The Dance Hall 13: When You Dance on the Ice and Your Feet Twizzle Twice, That's Amore

[cris]

Nevermind Bigbird, I would worry for the eyes of the judges. According to them, C-B have skating skills equal to FB-C.

 

[Bigbird]

When speaking about flexibility I was referring to Lawrence not Evan. Their Vogue doesn't have the sass and irreverence that Gabby would have coloured it with. The couples are somewhat similar in terms of frame and flower, but I found C/B more engaging than FB/Ciz. As per skating skills, when since have ice dance judges scored according to actual performance? Skating skills of Cizeron will never trump back-room games in ice dance. Speaking as a purist though, I'm surprised the gap was that wide. Go figure.

 

[Bigbird]

Question, did France choose to not enter the FD portion of the team event, or did the team not earn enough points to perform on Day 2.

 

[NinjaTurtles]

Question, did France choose to not enter the FD portion of the team event, or did the team not earn enough points to perform on Day 2.

France did not make the final of the Team Event.

Why would they ever sit it out if they had

 

[Amantide]

When speaking about flexibility I was referring to Lawrence not Evan. Their Vogue doesn't have the sass and irreverence that Gabby would have coloured it with. The couples are somewhat similar in terms of frame and flower, but I found C/B more engaging than FB/Ciz. As per skating skills, when since have ice dance judges scored according to actual performance? Skating skills of Cizeron will never trump back-room games in ice dance. Speaking as a purist though, I'm surprised the gap was that wide. Go figure.

I agree with you in regards to Laurence vs Gabby. I think Laurence is a better skater than Gabby, from a tech.pov and is a great match for Guillame in that sense.

However, in terms of musicality and fluidity of body movements and expressiveness Gabby is on top. However, this is a new partnership. Although they both have been skating (and winning, especially him) for quite sometime, they still need time to find their real DNA.

Kudos to them for doing such a great job in such a short time. Especially her, who is the "junior" (for lack of a better term) partner in this partnership, and has no medals to boost, yet. I hope they skate at their best at the individual competition. What the judges will think and do is out of their control.

 

[Katha]

Yah, what I noticed in their RD in the team event, which was otherwise well-skated and performed, is that their presentation styles still need to gel to some degree. I think it's easier to have this unified in the abstract FD. But Laurence was doing a very classical smiley program interpretation and Guillaume was also giving face, but fiercer and more remote. Both approaches are fine on their own, but they're understandably still in a stage where they need to make adjustments and unify.

I do think the new-ish lift in the RD is Guillaume somewhat pushing out of his comfort zone, we know Laurence can do more spectacular lifts. And yeah, boy do you see how much she was held back by her former partner. How good they are after skating one year together is insane.

 

[VGThuy]

Gabby and Guillaume have it. Laurence has the skills, she’s a pretty, and she’s not deficient in dance, but I already forgot what she looks like.

 

[Andrea82]

Guignard/Fabbri got their Olympic medal tonight. Now they can dumped as much as the judges want.

Now let's give that bronze to Gilles/Poirier.

 

[Karen-W]

Guignard/Fabbri got their Olympic medal tonight. Now they can dumped as much as the judges want.

Now let's give that bronze to Gilles/Poirier.

Skate Canada needs a bigger budget than Lilah Fear's dad and I don't think they've got it.

 

[text_skate]

Skate Canada needs a bigger budget than Lilah Fear's dad and I don't think they've got it.

Who is Lilah Fear's dad?

 

[Lanie]

He's very, very wealthy and has some massive place near (?) the Beckhams.

 

[tangerine dream]

Skate Canada needs a bigger budget than Lilah Fear's dad and I don't think they've got it.

It won't matter if Fear/Gib skate the FD like they did at Euros. They still have to deliver under pressure.

 

[Karen-W]

Who is Lilah Fear's dad?

He's very, very wealthy and has some massive place near (?) the Beckhams.

I've read elsewhere that he's a hedge fund manager and, yes, very, very wealthy.

 

[skategal]

It won't matter if Fear/Gib skate the FD like they did at Euros. They still have to deliver under pressure.

Yes F/G get nerves under pressure. They will have to overcome that twice.

 

[Bigbird]

Yes F/G get nerves under pressure. They will have to overcome that twice.

Lilah and Lewis brought it this year with the material and gusto. P/P not so much. They played it too safe, so unless F/G mess up, they will be off that podium. They just seem a bit dated, as does Gui/ Fab.

 

[Sylvia]

The Rocker Skating Podcast redux 2/8: Milan Olympics Ice Dance preview (audio only) with Jackie Wong & Michelle Ellis: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7WIGPVHPdpw

 

[VGThuy]

I wish I was into Piper and Paul’s material this year. Before the season started, I was hoping they’d give us something like Evita or Wuthering Heights.

 

[Rukia]

I wish I was into Piper and Paul’s material this year. Before the season started, I was hoping they’d give us something like Evita or Wuthering Heights.

if they were going to repeat anything they should have repeated Wuthering Heights I love that program

 

[Karen-W]

if they were going to repeat anything they should have repeated Wuthering Heights I love that program

THIS. That was their best FD. I've never warmed to GilPoir much but I just LOVED that FD so much. So much pathos and just mesmerizing. It deservedly won the FD at Worlds in 2024.

I suppose I can understand NOT bringing it back because maybe they felt they couldn't perform it any better than that day in Montreal, but bringing back Vincent wasn't the direction they should have gone in, IMO.

 

[Sylvia]

AnythingGOEs' 2026 Olympic Figure Skating Ice Dance Preview with Mark Hanretty: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wEkFS-PazcI

 

[Vagabond]

IAM gave Chock & Bates both & and & , so they can create good programs. The trouble is, they don't do so anywhere near often enough.

Both those programs are from the previous quad, and I agree with you, they were creating some good ones that quad.

I would place Chock & Bates' Free Dance program this season right up there with those from the last quadrennium. Do those two inspire more from IAM's choreographers, or do they demand more? Both, probably.

 

[Allskate]

I wish I was into Piper and Paul’s material this year. Before the season started, I was hoping they’d give us something like Evita or Wuthering Heights.

I'm not into the RDs in general. I like Vincent. I just don't love it. On The Runthrough's preview of the Olympic Ice Dance, they were talking about the history and meaning behind it and why it means so much to Piper, but I want to be able to appreciate it on it's own.

However, I really am not into F&G's FD at all. I love Scotland and Ireland, but I rarely like skating programs to that music. In general, though, I pretty clearly am not their target audience.

 

[Katha]

I think with IAM, you get a good program if your input/sense of identity as an ice dance pair is strong. So Chock/Bates often have good programs (not always, they had some duds this quad and their RD this year is meh, as are most RDs to be fair). And yeah, FB/C's FD is not super original since they are gelling still as a pair, but it has a clear point of view and pushes all their good points while masking what they can't yet do. I don't love the RD there either, but it's something they can both perform well. Same with Fear/Gibson, they know what they are good at and push for it. Pairs getting blah material from IAM, I do think there's a part of the pairs themselves not knowing who they want to be.

Agree that Gilles/Poirier have shot themselves in the foot with their material. I don't love the RD, I actually think FB/C doing a similar concept in a sharper/cleaner version is also hurting them. And doing a repeat program is just never a good idea. They want to go for gold with a program that gave them...what, seventh place last time around? And it's not really brand new choreography either. Also, the elevator muzak version of the song.

Same with Barbara and G/F. They are fabulous technicians who have IMO never found their identity as a dance pair. Their FD this year is nice, but what is that RD? In a year with subpar RDs in general, they have somehow managed to stand out as extra terrible in that portion. And tbh, the minute they were dumped so badly in France for the RD, they should have scrapped that thing. Yeah, dumping is dumping, but don't make it easier by stubbornly clinging to material that is not working.