Virtue and Moir 25: Road to home

[martyross]

i pity certain people who feels such inferiority complex toward Tessa's beauty and brilliance.

[pani]

i pity certain people who feels such inferiority complex toward Tessa's beauty and brilliance.

Me too

[bmcg]

One more Tessa photo from banquete


http://sphotos-e.ak.fbcdn.net/hphoto...60774811_n.jpg

Is this from 4CC?

[pani]

Is this from 4CC?

Yes. I gave link to another photo early in this thread.

[pani]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mF9V2...7WsJ1Q&index=6

Exibitiomn in HQ

[bmcg]

Yes. I gave link to another photo early in this thread.

THanks.

[professordeb]

pani, you're a treasure! I may not always understand what you are saying, but sometimes you come out with some gems ... and then there's the links to photos. Thanks!

[rainbowkisses]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mF9V2...7WsJ1Q&index=6

Exibitiomn in HQ

anyone know how to read lips?
i wanna know what hes telling her lol

[IoanaC]

anyone know how to read lips?
i wanna know what hes telling her lol

"Awesome". Scott was a wonderful partner this past weekend. Love him even more for it.

[Scrufflet]

(BKF) caaaalm. One word: education. If you find yourself lucky enough to be a part of a circle of people who are thoughtful, critical thinkers, curious, and exposed to many different types of learning, encounters with bigoted misogynistic racists will and should be a massively repulsive jolt. These horrid encounters just reinforce my own world view, and then I remind myself that I have the power to not make the same choices as them. Online hate? It's way too macro a scope to really do anything about. So try to let it go? And just do your own thang...hope that your voice can get "out there" and helps represent an alternative, and join with others' with like voices so that together you can be louder.

Thank you for saying this and being so articulate!

[aka_gerbil]

re: the marks

... whole post....

So, like others, I feel like this will encourage teams to play it safe in terms of choreography. If difficult transitions will not give you an edge, you are better off, in terms of marks, going for less complicated choreography that will maximize your chances of achieving your levels.

sorry for rambling.

Thank you so much for this post. You weren't rambling at all.

I agree with everything you said regarding how PCS/judging is being presently marked and the impact (for the worse, IMO) on future programs. You hit upon pretty much everything that's bugged me about the scoring. There is so much that V/M and P/B (like Carmen Ovsiannikov said, thank you for including P/B in your assessment) do that's either a lot more difficult or a lot more refined than what D/W do, but it's not taken into consideration or ignored in the marks. Once upon a time, all of these things that V/M and P/B do better were highly valued and considered necessary to make it to the top. These days, it seems like rather than being rewarded for fantastic basic skating, line, unison, extension, difficult transitions, skating close together, truly dancing together, etc. etc. etc., the teams that bother tend to end up taking a hit in their scores instead... They're penalized in a way, IMO, for doing the things they should be. I still think there are a lot of politics behind the scoring right now, but if you just look at the message behind how the programs are getting marked, the only things that count are the elements (and not even really how well you do them) and how fast you can race from one to the other. That's not what I was taught and had drummed into my head for years about what good ice dancing is. Good ice dancing is what V/M and P/B do, and it's just not getting rewarded and/or valued right now. Consequently, other teams are going to look at this, and design their programs accordingly. It's such a shame as there are some teams out there (I/K immediately springs to mind) who have the talent and ability to do the kinds of things V/M and P/B do.

Ice dance is so frustrating to me right now. I feel like everything I was taught over the years to be important is no longer so.

[ddtpdx]

Ice dance is so frustrating to me right now. I feel like everything I was taught over the years to be important is no longer so.

ITA.
But recently, I've just resigned myself to accepting that this is the current trend and it won't change until at least after Sochi.

[martyross]

And this! http://gallery.ru/watch?ph=33D-evYF3

deep, deep stare...

[Sylvia]

Was this January 18 press release ever posted here? Tessa Virtue, Scott Moir and Patrick Chan join RBC Olympians Program

[rainbowkisses]

what happened at this years 4cc reminded me so much of this http://youtu.be/o2dj8VBEicc
this is why i dont understand the people who are saying that they only stopped at the middle of the program because they know they couldnt beat d/w or some shit like that
some people are incorrigible

[elle123]

"Awesome". Scott was a wonderful partner this past weekend. Love him even more for it.

Just when you thought you couldn't love him/them anymore. Even though what happened at 4CC was very unfortunate, I think it goes to show what an amazing partnership that they have together and what amazing fans they have. I'm proud of us collectively for focusing on the positive rather than the negative (for the most part ) and I'm sure Tessa and Scott would be overwhelmed with all the support we give, even if she'll never hear it firsthand.

Here's hoping they find a big fat bubble to stay in together til worlds where no one can touch them

[elle123]

what happened at this years 4cc reminded me so much of this http://youtu.be/o2dj8VBEicc
this is why i dont understand the people who are saying that they only stopped at the middle of the program because they know they couldnt beat d/w or some shit like that
some people are incorrigible

sigh Love that serpentine lift! I wish we could've seen those programs in a year where Tessa wasn't recovering from surgery.

[martyross]

Thank you so much for this post. You weren't rambling at all.

yea, please guys, don't add "sorry for rambling", "sorry for the rant" so often, for in the 99,999% of cases ( ) there's nothing to apologize for!
we shouldn't be afraid to not say "the right thing", whatever this means. And this thread is currently "The" ice dance thread of FSU and this thanks also
to your long analysis and observations.

There is so much that V/M and P/B (like Carmen Ovsiannikov said, thank you for including P/B in your assessment) do that's either a lot more difficult or a lot more refined than what D/W do, but it's not taken into consideration or ignored in the marks.

I finally got the chance to watch both teams at 4CC (I have no speed internet where I'm staying) and, regarding the difference between the top 3 couples, which is reflected in their skating, I think it's basically a difference of cultural background. D/W, as someone pointed out in the past, are not "dancing" as V-M do. Actually I think Team DW has invented a new kind of skating, which is not "dancing" in the traditional sense, but neither pair skating or "double single skating". It's something that somewhat combine the 3 of them and plus, adds a typical American type of show which is the musical. Their programs are all very theatrical, with the only exception of the Tango FD. But theatrical in the sense of the musical, that was born in 20th century thus has all the typical features of this age. It's a rather artificial form of art, influenced by cinema, vaudeville, popular music etc, that takes elements of the tradition and see them through a modern or post-modern filter. Evident case in DW, the Bollywood OD, indian dance and culture seen from a Western point of view. Think also of "West side story", which could be an other good theme for them. It's Romeo and Juliet seen from a modern American point of view, isn't it?
Other than this syncretism, the musical is based on "colorfoul" entertainement with simple storylines and simple, sometimes stereotypical characters.
I think all that I said can be applied to Davis and White's style. In some way, they even embody the American style of single skating, which is explosive, athletic, extrovert, often theatrical. You can see this even in Gymnastic (the opposition between American and Russian school).
In DW case, what you see is what you get. In their FD's, besides, they tend to express emotional outbursts (i.e., pop music), more than feelings (classical music).
one of the reasons why Davis and White are so loved in their country, is that they embody American culture, so the audience unconsciously see the reflection of their background in them. Culture is everything!
I don't think I'm offending Davis and White if I say that Tessa and Scott's skating has more depth, in the sense that you feel there's something beyond
their movements, something that misteriously reach our intellectual sphere and aechstetic perception. Needless to say, they are more "European", a certain vein of European culture, the nostalgic and contemplative elegance, the loyalty to tradition. All this comes from Zoueva's influence, of course, but
mainly from their own personalities I think, and especially from Tessa, whom I consider "the second choreographer" of the team. the mark of her exquisite taste and brilliant intelligence is evident in each of their programs. I want to add, after watching Carmen at 4cc, that she is not only an extraordinary beautiful and smart woman, she's also one of the bravest and strongest athlete I've ever known.
Pechalat-Bourzat, well, they're French (: if you see some movies from France or take a look at some dress shops in Paris, you'll understand why they are so original, sharp, sometimes bizzarre in chosing their themes. It's part of their background too. Throughout the 20th century, France was avant-garde in many branches of culture and arts. the French have a special tendency of seeing reality from a sharp, sarcastic, non-romantic and often pessimistic point of view.
I know I've simplified much and maybe in the future I'll add more precise remarks about this subject (:

[Shayii]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mF9V2...7WsJ1Q&index=6

Exibitiomn in HQ

Thanks for this. I hate that you can tell that Tessa had been crying earlier at the beginning of video (and I wonder what Scott was saying to her). BTW the commentators sure had a lot to say, what were they saying?

Also I concur there's no rambling that I see here, just interesting conversations. So everybody continue "rambling."

[Golightly]

Huh? How can you even tell she was crying?

Scott says "awesome" or something like it at the end.