Shibutanis thread 3: Evolution

[Jammers]

Funny to think about the Shibs' bronze medal may be the unhappiest received medal by fans of any of the medalists at Worlds. Even though some Savchenko/Massot or Papadakis/Cizeron's fans passionately argue that their respected faves should have won, the Shibs' bronze feels like it was a result of them surviving a coup. Now that they survived, it's time for them to learn from it and thrive. Funny enough, it wasn't that long ago where I would have loved it and been eternally grateful to the judges and skate gods if they had won a medal of any kind in this field by any means necessary. The problems of heightened expectations.

They know they have work too do because their teammates beat them in the SD and would have won bronze if Zack doesn't fall which means the judges were willing to put the 3rd place US team ahead of them. It's a bit of a wakeup call.

 

[VGThuy]

Thanks for stating the obvious. I love how the Shibs are being dismissed even though
H/D weren't even close to the Shibs in 3 international competitions this season until Worlds. There are theories about that but again it doesn't serve Alex and Maia to dwell on that but rather just work hard.

 

[sap5]

Thanks for stating the obvious. I love how the Shibs are being dismissed even though
H/D weren't even close to the Shibs in 3 international competitions this season until Worlds. There are theories about that but again it doesn't serve Alex and Maia to dwell on that but rather just work hard.

Who is USFSA supporting? Is it really equally behind all 3 teams?

 

[DDNatalia]

Just returned from travels in Japan (Tokyo) and Korea (Seoul) for work. It was an indication to me of how popular figure skating is in Asia that people who I would not have thought of as being uber skating fans, including random colleagues or clients, who all know about Yuna and Mao of course, that when I mention that Maia and Alex are amongst my favorites, these NON-ubers know who they are. People remember them from the Olympics, and TV and also amongst younger colleagues, from social media and Youtube. It was cool to see that skaters like the Shibs could be known by "normal" people, beyond the skating uber fan base.

 

[chapis]

Japan is not surprise, but it was impressive how we got so many photos and videos by fans in Korea 4cc, very different from Helsinki.

 

[DDNatalia]

How do you spell hungry? S.H.I.B.S.I.B.S.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BS9txxzDRHF/?taken-by=alexshibutani
"It's been non-stop, go go go since Worlds two weeks ago. A week in Switzerland and a week in LA. These two trips have been in the works for awhile, and @maiashibutani and I put every ounce of our energy into our work both on and off the ice. We're back home now, but the work doesn't stop here. We've got big ideas, big plans, and an army of family, friends, coaches and mentors helping us every step of the way."

https://www.instagram.com/p/BTAVctxDhSR/?taken-by=maiashibutani
hashtags: #process #creating #work #workworkworkworkwork
#roadtopyeongchang

 

[VGThuy]

I think Alex just gave us a hint for their SD music:

https://twitter.com/AlexShibutani/status/854134082338476032

@gk_891 I'm having flashbacks to Grishuk/Platov's 1996 FD...I hope theirs is better BUT I would love it if the Shibs can capture a good amount of Oksana and Evgeny's speed and energy.

 

[clairecloutier]

An article about Maia/Alex in the Greenwich Sentinel (paper in Connecticut, where they grew up). Not much news, but some quotes from former coaches:

https://www.greenwichsentinel.com/2...-takes-bronze-at-world-skating-championships/

 

[VGThuy]

Shibs Worlds vlog:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n26f4r_PccE

 

[chapis]

okay,I was bored and I decided to go to the cinema, during these two hours Maia and Alex announce that they are going to skate a mambo, they upload the vlog and there is a new interview .
I know we were expecting something more modern but Pérez Prado is the king , I am so excited!! I hope they won´t be experimenting, it is olympic season, they must go directly to the number 5 and 8.

 

[Spun Silver]

okay,I was bored and I decided to go to the cinema, during these two hours Maia and Alex announce that they are going to skate a mambo, they upload the vlog and there is a new interview .
I know we were expecting something more modern but Pérez Prado is the king , I am so excited!! I hope they won´t be experimenting, it is olympic season, they must go directly to the number 5 and 8.

Man, I cannot WAIT to see Alex doing these moves, including the bug eyes. (Maia will be much better than the woman in this vid.) It looks like it will be a really fun, high-energy SD for them.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T-Qnsk56_g4

 

[VGThuy]

I wonder if their SD will be anything like Daisuke's 2010-2011 SP. According to wiki, he skated to Perez Prado's renditions of "Historia de un Amor" and "Que rico el Mambo" though Daisuke's "Que rico el Mambo" sounds a bit beefed up from the original:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m-6ERfRQGKY

Obviously, I don't expect the same exact routine, but something that builds similarly and hoping to get a similar rise and OTT enthusiastic response out of the audience.

I just realized in their debut senior season, they competed 3 of the same events as Daisuke when he did that program. The audience reaction everywhere was something to behold, but then Daisuke was/is a skating rock star.

Man, I cannot WAIT to see Alex doing these moves, including the bug eyes. (Maia will be much better than the woman in this vid.) It looks like it will be a really fun, high-energy SD for them.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T-Qnsk56_g4

I can't wait to see it either. I want them to show the skating world who are skeptical that they are real dancers and see them dance with unexpected rhythm and energy. I always suspected they really had it in them, which is why I'm such a fan.

 

[Spun Silver]

It would be fabulous if they skated with Daisuke's extroverted, sexy abandon. I love the way he drills the music's high points. He's not going for subtle, he's going for broke. I don't think they would have picked mambo if they were planning to go subtle.

Also, being super extroverted and dancy here would give them space to be more understated in the free dance, if that's what they want. It's so impressive when skaters can show two entirely different styles in their short and long programs.

 

[VGThuy]

Anyone else loving the sheer amount of skaters shown in their latest vlog? Stolbova is so funny and smoldering, and both Tong and Jason Brown were really sweet about them. I love how cute Shoma Uno is. He seems to be getting a little bit more outgoing with each vlog. I also loved seeing Tessa/Scott/Gabriella/Guillaume there looking happy and directly greeting the camera. I wonder who was working the camera when they were doing a 360 close up on Javier's butt. Fans of other skaters can get a real nice, if at times brief, glimpse into their fave skaters by watching the Shibs vlogs.

 

[Mad for Skating]

Anyone else loving the sheer amount of skaters shown in their vlog? Stolbova is so funny and smoldering, and Tong was really sweet with them. Fans of other skaters can get a real nice, if at times brief, glimpse into their fave skaters by watching the Shibs vlogs.

Ahhhhhhhh anything with Shibs and Stolbova is magic!

 

[chapis]

Yesss!!! My favorites were Jason, Boyang, Ksenia, Vanessa, Shoma, Javi´s butt

 

[princeton123]

I was hoping for something more inspired and less old-fashioned for the SD

Sounds like the SD is just going to have to be something they grit their teeth, hope they get their levels and get through.

 

[gk_891]

I think Alex just gave us a hint for their SD music:

https://twitter.com/AlexShibutani/status/854134082338476032

@gk_891 I'm having flashbacks to Grishuk/Platov's 1996 FD...I hope theirs is better BUT I would love it if the Shibs can capture a good amount of Oksana and Evgeny's speed and energy.

That FD from G&P was probably their worst free dance ever which was a shame because most Latin rhythms suited Grishuk extremely well. Part of the problem was that it lacked any sort of subtlety, sensuality, or subtext. Like so many programs done by Linichuk & Karponosov, it was just flat-out banal. Hopefully the Shibs will work with someone who can put something much better together. Something with good speed and energy like you had mentioned but also something smooth and musical.

 

[chapis]

What we can not deny is that they have a lot of class, I mean, Frank Sinatra, Glenn Miller, Pérez Prado, Louis Armstrong, they may lose their keys, but never the class.

 

[Firedancer]

This was a really great vlog with lots of different skater appearances. Loved Stolbova, Jason, Shoma, Tessa, Scott, Gabby & Guillaume!

I can't wait to see everything the Shibs have already been working on for next season!

 

[chapis]

Do you think the picture that Alex posted is exactly the album they are using?

This is the list of songs of the album.
Side A: 1. María Bonita 2. Cu-Cu-Rru-Cu-Cu Paloma 3. La Borrachita 4. Machaca 5. Adiós Mi Chaparrita 6. Marta
Side B: 1. Lullaby Of Birdland 2. Flight Of The Bumblebee 3. Leo's Special 4. Come Back To Sorrento 5. Fireworks

There is no mambo number 5, no 8, no mambo jambo .

I love María Bonita and Cu-Cu-Rru-Cu-Cu Paloma but those are very slow. I like Flight Of The Bumblebee.

 

[Spun Silver]

Love the Bumblebee. That trumpeter is amazing, whoever he is (commenters on YT are fighting over it)!

 

[VGThuy]

Now that we're in the mood to talk about Latin and the Shibs, which version of their 2011-2012 SD do you guys prefer?

First Version

Second Version

I know people criticized them a lot that season and didn't think Latin fit them, but I thought the second version of the SD was pretty good, especially compared to some of the SDs I rewatched that season. I really appreciated that they went for more of a party theme and carried a lot of energy and character (especially Alex who seemed to be seriously into the dance) throughout that dance. I did appreciate parts of the first version. The difference to me was that the first version came off as an intermediate dance tutorial while the second one was more like "eff it, we just want to have fun and dance."

I think what would have made that second version better is if they could have carried that energy and dance and character that they had throughout that dance into the side-by-side no touch circular footwork sequence as it became more about hitting the turns for those levels right then and there. It sort of made the SD lose some steam a bit I felt as it was nearly the last thing we saw in that program.

Here's a cute clip of them working with Corky Ballas when they revamped their SD in-between GPF and Nationals.

 

[firstflight]

They're working with Alex Freakin' Wong?!

 

[arakwafan2006]

I hope they break through emotionally this year

 

[sap5]

They're working with Alex Freakin' Wong?!

Fingers crossed that they're making a ballet FD. I need to see one by someone next year! Maia would kill it.

 

[Bellanca]

What we can not deny is that they have a lot of class, I mean, Frank Sinatra, Glenn Miller, Pérez Prado, Louis Armstrong, they may lose their keys, but never the class.

Alex and Maia, summed up in a nutshell. Two of the classiest people that one can ever hope to meet.

 

[Firedancer]

They're working with Alex Freakin' Wong?!

Love this! Can't wait to see what he can bring to their skating/programs!

 

[chapis]

They're working with Alex Freakin' Wong?!

They worked with him for their FD 2014-15 The Blue Danube, right? it was not my favorite program but this guy is talented and Maia´s posture got even better that season.
So far, Stephane L., Hoku, Aye H., Stacy Walker (maybe), Serge Onik, Alex Wong. Maia and Alex want everyone get involved . And of course the input of Massimo, Peter, Jeff B., Marina.

 

[Dobre]

They worked with him for their FD 2014-15 The Blue Danube, right?

Not that I know of. (I'm sure someone else will know if they did). I believe they worked with him on Coppelia. Though Marina & Cheryl Yeagar have the choreo credit.

Here's the photo I remember:https://www.facebook.com/Maia.AlexShibutani/posts/1152134581469802

May 2015. So this was during preparation for the 2015-2016 season.