The Dance Hall 10: The Saitama Samba 2022-2023

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Dobre

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This is a general discussion thread for all things ice dance. A place where fans of all ice dance teams can discuss their favorite heart-stopping moments, tear-inducing mistakes, :wall: rule changes, costume malfuctions, and whatever else the ice dance world throws at us.
 

Dobre

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@alexikeguchi , we've had not a peep of an explanation about why Davis & Smolkin and Igor split as far as I know. I agree it's a big shock, as it doesn't seem likely to have been planned by either party.

I would say that Novak & Kiliakov broke through on the senior scene last season. They brought a team composed of two athletes that they had brought up from juniors & that team earned a top 8 SB score and won 4CCs. When was the last time we had a new dance coach at the senior level accomplish something roughly on that level? Barbara in 2016? Nowak got Kaliszek & Spodyriev to 11th at Worlds in 2018-19.
 

Taso

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@alexikeguchi , we've had not a peep of an explanation about why Davis & Smolkin and Igor split as far as I know. I agree it's a big shock, as it doesn't seem likely to have been planned by either party.

I would say that Novak & Kiliakov broke through on the senior scene last season. They brought a team composed of two athletes that they had brought up from juniors & that team earned a top 8 SB score and won 4CCs. When was the last time we had a new dance coach at the senior level accomplish something roughly on that level? Barbara in 2016? Nowak got Kaliszek & Spodyriev to 11th at Worlds in 2018-19.
On a personal level, didn't Eteri partner with Kiliakov at some point in her own dance career as well?
 

Dobre

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On a personal level, didn't Eteri partner with Kiliakov at some point in her own dance career as well?
I don't know. There was a comment in another thread with a quote that could have been interpreted that way, but it also could have been interpreted to mean that they once trained in the same rink or the same group🤷‍♀️. Anyway, there's likely at least a personal acquaintance history there, and of course D&S were most likely to train with someone who speaks Russian. Plus, if Smolkin is going to try to get citizenship, I assume they need to stay here.
 

Flake99

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After reading various threads on various websites debating the likelihood of Davis and Smolkin representing the United States, I have come to the conclusion that USFS is most likely desperate for the ability to claim and promote them. After all, there's nothing the U.S. skating establishment and media like more than an ice skating team that is also a Married Couple.

I anticipate a free program to a medley of "Proud to Be an American," "Born in the USA," and "American Woman."
 

Karen-W

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After reading various threads on various websites debating the likelihood of Davis and Smolkin representing the United States, I have come to the conclusion that USFS is most likely desperate for the ability to claim and promote them. After all, there's nothing the U.S. skating establishment and media like more than an ice skating team that is also a Married Couple.

I anticipate a free program to a medley of "Proud to Be an American," "Born in the USA," and "American Woman."
Eh, they have a newly engaged Madi Chock & Evan Bates to fill that role for at least a season or two more if not the entire quadrennium.
 

sk9tingfan

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After reading various threads on various websites debating the likelihood of Davis and Smolkin representing the United States, I have come to the conclusion that USFS is most likely desperate for the ability to claim and promote them. After all, there's nothing the U.S. skating establishment and media like more than an ice skating team that is also a Married Couple.

I anticipate a free program to a medley of "Proud to Be an American," "Born in the USA," and "American Woman."
Desperate? I don't think so....
 

dancing_on_ice

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Eh, they have a newly engaged Madi Chock & Evan Bates to fill that role for at least a season or two more if not the entire quadrennium.
Chock and Bates' fluff pieces have been in that angle ever since 2018 :D

USFS certainly does not wait for a couple to be married before churning out the relationship fluff pieces

Of course that does mean some articles age terribly, but you win some, you lose some :summer:

I anticipate a free program to a medley of "Proud to Be an American," "Born in the USA," and "American Woman."

If Diana and Gleb ever do compete for the US, I expect nothing less than this from them as one of their programs.
 
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VGThuy

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I think I blocked out that exhibition from my memory. I will give Belbin/Agosto some props…they were seriously game to try anything and seemed to have no sense of shame, which is great in a sense of risk-taking and fearlessness but could lead them astray if they have someone with notoriously horrible tastes in charge of their routines…cough Linichuk cough.
 

sap5

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I think I blocked out that exhibition from my memory. I will give Belbin/Agosto some props…they were seriously game to try anything and seemed to have no sense of shame, which is great in a sense of risk-taking and fearlessness but could lead them astray if they have someone with notoriously horrible tastes in charge of their routines…cough Linichuk cough.
In their defense, they only performed this ex once, right after she received her citizenship. After the crazy process they went through, I can forgive it.
 

Rukia

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And two of those three would involve completely ignoring the meaning of the song, perfect for an Eteri program.
Only if you throw in the soundtrack to the epic all-American movie "Independence Day" as well for the random classical music/soundtrack portion of the progam.
 

Rhumba d’Amour

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Only if you throw in the soundtrack to the epic all-American movie "Independence Day" as well for the random classical music/soundtrack portion of the progam.
And we’ve heard that Benoit did their FD, so that means that patriotic voiceovers—like, the Gettysburg Address or something—might make an appearance mid-program :)
 

Flake99

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Would those voiceovers be from the original audio recording of the actual Gettysburg Address or recreations by familiar skating voiceover vocalists such as Leonardo DiCaprio, Johnny Weir, or the "I love being a woman" artist used by Sakamoto last season?
 

Bigbird

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The way we've leaned into D/S you'd think they were the soup ya? The real deal had better come good.
 

Dobre

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if they have someone with notoriously horrible tastes in charge of their routines…cough Linichuk cough.
Mostly just bad taste in costuming the last season vs. the actual programs in their case, I think. It's been a long time since I watched their final season, but I did like the RD then. I've never been a fan of the song, Ave Maria, but my mother loves it.

I really liked Tosca. It suited Ben very well and was the first program since Elvis that I thought let him shine.
 
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VGThuy

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I thought their Roma FD from
The 2004-05 season was the best thing they did in their career. Their Chopin was probably one of their best FDs but that Worlds marked the end of their partnership with Igor/Marina. Their costuming and programs with Linichuk I thought were exercises to improve their basics but didn’t fit them at all. And their packaging and costumes were just not good.
 

VGThuy

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In their defense, they only performed this ex once, right after she received her citizenship. After the crazy process they went through, I can forgive it.
That’s what’s funny about it. They thought they were doing this patriotic number but they were skating to two songs that are actually very critical of the US and it’s people. “American Woman” was a song about how the singer preferred Canadian women. I guess Tanith was both so it was all good for her but it’s not really a “thank you, America” song.

ETA: sorry about double posting but I’m on my cell phone and it’s harder to edit to add another quote to a previously-published post.
 

Dobre

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Neither Mom nor I remember the Chopin. Mom's favorite was the Russian gypsy dance. (She liked Elvis, Tosca, Amelie, & the Moldavian folk dance). I forgot about the gypsy dance. That one also highlighted Ben's personality very well).
 

Dobre

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I have a fun memory of the first time that I saw B&A live. They did Girls, Girls, Girls (which will always belong to Grishuk & Platov, but which I can forgive B&A for because they were so young) at the Vancouver Worlds. The people behind us were talking about how they weren't very good and were clearly not as good as the team before them. (They were just physically smaller than most of the senior teams and didn't fill the ice much yet at that time). B&A actually defeated the team said fans were saying was better, but I always get a kick thinking back to that & how said little team was the one that finally broke through to an Olympic podium. Mom & I did know about them already because they were a U.S. team and had medaled at Junior Worlds, but I'm sure most of the Canadian fans in the audience hadn't heard of them yet.
 

twizzletoes76

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I thought their Roma FD from
The 2004-05 season was the best thing they did in their career. Their Chopin was probably one of their best FDs but that Worlds marked the end of their partnership with Igor/Marina. Their costuming and programs with Linichuk I thought were exercises to improve their basics but didn’t fit them at all. And their packaging and costumes were just not good.
That Chopin piece was by far the best thing Tanith and Ben ever did—in my opinion. (And, I’m shocked poster above does not remember it but can still recall so many of the other kitschy/mediocre programs they did.) The music arrangements, the costuming, and the choreography on that Chopin piece were all perfect. That was also when Igor and Marina were working successfully together and I think that may have been the best program they ever made as a team—even with the tacky cross lift at the end—the program was still, in my mind, just mesmerizing.


(Side note: I also LOVED all of Tanith’s costumes that 2007–08 season—the blue feathered Art Deco era look for her Argentinian Tango—yes!!! And, the red Western outfit for that strange techno country OD she and Ben did—another winner!!! But, it’s true, under Linichuk, some of Tanith’s costumes were a little garish—but she still wore those over-the-top looks well.)
 
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Andora

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Chopin & Amelie were outstanding programs. I wish they'd been able to keep that momentum, but ran into the problem of Tanith's current husband.

Such a great step forward from... Questionable costumes & programs from 2006. But that was the end of a generally ugly phase in skating, so....
 
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