2025-26 U.S. Ice Dance News, Updates & Discussion - Backstreet Boys & Spice Girls

~tapdancer~ said:
After all these years, I still can't get the humor on here! Sorry!
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It's hard to "read between the lines" in our interpretations since most of us only have the words written to go on. We don't personally know the people behind the words and there are no social cues. And we are very attached to our favorite skaters! So there's that emotional component, which may win in anything that we interpret as questionable be that a q on a jump or an entire program.

BTW so far this season, there are very few ice dance programs I like this year. Perhaps that will change by the time the Olympics rolls around.
Mostly it's the music choices. Eh. I expect nothing but grandiose for the Olympic year. (My opinion, don't take it too seriously).
 
TanithandBenFan said:
The “S” logo on the front of their jackets looks like they ripped off the Stanford University logo and stuck a skate on it.
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I mean they're reusing an old free dance maybe they just considered this recycling standford's logo too

sorry to maia she looks gorgeous in the photos I've seen i'm just pretending the other half doesn't exist oops
 
From this Reddit post, posting a Google translation of an interview:

On their RD:

C.R.E.A.M. by Wu-Tang Clan
Let Me Clear My Throat by DJ Kool
B-BOY by Rhymester
Starting Race by Kenta Nagata
Award Tour by A Tribe Called Quest
Get Ready For This by 2 Unlimited
Stomp To My Beat by JS16
The Rhythm of the Night by Corona
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Alex: With our growing awareness of our identity and roots, this season's program is full of inspiration from Japan and Japanese culture. For rhythm dance, we decided to create a unique program that celebrates the culture of the 90s, the era in which we grew up. We set the theme inspired by the places and atmosphere of that time. After all, I was born in 1991.

. . .

Alex: It's very much like us - you could even say it's an autobiographical program. It's packed with a lot of things we loved as kids. It's a mix of 90s culture from around the world, with the theme of "Nikkei."

Maia: It's an international theme, but one that's very personal to us. We want to transport the audience to a night in Tokyo in the 1990s.

Alex: The show focuses on American and Japanese culture in the 1990s. These two cultures influenced each other and spread all over the world at the time. I was inspired by hip hop, B-boy style, street fashion, and the Japanese arcade games I played at the time, like the racing game Dance Dance Revolution. The music is a mix of artists from various countries, including America, Japan, Finland, which will be hosting the Grand Prix, and Italy, where the Olympics will be held. I think it turned out to be a really fun and unique program.
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On the “Fix You” redux:
Maia: The free skate was also a big decision. We wanted it to be the one that meant the most to us. A big reason we returned to the competitive ice rink was to show our best selves, but also to show how we've changed. The journey called life is beautiful, wonderful, and complicated. I think it's important to believe that even if something devastating happens along the way, we can repair, recover, and keep moving forward. Life is imperfect, and therein lies its beauty. That's why, when I thought about creating a program that would connect emotionally, I decided to recreate a performance I did 10 years ago: "Fix You," which I skated to in the 2015-2016 season.

Alex: For our new piece, "Fix You," we were inspired by various Japanese aesthetics and life philosophies, including kintsugi, the Japanese technique of repairing broken pottery using gold powder and lacquer. The program tells a story of loss, crisis, healing, growth, and rebirth. Our performances this season will be unashamedly Maia and Alex-esque, and will speak to the trajectory and journey of life, not just as athletes, but in a broader sense.
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Rukia said:
yuki speaks japanese
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Yes, I know, which makes the original post somewhat cheeky. An example Japanese dictionary definition from weblio follows, with the first definition translating to brother(s) and the second definition meaning sibling(s), explicitly stating "regardless of gender":

１ 片親または両親を同じくする男の子供たち。兄と弟。また、その間柄。けいてい。
２ 男女の別なく、片親または両親を同じくする子供たち。また、その間柄。兄弟姉妹。「姉二人、兄二人の五人—の末っ子」「—げんか」
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Well, I am a native Japanese speaker, so you don't need to tell me how the term '兄弟(brothers)' is used in Japanese:lol:. Dictionaries don't tell you everything about how a language is actually used.

It is true that '兄弟(brothers)' is used to refer to siblings in general. For example, if someone asks you, 'ご兄弟はいますか？(Do you have any brothers?)', you might answer, '弟が一人と姉が一人います(I have one brother and one sister).'

However, using the term '兄弟(brothers)' to describe yourself, as you would with a jacket, is a different matter.

It's difficult to explain why this feels strange unless you're a native speaker, but labelling (implying) Maia as a '弟 (youger brother)' just doesn't feel right to me. If they wanted to demonstrate unity by using their family name and relationship, they could have used 'チーム渋谷(Team Shibutani)' or even '渋谷家(Shibutani Family)'.

The term '兄弟(brothers)' also carries connotations of masculinity and is used in the Yakuza world to show the hierarchical relationship between senior and junior members. The younger brother must obey and listen to the older brother. Although I am very certain this is not the intention behind using this term on their jackets, in light of what I have seen lately, that is another reason why I found it uncomfortable.

While this is really not the same situation, when I came to the US many years ago, I sometimes got letters addressed to me using my husband's full name, 'Mrs George Washington', rather than 'Mrs/Ms Yuki Nieve' (by the way, this is not my husband's real name). Do any of you remember those letters? It's not conceptually wrong, but I found it very strange. Seeing '兄弟(brothers)' on a jacket reminds me somewhat of a similar sense of incongruity — it's not really 'me'.(and fortunately I no longer receive such letters).

Come to think of it, many non-native Japanese people have been putting kanji (Chinese characters) on tattoos or shirts lately, thinking it's cool. I think the Shibtanis may just be using them for the same reason.
 
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YukiNieve said:
It is true that '兄弟(brothers)' is used to refer to siblings in general. For example, if someone asks you, 'ご兄弟はいますか？(Do you have any brothers?)', you might answer, '弟が一人と姉が一人います(I have one brother and one sister).'

However, using the term '兄弟(brothers)' to describe yourself, as you would with a T-shirt, is a different matter.

It's difficult to explain why this feels strange unless you're a native speaker, but labelling (implying) Maia as a '弟 (youger brother)' just doesn't feel right to me. If they wanted to demonstrate unity by using their family name and relationship, they could have used 'チーム渋谷(Team Shibutani)' or even '渋谷家(Shibutani Family)'.
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Thank you for the gentle correction and taking the time to offer the appropriate cultural context and nuance into actual usage. Appreciate all the news you provide to the forum.
 
YukiNieve said:
Well, I am a native Japanese speaker, so you don't need to tell me how the term '兄弟(brothers)' is used in Japanese:lol:. Dictionaries don't tell you everything about how a language is actually used.

It is true that '兄弟(brothers)' is used to refer to siblings in general. For example, if someone asks you, 'ご兄弟はいますか？(Do you have any brothers?)', you might answer, '弟が一人と姉が一人います(I have one brother and one sister).'

However, using the term '兄弟(brothers)' to describe yourself, as you would with a T-shirt, is a different matter.

It's difficult to explain why this feels strange unless you're a native speaker, but labelling (implying) Maia as a '弟 (youger brother)' just doesn't feel right to me. If they wanted to demonstrate unity by using their family name and relationship, they could have used 'チーム渋谷(Team Shibutani)' or even '渋谷家(Shibutani Family)'.

The term '兄弟(brothers)' also carries connotations of masculinity and is used in the Yakuza world to show the hierarchical relationship between senior and junior members. The younger brother must obey and listen to the older brother. Although I am very certain this is not the intention behind using this term on their T-shirt, in light of what I have seen lately, that is another reason why I found it uncomfortable.

While this is really not the same situation, when I came to the US many years ago, I sometimes got letters addressed to me using my husband's full name, 'Mrs George Washington', rather than 'Mrs/Ms Yuki Nieve' (by the way, this is not my husband's real name). Do any of you remember those letters? It's not conceptually wrong, but I found it very strange. Seeing '兄弟(brothers)' on a The T-shirt reminds me somewhat of a similar sense of incongruity — it's not really 'me'.(and fortunately I no longer receive such letters).

Come to think of it, many non-native Japanese people have been putting kanji (Chinese characters) on tattoos or shirts lately, thinking it's cool. I think the Shibtanis may just be using them for the same reason.
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I wonder if the use of “brothers” is related to their use of music from Mario Kart in their RD. Like they’re the Mario Brothers. Probably not but just grasping lol.
 
VGThuy said:
Torvill/Dean won Europeans, a bronze medal at the Olympics (with a win in the original dance), and gained new fans. That’s not bad at all.
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No not bad. But Dean was pretty pissed with the bronze at Olympics. I think they thought they were a shoo-in. Especially after the OD. Now I read about what the Shibs are using and I am even more mad. All this time and they come back with old programs. I really hope they are dumped and dumped again. If you can't tell, I am disgusted by it all. Especially knowing what a snot he is.
 
~tapdancer~ said:
No not bad. But Dean was pretty pissed with the bronze at Olympics. I think they thought they were a shoo-in. Especially after the OD. Now I read about what the Shibs are using and I am even more mad. All this time and they come back with old programs. I really hope they are dumped and dumped again. If you can't tell, I am disgusted by it all. Especially knowing what a snot he is.
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Old program, not programs.
 
Well, the ShibSibs don't look ready for Primetime...

Those scores were generous for what they put out there, but just based on the basics (speed, cleanliness, synchronization, etc) they're not going to make the team unless USFS is made of complete idiots. Those things won't get better by January.
 
Willin said:
Well, the ShibSibs don't look ready for Primetime...

Those scores were generous for what they put out there, but just based on the basics (speed, cleanliness, synchronization, etc) they're not going to make the team unless USFS is made of complete idiots. Those things won't get better by January.
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Nope. I think at best, we’ll see them at Finlandia and Nationals. At worst, NHK is it. Most likely, NHK and Nationals just for the attention. It’s not like the USFS needs them and whatever positive exposure they could have brought ice dancing was destroyed by that LiveBarn video.

I personally did think they were the best team out of Chock/Bates and Hubbell/Donohue back in 2018, and I still think that, at their best, they are better than them. However, they’re not close to being back at that physical conditioning to even adapt to ice dance in 2026 because they’re not back to that 2015-2018 standard. I mean look at their low levels here.

They needed more seasons under their belt to get back into the rhythm of things and to be back in Olympic-level shape to have that endurance to do more. Most importantly, they need a real ice dance coach who has been coaching in this Olympic cycle(s) to tell them exactly what they need to do and how to train the IJS elements this go around.

I’m not saying I want them to continue because after what Alex revealed of himself, I don’t want to see him having a public presence again. However, had they taken this a lot more seriously and had more self-awareness I can’t help but wonder how much they could have improved and accomplished because I do think they had such solid foundations and potential to do so much more with their skills. At least, having a real coaching team would give them more than Coldplay.

Now, it’s clear that their hubris and inability to go beyond their comfort zone has limited them as dancers and athletes. The way they went about this whole comeback was just idiotic, and everyone was right that it had “desperate” written all over it.

Maia needs to live her own life as I can’t help but think she’s been attached to Alex’s hip all this time just because he needs someone to listen to his nonstop nonsense all of the time.

That said, conceptually, I think they have the best RD of the season. Too bad they went about their training and comeback in the worst way to make them not strong enough to execute it to where it is competitive ready as it should be. What a waste.
 
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Willin said:
Well, the ShibSibs don't look ready for Primetime...

Those scores were generous for what they put out there, but just based on the basics (speed, cleanliness, synchronization, etc) they're not going to make the team unless USFS is made of complete idiots. Those things won't get better by January.
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I agree with all of the above, but when you look at the judges' scoring breakdown, the US judge had them 2nd with 80.37, and above Green/Parsons, who he gave 77.92 to. So I'm not optimistic about USFS not being complete idiots in this case, unfortunately.
 
yeah dance is weird. sui han look so much better here than their first event. the Ships (im tired of fighting with auto correct over this) could show up to their next event looking much better. I really did think their RD was better than most in that it didnt make me cringe and feel embarrassed for them.
 
Interesting they decided to address this in the middle of competition, instead of getting right on top of it when it happened. Of course the paper may have played a role in the timing. But doing it now just drags it all back up again for any normie fans who may be watching.
 
Willin said:
Well, the ShibSibs don't look ready for Primetime...

Those scores were generous for what they put out there, but just based on the basics (speed, cleanliness, synchronization, etc) they're not going to make the team unless USFS is made of complete idiots. Those things won't get better by January.
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And it shouldn't. US dance is way too deep and everyone has been putting in the work. For the Shibs to just waltz back in and act like they matter is dumb.
 
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