The Dance Hall 9: Bring the Bling or No Beijing 2021-2022

[clairecloutier]

I don't understand why anyone would think that one lift constitutes the entire "statement" that H/D want to make about their skating this year.

 

[Ka3sha]

I also don’t understand why they should make a statement or prove something? Maybe they want to simply enjoy their last year on competitive ice.

Absolutely loved their free dance. Yes, they have already skated to several “lyrical pieces”, but I’d say that this one is their best one yet. Or maybe on par with Tron FD.

 

[Bigbird]

I also don’t understand why they should make a statement or prove something? Maybe they want to simply enjoy their last year on competitive ice.

Absolutely loved their free dance. Yes, they have already skated to several “lyrical pieces”, but I’d say that this one is their best one yet. Or maybe on par with Tron FD.

Yes. I really liked Tron.

 

[VGThuy]

Their Tron FD and their Hallelujah SD are still my fave routines from them, and two of my fave modern ice dance routines ever.

 

[PRlady]

I also don’t understand why they should make a statement or prove something? Maybe they want to simply enjoy their last year on competitive ice.

Absolutely loved their free dance. Yes, they have already skated to several “lyrical pieces”, but I’d say that this one is their best one yet. Or maybe on par with Tron FD.

Agreed. Against their stereotype as sexy power skaters, they do lyrical at least as well as S/K and better than most other teams, except P/C of course who sort of own that genre.

 

[escaflowne9282]

Agreed. Against their stereotype as sexy power skaters, they do lyrical at least as well as S/K and better than most other teams, except P/C of course who sort of own that genre.

I must be alone in thinking that S&K really don't do lyrical all that well. I find Nikita to be too fussy/ busy in his movement, and the correct dance sensibility just isn't there. I find H&D are doing a better job with it.
I don't know why S&K never tried for a character piece or an opera. These open Adagios with classical music warhorses just aren't doing it at all for me.

 

[VGThuy]

I must be alone in thinking that S&K really don't do lyrical all that well. I find Nikita to be too fussy/ busy in his movement, and the correct dance sensibility just isn't there. I find H&D are doing a better job with it.
I don't know why S&K never tried for a character piece or an opera. These open Adagios with classical music warhorses just aren't doing it at all for me.

I honestly don't even know what style S/K are good at. They never had a program that I remembered 10 minutes after I've seen it.

 

[MsZem]

I honestly don't even know what style S/K are good at. They never had a program that I remembered 10 minutes after I've seen it.

This is my issue with them as well - they're very skilled, but not particularly memorable.

 

[clairecloutier]

I honestly don't even know what style S/K are good at. They never had a program that I remembered 10 minutes after I've seen it.

They're good at tango. To me, their best program remains the tango RD from their breakout season in 2018-2019. That's the one program from them that I really liked a lot. I also remember the very first SD they had with Marina, which was like a bluesy rock (I think?) They got criticized for that dance, but I kind of liked it and thought the mood/tempo worked for them. P.S. There was another program I liked as well--an operatic FD from Marina in 2015-16, for which they wore white costumes. (Marina knew how to make them look classic but not boring.)

 

[Bigbird]

They're good at tango. To me, their best program remains the tango RD from their breakout season in 2018-2019. That's the one program from them that I really liked a lot. I also remember the very first SD they had with Marina, which was like a bluesy rock (I think?) They got criticized for that dance, but I kind of liked it and thought the mood/tempo worked for them. P.S. There was another program I liked as well--an operatic FD from Marina in 2015-16, for which they wore white costumes. (Marina knew how to make them look classic but not boring.)

Zhulin, with few exceptions, sort of rips the uniqueness from a team. To this day my favourite Hurtado dances are all still with Diaz. I still rewatch their Picasso program. It is just a classic.

 

[thvu]

I honestly don't even know what style S/K are good at. They never had a program that I remembered 10 minutes after I've seen it.

I thought their Singin' in the Rain RD was great. I agree with @escaflowne9282 that they do well with character pieces. I'd also like to add that they do well with dramatic pieces. Like the end of their 2019 FD.

 

[Ka3sha]

I honestly enjoy most of Hurtado/Khaliavin’s programs, but as far as I know Sara always invites choreographers from ballroom world and doesn’t trust Zhulin’s choreography talent

 

[Bigbird]

I honestly enjoy most of Hurtado/Khaliavin’s programs,
but as far as I know Sara always invites choreographers from ballroom world and doesn’t trust Zhulin’s choreography talent

Well then, the IAM team really knew how to show her/them well.

I really wanted to like Singing in the Rain from S/K but it needs a light hearted cool that Katsalapov doesn't have. He likes to force the action or control every moment. He is the complete opposite of say Moir or Poje which makes watching them particularly off putting. Sinitsina is also capable but she comes across as dry. They don't have honey in their blades, or air or lift so to speak. But that's just a matter of taste maybe.

 

[MsZem]

To this day my favourite Hurtado dances are all still with Diaz. I still rewatch their Picasso program. It is just a classic.

Picasso was a brilliant program. If Hurtado/Diaz hadn't split they could have continued skating it in shows for years.

At least I got to see it live

 

[Ka3sha]

Speaking of Sinitsina/Katsalapov, I find their RD to be decent but not brilliant like their tango RD or Singing in the Rain one.
But once again I was amazed with Victoria's progress over the years - not just in skating skills, but in actual dancing skills as well. She seemed so shy and frozen on the ice, her back and upper body often looked wooden in the past, but she has come a long way and truly became the star of the team.

 

[Dobre]

Sinitsina & Katsalapov's tango RD is my favorite of theirs also.

For this season, my two favorite programs thus far are the Browns' RD and Hurtado & Khaliavin's RD. Though I like Hubbell & Donohue's RD quite well also.

It seems to me that Green & Parsons have made the biggest splash thus far with their FD. (And I do like it. I think it's a great step for them, though I don't love it as much as my mom does). I also still like Atonement for Guignard & Fabbri, which clearly has had time to be polished. And I like Fournier-Beaudry & Sorensen's FD, though it's much more in the early stages & as I mentioned previously, I think the end needs to be improved.

(I haven't wrangled enough time for Russian test skates or last week's JGP or Kana & Dai's programs yet. So much skating to watch).

 

[RoseRed]

I've been enjoying a lot of the programs this season, actually. The two I loved on first watch are both G/P FDs. For Green/Parsons, I feel like this has the potential to be a real breakout program. It feels fresh, interesting and not like something a lot of other teams could have pulled off. For Gilles/Poirier, this my favourite new program of the season in any discipline at this point. Still some details to work out obviously, but for me it's already beautiful and impactful. And I think the cover works perfectly. Glad they went back to Govardo.

I also really really liked Smart/Diaz's Zorro FD. It's a perfect fit for them, they're really good at storytelling and playing characters. And it's fun and memorable. Hurtado/Khaliavin have pretty good programs too, but seeing this FD at Autumn Classic really has me hoping S/D get the Olympic spot. Speaking of programs debuted this weekend, I thought Hubbell/Donohue's FD is beautiful too.

Of the repeat programs, I love Lajoie/Lagha's bird FD. I think they sold it better at Worlds, but I'm so glad they kept it. As well, I really like Fournier Beaudry/Sorensen's FD, though I agree the ending needs work.

For the RD, there's been plenty I like (or like part of), but fewer that I love at this point. The biggest stand out for me as of now is surprisingly Morozov/Bagin's. I've never really found them that interesting or engaging before, but this one really got my attention, especially the 'My Body is a Cage' section. The blues section of L/L's RD isn't totally there for me, but I do love the 1st section. Zac is selling it so well and giving so much face - he's come so far from their junior days when that was all her. It's really impressive. If they just give a bit more in the blues it might end up one of my favourites too. And Gilles/Poirier's is a lot of fun.

Lots of other programs I liked, but these are the standouts for me right now.

 

[Karen-W]

My favorite RD of the season so far is Wolfkostin/Chen. Of the senior RDs I've seen - probably Zagorski/Guerreiro is my fave but the season is early yet.

I quite like Pate/Bye's FD - though I can see where they still have a lot of work to do. I could grow to like Green/Parsons and HubDon but not right off the bat.

I'm quite excited about Finlandia in a few weeks, crossing my fingers that PapCiz, Chock/Bates, Stepanova/Bukin, and Fear/Gibson all show up and we get to see what they're offering.

 

[RoseRed]

Oh yeah. I forgot the juniors. My favourite junior RDs are D'Alessandro/Waddell and the Browns at the moment. For the frees, I love Kaganovskaia/Angelopol's Ave Maria. Classic, but it really suits them and they skate it beautifully. And Lim/Quan's Cats FD is a repeat, but it's fabulous. So much fun.

I enjoyed Wolfkostin/Chen's RD this year more than I've liked anything else they've done I think, but it's not on my favourite list yet. Maybe after this weekend. And I wasn't sure about Bashynska/Beaumont's FD at NextGen Simulation, but I liked it a lot in Russia.

Honourable mentions for the seniors (I remembered more RDs I like):

• Zagorski/Guerreiro RD (need to see them whole picture with proper costumes and everything)
• Davis/Smolkin RD (they lose me with the Nick Jonas part, but Boom Boom Pow was very fun at US Classic - I liked it more there)
• Green/Parsons RD (she's not totally convincing me in this program yet, but lots of good details)
• Fournier Beaudry/Sorensen RD (a lot of fun, can't wait to see it on better video)
• Soucisse/Firus FD (best, most them program they've had in a while)

 

[Immortelle]

Kana and Dai’s RD gets my early vote

 

[wickedwitch]

Green/Parson's FD is the only program I've rewatched. It's a clear stand out this year.

 

[Andrea82]

Callers at Nebelhorn are Ingrid Charlotte Wolter, Marie Bowness and Sergei Baranov.

Judges: Italy, Czech Republic, Azerbaijan, Turkey, Australia, Great Britain, Israel and Hungary

 

[barbarafan]

Callers at Nebelhorn are Ingrid Charlotte Wolter, Marie Bowness and Sergei Baranov.

Judges: Italy, Czech Republic, Azerbaijan, Turkey, Australia, Great Britain, Israel and Hungary

Hope they are not the same judges as at Lombardia.

 

[Bigbird]

Green/Parson's FD is the only program I've rewatched. It's a clear stand out this year.

It reminds me of the gem from the young French team L/B. They trained with Zhulin this summer and their FD is just absolutely forgettable. Furthermore it doesn't suit their aesthetic or personality. Oh well. I just find his choreography pretentious more times than not.

 

[Andrea82]

Hope they are not the same judges as at Lombardia.

Only Azerbaijan judge (Kliushnikov) was at Lombardia too.
The others are Orlandini, Kosina, Ozkan Silaoglu, Storton, Hoppe, Beletski (of Gudina/Beletski for for those remembering early 00s), Soos.

I am a bit surprised by the lack of Finnish judge given they are in contention.

 

[deegee]

Green/Parson's FD is the only program I've rewatched. It's a clear stand out this year.

i just watched this. that is the best choreographed program this year, hands down. i honestly cannot recall the last time an abstract, modern movement motif was executed so well in a competitive ice dance routine. i wish h/d or h/b were performing this choreography so i could see it with some speed and power edges.

 

[chantilly]

Hmm I definitely liked Green and Parsons FD and the modern aesthetic of it, but there was a LOT of hand to hand choreography in that FD.

And it definitely lacked speed and power but then so did all the other FD’s I’ve seen.

I personally think this program is a bit too mature for them. I like how different it is, but I’m having trouble buying into their execution and interpretation of it.

But it is early in the season for sure

 

[Bigbird]

i just watched this. that is the best choreographed program this year, hands down. i honestly cannot recall the last time an abstract, modern movement motif was executed so well in a competitive ice dance routine. i wish h/d or h/b were performing this choreography so i could see it with some speed and power edges.

The French teams own that style, P/C, D/S, L/B. But when it matters most the ice dance snob judges always prefer the classics assuming it is more difficult to pull off. But I do love the style..

 

[deegee]

Hmm I definitely liked Green and Parsons FD and the modern aesthetic of it, but there was a LOT of hand to hand choreography in that FD.

And it definitely lacked speed and power but then so did all the other FD’s I’ve seen.

I personally think this program is a bit too mature for them. I like how different it is, but I’m having trouble buying into their execution and interpretation of it.

But it is early in the season for sure

yeah, this team is not equipped to show off this intriguing program to its potential, unfortunately.

and i'm just finding i have to give in to all the separation and hand-to-hand holds these days. i don't like it, but it seems to be the direction ice dance is going for now

 

[deegee]

Hmm I definitely liked Green and Parsons FD and the modern aesthetic of it, but there was a LOT of hand to hand choreography in that FD.

And it definitely lacked speed and power but then so did all the other FD’s I’ve seen.

I personally think this program is a bit too mature for them. I like how different it is, but I’m having trouble buying into their execution and interpretation of it.

But it is early in the season for sure

i just gave this fd a second watch and the excessive hand to hand holds emphasize how much he is pulling her around the ice throughout the routine. otherwise, i'm still enthralled by the choreography.