Spiralgraph
Well-Known Member
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do you mean H/D? Hubbell and Donohue. H/B are Kaitlin HAWAYEK / Jean-Luc BAKER in my mind.
Thanks, Chapis. I did mean Hubbell/Donohue.(whom I do like) I'm not a good typist.

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do you mean H/D? Hubbell and Donohue. H/B are Kaitlin HAWAYEK / Jean-Luc BAKER in my mind.
I think I'm just worried because it seems the fandom all want Hubbell/Donohue to win Nationals and be U.S. 1 and it seems like they have the momentum and the judges may agree with that.
Momentum? Before the Grand Prix season get's under way, and after only one competition, against a field of nobody's? The only ones that should be worried about a narrative is Hubbell and Donohue as this is how their season began last year. If this were US National's and we didn't see Maia and Alex, that would be one thing. It's September...
That phrase "a template approach to Ice Dance" is very interesting and I think I get what you mean, but could you elaborate a little?I don't expect Maia and Alex to do anything too crazy this season. I think their SD will be quirky like last season but one the audience will love. The Free Dance will likely be serious but easy on them in terms of emotional vulnerability. They will probably have the best of their lifts they've used in the past. I could be wrong but they have tried a template approach to Ice Dance that they can sort of alter to make them competitive and Marina is good at helping them manage that.
Alex just posted this IG of them meeting members of Coldplay at the I Heart Radio Festival last weekend:
https://instagram.com/p/BZr9g8MjgtJ/
I think it's clear why they've chosen to do a "trilogy" and why they chose the costumes that they've decided on. I think at the last Olympics they wanted to do Michael Jackson because Alex was a fan and it seemed like a fun idea, but maybe they realized that next time they had an opportunity to perform in front of an Olympic-sized audience they want their programs to show themselves off and just be Alex and Maia. I think "Fix You" and "Evolution" were variations of that theme and they're hoping that "Paradise" will be a successful culmination of that self-exploration.
You could be right. I hadnt thought of it that way, and I must say I am not attracted to the concept. Why focus on themselves rather than the music, the words or the story? It didnt work that well for V/M in 2009-10 and they already had an OGM at that point. I feel like Fix You was the Shibs' breakthrough dance because it broke their mold, moved them out of their comfort zone to total connection with the audience. (Audiences have always loved them but I think maybe in a quasi-maternal/paternal way because the Shibs were so young and adorable -- but with Fix You the connection was visceral.) I am hoping Paradise does that again and takes them to a new place where they punch the audience in the gut. The way performers talk about their work doesnt always translate to what the audience experiences so I will keep hoping for another few weeks that their new FD is more powerful and less self-referential. Maybe more of a paradise lost even if they havent expeienced that. It's going to have to be powerful to keep me from seeing those stupid elephants.Alex just posted this IG of them meeting members of Coldplay at the I Heart Radio Festival last weekend:
https://instagram.com/p/BZr9g8MjgtJ/
I think it's clear why they've chosen to do a "trilogy" and why they chose the costumes that they've decided on. I think at the last Olympics they wanted to do Michael Jackson because Alex was a fan and it seemed like a fun idea, but maybe they realized that next time they had an opportunity to perform in front of an Olympic-sized audience they want their programs to show themselves off and just be Alex and Maia. I think "Fix You" and "Evolution" were variations of that theme and they're hoping that "Paradise" will be a successful culmination of that self-exploration.
^ it was all that, but not just that - it was Maia and Alex getting to the heart of a song about grownup pain and love - there was a lot of story in that song, even if not 19th C characters that they had to portray. Similarly with "Paradise" - it has something of a plot and a lead character ("she"). It's pretty ambiguous though - they could interpret it in many different ways (even elephants but let's hope not).
You could be right. I hadnt thought of it that way, and I must say I am not attracted to the concept. Why focus on themselves rather than the music, the words or the story? It didnt work that well for V/M in 2009-10 and they already had an OGM at that point. I feel like Fix You was the Shibs' breakthrough dance because it broke their mold, moved them out of their comfort zone to total connection with the audience. (Audiences have always loved them but I think maybe in a quasi-maternal/paternal way because the Shibs were so young and adorable -- but with Fix You the connection was visceral.) I am hoping Paradise does that again and takes them to a new place where they punch the audience in the gut. The way performers talk about their work doesnt always translate to what the audience experiences so I will keep hoping for another few weeks that their new FD is more powerful and less self-referential. Maybe more of a paradise lost even if they havent expeienced that. It's going to have to be powerful to keep me from seeing those stupid elephants.
Yes - since they have been pigeonholed a bit and judged more harshly than other teams at times, they need to go straight to the audiences and through them to the judges. We know they are capable of it.I think so long as the Shibs feel real then it would work because the trick is to allow the audience to feel something. I think all of those standing Os in the GP series then later were something the judges couldn't continue to ignore that was reflected in their GOE AND PCS.
I dont think my nontechnical eye can tell the difference between speed and the perception of speed, esp since I rarely see skating live (and then mostly shows), but it sounds like they have been training to the max and there may actually be more power and speed now.That is the big ask. I really do think just increasing the perception of speed does a lot for those criticisms. With more speed they can add more transitions and highlight moves which makes it look like they have more abandon. I know everyone is saying they need to keep their standing and look behind them to make sure a team like H/D don't overtake them. I honestly don't think they are as slow or careful as so many make them out to be compare to the other teams behind them currently but those optics have taken over and have become the narrative. That said, what I saw for all of last season until Worlds was that they were capable of being spoilers for the top 2 but they held themselves back a bit. I'm still holding on to the fact that the Shibs did receive the biggest ovation in the FD and medal ceremony at 2017 4CC. I know some will debate me on that but that's something I know happened even with Evolution which so many have dismissed as not being emotionally as strong as Fix You.
Absolutely. I am so dying for Maia to bring her young diva Beauty Is Boring look. Alex has many great looks.Another part of me that wants Maia and Alex packaged in a way that we can truly see them is that I believe that's their best "look" right now and I think both of them have become such beautiful people that I want them to be seen. I also think they have what it takes to really make a huge impact with the Korean crowd and other parts of Asia to reach those markets. Elle Korea is already following them on social media.