Shibutanis thread 3: Evolution

[VGThuy]

I'm glad Alex and Maia succeeded in their hip hop. I remember how skeptical you were about it before this season started (for good reason I might add).

 

[VGThuy]

Somebody dubbed a track from the Yuri on Ice soundtrack to the Shibs' FD from the GPF:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JTBr1sx2EHc

They sped it up a bit, but it fits well.

 

[chapis]

Somebody dubbed a track from the Yuri on Ice soundtrack to the Shibs' FD from the GPF:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JTBr1sx2EHc

They sped it up a bit, but it fits well.

A bit? https://youtu.be/JTBr1sx2EHc?t=166 sorry, that speed was too much.

 

[VGThuy]

A bit? https://youtu.be/JTBr1sx2EHc?t=166 sorry, that speed was too much.

Why are you apologizing to me? I didn't make the video. Anyway, at least we now know what they would look like if they skated as fast as some of their detractors want them to.

 

[chapis]

Why are you apologizing to me? I didn't make the video. Anyway, at least we now know what they would look like if they skated as fast as some of their detractors want them to.

The ¨sorry¨ was only an expression , I know that you did not make the video.

And you know that they are becoming more popular when people start editing their videos.
Their dramatic and dark program ¨do you remember¨ edited to a song by a band for kids . At least the title of the song is the same https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UaxzYzRBiOc&t=4s

 

[DreamsofBliss]

Love this photo of Maia! The photographer has a few other nice photos of the Shibs on his instagram and 500px account as well.

Their SD is my favorite of the season and has been since Skate America. I hope to see it skated with full energy, passion and levels at Worlds.

 

[VGThuy]

I wonder why the Shibs are in New York.

 

[chapis]

I wonder why the Shibs are in New York.

it's weekend, it's their days off, maybe they're just visiting family and friends. Although after their schedule the past weeks, I thought they would be wanting to spend the weekend just sleeping, I guess I am just projecting . They have too much energy.

 

[DreamsofBliss]

I wonder why the Shibs are in New York.

Well they saw a hockey game! But yeah looks like they were visiting friends.

Also, Maia posted this nice photo celebrating ten years with Marina.

 

[chapis]

Well they saw a hockey game! But yeah looks like they were visiting friends.

Also, Maia posted this nice photo celebrating ten years with Marina.

We see a lot of skaters changing coaches so easily. I can´t believe that they have been 10 years with Marina. Especially considering the difficult times they lived, they are very loyal to her. Marina worked with V/M 10 years, G/G 13 years, D/W 13 years. If Maia would retire at 27 yo, like Meryl, she would be working with Marina 15 years . I wonder if she ever imagined that Maia and Alex could get that far.

I am going to change my avatar with motive of the celebration, until the Shibs get another amazing picture or Marina bothers me again, hahaha.

 

[DDNatalia]

I wonder why the Shibs are in New York.

Maia and Alex's instagram accounts hold clues. Just like when Alex said that their Short Dance this year has lots of "easter eggs" or hidden treasures, like the Will Ferrell voice over from Blades of Glory. In the past they have popped into NYC for a quick visit to attend benefits. They are ambassadors for several causes. Their vlogs have shown them going from the rink to airport to rink. They DO have a lot of energy.

They posted an Instagram story from the Rangers hockey game they attended at Madison Square Garden. From the angle, you can tell they were sitting right behind the team bench. Those are not normal seats. They have to be either MSG Network or major sponsor seats.
They also took a picture next to a basketball hoop. Looks like a hoop used for Knicks games, which obviously would not be out in the arena during a hockey game. They clearly had special backstage access.
My guess would be they are either being thanked for their ambassador work, and/or are being wooed by sponsors.

They could also be working with dancers or musicians, polishing for Worlds, creating an exhibition program and planning for next season. The Shibs seem to be connected to so many different artists in NY and LA. Anything is possible.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BRRSrNpgH45/?taken-by=maiashibutani

 

[chapis]

That is interesting Sherlock... I mean, DDNatalia.
I noticed something too , in the FD of V/M, P/C, C/B and S/S . Can you guess who is the only team with no pause? Yes, the Shibs!

V/M https://youtu.be/oESTovSjppk?t=169
P/C https://youtu.be/2WDWjQ0ZFds?t=172
C/B https://youtu.be/Fz6ZuOtg8uI?t=156

This reaffirm, Maia and Alex DO have a lot of energy .

 

[VGThuy]

Looks like Alex is featured on GQ's Instagram account "GQ Guys":

https://www.instagram.com/p/BRUIdXFh4yi/?taken-by=gq_guys

 

[VGThuy]

So I was thinking about possible FD music (though I'm sure they have already made their choices for the Olympic season), and "Sinfonia Per Un Addio" came on my playlist and I had forgotten how much I loved that music when Klimova/Ponomarenko did it when they burst onto seniors:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Ow8xSHGvT8

The piece starts in the second half in the above video.

I also loved it when Natalia Frolova performed her floor exercise to it:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fJU6weWsOsE

Here's the full piece:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tyBBIrULt8A

I can really see Alex going all out when the piece changes tempo and becomes dramatic and I can really see Maia doing wonders with the slower parts. I can also imagine where the twizzle sequences will fit in nicely. I also think if it already allows them to fit in the two footwork sequences that have to be at different tempos and I'm already imagining all kinds of footwork for the second sequence to the faster part.

That said, the orchestration does sound seriously dated, and maybe others won't like this piece as much as I do since it may not sound totally sophisticated and my love for Klimova/Ponomarenko and their skating/dancing might be clouding my judgment. I thought for sure "Spiegel im Spiegel" would be absolutely perfect for them (and for me they proved me right at 4CC) but some people have serious problems with that music.

 

[Spun Silver]

^ I hope not. It is even more monotonous in rhythm than this year's music that took them all season to get just right.

I could see them skating to another emotional song in hopes of getting the audience response that Fix You did. There are so many to choose from. I don't quite know why but I keep thinking of Lithium by Evanescence. It's very dark. I'm not exactly recommending it, but it would be different for them.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PJGpsL_XYQI

I did love your Latin suggestions though.

 

[VGThuy]

I hate Evanescence, so I hope they don't choose that. I won't give you details why I dislike them so much. But then I wasn't too high on Coldplay either, and the Shibs made me like TWO Coldplay routines. I think the problem with using popular music with lyrics is that I think it gets boring fast as I will admit that by 4CC, I was getting bored of "Fix You" and wished the Shibs could move on to something a bit more sophisticated by that point. I actually think "Sinfornia Per Un Addio" has totally different rhythms in the beginning, middle, and end unlike "Spiegel im Spiegel", but I can see you not liking the music.

I think the Shibs will probably pick something that will best show them off to the world for the Olympic live and television and online audiences. Their Michael Jackson wasn't very memorable nor did we really get to see "Maia and Alex" in it, so I think they will pick something where people see "Maia and Alex".

 

[Spun Silver]

Yes, it can, but that's what choreographers are for. Nobody was calling the Coldplay program boring, during the season at least. Maybe eventually some fans who watched it 25 times got tired of it but it had exceptional staying power IMO. People didn't get bored with H/D's Hallelujah program and they're not bored with Savchenko-Massot's Lighthouse program. They need a good song and more Tchernyshev (or...?) magic.

 

[VGThuy]

I guess you're right, but I rather them do something more classical that packs a punch. But that's just my bias. I just hope they don't skate to a Sam Smith/Ed Sheeran-like song or some female cover that ruins a perfectly good original.

 

[sap5]

That said, the orchestration does sound seriously dated, and maybe others won't like this piece as much as I do since it may not sound totally sophisticated and my love for Klimova/Ponomarenko and their skating/dancing might be clouding my judgment. I thought for sure "Spiegel im Spiegel" would be absolutely perfect for them (and for me they proved me right at 4CC) but some people have serious problems with that music.

My understanding is that they made a variety of changes to the orchestration of their FD music for 4CCs, and that's what made the difference.

 

[VGThuy]

Very subtle changes. It was more their energy and interpretation went up a notch.

 

[VGThuy]

Alex just posted the sweetest tribute to Maia and his mom for International Women's Day:

https://www.instagram.com/p/BRZn1M0DmcL/?hl=en&taken-by=alexshibutani

I'm always proud of @maiashibutani.
She is my sister, my teammate, and my friend. Maia inspires me every day both on the ice and off with her strength, determination, discipline, wisdom, poise, and thoughtfulness.
Maia is capable of achieving anything she puts her mind to and supports others to pursue their dreams with the same passion and commitment.
I'm so grateful to our Mom who loves us unconditionally and believes in even our craziest dreams. She has given us a set of values that we strive to follow and has always put our needs before her own.
To those women who have been a part of my life so far... who have cared for me, supported me, and taught me - Thank you, and Happy #InternationalWomensDay.

Also, Alexander Zhulin recently said some nice things about the Shibs:

https://www.fsuniverse.net/forum/in...p-to-me-ice-dancers-would-skate-2-fds.100797/

Thanks to @TAHbKA for the translation.

EV: Talking about the top 5, who would you name except for Virtue/Moir and Papadakis/Cizeron?
AZ: It's totally my personal choice: Bobrova/Soloviev, Shibutanis and Chock/Bates.

EV: Why Chock/Bates and not, say, Weaver/Poje?
AZ: I just like the 2nd Canadian duo less recently. It's not a mark, it's just my personal impression. I was never into talking about my colleagues work and looking for the bad sides, am much more into looking on their strong sides. I always try to see what do the others do that we don't.

EV: What are your rivals best qualities?
AZ: I love Cizeron's knee work. I like how the `man/woman' relationship works for Virtue/Moir. I love the polished elements in Shibutanis - every move is a perfection. I can't really say anything about the other teams - as a viewer there is something lacking for me to be in awe.

 

[chapis]

So I was thinking about possible FD music (though I'm sure they have already made their choices for the Olympic season), and "Sinfonia Per Un Addio" came on my playlist and I had forgotten how much I loved that music when Klimova/Ponomarenko did it when they burst onto seniors:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Ow8xSHGvT8

The piece starts in the second half in the above video.

I also loved it when Natalia Frolova performed her floor exercise to it:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fJU6weWsOsE

Here's the full piece:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tyBBIrULt8A

I can really see Alex going all out when the piece changes tempo and becomes dramatic and I can really see Maia doing wonders with the slower parts. I can also imagine where the twizzle sequences will fit in nicely. I also think if it already allows them to fit in the two footwork sequences that have to be at different tempos and I'm already imagining all kinds of footwork for the second sequence to the faster part.

That said, the orchestration does sound seriously dated, and maybe others won't like this piece as much as I do since it may not sound totally sophisticated and my love for Klimova/Ponomarenko and their skating/dancing might be clouding my judgment. I thought for sure "Spiegel im Spiegel" would be absolutely perfect for them (and for me they proved me right at 4CC) but some people have serious problems with that music.

I love it!!!!. I think Maia and Alex could to do a great job with that piece. And Spun Silver is right about a similar ¨Fix you¨ program for the olympics. Even if I think that ¨Evolution¨ is totally superior to ¨Fix you¨, is evident which one is the most popular.

About Zhulin it is interesting that he praised both Tessa and Scott, Maia and Alex, but only to Cizeron .

 

[Spun Silver]

Since VGT mentioned classical music... they havent done a Chopin program AFAIK. The Barcarolle would be a gorgeous choice. Its lulling rhythm is based on Venetian boat (barca) songs. The piece is an ecstasy of trills. So much so that it would stretch them to the limit of sibling-appropriate emotion. But since it's still abstract I think they could interpret it in their own way. They would have to use Lipatti's version.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=QG5nREXB3ag

 

[chapis]

Since VGT mentioned classical music... they havent done a Chopin program AFAIK. The Barcarolle would be a gorgeous choice. Its lulling rhythm is based on Venetian boat (barca) songs. The piece is an ecstasy of trills. So much so that it would stretch them to the limit of sibling-appropriate emotion. But since it's still abstract I think they could interpret it in their own way. They would have to use Lipatti's version.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=QG5nREXB3ag

If someone besides Mao can to do justice to Chopin are the Shibs .

Another stunning picture of Maia https://www.instagram.com/p/BRZ60RsA5Su/?taken-by=beautyisboring_

 

[gk_891]

So I was thinking about possible FD music (though I'm sure they have already made their choices for the Olympic season), and "Sinfonia Per Un Addio" came on my playlist and I had forgotten how much I loved that music when Klimova/Ponomarenko did it when they burst onto seniors:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Ow8xSHGvT8

The piece starts in the second half in the above video.

I also loved it when Natalia Frolova performed her floor exercise to it:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fJU6weWsOsE

Here's the full piece:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tyBBIrULt8A

I can really see Alex going all out when the piece changes tempo and becomes dramatic and I can really see Maia doing wonders with the slower parts. I can also imagine where the twizzle sequences will fit in nicely. I also think if it already allows them to fit in the two footwork sequences that have to be at different tempos and I'm already imagining all kinds of footwork for the second sequence to the faster part.

That said, the orchestration does sound seriously dated, and maybe others won't like this piece as much as I do since it may not sound totally sophisticated and my love for Klimova/Ponomarenko and their skating/dancing might be clouding my judgment. I thought for sure "Spiegel im Spiegel" would be absolutely perfect for them (and for me they proved me right at 4CC) but some people have serious problems with that music.

I like this idea. This piece of music hasn't been used in figure skating for quite some time now. And although Klimova & Ponomarenko did use it years back, it was before they were well known so it's not as if it's their signature piece of music.

I could definitely see the Shibs doing something interesting with this music.

K&P also skated that program at the 1982 Moscow News Trophy.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DmLkdzrHrGM

 

[suki]

If someone besides Mao can to do justice to Chopin are the Shibs .

Another stunning picture of Maia https://www.instagram.com/p/BRZ60RsA5Su/?taken-by=beautyisboring_

You are being redundant, Chapis. All photos of Maia are, de facto, stunning. The girl can't help it

 

[chapis]

You are being redundant, Chapis. All photos of Maia are, de facto, stunning. The girl can't help it

I know, thanks to that, the poor Marina did not last as my avatar more than 4 days

 

[VGThuy]

Cute interview with the Shibs on Pyeongchang's Olympic Twitter account:

https://twitter.com/pyeongchang2018/status/839717044853620736

 

[chapis]

new video of their FD practice at nationals 2017. I love fancams because you can see elements from different perspective.

Look at the straight line lift, their stability is impressive!! https://youtu.be/uP5-Tku5S_0?t=84

 

[semogal]

Interview with the Shibs "Maia and Alex Shibutani: Marina listens us and we listen her:

http://fs-gossips.com/maia-and-alex-shibutani-marina-listens-us-and-we-listen-her/