Ice Dance - Free Dance

[ImaginaryPogue]

If only the ISU would rethink this vile SD idea

Agreed. Partially because the CD/OD/FD format was such an elegant exploration of skate dance (steps, theme then freedom), partially because the SD still makes no sense. What's the point of the dance?

 

[colleen o'neill]

Doris, that was the oddest telecast..They called it live in their listings..and I guess maybe Scott Russell presented the taped portion on his regular Saturday show ,where he was the only live thing.Earlier in the program they said they were going to show W/P and then they didn't, and they let the tape problem run on for some time before cutting it...sigh. But it was good to see the couples on something bigger than my computer screen ( I can't even watch the full screen version on many livestreams..too fuzzy)

Pogue..some thoughts on your thoughts on my thoughts...

When I say I'm taking The V/M story at face value,it's with crossed fingers.. I don't want to fall into too much "What if.."-ing for my own sanity's sake, so I trust that they'll be careful. And I know that at best, they'll still have lack of mileage against them... BTW I think Tessa's got it.."IT" just isn't an on the floor at a latin social dance thing, she's got that "Latin Ballroom Queen" thing going..sensuous , yet somehow, confidently aloof.

As to D/W, you put it very well...But I must say, too, that's the best I've seen them perform it, and it appears to still be improving.
I love Tango, and when you're watching a good one ,you can almost feel a bit of a voyuer , because the couple should be so involved with each other, nothing else exists but them and the music.In fact they have to be so involved , because the prompts in his lead can be so subtle that the partners must be attuned ,body, mind ( and maybe , soul ). Oh, they can look away from each other, but the connection is still there .The man dominates, the woman submits ( but that doen't mean she doesn't want to..if only for the duration of one dance).
Meryl looks a perfect Tango girl, right down to her jewelry. ( Is Charlie's hair long enough to slick back into a ponytail yet ? I'd suggest a bit of stubble, but that would be wrong for their SD, and he's fabulous in that, with his curls and the neck cloth. The absolute picture of a 19thC hero. )
Charlie needs to seem a bit more dominant and masterful in the FD, and it all needs to feel a bit more intimate, IMO...I love the difficulty and the intricacy of their FD and definitely think it could take the prize..I just want perfection for them ( and for me )..

I have a few more thoughts, but time to feed my dogs !

 

[dorispulaski]

The best Charlie move in that FD is when he throws Meryl into a singles spin at the exit of the pair spin. Gorgeous with the tango theme, and it shows up really clearly in the 4CC's vid.

Charlie could at least gel up his hair and grease it back for the tango, and I'm hoping he will. He used to ponytail it for Latin when he still had his curls.

At one of the GPs (NHK? SA?) he showed up with stubble, but it didn't work for the SD all that well, and apparently his beard doesn't grow fast enough to generate stubble between the SD and FD I haven't seen stubble since.

 

[Olympia]

Agreed, Doris. It hardly seems like a post-Olympic year, does it. I'm on pins and needles waiting for this Worlds, and not just for ice dance, either. When you think of what Men's and Ladies' promise, it's hard not to start marking the days off on the calendar and planning how much caffeine to take to stay up for the all-nighter. Pairs is about the only discipline I'm not champing at the bit over.

 

[dorispulaski]

Speak for yourself! I haven't been so excited for the pairs in quite some time. I am so hoping that Yankowskas & Coughlin can replicate or better their truly amazing Nationals LP performance at Worlds! I want to see the World debut of Volosozhar & Trankov!! I am hoping that Kavaguti & Smirnov skate their LP perfectly! It is a gorgeous piece of choreography. And it's the last performance for Pang & Tong! Who will show up for the other 2 Chinese pairs? Will they be underage And Savchenko & Szolkowy, of course.

 

[colleen o'neill]

But, Olympia, pairs is the Volosozhar /Trankov debut. this could be phenomenal..I'm afraid we'll be getting no sleep at all

(Actually, I think Bold may be doing daytime repeats, so that could help.)

ETADoris beat me to it ..and ditto to all her other points, too!

 

[colleen o'neill]

Oops! Meant to add Cappelini/ La Notte just won the Mont Blanc trophy ( apparently their FD is Umbrellas of Cherbourg )..and K/A ( Max Shabalin was with them in the K&C) were second... at least we know C/L have an FD., or maybe it's old news and I just wasn't aware...

OT, I know.

 

[Olympia]

Speak for yourself! I haven't been so excited for the pairs in quite some time. I am so hoping that Yankowskas & Coughlin can replicate or better their truly amazing Nationals LP performance at Worlds! I want to see the World debut of Volosozhar & Trankov!! I am hoping that Kavaguti & Smirnov skate their LP perfectly! It is a gorgeous piece of choreography. And it's the last performance for Pang & Tong! Who will show up for the other 2 Chinese pairs? Will they be underage And Savchenko & Szolkowy, of course.

I stand corrected!

So no sleep at all, I guess.

 

[ManyCairns]

colleen, some comments on your comments



I want to take the explanation at face value, I really do. But I remember how much they hid Virtue's problems during the Olympic season. I love how natural they seem doing this, though. Even if Virtue doesn't quite nail the gyrating sexuality of the piece she really is awesome and Scott of course is the best male dancer in the world.



I think in the end it's the difference between drama and passion. ... Additionally, because the program is so difficult it's so clearly effort-full, which leaves even less room for natural emotion. In the end, I'm still awestruck but what they do, but yeah, they miss that tango feeling.

OK, I'm starting to lose who exactly said what, but some great comments in this thread by everyone and please whoever said what take all due credit and my apologies for not giving specific acknowledgement. Anyway, agree with Doris, IP, Colleen, and others on so many points, especially the ones in bold above: Scott was really the riveting one in the part of the FD we saw -- definitely tending to agree he is "the best male dancer in the world." Also agree Tessa didn't quite have the gyrating motion of the samba down, at least as I understand it having taken some samba ballroom classes but certainly not being an expert. But of course her training time has got to have been limited. Also agree with what I think has been said on this thread (but perhaps elsewhere) that Tessa is really more attractive in "street dress" and "normal"/nonstage makeup to me. Not that that's important but still she really looks much more eye-catching in person to me, oddly, so maybe that's something they could translate into her on-ice look -- but of course that's hardly a concern given their success and it's just a subjective comment anyway.

Also agree that I hope the withdrawal here had nothing directly to do with Tessa's surgery but you do kinda have to wonder. Regardless of the specific nature of the current issue, I hope she recovers 100% as soon as possible and whether or not they finish the competition at Worlds that they keep this FD for next year. Very refreshing to watch.

Re: D/W, great comments on their sheer athleticism and difficult moves but still needing to bring more emotion into their pieces -- but also how the technical difficulty (loved the comment "effort full" -- so true) can make showing that emotion so hard to pull off ["Work, work, work and keep time and rhythm but make it look easy and don't just smile, no, smile or grimace or appear to cry or about to die or ..." ]. Still, hard not to be amazed at what D/W do athletically -- loved the comment about how many crunches Meryl must do daily to be able to perform some of these moves!

 

[beabstress]

Oops! Meant to add Cappelini/ La Notte just won the Mont Blanc trophy ( apparently their FD is Umbrellas of Cherbourg )

How interesting. People often point out how Paul/Islam are very much like Virtue/Moir. I see it even more with Cappellini/LaNotte. Check out Tessa's dress/hair from their 2007 Valse Triste FD, then look at Anna's from their 2008 La Traviata FD (OK, Tessa's dress was purple, Anna's was red--but otherwise stunningly similar). And now Umbrellas of Cherbourg. . . .

Don't get me wrong--not putting anyone down here! Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, after all. And there are worse people to emulate than Tessa and Scott. . . .

 

[emma]

This is a great thread - I still have tons to read! I was just wondering, though, if there have been any updates on Vanessa's condition? I still haven't seen D/W SD or FD but cannot wait!!!!!

 

[blue_idealist]

This is a great thread - I still have tons to read! I was just wondering, though, if there have been any updates on Vanessa's condition? I still haven't seen D/W SD or FD but cannot wait!!!!!

What's wrong with Vanessa?

 

[dorispulaski]

Maybe she means Tessa??? There was a phone interview, aired on Canadian TV, AFAIR, where they said that it was a muscle strain unrelated to her surgery, and that she had had concerns about it before embarking for Taipei, but had hoped to be able to complete the competition but wasn't able to.

 

[herios]

Maybe she means Tessa??? There was a phone interview, aired on Canadian TV, AFAIR, where they said that it was a muscle strain unrelated to her surgery, and that she had had concerns about it before embarking for Taipei, but had hoped to be able to complete the competition but wasn't able to.

What scares me the most is the way Tessa is trying to downplay her injury / pain whatever. She seems to have not talk about it even to her coaches, most likely only to Scott, if that at all.
She tries to skate through them. I know what a fierce and determined young lady is hiding behind that angelic face of her, but she has to be more mature and responsible with her health.
Sometime (actually most of the time) you cannot fight biology and you will pay for trying it.

On another note, i have not posted much after their withdrawal, I was simply too distracted by the fact and lost in my thoughts. Beside the regret of not seeing the FD, which started with some fantastic opening (aside the bobble on the tiwzzle not related to the choreography which I was interested to see) then Weaver / Poje's inability to hold it together when the window was opened, was enough to send me mourning.

 

[dorispulaski]

Ahh. Mourning is definitely appropriate under the circumstances.

 

[emma]

Sorry, I of course did mean Tessa - shouldn't read this thread, try to work, answer the phone, and post all at once.

And I feel for all of the W/P fans!!

 

[Ginask8s]

A tuff cookie like Tessa wouldnt stop if something was a BIT off. I think something popped and she knew she HAD to stop. She probably knows her body really well and knows what the really bad signs are. I wish her a speedy recovery.

 

[fan1961]

A tuff cookie like Tessa wouldnt stop if something was a BIT off. I think something popped and she knew she HAD to stop. She probably knows her body really well and knows what the really bad signs are. I wish her a speedy recovery.

ok.. so i've held off saying this... I love Tessa and Scott...and hope she is physically well... but has anyone actually thought that this was the plan all along... like maybe just go out and do the short...or maybe because of the errors early in the FD ... she thought I'd better bail now.... please don't yell... just asking everyones opinion....

 

[ImaginaryPogue]

.... 20 hour flight one-way w/ massive amounts of jet lag just to do the SD? Dealing with loss of training time, not getting a program out in a competitive setting? Unlikely, but stranger things have happened.

 

[fan1961]

ya but the SD is the wildcard... the one u need the feedback on.................