Ideas for Davis & White

[cassieandcheetah]

My greatest hope is that they use this summer to really work on polishing their movements. No matter what music they choose, it's not going to really mean much if their lines aren't sharp, precise, matching, etc. And that's true for any dancer.

I have to agree with this too. Charlie and Meryl could really work on their posture. Charlie has the hockey-player feel about him sometimes, and Meryl hunches a lot too. They would look so much better if they had more of an upright posture like Scott and Tessa. V/M's Malaguena was a mediocre free dance at best, and I just realized a lot of the elements from it were borrowed (one of the lifts for instance), were borrowed for their Valse Triste FD the following season, but boy, they're so good at expressing the music. They're so wonderful at using their arms and their bodies in accentuating every beat of the music, and I just do hope Charlie and Meryl acquire more musicality as well.

 

[all that]

V/M's Malaguena was a mediocre free dance at best, and I just realized a lot of the elements from it were borrowed (one of the lifts for instance), were borrowed for their Valse Triste FD ....

The funny thing (to me at least) was when those elements appeared in Valse Triste, they seemed like they were made just made for that program -- they fit so well to the music. I wonder if this might indicate that Marina was taking a greater part in the choreography?

As for D/W choreography, what about something comedic? Like "Soul Man" from the Blues Brothers, or "Think" by Aretha Franklin (this was the music used at last season's GPF gala finale)? Alas, neither would probably fly with the judges. Perhaps as an exhibition?

 

[Tinymavy15]

i loved the idea about Henry the VIII and Anne Boylen. She is the seductress, sort of like Samson and Delilah only more original and he looks the part of and english king vs. a dark haired biblical hero.

 

[cassieandcheetah]

i loved the idea about Henry the VIII and Anne Boylen. She is the seductress, sort of like Samson and Delilah only more original and he looks the part of and english king vs. a dark haired biblical hero.

do you guys think that skaters do look at our forums and read our suggestions? it would be so nice if they did!

 

[Tex]

There's a few other soundtracks that I like that have a haunting, mysterious feel to them.

"Don't Look Now" is one:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XtySaf0bIhQ
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tVPGIQt4rpE&feature=related and http://www.moviegrooves.com/shop/dontlooknow.htm

"The Ghost and Mrs. Muir"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7IOxyIn7MVQ&feature=related

"Pride and Prejudice" (Charlie as Mr. Darcy sounds good to me)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9qpw2Y8uDPM

"The End of the Affair" (same composer for "The Piano")
http://www.amazon.com/End-Affair-Or...=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=music&qid=1207274433&sr=1-1

 

[~tapdancer]

do you guys think that skaters do look at our forums and read our suggestions? it would be so nice if they did!

Well, if they end up skating to any of our suggestions, we can at least think that they did! Or at least, the coaches did!

I think the coaches should take a look sometime, we do come up with some good ideas and comments.

I'm still hooked on the biblical or historical theme for Meryl and Charlie, I would love to see them combine the best of their last two FDs...dramatic music with a subtle element (would that be possible?)...I want to see them skate with passion and really relate to one another...I already saw some of that this year and I think with two Senior seasons under their belts, they are only going to get better next year. Here's hoping!

 

[missysays]

There's a few other soundtracks that I like that have a haunting, mysterious feel to them.

"Don't Look Now" is one:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XtySaf0bIhQ
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tVPGIQt4rpE&feature=related and http://www.moviegrooves.com/shop/dontlooknow.htm

"The Ghost and Mrs. Muir"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7IOxyIn7MVQ&feature=related

"Pride and Prejudice" (Charlie as Mr. Darcy sounds good to me)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9qpw2Y8uDPM

"The End of the Affair" (same composer for "The Piano")
http://www.amazon.com/End-Affair-Or...=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=music&qid=1207274433&sr=1-1

Good choices- I've always loved the movie, Ghost and Mrs. Muir. The Pride and Prejudice soundtrack is something that is extremely evocative and romantic.

 

[waxel]

I love Davis and White. But I was a little disappointed with the Eleanor Rigby program- probably because I thought the choice of the actual arrangement/orchestration was questionable. It had something of a "muzak" feel to it--- just somehow didn't seem compelling. At any rate, I am very excited by this team and am really eager to watch their progress>

I might suggest something from the Fauré Requiem. Check out the "In Paradisum" movement. Some of the most beautiful music ever written.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wb7gkM6-PGo&feature=related

Possibly paired with something like the "Dies Irae" from the Mozart Requiem?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nl-wRbJoWVA

May be a bit too heavy for D/W. But exciting music.

 

[dorispulaski]

I can definitely see Pride and Prejudice for them as a concept.

 

[lmarie086]

I love the Pride & Prejudice concept; I think they'd do marvelously with it. I also really like the End of the Affair idea.

As for the Anne Boleyn idea, I would suggest Charlie portray Henry Percy or maybe Tom Wyatt; I can't see him as Henry VIII

Oh I'm so excited to see what they have next season!

 

[Tinymavy15]

As for the Anne Boleyn idea, I would suggest Charlie portray Henry Percy or maybe Tom Wyatt; I can't see him as Henry VIII

Oh I'm so excited to see what they have next season!

true. he is too boyish and nice-looking for a self-centered king.

 

[~tapdancer]

Okay, been watching LOTR and now I'm thinking about them doing a program as Aragon and Arwyn (sp?). Meryl would make such a lovely elf! I know this was mentioned earlier in the thread, I'm just mentioning it again. I totally love the music from LOTR, they would completely do it justice, I'm sure.

There's a lot of good suggestions on this thread and I keep going back and forth on my thoughts of what would be good for them. My strongest leanings are things like LOTR, Samson and Delilah, D'Artangan (I guess Meryl would play a medieval maiden)...I just think with their power and speed, they are so suited for dramatic, sweeping music. Then again, I want them to be original and striking...so the judges will really take notice. I know the judges like them...

I also like the other ideas...mostly "The Illusionist", "Pride and Predjudice", and "Atonement"...

I agree with those who have said that they need to really step up on their line, posture, toe point, leg-matching, etc. I think they look wonderful but there's always room for improvement there and that's how they'll get the higher PCS.

I love how competitive ice dance is right now and it's the little things that are going to make a difference. Much as I like Belbin/Agosto, I really would love to see Meryl and Charlie take the title next year. I think they could do it. I really do.

 

[lmarie086]

I love how competitive ice dance is right now and it's the little things that are going to make a difference. Much as I like Belbin/Agosto, I really would love to see Meryl and Charlie take the title next year. I think they could do it. I really do.

Ditto. I thought it should have been a lot closer at this years' Nationals, and I think next year will be when Meryl and Charlie really stake their claim for the top US spot. In some other thread someone said that lately Meryl really seems to be throwing herself into everything they do and I can't help but remember that and think that they're really going to push themselves over the summer in all the areas-or others, I of course don't know lol-that we've said we look for them to focus on. In the fall, they might be a completely new team. All I know is I'm excited to see what they do next.

 

[~tapdancer]

Oh, I'm totally excited, too. I was comparing them from 2007 to 2008 and I think that they matured so nicely this past year. They both looked focused and intense in all their programs. Their talent is undeniable and now they just need to make the small adjustments and really have strong music and choreography. I love how they looked this year and I think next year will be even better. They are both extremely attractive, which certainly doesn't hurt!

I agree that Nationals this year should have been closer. If B/A don't make some changes, I really think Meryl and Charlie will be our champs next year. They should be. If they continue to improve and stay injury-free, they will be the US best ever. I really believe that. I agree with Susie Wynn that Blumberg/Seibert were our best ever and for their era, that certainly is true. They will always have their place in American ice dancing and deservedly so.

But Meryl and Charlie are just...amazing and wonderful and every other adjective I can come up with.

 

[missysays]

You know what I think is funny. The majority of ideas in this thread are to give Meryl and Charlie some kind of dramatic fantasy based program idea. I was reading that their original FD idea had this complicated story with Charlie as demon and Meryl dreaming about him and their subsequent love story- which would explain the costuming early on with her in a white Victorian dress and he in something oriental with ragged edges. They ended up scaling way back on it because the audience and judges just didn't get it.

They already had the basic idea of what appealed to them and would work for them it just wasn't executed very well with the music they selected. Perhaps in the future, they can revisit the idea with music that really helps them portray those kinds of characters better.

Another idea I came across...

I was watching the movie August Rush- kind of on the hokey side but I was a sucker for it. About a young boy who can hear music in everyday sounds like wind blowing through grass or traffic noises on city streets. He uses his music abilities to compose music that ultimately brings his mother and father back to him. The story is definitely cheesy but the music is beautiful this mix of dynamic, modern sounds and non-traditional instruments but executed in a classical framework. It reminded me of their skating- a free, rushing modern quality but with a classical feeling about it as well.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N5czyWDQvZ8

Trying out music is so much fun.... I hope they have as much fun doing it for real.

 

[jyshin]

...I got the feeling that they were skating straight through their music without interpreting it at all...

:agree:

Duchesnay and Duchesnay - 1989 Worlds FD: "Eleanor Rigby"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KcC1suWNw3o&feature=related:bow:

I wanted to connect this post and the link for D/W

 

[missysays]

:agree:

Duchesnay and Duchesnay - 1989 Worlds FD: "Eleanor Rigby"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KcC1suWNw3o&feature=related:bow:

I wanted to connect this post and the link for D/W

You know I really liked the cuts of music that the Duchesnays used. They actually used some of the Eleanor's Dream- whereas I don't think Meryl and Charlie actually used any of the Eleanor's Dream piece in their program even though it's listed.

 

[jyshin]

I hated their "Eleanor Rigby", although they skated superbly. I thought the music was too depressing for the two bright and innocent kids. Plus, speed and twizzles don't dream... passion acquires sustained power.

I kept thinking.... they could have dreamed and twizzled to "The Great Gatsby" and made more sense to the audience! ... I guess the name "Eleanor" kept rhyming in my head and confused me with Mrs. Roosevelt... referring to the 1920s... then the Gatsby...

On the other hand, Meryl's look, with her hair down, reminded me of Jane Seymour who did "Somewhere in Time"... then I thought again 'romance and fantasy'... why not use the 18th variation from the Rapsodie on the Theme of Paganini (Rachmaninov) for the dream!

p.s.
BTW, Duchesnay's version was better not only in terms of their musical arrangements but also in terms of what they did to the music. In every turn of the music, there was something done to it. This is a moody and tension-filled music that no one should skate 'straight through' it. To my ears, missing even one turn of the music was going to let that tension slip away.

 

[lmarie086]

You know what I think is funny. The majority of ideas in this thread are to give Meryl and Charlie some kind of dramatic fantasy based program idea. I was reading that their original FD idea had this complicated story with Charlie as demon and Meryl dreaming about him and their subsequent love story- which would explain the costuming early on with her in a white Victorian dress and he in something oriental with ragged edges. They ended up scaling way back on it because the audience and judges just didn't get it.

They already had the basic idea of what appealed to them and would work for them it just wasn't executed very well with the music they selected. Perhaps in the future, they can revisit the idea with music that really helps them portray those kinds of characters better.

That's the sense I get from these two; I feel like they're really dedicated to having originality and innovation. Meryl and Charlie, to me at least, obviously want to stand out (who doesn't lol) and this original concept proves that. It's a really great idea, but if the audiences and judges didn't get it I'd say the fault lays with the choreography; a lot of the time I don't feel as though Igor really addresses the nuances of music in his choreography. While I loved Meryl and Charlie's Eleanor Rigby, I felt it was incomplete. The version from SA was much more complex and I thoroughly enjoyed it, despite other comments about it not being very good.

I've said this before I think, but IMO, what Meryl and Charlie really need is an outside choreographer. They can stay with Igor and Marina, but I really do feel it would be in their best interest to have someone else design their programs.

 

[lmarie086]

Oh and missysays, I LOVE August Rush. The music really is fantastic; it really was the reason I loved the movie so much.
I can see Meryl and Charlie using this music. It would be something inspirational and hopeful, to raise everyone's spirits. That sounds so hokey with me saying it.