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