Ice dance teams where the man is the "diva"?

[Mathman]

Most often in pairs and ice dance all eyes are on the lady and the job of the man is to “present” her. (Chock and Bates.) Sort of like the flyer versus the base of the pyramid in cheersport. On the other hand, many fans regard Gabriella Papadakis as a remarkably accomplished dancer…... but Guillaume — Wow!

Christopher Dean always seemed to me like he was more interested in presenting the dance than in presenting Jayne, and I think he got the lion's share of publicity, perhaps because he continued in the sport as a choreographer.

Of course sometimes one partner is simply a better skater than the other ( Fusar-Poli/Margaglio) — it’s not easy to find the perfect partner.

Brother and sister teams have an extra burden in that they can’t go overboard on romantic themes. Alex Shibutani got around this by taking the approach — “Hey look, everybody, this is my wonderful little sister — isn’t she something!!!”

 

[yuki@thelake]

Ian Somerville - My eyes are ALWAYS drawn to him, never to Emily, and I always watch the girls. I've seen him compete live several times and he blows me away. His edges and control are top notch.

 

[Diana Delafield]

Most often in pairs and ice dance all eyes are on the lady and the job of the man is to “present” her. (Chock and Bates.) Sort of like the flyer versus the base of the pyramid in cheersport. On the other hand, many fans regard Gabriella Papadakis as a remarkably accomplished dancer…... but Guillaume — Wow!

Christopher Dean always seemed to me like he was more interested in presenting the dance than in presenting Jayne, and I think he got the lion's share of publicity, perhaps because he continued in the sport as a choreographer.

Of course sometimes one partner is simply a better skater than the other ( Fusar-Poli and Scali?) — it’s not easy to find the perfect partner.

Brother and sister teams have an extra burden in that they can’t go overboard on romantic themes. Alex Shibutani got around this by taking the approach — “Hey look, everybody, this is my wonderful little sister — isn’t she something!!!”

Rob McCall and Tracy Wilson were well-matched technically, but he was the flamboyant one and she the practical, organized one who kept him on a more even keel. So often she seemed to be watching him with amusement as they skated, like a mother indulging a lively little kid.

 

[4everchan]

There are some pairings where the man is definitely the diva. Lewis Gibson is one of these men.
I always thought Victor Kraatz was the spectacular partner from Bourne and Kraatz though they were often showcasing her.
Paul Duchesnay was so much better than Isabelle that I couldn't help watching him and almost only him.


I think there are also quite a lot of partnerships where both were equals as divas...
For instance, Klimova Ponomarenko. Usova Zhulin. Grishuk Platov... Anissina Peizerat. Gilles Poirier.

I don't know... I guess it's really a question of perception and personal taste. Would we agree on a list ? I don't think so.

 

[teddycat]

Naomi Lang improved, but especially at the beginning of their partnership Peter Tchernyshev was definitely the more eye-catching and skillful of the two. I totally agree about the Duchesnays, Paul was fabulous and really outshone Isabelle.

 

[TontoK]

Naomi Lang improved, but especially at the beginning of their partnership Peter Tchernyshev was definitely the more eye-catching and skillful of the two. I totally agree about the Duchesnays, Paul was fabulous and really outshone Isabelle.

Paul Duchesnay was the very first name that popped to mind when I read the thread title. You and @4everchan are right on the money. He was the star of that partnership.

A new entry from the wayback file: When they first partnered, Gorsha Sur was the star, but Renee Roca caught up pretty quickly.

 

[elektra blue]

from the top of my head Cizeron

 

[Ic3Rabbit]

Victor Kraatz, Lewis Gibson, Scott Moir, Zach Donohue, Marco Fabbri, Adrian Diaz, Jean-Luc Baker, Zach Lagha, Paul Poirier, Nick Buckland, Ben Agosto, Massi Scali.
Years ago I would have had Anthony Pono on that list but they're pretty even now.
I'll post those to start LOL

 

[noskates]

I'm not sure I would use the term diva because if you look at the definition of the word it means someone who is self-important or temperamental. But I get what you were trying to say. There are just some men who have the charisma and the skating skills to overshadow their partners. And then there are some men that are just props for their partners - Evan Bates comes to mind. I never watch him. My eyes are always drawn to Maddie! But if you use Spencer Howe and Emily Chan as an example, Spencer is so animated and so into the music that I tend to watch him and not her. I always feel like Emily is anticipating that next triple jump she has to try and land. I couldn't take my eyes off Charlie White and those loverly blonde curls bouncing around. The way he carried himself and his posture...fabulous. Paul Poirier and his facial expressions. So I guess for me it's not necessarily the skating skills but the man's presentation skills.

 

[4everchan]

I'm not sure I would use the term diva because if you look at the definition of the word it means someone who is self-important or temperamental.

that's only one of the definition of the word.
in opera, the literal meaning is simply : a famous woman singer, or the lead woman singer in the opera..

in that sense, the OP is asking us to find examples exactly as the ones you posted. It doesn't need to be pejorative.

 

[Diana Delafield]

Paul Duchesnay was the very first name that popped to mind when I read the thread title. You and @4everchan are right on the money. He was the star of that partnership.

A new entry from the wayback file: When they first partnered, Gorsha Sur was the star, but Renee Roca caught up pretty quickly.

When the Kerrs first teamed up, it was because Sinead had split with her first partner. She was having trouble finding a British skater who was up to her skill level, and her kid brother volunteered, an ankle injury having cut off his progress in men's singles. At first the concentration was just on pushing John through his dance tests in record time, and him learning how to be an ice dance partner.

My, how he improved!

 

[Karoltyna]

Lewis Gibson but maybe because he is better skater and they try to present Lilah more like an apparatus.

 

[BlissfulSynergy]

LOL! Lilah has gotten better in terms of her skating skills @Karoltyna. In any case, Lilah and Lewis are equals in terms of motivation, personality, and mutual goals, as well as work ethic and stylistic approach. Sometimes you just gotta work with what you got, and believe in yourself and what you have to offer. Their approach and enthusiasm has taken them far. I did not think their material was great last season. It was a bland season for most ice dance teams, outside of a few notable exceptions, especially Olivia & Tim (Smart/ Dieck). She's the diva and Tim is coming up to improving his skills and being a strong partner to show her off. Also, Flores/ Desyatov's FD to Poor Things, choreo by Kaitlyn Weaver, was exciting and is already influential, despite the fact Flo/Des sadly only got to compete it twice. I am beyond surprised to see Shae Lynn Bourne already copping the Poor Things idea KW masterfully created for Flo/Des, to challenge none other than singles skater, Sarah Everhardt.

Of course, great ideas and successes for programs are copied all the time, but this quickly?! Flo/Des's blazing chemistry and exciting, promising talent was undeniable. What a shame about the as yet uninvestigated allegation and subsequent forced split of this memorable team.

Flo/Des were an ice dance team who possessed equal balance and mesmerizing charisma. In addition to their influential program ideas (e.g., Pham/ Spirodonov are unmistakably channeling Flo/Des's West Side Story vibe with their new FD to Ghost, The Musical), some of Flo/Des's moves (i.e., upside down lift and dynamic rotational spins) have been emulated by other teams in varying ways. Benoit has even posted an opening move he created for Zingas/ Kolesnik's new season FD which is clearly inspired by Kait Weaver's falling forward opening move for Flo/Des's last season Poor Things FD. The original inspiration for that unique modern dance like move in the PT program came from the movie's opening shot of the Bella Baxter character falling forward off a bridge.

 

[Karoltyna]

LOL! Lilah has gotten better in terms of her skating skills @Karoltyna

I agree, there is less dragging her through the ice since 2023, but there still is significant difference that they are trying to conceal.

 

[Spiralgraph]

Spencer Howe was the first name that popped into my mind. Then Ben Agosto. I viewed Virtue/Moir as equals nether one outshining the other, but both having similar charisma. I"ll have to ponder a bit for more teams where the male is the main attraction/star...

 

[BlissfulSynergy]

I agree, there is less dragging her through the ice since 2023, but there still is significant difference that they are trying to conceal.

Whenever one partner has unequal skills, camouflage is utilized to compensate. However, other positive factors need to be in place for the camouflage to succeed, at least until the other partner can improve. Other cases in point: in pairs, the former team of Kayne/ O'Shea. Tarah had poor skating skills, thus Danny was often described as having to drag Tarah forward. Yet, Tarah was a consistent jumper who also possessed grit, flair, passion, and determination. Tarah & Danny won a U.S. championship and a 4CCs championship in an Olympic year. Still, Tarah's poor SS made them a slow team who lacked power, pop, and ice coverage. The difference can definitely be seen in Danny's subsequent speedier and more captivating partnerships with Chelsea Liu, and currently with Ellie Kam. I would say that Danny is an exceptional pairs guy with obvious top-notch skills, but he's not a male diva because he is more interested in uplifting and showing off his partner, rather than purposely or even unconsciously hogging the spotlight.

Piper Gilles was initially less skilled technically than Paul Poirier, but they were always well-matched in terms of creativity, physicality, energy, passion, quirky personality, and mutual goals. Through equal commitment, desire, and hard work along the way, Piper's blade skills have improved, albeit PiPa are still not seen as a hugely technically proficient team. But they are iconic champions, with undeniable contributions given to the ice dance discipline.

Davis/ Smolkin are definitely not equal in abilities. But they match well physically and have an underlying, if not palpable, emotional connection. They are another team where camouflage for Diana's lesser skills is taking place. Gleb can def be placed in the male diva category. I would also say, as an aside, that the former Russian competitor, Nikita Katsalopov, was a messy male diva. I enjoyed him a lot with Elena Ilinykh. Not so much with the try-hard Sinitsina.

Ian Somerville is definitely a very accomplished male diva, with poor partnership decisionmaking. I enjoyed him in juniors with Elliana Gropman. It was an unwise decision Ian made to split with Gropman, whom he had skated with from childhood. They had comparable skills and matching physicality, albeit perhaps different personalities and variant goals. I suppose Ian will stick with Emily Bratti at this stage. They get along well and are entertaining, but not that well-matched physically. Eyes are on Ian most of the time. When Ian skated with Kat DelCamp, her stunning looks, flair, and flexibility aided that pairing in juniors, but Kat did not have Ian's exceptional skating skills and high level ice dance talent. With time and effort, perhaps Kat could have improved her skills, but Ian was aging out of juniors and in a hurry to move ahead after a brief two seasons with Kat, his former girlfriend.

Sometimes, both skaters in a pairing lack edge quality. Case in point: the veteran team, Lauriault/Le Gac. They have exciting, entertaining tricks and program ideas (though last season some of their ideas were becoming boring retreads). Their eye-catching tricks have been used to camouflage their dual lack of blade mastery. They often skate on the flats of their blades, which judges seemingly have begun to pick up on. I have not seen Laur/LeG's new programs, but I've heard good reviews. Fabbri/Ayer clearly have better blade skills, but not the same level of competitive experience and branding savvy, albeit both rep Canada and train at I.AM.

 

[ajingmarg]

Peter Chernyshev! He dances like a peacock!!!!!!!

 

[BlissfulSynergy]

Another ice dance team where the female partner is still learning, is Zingas/ Kolesnik. While Emilea took to ice dance very quickly, it is obvious that she is still perfecting her skills as an ice dancer who recently switched from singles. She has a good emotional connection with Vadym, and they match well physically. I suppose Vadym can be seen as a relatively strong male diva, especially in their last season's RD performance. In Vadym's pairing with his former partner in juniors, Avonley Nguyen, they possessed a mesmerizing yin yang quality.

I think pairs skater, Balasz Nagy, has a sexy, carefree, male diva quality that came across in spades with Chelsea Liu. Their similar technique gave them a to-die-for, jaw-droppingly high, effortless triple twist, which was a rare sight to behold. The magically well-matched (but unlucky career-wise) pairs team, Calalang/ Johnson, also had an amazing, out-of-this-world triple twist. With his current partner, Audrey Shin, Balasz is no less talented, but he's a bit more hesitant in how he moves across the ice due to having to watch out for and shepherd a younger, less-experienced partner, new to pairs. Audrey has quickly taken to courageously mastering difficult pairs elements, but her uncertainty in the discipline is still obvious at this point.

 

[lariko]

Cirisano attracts my attention far, far more than his partner.

I prefer teams like Mrazkova/Mrazek when both partners produce mad energy and artistic interpretation.

 

[Karoltyna]

Another ice dance team where the female partner is still learning, is Zingas/ Kolesnik. While Emilea took to ice dance very quickly, it is obvious that she is still perfecting her skills as an ice dancer who recently switched from singles. She has a good emotional connection with Vadym, and they match well physically. I suppose Vadym can be seen as a relatively strong male diva, especially in their last season's RD performance. In Vadym's pairing with his former partner in juniors, Avonley Nguyen, they possessed a mesmerizing yin yang quality.

I think pairs skater, Balasz Nagy, has a sexy, carefree, male diva quality that came across in spades with Chelsea Liu. Their similar technique gave them a to-die-for, jaw-droppingly high, effortless triple twist, which was a rare sight to behold. The magically well-matched (but unlucky career-wise) pairs team, Calalang/ Johnson, also had an amazing, out-of-this-world triple twist. With his current partner, Audrey Shin, Balasz is no less talented, but he's a bit more hesitant in how he moves across the ice due to having to watch out for and shepherd a younger, less-experienced partner, new to pairs. Audrey has quickly taken to courageously mastering difficult pairs elements, but her uncertainty in the discipline is still obvious at this point.

Vadym isn't diva at all. Emilea is diva in this team, he is letting her shine despite having superior skills. From what I read in his interviews, her presence and charisma on ice was reason he decided to skate with her, not with more experienced ice dancer. She is progressing fast, they will be very interesting in 3-4 years.