in figure skating. And I'm not sure if people realize this, but programs such as what Aliona and Bruno put together in the last two years, or the Shibs finally managing to find a style that works for them, are largely due to the influence P/C and the Montreal camp have had. People suddenly realized, wow, you can actually build a program under the current tech. requirements and still make it look like a composition that actually makes sense. You don't have to play a role and over-emote to have an emotional impact.

V/M on the other hand, while absolute masters of their craft, never felt like Innovators to me. When they announced their come-back, I remember them mentioning they felt like they still had things to show in ice dance. I was pretty excited about it to be honest because while I always admired their skill, they failed to capture my attention in the past and I always blamed it on the programs. But other than perfecting their craft, it doesn't feel like they brought anything new to the table, no other facet to their skating. And in the end, these two new OG medals feel like scoring one over D/W as opposed to being driven by any creative need for expression. This is where Tanith's movie comparison is so astute, there's everything to admire in an excellent block-buster, but it always smarts when the art-piece that actually pushes cinema further fails to win an Oscar against it.

Oh, I understood that he want to market them a bit more to get exposure.

I don't want them to leave Gadbois, well I want them to do what they want. Not being forced to do anything and be free in their creative process, otherwise, medals for medals is clearly "not enough" for them, as Guillaume said. It has been a long time since we had (internationally) skaters with such freedom and I don't want them to lose this identity.

I swear to God, if Didier tries to interfere in any way in their creative process in order to push for crowd-pleasing performances... well, I don't know what I'll do other than rant about it :eeking:

 

[Anyasnake]

whole post

Yes, yes and yes. Couldn't agree more. Actually, even Maddie Hubbell made the same comparaison, that P/C are quitessential Ice Dance and V/M are Hollywood, you can give them whatever you want. Again, you can appreciate everything for sure. But in the end it felt like D/W vs V/M with switched roles for V/M and P/C That is okay though.

And yes, I strongly believe that Marie-France, Romain and Patrice have build something for P/C in the 2014-2015 season that was exceptionnal. It made sense, almost like there was no separation between technical elements, transitions and dance. The fact that it still carries on today is even more impressive. They transformed H/D too.
Now it feels like there's a real research, you want your programs to be organic and well-constructed, and that they speak about you too. It's not necessarily about pleasing the judges anymore, but yourself first. This quad has been one of the best for me, and the 2015-2016 season in Ice Dance has been the most incredible in terms of programs, because I've never seen so many excellent programs in one year. If any of you attended Boston Worlds, I'm jealous !

And Aljona is a fan of PapaCiz. She apparently got very much inspired after 2016 Worlds understandably so. Their winning LP was just magical.