So, because I'm going through skating withdrawal something awful, I decided to go on a Moonlight Sonata binge and tried to put together my "ultimate" performance of this program. This involved figuring out my favorite versions of each of the elements -- noting that I do not always follow protocols (you'll even find that a stray level 3 element sneaked its way into my list...
), and that sometimes the final decision was based on more flattering camera angles.
Opening choreo -- I chose the GPF for this because of its beautiful opening close-up that slowly zooms out as the music starts. I love that you can see Gabriella getting "into the zone", so to speak -- she conveys so much of the emotion of this program through her face <3. The blind hand grab is also performed without that little hitch they sometimes had over the season.
Twizzles -- This one was... really tough. I ended up settling on worlds, even though they are slightly more in sync (especially in the third set) at French nationals, simply because they performed their biggest, fastest, curviest twizzles of the season at worlds. Looking at twizzles will never not be stressful to me though...
Arms transition into curved lift -- This is another one where camera placement ended up being crucial. I chose IDF because we get a great close-up shot of the lift and its exit, when so many other events filmed it from a distance. On principle I understand why -- you want to show the ice coverage and, well, curve of the curved lift. But the beauty of this lift for me lies in its ease and relaxation. Nothing is tense or held, their heads are free to roll back, their arms are soft. The exit of the lift was slightly more on the music
at worlds, however.
Circular step sequence -- This is the one level 3 element I was talking about. I guess this was technically cleaner at, say, worlds, but I don't care, no one will be able to convince me that this step sequence wasn't at its most beautiful at Cup of China. Gorgeously articulated dance holds, subtle, quietly beautiful arm movements... I can, objectively, understand why they had to tone down this choreo, but the original Cirio touches were just heavenly and remain my favorite part of this program.
Stationary lift and transition into the third movement of the sonata -- I picked the lift with the fastest rotational speed where they hit all the beats of the music. The reaction of the crowd at this point was always a highlight of this program. I do want to give props to an earlier version of the entry into this lift where Gabriella hits this
beautifully arched position -- I kinda wish that had stuck throughout the season.
Spin -- Imo the element that gave them by far the most trouble over the season; they had a tendency to lag just behind the tempo of the music. They had it under control at worlds, but I think I loved it best at French nationals, where Guillaume's twirling exit hits right on the flourish of the music. I'm glad they worked so hard on this spin over the season.
Midline step sequence -- Another step sequence I will categorically refuse to budge on: their best midline was undeniably performed at worlds. Remember the start of the season, when the main criticism of this program was that it was skated too evenly, without enough acknowledgement of the shift in tempo of Moonlight sonata? Well, they sure fixed that over the course of the season. I love how aggressively they accelerated into it here: they skate blazingly fast into their most difficult element, hitting all of their choreographic moments at the right accents of the music. It's breathtaking, although I wish the camera had followed them a little closer,
like here.
Choreographic spinning movement -- I think this one will divide those who loved the exit they added to this element in the middle of the season and those who didn't. Personally, I always found it a little messy, a little busy, so I prefer the early Cup of China version. I'm open to being convinced otherwise, though!
Straight line lift -- This element made me mad when I made this post because it was filmed SO MANY TIMES from the back when it is clearly meant to be seen from the sides. This position really grew on me over the season, and this ended up becoming probably my favorite straight line lift of theirs. I wish they had done something different for the exit, because it always seemed a little random and the part of the program where in my opinion the adherence to technical requirements is most clearly seen.
Choreographic lift and ending pose -- The element that changed the most throughout the season. It took me a while to get used to the knee lift variation, and by the Olympics the beautiful choreo before the lift had gotten cannibalized, so the sweet spot is Europeans for me.
And that's it for my list! You're welcome to try and change my mind about some of these elements, or simply to make a list for yourself! I wonder what I would choose for their "ultimate" SD...
