SOI Canada

[Scrufflet]

Thanks for sharing, JasperBoy!

Review of last night's show in the Victoria Times Colonist: http://www.timescolonist.com/sports/...313/story.html

Kurt Browning video interview in The Province: http://www.theprovince.com/sports/St...406/story.html
Article: http://www.theprovince.com/sports/st...770/story.html

Thanks for this!

[skatesindreams]

Thanks for the articles and reviews.
The next best thing to being there!

[Sylvia]

Fan cam video from Stars On Ice 2012 Victoria - "Waiting For My Real Life to Begin" (Colin Hay), performed by Jeremy Abbott, Jeffrey Buttle, Scott Moir, Andrew Poje:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AV0MVnUXpoY

Fan cam video from Stars On Ice 2012 Winnipeg - "Good Feeling" (Flo Rida) performed by Cynthia Phaneuf, Joanne Rochette, Tessa Virtue, Ashley Wagner, Kaitlyn Weaver: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J9DkCk6Uq7c

[flowerpower]

Some beautiful CSOI photos.
http://cvvmagazine.com/stars-on-ice-...-leanne-allen/

Love #17 and 18 - they look so happy!

[Bournekraatzfan]

Thank you, skatingfan04, kwanfan1818, Teenes, sap5, centerpt1, JasperBoy, flowerpower, and Sylvia for the tweets, reports, pics, and articles!

[tapper88]

I'll be sure to post my review sometime tomorrow! (Or Saturday if I get too tired!)

[paskatefan]

Thank you, skatingfan04, kwanfan1818, Teenes, sap5, centerpt1, JasperBoy, flowerpower, and Sylvia for the tweets, reports, pics, and articles!

Same here! Some day I would just love to see CSOI! We should do a road trip up to Ontario in April/May in order to do that.

[Sylvia]

Thanks to everyone who has shared their first-hand impressions/reports and photos!

PS1. I linked other programs at my blog with my brief impression and photos.
http://spiral9509.tistory.com/95

Thanks for taking the time to add so many photos and videos to your blog!

CTV news video (interview with Kurt Browning at the practice before the Victoria show): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TBTNjv3UsLM

[spiral9509]

Fan cam video from Stars On Ice 2012 Victoria - "Waiting For My Real Life to Begin"
Fan cam video from Stars On Ice 2012 Winnipeg - "Good Feeling"

Thank you Sylvia for links and I updated two programs at my posting.
Especially "Waiting for My Real Life to Begin" in Hamilton was amazing and I have searched for the videos.
I am so glad to see the program again.

http://spiral9509.tistory.com/95
Thanks for taking the time to add so many photos and videos to your blog!

No problem, It's my pleasure.
It takes long to load the page because it includes many pictures and video links.
Wait a little bit after clicking and enjoy the show...

--------
Thank you for all reviews and fancams.
I can not wait to see SOI 2013 Canada.

[kwanfan1818]

General impressions from Vancouver, with the caveat that I don't know much of the music by name, and I need to make this quick:

This is the best I've seen Kurt Browning skate in a long time; I think his first 2A in the second half of the program was the strongest jump of the night, just explosive. He was clearly jazzed about the show, and he and Buttle should be very proud of it.

The first few pieces in the first half were remarkable not only for the integrated edge work -- as opposed to "And now here is my footwork pass after several minutes of cross-overs" -- but for the emphasis on changes of speed and balance. Wagner's first program also had some counter-intuitive use of the arms and direction changes. Sawyer's slow sections in particular were exquisitely skated with impeccable timing and musicality.

If you like Phaneuf, what she did tonight between iffy jumps would be appealing, but, to me, I find it borders on shtick. The dress for her first number was a perfect cut for her, and she should steal it for her competitive costumes. She also did a lovely layback spin, which reminded me that I wish the ISU would add in a choreo spin to the FS.

Weaver was wearing a gold dress with fringe, and her hair moved like the fringe. The first program looked open and empty after watching Browning, Wagner, and Sawyer -- I'm used to dance being the place where there are lots of steps integrated into the program -- but while the singles skaters can do their easiest jumps (or leave them out), the dancers have to do their tricks, mostly lifts, and if I were on a small rink in exhibition lighting with not much time to adjust to each new venue, I would want to be sure there were the best conditions to get the timing and placement correct. The number was a bit on the hair-tearing side.

Abbott was introduced as a "true artist", and he lived up to this. His slow sections were at figures speed, and he, too, emphasized balance. How he can accelerate so quickly to full, sweeping speed without any tells is amazing.

Rochette did a saucy sex-kitten number in a wet dream black shiny cat suit, but she looked tight to me, and her jumps were off and tentative. If I hadn't seen her second program, I would never think she's close to being competition-ready.

Virtue and Moir's "Hallelujah" was gorgeous, and like almost all of their lifts in both programs, they were simplified enough that they had breadth, lilt, and rhythm that gets lost in the Level-4-six-second-rule lifts. You could see the arc in and out of each position which was held at the top with a breath, and it was really beautiful to see. I don't understand the ISU lift time limitation rules: every second they're in a lift is a second they can't do something else.

Buttle had a rough first number. Usually I don't worry about jumps, but he landed a 2A with a fall into a near split that looked like it hurt. I don't think the program held together.

I loved the tappy, drumming opening into the finale and how it built. Watching dancers (and pairs skaters, when they perform) on their own during the group numbers is fascinating. Andrew Poje was a knockout in the first act finale. When the women did back attitude spirals down the ice, Tessa Virtue's posture was a thing of beauty.

The old-guy-reminiscing piece was beautifully done. I usually don't like sentimental things, but their touch on this was spot on: nothing was overdone. Weaver/Poje were charming as the young couple, and Weaver in a short dark wig, as one of the three women in the last section, really stood out. W/P were lovely in a period piece, but I doubt Krylova/Camerlengo would give them something that light and lyrical for a competitive program, now that they're in the fight for a podium spot.

Pfaneuf came out and did the obligatory lyrical, and it dawned on me how generally limited these programs are for women, especially when compared to Browning, Abbott, Buttle, and Sawyer. I realize that's not necessarily an average sample of male skating creativity, but there's got to be a better way.

W/P did their simplified "Je Suis Malade", bringing a chunk of the audience to its feet for the first time.

Shawn Sawyers Allegrias (?) was a thing of beauty, and his jumps and back flips came out of nowhere. He was a hard act to follow, but kudos to Ashley Wagner, skating to "Your Song". Yes, it was a GFB rendition, and yes, it was a lyrical program, but her interpretation was anything but the same-old, and she was the only skater whose movement quality was unrecognizable from one program to her next: she floated around the ice, and she was sublime.

In the Men's number with the spotlights, Poje was a standout when he, Buttle, Abbott, and Moir skated together, and Buttle's solo was gorgeous.

Rochette took it up a notch in her second number, another sassy number, but more sophisticated than the first. She could do a competitive SP in this style. She attacked her jumps, landing the first one perfectly, the next two not-so-perfectly, but she didn't back down.

Buttle's second program was a discourse on spirals and edges, more gorgeousness, although there were some back-flinging parts that were a little too for me.

Tessa Virtue owned the girls' number. In V/M's second, the cut of the dress flattered her, and the skirt moved very well, but it was blinding. The style was similar to the girls' number, but -- I'm not sure why -- it looked contrived when she skated with Moir. Back to the same style in the finale, she looked great again.

The finale was fun and kudos to the singles skaters doing those lifts. At the end of the finale when they were hugging and goofing around, Jeremy Abbott picked up Ashley Wagner and spun her around a couple of times, and then she sought out Kaitlyn Weaver to give her a big hug.

[LilJen]

If anyone *can* get a better vid of "Waiting for My Life to Begin," I'd love it. Looked like a truly beautiful number, and Colin Hay's singing is beautiful.

[Sylvia]

General impressions from Vancouver, with the caveat that I don't know much of the music by name, and I need to make this quick: <snip>

Abbott was introduced as a "true artist", and he lived up to this. His slow sections were at figures speed, and he, too, emphasized balance. How he can accelerate so quickly to full, sweeping speed without any tells is amazing.

Fan cam video of Jeremy Abbott's "I Won't Give Up" (Jason Mraz) in Vancouver: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TMIeGKGpqdg

Thanks for your review, kwanfan1818!

[shutterbug]

Rochette did a saucy sex-kitten number in a wet dream black shiny cat suit, but she looked tight to me, and her jumps were off and tentative. If I hadn't seen her second program, I would never think she's close to being competition-ready.

It was the same thing at the show here - she skated her second number significantly better than her first. Our feeling was that she simply isn't comfortable in the sex kitten role. If so, it's a shame she feels the need to do numbers like this when there are so many other styles she could be experimenting with.

In the Men's number with the spotlights, Poje was a standout when he, Buttle, Abbott, and Moir skated together, and Buttle's solo was gorgeous.

This number was the highlight of the show for me. Mesmerizing.

[Teenes]

Joannie has performed that number better before. I thought she was tentative last night as well, and I think she may not be that comfortable in that *costume*, which she basically has to grease herself into. Though she was better in that costume in Toronto (I think it was Toronto. Maybe it was Hamilton). But Jeff Buttle has also performed his first number better before as well.

I need to put together a full review but just some notes about the traditional last show "pranks". I didn't see *that* many (Kurt runs a tight ship) but I did see:

- At the beginning of "Rolling in the Deep" there's a bit where all 3 guys try to balance precariously on one foot for an extended period of time (http://www.kurtfiles.com/images/phot...e/IMG_0252.jpg). In Vancouver, Jeremy and Shawn continued to dance in place nonchalantly, leaving Kurt hanging alone on one foot before Kurt yelled something and they quickly hopped up on one foot for like 2 seconds.

- The most obvious and incongruous - during "Good Feeling" (the girls' number), Shawn suddenly came running out in high heels, a yellow bikini, and a small blue flotation tube around his waist. He went "Helloooo" and then continued to teeter with little mincing steps and fluttering arms down the entire length of the on-ice seats before finally making it to the tunnel.

- During the "Love Will Keep Us Together" part of the bows, half the cast goes to one side of the ice and shakes hands while the other half goes to the other half. Then partway through, they trade sides, and usually as the guy and girl on opposite sides meet in the middle they do something together, whether it's a quick hug or spin around or whatever. Kurt grabbed Cynthia by the face and planted a big kiss on her lips. She looked rather dazed and fanned herself after they broke off. Later, Ashley and Shawn went down the ice and did side-by-side jumps in sync. And then at the very end, Ashley and Jeremy stood with their arms around each other waving and smiling at the audience by the tunnel until Kurt came back out and pushed them in, and even then, Jeremy tried to break away and come back out to wave some more .

Kurt was ON last night. I agree with you, kwanfan1818 about that double axel in his second number - just gorgeous. I so enjoy this year's show. And I will have a longer review later. No photos though. This time I just watched. And wanted to throttle the people behind me who would not stop talking loudly through the entire show.

Oh, also I'm pretty sure the "Waiting For My Real Life To Begin" guys' number will be broadcast on the CSOI broadcast. They filmed it specially during warmups in Hamilton with brighter lighting exactly for that purpose. Of course, that won't air until sometime this fall or winter...

[kwanfan1818]

I had no idea those were pranks -- I thought they were part of the show

Sawyer and Wagner's SBS jumps were dead on!

[Teenes]

Oh and I meant to thank you for your review of the show, kwanfan1818 - I loved it! Your quick thoughts were quite in depth =).

You thought Shawn running past in a bikini was part of the show? That was the only obvious one. The other ones I mostly caught b/c I've seen the show so many times already...

Oh, also, I don't know if this was a modification they added after Toronto, or a final night thing, but during the transition where Jeremy and Scott carry Shawn out while Jeffrey directs them like an airport runway worker, Jeffrey was making loud "beep beep" noises. And then when they set Shawn down, Shawn made a loud throat-clearing noise to call Jeffrey back to wipe off his skate blade, and then made a pointed "THANK you" when he was done. It sounded like they might have been miked, so it might have just been a change to the show (they constantly tweak it).

[kwanfan1818]

Guilty as charged . I wasn't sure if it didn't change from show to show, but I assumed he did something.

I only ever see Vancouver, and I didn't realize that as last on the tour, it was special in other ways

[YukiNieve]

This is how you prepare for shows like this!

(Thanks, Minori!)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_CWfE...ature=youtu.be

Boy, I cannot even do one tenth of this...

[tut88]

This is how you prepare for shows like this!

(Thanks, Minori!)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_CWfE...ature=youtu.be

Boy, I cannot even do one tenth of this...

that's why I seat comfy, applode and cheer, and THEY skate !

[Teenes]

One last review from me. Here's my Vancouver Stars on Ice review:
http://www.kurtfiles.com/soi/soirevi...2vancouver.php

Hopefully people are still interested in reading about it! =)