The Dance Hall 8: Join the Maskerade 2020-2021

[VGThuy]

I can see some teams wanting to get as much competition as they can to make up for last season.

 

[Dobre]

Yes. In an Olympic season, the European dance teams can sew up their slot in the final group for the Olympics. It's a really long season, though. And with various injury issues, S&K often don't even make it to one Challenger. (There's usually a Challenger in Eastern Europe with huge scores should you feel you need them).

 

[Sylvia]

Ice Dance Tryout Seminar 2021 - International Skating Union

The International Skating Union is the international sport federation administering Ice Skating sports throughout the world.

www.isu.org

The Oberstdorf ISU Center of Excellence is holding an international Ice Dance Tryout seminar for the first time this summer on June 11-13. The 3-day seminar will be led by two internationally experienced Ice Dance coaches Sylwia Nowak (POL) and Dr. Rostislav Sinicyn (CZE). The goal is to introduce Ice Dance to young Single Skaters as an alternative career path and the formation of new Ice Dance teams in the future. The focus of the training sessions will be on partnering exercises on and off the ice.

The Announcement says the coaching team is "complemented by former world-class ice dancers Nailya Just (formerly Zhiganshina) (GER), Stefano Caruso (GER) and Nathalya Karamysheva (CZE)."

When did Nelli Zhiganshina get married?

 

[Dobre]

@Jeschke

When did Nelli Zhiganshina get married?

Fixed that for you.

 

[mjb52]

This part of Zhulin's interview was interesting to me:

E/F: so the FD is to Rakhmaninov will be contrasting with the `street dance' SD. Do you understand how to work on it?
AZ: The street dance came from the USA and for now I struggle to understand what the programme should look like. We are told it can be a blues, but not a classical one. Then what? For now no one can elucidate and the rules are not explicit enough. You can use a tango, foxtrot, latin... but it's not my thing because all these themes are the same rhythm and mood while I would like to see the slow and relaxed blues, the real one, sensitive, while the 2nd part would be the rest: the step where you can show the rap, hiphop, street dance, whatever. It's my point of view.
Now we are all stuck in the given theme and try to do something about it. But it's unclear. While, say, the finnstep is clear: it's a quickstep and you more or less understand the jumps, the polka style and all that. The blues in our understanding was always a slow dance, sensual, all slow on the wave. But they say the way the blues is danced on the street is different. How?
Of course we'll consult with the specialists, send the video to the highest level - our judges as well because we don't want to miss out during the Olympic season.

What do you guys think they are looking for? I was thinking something like what Zhulin said but in the opposite order, like the 1st part is whatever dance you would do at the club or a block/street party or somewhere, and if you wanted to do the blues for the second, it would be like if you came home a little drunk and put on some old records and danced on the porch or something.

Don't they usually do some kind of meeting where they give the coaches guidance? Is that not planned for this year?

 

[starrynight]

It sounds too similar to the theme for the last Olympics.

And I kind of feel like getting a heap of international teams to do some USA style street dance is like setting a trap for teams to be deemed culturally insensitive. Which I don’t think is particularly fair.

Given the disruption to the skating world over the last year and the fact that seminars, meetings, travel etc haven’t been happening as usual something nice and clear like a waltz or a tango etc would have been much safer.

I think ice dance is trying to be too hard to be ‘cool’.

 

[mjb52]

I think the main thing is just a little more clarity. There's a lot of directions I see to go with it, but teams need to know what the outer limits are.

 

[Dobre]

I think the main thing is just a little more clarity. There's a lot of directions I see to go with it, but teams need to know what the outer limits are.

Why do there need to be outer limits?

 

[mjb52]

I mean I don't necessarily want there to be outer limits, but if there are some, the coaches/choreographers need to know. If the actual concept is that there are none, then great, but make sure they know that too.

 

[Cherub721]

In the end I don't think it will be a big deal. I remember Denkova/Staviyski with their Baroque OD in 2003 when they came in 4th at a GP and everyone was sure their OD was illegal because it was a minuet instead of a waltz or something. In the end it was fine and they won bronze at Worlds. Then in 2009 Domnina/Shabalin did their Soviet jazz waltz for the 1920s, 30s, and 40s theme and people also worried that wasn't the right rhythm but they won Worlds. Zhulin is definitely capable of making a killer blues like he did for Navka in 2004. I'm sure whatever type of blues they do and whatever they pair it with will turn out fine, but I get that he's anxious about it because it's the Olympic season and you don't want to give anyone an excuse to mark you down or chatter about you.

 

[litenkyckling]

Arguably, while the origins of hip hop are from the USA, it has been established globally in more recent decades. European hip hop for example is a huge market and so I'm not sure I buy his argument that it's not a very accessible style for teams outside the US.

 

[Colonel Green]

Yes, hip hop is a global phenomenon at this point; and in any case, there are so many variations that you don't need to do hip hop if you don't want to. Announced choices so far include Elton John and 'N SYNC.

 

[Spikefan]

Lizzo’s “Cuz I Love You” is a good example of non-classical blues. Do they not get Lizzo in Russia? AZ is just stuck in classic mode and looking for excuses early on.

 

[Rhumba d’Amour]

Arguably, while the origins of hip hop are from the USA, it has been established globally in more recent decades. European hip hop for example is a huge market and so I'm not sure I buy his argument that it's not a very accessible style for teams outside the US.

And in fact it might be very enjoyable to see a variety of global hip hop styles reflected in the RDs!

 

[marbri]

Am I missing something here? Isn't this the same SD theme and rhythm as in 2016/17?

 

[Colonel Green]

Am I missing something here? Isn't this the same SD theme and rhythm as in 2016/17?

The wording is a bit different in places, but yes, in general, it's weird how much some people (including coaches) are fretting about a theme that was already used recently and was generally well-liked.

 

[her grace]

I don't remember much of the Sr dances from last time, but in juniors it seemed like only the American teams tried it, and the rest of the world pretty much ignored the hip hop option.

 

[marbri]

The wording is a bit different in places, but yes, in general, it's weird how much some people (including coaches) are fretting about a theme that was already used recently and was generally well-liked.

Right? I thought there were some great SDs that season so plenty of ideas.

 

[litenkyckling]

I also really hope some of the teams embrace the theme and maybe have more of a personal connection to the music choices because it is a style that lends itself more to utilising popular music. I would imagine most of them have a lot of favourite artists within the genre as opposed to say musicals (but perhaps that me just projecting!). I'd like to see a good variety and some deep dives - I think having so much free time in the last year and being an olympic year could mean that we see some really well thought out RDs.

 

[litenkyckling]

Lizzo’s “Cuz I Love You” is a good example of non-classical blues. Do they not get Lizzo in Russia? AZ is just stuck in classic mode and looking for excuses early on.

I can see H/B doing Lizzo for some reason - Good As Hell fits the required BPM I think

 

[mjb52]

Probably just extra nervousness because it's an Olympic year?

 

[SidelineSkater]

I can see H/B doing Lizzo for some reason - Good As Hell fits the required BPM I think

Yes! I wouldn't mind if Lizzo's music became a warhorse this year. Ok. Maybe not if there are cringeworthy routines - but figure skating needs Lizzo!!!

 

[Ka3sha]

Two French teams, Evgenia Lopareva/Geoffrey Brissaud and Julia Wagret/Pierre Souquet, moved to Aleksandr Zhulin's group.
L/B were previously coached by Rubleva/Sheffer also in Moscow, don't know about W/S

 

[Colonel Green]

Two French teams, Evgenia Lopareva/Geoffrey Brissaud and Julia Wagret/Pierre Souquet moved to Aleksandr Zhulin's group.
L/B were previously coached by Rubleva/Sheffer also in Moscow, don't know about W/S

Thereby guaranteeing a season of warm feelings between Russia and France!

 

[sap5]

Arguably, while the origins of hip hop are from the USA, it has been established globally in more recent decades. European hip hop for example is a huge market and so I'm not sure I buy his argument that it's not a very accessible style for teams outside the US.

Are there some famous Russian blues artists? Because I'd love to see a program using Russian blues and hip hop. Agree that these styles have become global, and seeing that variety would be something I'd really appreciate.

 

[aka_gerbil]

Two French teams, Evgenia Lopareva/Geoffrey Brissaud and Julia Wagret/Pierre Souquet, moved to Aleksandr Zhulin's group.
L/B were previously coached by Rubleva/Sheffer also in Moscow, don't know about W/S

W/S had been in Florida with Zoueva, pre-YNW.

 

[Ka3sha]

Thereby guaranteeing a season of warm feelings between Russia and France!

As if it helps the Olympics drama


But I also wonder if it could have been Nathalie herself suggesting them to go to Zhulin

 

[Ka3sha]

Are there some famous Russian blues artists? Because I'd love to see a program using Russian blues and hip hop. Agree that these styles have become global, and seeing that variety would be something I'd really appreciate.

No, no, no, please! Russian hip hop is absolutely awful and is a combination of some copies of American rap + Russian swear words + all the posh things

 

[jmtfti]

I don't remember much of the Sr dances from last time, but in juniors it seemed like only the American teams tried it, and the rest of the world pretty much ignored the hip hop option.

Last time around, Virtue/Moir, the Shibutanis, Hubbell/Donohue, Weaver/Poje, Chock/Bates, Stepanova/Bukin, and Hawayek/Baker were all among the seniors using hip hop. If teams of that prominence were willing to tackle it the first time around, I don't see why it should be all that daunting now (tbh I'd find more strict blues and swing programs far more refreshing given my feelings about the caliber of most on-ice hip hop).

 

[Sylvia]

W/S had been in Florida with Zoueva, pre-YNW.

Wagret/Souquet were with Alper Ucar and John Kerr this past season in Florida (iceberg_skating_academy on Instagram - their program recently moved to the Coral Springs, FL rink).