1) Isabella Cannuscio & Ian Lorello (USA)
Music: West Side Story
- They actually look like a Tony and Maria
- This makes me nostalgic for when Belbin & Agosto did West Side
- I love how this starts immediately in character with the two as rivals falling in love
- Those spin positions are interesting
- The movements during the "Dance At The Gym" portion of the music are actually reminiscent of Robbins' choreography
- I like that the lifts are coming out of the choreography and aren't just lifts of lifts' sake
- They have some nice lift positions, but the entrances and exits could use cleaning
- I like the transitions between musical selections
- Love the "mambo" section
- I think that was a good clean skate for them
- I would have liked to have seen more of the romance of West Side Story as in "Tonight" or "Somewhere" but this program definitely spoke to the youthful aspect of Tony & Maria's relationship
- FD: 34.43 (technical) + 29.06 (presentation) = 63.49
- 38.34 (SD) + 63.49 (FD) = 101.83
2) Xueting Guan & Meng Wang (China)
Music: The Sands of Time from Prince of Persia
- I love a story program and this seems to be one of them
- The twizzles look a bit slow
- I think this a mark of youth an inexperience, but they hit some lovely positions with clunky entrances and exits
- I prefer lifts that stem from the choreography rather than those that look like "poses"
- I love how this program builds, both choreographically and dramatically with the music
- That was a very abrupt ending for me, I was expecting something grand to happen and then the piece ended
- FD: 35.96 (technical) + 29.79 (presentation) = 65.72
- 40.19 (SD) + 65.72 (FD) = 105.91
3) Madison Hubbell & Keiffer Hubbell (USA)
Music: Ocean Club, Jungle Bill
- I don't love her costume, I think that green is a bit too abrasive
- That low, between the leg lift was nice
- Twizzles look a bit off
- I like the choreography in the percussive mid-section
- If they keep skating the way they are skating, I expect them to move up in the ranks
- He almost sits on the ice in a counter-balance lift which is really cool but lacks speed
- A nice hydroblading move, which I am obsessed with, but I'd like to see them ride that curve even longer
- I like their use of levels, they are both tall so their lifts get good height, and I like the juxtaposition of that against these low hydroblading and counterbalance maneuvers
- This is like very "Cotton Club" meets "Rio"
- FD: 38.64 (technical) + 37.84 (presentation) = 76.48
- 44.47 (SD) + 76.48 (FD) = 120.95
4) Xiaoyang Yu & ChenWang (China)
Music: Beethoven's Last Night
- The first twizzles started out of synch and had no chance of getting back into sync
- I don't like these costumes for this piece
- Her positions are lovely on the spins
- Where do I know this music from? Does somebody else skate to it this year?
- For some reason this program just isn't holding my attention, I think it is because there is not a lot of variety of movements aesthetics or levels
- FD: 37.78 (technical) + 31.35 (presentation) = 69.13
- 45.33 (SD) + 69.13 (FD) = 114.46
5) Kharis Ralph & Asher Hill (Canada) **
Music: Summertime
- This team was the surprise of the short dance for me so lets see if they live up to my expectations here in the free
- This team has a Rogers & Hammerstein short and a Gershwin free, they are after my own musical theatre heart
- I love that move where he drags her low to the ground
- This routine is so fluid
- He looks like he could dance for Alving Ailey, he just has that quiet strength about him
- Twizzles look clean
- I love you deep they go into their edges and their knees
- Normally in Ice Dance, as in Ballroom Dance, the woman should be the focal point, but I just can't take my eyes off of Asher!
- I think I am in love
- This competition is my first time seeing them and I am so happy I picked them as my fantasy C team on a whim
- WOW is all I have to say about that
- This was not flashy, it was gorgeous
- I must say that Canada has a very deep field in Ice Dance and I cannot wait to see who makes it out of their nationals onto the world team
- FD: 36.44 technical) + 34.97 (presentation) = 71.41
- 48.10 (SD) + 71.41 (FD) = 119.51
6) Xintong Huang & Xun Zheng (China)
Music: Singing in the Rain
- This must be the theme song of this competition
- Ok I do not like her costume, all that fabric and you are just asking to have a costume malfunction
- So far their lifts are very "posey"
- I like the lifts where he tosses her around his body because they fit the feel of the program much better, with the Swingy feel
- Is it just me or do they spend a lot of time center ice?
- To me, he is much more of a performer than she is
- They attempted a hydroblading move, but to me, it was totally out of context in terms of the choreography as this piece is very upright and pulled up
- FD: 38.14 (technical) + 36.76 (presentation) = 74.90
- 49.70 (SD) + 74.90 (FD) = 124.90
7) Nora Huffman & Maxim Zavozin (Hungary)
Music: Gypsy Witch Soundtrack
- I cannot imagine training to this music everyday, it would make me go batty
- These camera angles are interesting, some mask synchronization problems and other highlight them
- Wait why is she kneeling on the ice touching herself?
- This program looked very frenzied to me, as if they were rushing to hit every element
- This was just okay for me, nothing unique and nothing very special
- I predict they drop lower than fourth after this skate
- FD: 37.28 (technical) + 40.85 (presentation) = 78.13
- 52.69 (SD) + 78.13 (FD) = 130.82
8) Ekaterina Bobrova & Dmitri Soloviev (Russia) **
Music: Melody of the White Nights by Schwartz
- They have the look of those old soviet teams for me, so we'll see how far they go
- Major synchronization issues on the first twizzles
- What a gorgeous arched position she hits on the opening lift
- I loved that cartwheel entrance to the overhead lift
- It must be so hard to come up with interesting positions for the spins that aren't already being done in pairs
- I don't like her dress when she is standing still, but I like it when she is moving, if that makes sense
- This was very much a quiet, elegant program
- FD: 44.71 (technical) + 44.83 (presentation) = 89.54
- 55.85 (SD) + 89.54 (FD) = 145.39
9) Federica Faiella & Massimo Scali (Italy) **
Music: Flamenco
- Hello Spanish routine, well at least this one looks like it will tell a story
- These two are actors, their presentation marks will be huge
- I liked that front attitude position on the opening twizzles
- Wow, he drops her in a low lift, could not tell if that was an issue with the dress or not
- Something about this program seems odd to me, I don't know what it is, but it feels anticlimactic, as if something is missing
- They do not look happy with that
- FD: 37.86 (technical) + 46.45 (presentation) - 2.00 (deduction) = 82.30
- 57.12 (SD) + 82.30 (FD) = 139.52
10) Nathalie Pechalat & Fabian Bourzat (France) **
Music: Charlie Chaplin Medley
- Just like the short dance, they take the ice in character, which I love
- That leg lock hold was both whimsical and breath-taking at the same time
- The twizzles look spot-on to me
- I'm not typing much during this piece, I'm just enjoying
- A good clean skate, should have no trouble capturing gold here
- FD: 4692 (technical) + 4855(presentation) =9547
- 64.12 (SD) + (FD) =
1) Pechalat/Bourzat 159.59
2) Bobrova/Soloviev 145.39
3) Faiella/Scali 139.52
4) Huffman/Zavozin 130.82
5) Huang/Zheng 124.90
6) Hubbell/Hubbell 120.95
7) Ralph/Hill 119.51
8) Yu/Want 114.46
9) Guan/Wang 105.91
10) Cannuscio/Lorello 101.83
No comments:
Post a Comment