2011 ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating: Cup of China Free Dance

1) Charlotte Lichtman & Dean Copely (USA)
     Music: Austin Powers

• They were let down by their short, they want a strong free to make up for it
• Charlotte needs to be styled differently, the long ponytail is very junior-ish
• This is a great program to push their presentation skills, similar to Cabaret  from Chock/Zuerlein last season
• Solid twizzle sets
• Great straight line lift, keeping the character of the program
• This looks like a different team than I saw out there yesterday, much more confident-looking
• I love the rise and fall of the rotational lift
• They look pleased with that skate
• Does Austin Powers translate to China?

FD Score: 37.65 (TES) + 31.70 (PCS) = 69.35
Total Score: 40.26 (SD) + 69.35 (FD) = 109.61

2) Emily Samuelson & Todd Gilles
     Music: Stairway to Heaven

• I love Stairway but not this version
• Oh hello there Samuelson toe point, I've missed you
• That dress is 100 times more flattering on her than her short dance dress
• They're really lacking in speed, but they're so new together
• Great lift positions, we'll be looking for more seamless transitions as they get more time together
• Really strong curve lift, amazing strength needed form both of them for that
• I like the program as a whole, but I hate the singer 

FD Score: 34.05 (TES) + 32.05 (PCS) - 3.00 (DED) = 63.10
Total Score: 43.64 (SD) + 63.10 (FD) = 106.74

3) Xintong Huang & Xun Zheng (CHN)
     Music: Libertango

• She looks like Cathy Reed
• This is quickly becoming the new "Carmen" in the cannon of overused figure skating music
• I appreciate their aggressive approach to the piece
• That rotational split lift is interesting but she really needs to point the feet
• I like that legs over the head entry into the curve lift, that is different
• The fog is back!
• Technically it was fine, but their performance and lack of chemistry left me feeling cold

FD Score: 38.34 (TES) +36.70  (PCS) = 75.04
Total Score: 45.07 (SD) + 75.04 (FD) = 120.11

4) Xiaoyang Yu & Chen Wang (CHN)
     Music: Howl's Moving Castle

• Slightly mismatched free leg in the twizzles
• This is really slow
• Straight line lift-very labored position changes, barely hits the final one
• Really lost speed in the spin
• I'm not understanding the story of the piece, perhaps it is something cultural?
• That lift with the woman on her stomach over the man's shoulder is quickly becoming overdone
• Really ran out of gas at the end

FD Score: 33.57 (TES) + 33.66 (PCS) - (DED) = 67.23
Total Score: 48.36 (SD) + 67.23 (FD) = 115.59

5) Pernelle Carron & Lloyd Jones (FRA)
     Music: Jazz Night

• He is such a cutie, I just love it
• They remind me a lot of Tobias & Stagniunas
• Really slow twizzles
• He is the star of this team, must be a theme in French ice dancing
• That curve lift was fairly simple
• I really liked that rotational lift with him in a low position and her in a plank, innovative]
• She has nice upper body carriage
• Really fast spin and they keep that speed going in the position changes
• She gets her legs a bit tangled in the drop splits
• I feel like their losing the finesse right here at the end, it's gotten a little wild and out of control
• Needs some attention to detail, but really nice skate overall

FD Score: 38.19 (TES) +40.37  (PCS) = 78.56
Total Score: 52.41 (SD) + 78.56 (FD) = 130.97

6) Penny Coomes & Nicholas Buckland (GBR)
     Music: Viva Elvis Medley

• Belbin & Agosto did a great Elvis program as youngsters
• Those twizzles were all kinds of off, speed and positions were off
• Really quick in the position changes in the rotational lift, a little sloppy
• Nicholas Buckland is such a diva, he's the star of this team as well
• This program is really speedy but it is sloppy, where is the finesse?
• I don't like his costume, it looks like Ricky Dornbush's western free skate
• He lifts her like it is nothing, he'd be a really good pairs partner
• I don't know if it's the sound system or what but, this arrangement sounds horrendous on my end
• Oh wow, really hard fall from both of them right at the end out of a lift
• That program was messy, didnt' tell a story, did nothing for me overall

FD Score: 39.92 (TES) +39.58 (PCS) - 2.00 (DED) = 76.50
Total Score: 53.89 (SD) + 76.50 (FD) = 130.39

7) Maia Shibutani & Alex Shibutani (USA)
     Music: Glenn Miller Medley

• Maia is beginning to look like an ice diva out there!
• That is how you do a drop split
• I think Maia has grown a little taller this season!
• Great twizzle set as always
• Really great speed and footwork
• They pay close attention to every detail
• Their body positions and carriage have improved as well
• Maia does indeed have the vest red dress of the season thus far
• They have nice edge quality, could go even deeper
• Great rotational lift, same on they've done in the past
• Nice crisp ending pose, finished exactly on the beat and with one another
• If they don't win Gold, I hope they at least win the free

FD Score: 43.14 (TES) + 48.47 (PCS) - 1.00 (DED) = 90.61
Total Score: 57.79 (SD) + 90.61 (FD) = 148.40

8) Ekaterina Bobrova & Dmitri Soloviev (RUS)
     Music: Walpurgis Night

• Poor guy, he can't even see on that lift with her dress over his head
• Why are these costumes necessary?
• Good twizzle set
• She always looks hunched over at the waist, must be a good ab workout
• Her costume is just so distracting, the gloves don't help at all
• This program is fine, but nothing that exciting
• This looks like Russian ice dance of the 1990s
• I can barely stand to watch her pitch forward like that
• Doesn't she can skate into her knees without destroying her whole body  line
• Very awkward final lift, she gets stuck between his legs in he position changes

FD Score: 45.95 (TES) + 51.84 (PCS) = 97.79
Total Score: 65.73 (SD) + 97.79 (FD) = 163.52