The Best Free Dance from the 1990s (World Championship version)

[lulu]

Besides skandals & partners swaps, the 90s also brought us some of greatest ice dance teams of all time performing some of the most memorable routines. Below, is a list of all of the dances that won the free dance portion at the World Championships. In retrospect, how would you rank these performances & routines?
This is just based on routines that won the free dance portion at Worlds, so many great routines, like Usova & Zhulin's "Four Seasons" and A&P's "Romeo & Juliet" are not included.

1990 Duchesnay & Duchesnay: "Missing" http://youtu.be/coM4d1CQZfs (Klimova & Ponomarenko who won overall, placed 2nd in the free dance , they won Worlds that year on the strength of their o.s.p)
1991 D&D: "Missing: II" http://youtu.be/wXkeiamsCew
1992 Klimova & Ponomarenko: "Man and Women" http://youtu.be/1JjbwtM_E3g
1993 Usova & Zhulin: "Blues for Klook" http://youtu.be/AxseLaxl61s
1994 Grishuk & Platov: "Rock around the Clock" http://youtu.be/QnH5Jy5Dyi0
1995 G&P: "Steppin' Out" http://youtu.be/IdGgAY1-hng
1996 G&P: Latin-American themed FD http://youtu.be/FrpC9QEXAZs
1997 G&P: "The Feeling Begins" http://youtu.be/LtHh2BeQB1I
1998 Krylova & Ovsiannikov: "Carmen" http://youtu.be/-oFAnymw0YU
1999 K&O African Drums http://youtu.be/xLwSDFgBm0U

[Vash01]

Off the top of my head (without yt):

K&P: 1992 Oly (A man & a woman), 1990 (My fair lady)
Dushenays: Missing (1991) and reflection (90)
K&O: Masquerade waltz (97) & African drums (99)
G&P: The feeling begins (97) & Memorial (98)
U&Z: Four sesaons (92), also 91 FD
A&P: Romeo & Juliet (98)
B&K: River dance (98)

[briancoogaert]

My favorite is G&P Passion.
But I also really like K&P, Duchesnays and U&Z.

[rayhaneh]

Apart from Missing I, my favorite program by the Duchesnays must be their 1991 "Reflections":

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4qaqag3LTHM

Unfortunately, they only performed it at the European Championships. I remember they stated shortly afterwards that they had felt the public hadn't reacted very well to the program, which is how Missing II came to life. IMO it is a damn shame that the rest of the world didn't get to see that program as it was so avant-garde at the time (and would still be relevant today artistically)

[briancoogaert]

Apart from Missing I, my favorite program by the Duchesnays must be their 1991 "Reflections":

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4qaqag3LTHM

Unfortunately, they only performed it at the European Championships. I remember they stated shortly afterwards that they had felt the public hadn't reacted very well to the program, which is how Missing II came to life. IMO it is a damn shame that the rest of the world didn't get to see that program as it was so avant-garde at the time (and would still be relevant today artistically)

What an amazing program.
Really, I'm not fond of Duchesnay's skating. Their basics are clearly not the besT. But their choreos were interesting, and this Missing program is so interesting and beautiful. I loved it !

[nuge]

1.G/P TFB So special
2.A/P Rand J
3.K/P My Fair Lady Just a delightful programme.

K/O Jungle Drums leaves me cold not my cup of tea.

[Shyjosie]

Apart from Missing I, my favorite program by the Duchesnays must be their 1991 "Reflections":
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4qaqag3LTHM
Unfortunately, they only performed it at the European Championships. I remember they stated shortly afterwards that they had felt the public hadn't reacted very well to the program, which is how Missing II came to life. IMO it is a damn shame that the rest of the world didn't get to see that program as it was so avant-garde at the time (and would still be relevant today artistically)

I love this, too, and prefer it to MissingII, but that finally made them world champions...
Of all the FDs above, I'd choose MissingI and K/Ps "Man and Woman" as my favourites.
I like Krylova's excellent skating, but their African Drums looks like they were imitating the D's Jungle Dance from '88. Apart from the fact that the music sounds like tin cans pulled along the street.

[caro-ira]

Klimova/Ponomarenko "A Man and A Woman"
Krylova/Ovsyannikov "African Drums"
Usova/Zhulin "Blues for Klook"

[Macassar88]

Grishuk and Platov's the feeling begins could have been an all time great, but they never actually finished with the music.

[vivika1982]

Usova/Zhulin “Four Seasons”
Duchesnay/Duchesnay “Reflections”
Grishuk/Platov “The Feelings Begin” and “Memorial”
Anissina/Peizerat-“Ahla Leila” , “Romeo&Juliet” and “ Men in The Iron Mask”
Rahkamo/Kokko 1995 Beatles medley

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UmOoKQOueeU
And if we can choose from any events as an extra I would include their “Beyond the invisible” because this definitely (even with the mistake) was the best and still is #1 on my list from the 90’s

http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x3m...nvisible_music

[Vash01]

Apart from Missing I, my favorite program by the Duchesnays must be their 1991 "Reflections":

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4qaqag3LTHM

Unfortunately, they only performed it at the European Championships. I remember they stated shortly afterwards that they had felt the public hadn't reacted very well to the program, which is how Missing II came to life. IMO it is a damn shame that the rest of the world didn't get to see that program as it was so avant-garde at the time (and would still be relevant today artistically)

They performed it at the 1990 worlds, if I am thinking of the same program. May be I am thinking of Dream & Reality?

[Vash01]

Grishuk and Platov's the feeling begins could have been an all time great, but they never actually finished with the music.

I think they did, at the Europeans. Whether they finished with the music or not, it was one of the all time great programs.

[lulu]

They performed it at the 1990 worlds, if I am thinking of the same program. May be I am thinking of Dream & Reality?

At the 1990 World Championships the Duchesnays performed Missing. (I'm not sure if the program was known by any other name). At the 1991 European Championships they performed Reflections (Mirror Image)however the program was not as well received by the judges, so for the 1991 World Championships in Munich, they performed the sequel to their 1990 Free Dance, aptly titled "Missing: II"

I wish they would have skated to Reflections at the 1991 Worlds instead of Missing: II



ETA: ITA agree about G&P's The Feeling Begins, their O.D. that year to Libertango was absolutely brilliant as well.

[rayhaneh]

Two other programs of the 90s that have stayed with me even though they never won any gold and which, to me, are exceptional:

Drobiazko-Vanagas, Sunrise at Alcatraz: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=43MBzjVTPjA
Rahkamo - Kokko, Valse Triste: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iMiQINf32xA

I know R/K's program wasn't the most difficult technically, but it's one of the most moving I have ever seen in ice dancing and the emotion has remained with me ever since seeing it for the first time at the 1993 European Championships

[Shyjosie]

They performed it at the 1990 worlds, if I am thinking of the same program. May be I am thinking of Dream & Reality?

Dream and Reality (Eleanor's Dream) was their 1989 routine they won bronze with at the WC in Paris.

[lulu]

Besides skandals & partners swaps, the 90s also brought us some of greatest ice dance teams of all time performing some of the most memorable routines. Below, is a list of all of the dances that won the free dance portion at the World Championships. In retrospect, how would you rank these performances & routines?
This is just based on routines that won the free dance portion at Worlds, so many great routines, like Usova & Zhulin's "Four Seasons" and A&P's "Romeo & Juliet" are not included.

1990 Duchesnay & Duchesnay: "Missing" http://youtu.be/coM4d1CQZfs (Klimova & Ponomarenko who won overall, placed 2nd in the free dance , they won Worlds that year on the strength of their o.s.p)
1991 D&D: "Missing: II" http://youtu.be/wXkeiamsCew
1992 Klimova & Ponomarenko: "Man and Women" http://youtu.be/1JjbwtM_E3g
1993 Usova & Zhulin: "Blues for Klook" http://youtu.be/AxseLaxl61s
1994 Grishuk & Platov: "Rock around the Clock" http://youtu.be/QnH5Jy5Dyi0
1995 G&P: "Steppin' Out" http://youtu.be/IdGgAY1-hng
1996 G&P: Latin-American themed FD http://youtu.be/FrpC9QEXAZs
1997 G&P: "The Feeling Begins" http://youtu.be/LtHh2BeQB1I
1998 Krylova & Ovsiannikov: "Carmen" http://youtu.be/-oFAnymw0YU
1999 K&O African Drums http://youtu.be/xLwSDFgBm0U

Just based strictly off my original list of first place free dances at Worlds, I would personally rank them:
1. Klimova & Ponomarenko
2. Duchesnay (Missing 1990)
3. Usova & Zhulin Blues for Klook
4. Grishuk & Platov The Feeling Begins

If I was to include medal winners, and not just the first place free dance my list would include, in no particular order:
D&D: Missing
Grishuk & Platov: Memorial, 1993 Blues Free Dance, The Feeling Begins
Klimova & Ponomarenko: Bach
Usova & Zhulin: Four Seasons, Blues for Klook, 1991 Free Dance
A&P: Romeo & Juliet
K&O: Carmen

Besides K&P's Bach as my favorite, it is too difficult to rank the other routines

[judgejudy27]

At the 1990 World Championships the Duchesnays performed Missing. (I'm not sure if the program was known by any other name). At the 1991 European Championships they performed Reflections (Mirror Image)however the program was not as well received by the judges, so for the 1991 World Championships in Munich, they performed the sequel to their 1990 Free Dance, aptly titled "Missing: II"

I wish they would have skated to Reflections at the 1991 Worlds instead of Missing: II



ETA: ITA agree about G&P's The Feeling Begins, their O.D. that year to Libertango was absolutely brilliant as well.

I liked Reflections alot, and it was more in line with the innovative and captivating programs they had become known for. It was said they lost since the judges felt it didnt have enough technical difficulty which I understand, but their Missing 11 didnt have anymore, along with being far less interesting I thought. It was like the judges said "well they are so popular and they are putting in the effort, even changing programs, lets just give it to them, with Olympics being in France and them coming in as World Champs the publicity and the extre revenue from it will be huge." What a joke.

[Vash01]

Dream and Reality (Eleanor's Dream) was their 1989 routine they won bronze with at the WC in Paris.

You are right. I did get confused between this and Reflections.

[blue_idealist]

I would say G&P's "The Feeling Begins" was probably the best, followed by K&O's "Carmen". I enjoyed Missing I & II by the Duschesnays very much, conceptually, but I felt it wasn't as well skated as the other two.

[lulu]

I would say G&P's "The Feeling Begins" was probably the best, followed by K&O's "Carmen". I enjoyed Missing I & II by the Duschesnays very much, conceptually, but I felt it wasn't as well skated as the other two.

K&O's Carmen is great. My all time favorite ice dance Carmen is Bestimianova & Bukin's version: http://youtu.be/iju_RarH3rk
But speaking of K&O, I thought their OD that year to jive was brilliant, I would have placed them 1st over G&P in the original dance at the Olympics.