Really great interview with French Dance Coach Romain Haguenauer

[dorispulaski]

http://www.annecy-infosports.com/patinage-artistique/figure-skating-interview-romain-haguenauer

This is a long and fascinating interview, on the occasion of Romain Hauenauer and Alexandre Navarro publishing a child's book about skating.

He offers many opinions about the ice dancers of the past and the present, and about the state of the sport today.

One quote that really interested me:

AI : Female ice dancers are often considered as being »divas ». Do you have to be more theatrical, more of an actor/actress than in other disciplines to succeed in ice dance ?

RH : That’s something I have been thinking about : with the new system, there are less and less divas. Tessa, or Meryl, aren’t divas at all. When you see them at competitions, they look very plain, laid back, very cute. The Barbara Fusar-Poli, Marina Anissina, Natalia Bestemionova were a lot more conspicuous. It’s no longer trendy. Except maybe Ilynikh, she oozes something special, she is superb… But she is still very young. I think the new system killed the divas. A diva is a girl who blows a fuse, who loses it, who cries, who screams. Today, with CoP, you have to be consistent, precise, as regular as a clockwork (he draws a square in the air with both hands), tic tic steps sequence, twizzles, you need to be Cartesian. When you practice, there is no room for feelings. It’s only repeating again and again until it’s perfect. This kind of rountine doesn’t attract people with an explosive temper. Fighting tooth and nail à la Marina and Gwendal, or Fusar-Poli and Margaglio, is no longer possible. Before, you could have a fit while practicing or backstage, then you’d get to the competition and everything would be fine again, there was none of this requirement for technical precision, this absolute and mandatory focusing that kills the feeling. Maybe it’s a shortcut, my analyze is as good as yours, but the requirements of the sport have changed and accordingly, those who now succeed are those who are rational, collected, Cartesian. Example : the Shibutanis. Not a hair gone astray. I saw them training in the US when they were very young. They never raise their voices. Somewhere it helps to perform.

There is also a good deal about the current state of ice dancing in France.

 

[blue dog]

With regards to dance divas-- I think a lot of those dance divas had to be that way, because they had partners who, at one point, were not as technically proficient as they. Barbara's partner, though a good skater in his own right, was never the kind of skater she was. Meryl and Tessa have partners who are equal to, if not a little better than they are technically. The same with another non-diva, Jayne Torvill.

 

[heyhey]

With regards to dance divas-- I think a lot of those dance divas had to be that way, because they had partners who, at one point, were not as technically proficient as they. Barbara's partner, though a good skater in his own right, was never the kind of skater she was. Meryl and Tessa have partners who are equal to, if not a little better than they are technically. The same with another non-diva, Jayne Torvill.

+ 1 to this post...

 

[skateluvr]

Very interesting and true. There is a robotic perfection to the top teams. I think the Shibs are so well behaved. Is it cultural, too? I kind of miss Babs, really. The Russian Divas like Pasha were so entertaining. I guess it isn't tolerated anymore. We will never see Babs death stare again? It was so funny, really. Not for Maurizio but everyone watching. The end of an era.

 

[Serious Business]

This is the same old (however valid and true) complaint about the COP reducing self-expression and creativity in figure skating, only seen through a sexist lens. It's not just dance "divas", the comprehensive and precise strictures of the COP also selects against men who are less disciplined, more temperamental, more emotional and more geared towards self-expression. And it's true not just in ice dancing, but in all the disciplines. There are plenty of male skaters who were wild, tempestuous artists, just less so nowadays because this system doesn't allow them to advance easily.

As with most things, moderation is good. I like the COP's premise and think most of it rules are sound, but it really needs to loosen up a bit here and there. Now that there are choreographic step/spiral sequences in the other disciplines, why isn't there one in ice dancing? And having 4 levels is excessive for many elements, IMO. For a lot of those, the level features tacked on so that athletes can achieve level 4 just amounts to repetitive busywork. Eliminate level 4 and give skaters more room in choosing level features to achieve the maximum level. It may not bring back the wild artists of skating's yore, but it may return some of their spark to the ice.

 

[Olympia]

With regards to dance divas-- I think a lot of those dance divas had to be that way, because they had partners who, at one point, were not as technically proficient as they. Barbara's partner, though a good skater in his own right, was never the kind of skater she was. Meryl and Tessa have partners who are equal to, if not a little better than they are technically. The same with another non-diva, Jayne Torvill.

Maybe Christopher Dean was the "divo" (if there is such a word) in that pair.

I love Hauenauer's remark about how skaters have to be "Cartesian." I never thought of things this way, but it does make sense. Skating could easily become clinical and detached. Though I have to say I don't think of Meryl and Charlie that way, not after that delicious Die Fledermaus long program. And, in men's skating, there's always Takahashi....thank goodness!

 

[dorispulaski]

In another interview with IN, Romain also admired both Patrick & Dai & Charlie & Meryl as his high points from the Nice championships:

Haguenauer: In my point of view, the most memorable moment was definitely the men's free skate in Nice! I have never seen such an intensity of technique, performance and emotions at this level. The French crowd was fantastic. Ice dancing at worlds was also impressive. I can say that Meryl [Davis] and Charlie [White]'s free dance was amazing there as well as through the season. They turned a very classical choice of music for ice dance into a work of art, which was perfect on musicality, technique and interpretation. In my opinion, the best program in a long, long time.

 

[skateluvr]

I agree with the above quote and wonder why D/W did not win Worlds. It seemed harder to my untrained eye. Very difficult yet performed so beautifully. Ice dance experts, are V/M really the best or are the judges smitten by their OGM? How does one judge the top 4 teams? Ice dance allows for the most artistic expression. They are athletes, yet dancers first. I think the direction Canton coaches took has made ice dance so wonerful again and more to my North American taste than the years of Russian dominance with over the top programs. I may not be into the scoring as it doesn't enhance my enjoyment or even change what I prefer. I think CoP has been better for ice dance than singles as a general fan. Is it CoP that has changed the style from wild to more disciplined? How much to Marina and Igor's vision affect what we see? Whatever their problems, I think it's great they have become North American citizens early in their lives. Our tastes here must have affected their idea of what great programs are. I wonder what T/D think of the top 5 teams in the world? I'd love to hear what Christopher Dean thinks of these pairs and who should have won the WC this year?

I can understand people who love to watch but see it as more art. Should it be a sport? I can understand the point about 4 levels being excessive.

Doris who knows all things ice dance, what year was ice dance included in Olympics? Who were the dominant teams and was there a lot of disagreement about it's inclusion?

I'm sure there is a great ice dance history thread in the archives. I am not sure where the archives - help anyone on these history questions?

 

[dorispulaski]

1976 was the first time that ice dance was included in the Olympics as a medal-bearing sport. I think there has always been some whinging about whether it should be in the Olympics.

The 1976 winners were Pakhomova & Gorshkov, and no one had any questions about it! They were wonderful. Moiseeva & Minenkov USSR were 2nd. The US team of O'Connor & Millns were 3rd.

At the 1980 Olympics, though, there was quite a lot of unhappiness by the crowd that Regoeczy & Sallay of Hungary should have won over Linichuk & Karponosov. And in fact, R&S did win Worlds in 1980.

 

[Jammers]

Hard to believe that the US won a medal in Ice Dancing back then at the Olympics only to have almost 30 years of mediocrity.

 

[demarinis5]

Thanks Doris! Romain reveals so many details about his professional and personal life, past and present. Great interview!

 

[Olympia]

So interesting what he says about Davis/White's long program. I reacted that way purely as a fan, and it's wonderful to hear such an expert who feels the same way about Die Fledermaus. The first time I watched it, my heart just leaped up in delight.

I also love his excitement about the men's free skate. There was nothing else at Worlds to equal it in my mind either, except of course the ice dance.

 

[clairecloutier]

Interesting discussion about the "divas" of ice dance. I, for one, don't miss them a bit. In so many cases, all that drama seemed a substitute for the lack of anything truly interesting or beautiful or technically impressive happening on the ice. Ilynikh, if she is a diva, is just another example of this. I was never a fan of any of the divas--Grishuk, Fusar-Poli, Bestemianova, Khoklova, even Krylova and Usova--although I did enjoy Anissina & Peizerat for their interesting, creative programs. Personally I like it best when skaters "let the skating speak for itself," as Kristi Yamaguchi once said. The sole exception might be the drama that unfolded in 1991/92 between Klimova/Ponomarenko and the Duchesnays. I'll never forget the high-octane nature of that rivalry and the fascinating effect it had on the skaters' on-ice performances, culminating in the brilliance of Klimova/Ponomarenko's 1992 Olympic long program (still probably my favorite ice dance program/memory of all time). There was something epic about that rivalry (especially with the subplot of the K/P vs U/Z rivalry).

 

[l'etoile]

Interesting insights especially for someone who's just become invested in ice dance lately!