I did say last season that I thought the choreo slide has the potential to be a rather short-term gimmick, and I do still think so. Having said this, however, I have also already mentioned on this thread that I really liked two slides from the first JGP event in France, both of which I thought fit the style of the programs and helped tell the stories the athletes were trying to tell. The major problem I see with a lot of choreographic slides is that they kill the skaters' momentum. And that can very easily lead to a hole in the program if you then have a stop or choreographic posing also and a choreographic spin . . . and choreographic footwork that only goes across the short axis of the ice. Anyway, you have to be careful about the construction of a program as a whole and keep the sense of speed & flow going. Use those choreographic elements as real highlights but make sure they don't turn into stoplights.
I liked Fear & Gibson's new choreo elements fine. I thought the final third of the program was entertaining (the part following the final music switch). The problem I had with their program is that the choreography doesn't really kick into the program until after they finish all the major elements. They are mostly focused on getting those elements done rather than "Striking a pose"--at least any interesting ones--when the music asks for it prior to the completion of those major elements.
Of course, I've only seen it once. And they will gain more confidence with the program throughout the season. But I did feel this was an issue with the choreography throughout the first two thirds of the program, and I do think the program as a whole is unbalanced at the moment. Better to have a strong ending and weak beginning than the reverse but still worth improving throughout the season, I think.
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