The Dance Hall 10: The Saitama Samba 2022-2023

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angi said:
I wouldn't put it on IAM, I remember Patrice Lauzon being super vocal against the suggestion to remove patterns in the past. My bet is that it's an attempt to make the RD feel more fresh and interesting and less limiting (it fails of course).
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Fair enough. But it is so strange that everyone seems to hate the decision - coaches, skaters, fans - everyone except the isu. Go figure.
 
Kudryavtseva/Karatkevich took themselves out of the JGP Final race with their 5th place today.

Mrazek and Lim/Quan qualify with a 4th place in Egna (unless Simova/Aksenov win with a great score with Gauthier/Thieren in second)

If in Egna it ends with

1) Mrazek x 2
2) Lim/Quan
3) Gauthier/Thieren

G/T would need 147.86 to win the tie-break with Fradji/Fourneaux. Looks very doable.

Question mark is in which shape Neset/Markelov are.
 
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Re: Hawayek and Baker, this is their RD from 2018 (samba/rhumba):

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It was definitely more of an attempt at being hot/sultry than this season's, and I think the difference between the two actually shows just how MUCH they've grown as a team and their clearer artistic vision and sense of who they are on the ice.
 
Andrea82 said:
Kudryavtseva/Karatkevich took themselves out of the JGP Final race with their 5th place today.

Mrazek and Lim/Quin qualify with a 4th place in Egna (unless Simova/Aksenov win with a great score with Gauthier/Thieren in second)

If in Egna it ends with

1) Mrazek x 2
2) Lim/Quan
3) Gauthier/Thieren

G/T would need 147.86 to win the tie-break with Fradji/Fourneaux. Looks very doable.

Question mark is in which shape Neset/Markelov are.
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Gauthier/Thieren won't qualify if Neset/Markelov finish ahead of them, which is also quite possible. Personally, I'm rooting for a JGPF with entrants from 6 different countries (and unbelievably bummed that Neset/Markelov have no shot at making it because they only have this one JGP due to circumstances beyond their control).
 
Karen-W said:
Gauthier/Thieren won't qualify if Neset/Markelov finish ahead of them, which is also quite possible. Personally, I'm rooting for a JGPF with entrants from 6 different countries (and unbelievably bummed that Neset/Markelov have no shot at making it because they only have this one JGP due to circumstances beyond their control).
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Did they have to miss Poland due to visa problems? I may be wrong but I believe Poland are very strict on Russian passports just now.
 
litenkyckling said:
Did they have to miss Poland due to visa problems? I may be wrong but I believe Poland are very strict on Russian passports just now.
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No one knows why they couldn't compete in Poland this week, but given they weren't withdrawn until last Saturday and they posted this week that they were looking forward to their first & only JGP in Egna, it seems like a reasonable assumption that Artem couldn't get a visa to get into Poland after they tightened their restrictions last month. It still doesn't explain why the USFS didn't assign them to one of the first 3 JGPs since they're our highest-scoring junior team from the summer NQS comps, so there is a question of an undisclosed injury and what sort of shape they'll be in for Egna.
 
her grace said:
I am not impressed with Green/Parsons' program. The lack of speed is a real issue. The Parsons team never lacked speed, and I don't recall the Greens having this issue either. Hopefully, it's something they can figure out because right now the Taschlers could literally skate circles around them. My other big concern with this RD is that there seems to be no connection or chemistry between the partners. I did like their lift with the languid dismount to match the music, but lots of work to do here!
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Hopefully I'm wrong, but I just don't see them growing into this RD. I cringed a few times when they were attempting some of the more latin moves. I have the same viewing experience watching Bratti-/Sommerville's RD this season.I think MIDA missed the mark with those two RDs and for similar reasons.

Also, G/Pa need to work on or switch up that lift. It's a cool concept, but was shaky and ungraceful.
 
Karen-W said:
Ouch. I disagree with your opinion that the ISU wants the skaters to be "sexy" when they select Latin rhythms. I think they want them to be fun, lively and energetic. And, seeing as there are still plenty of sibling dance teams out there, wanting those teams to be sexy is asking a bit much, unless you're into Flowers in the Attic or Game of Thrones. There is a wide range of interpretations available to teams for any rhythm combinations the ISU goes with in any season.

I've already expressed my opinion on the range of interpretations teams have at their disposal for Latin rhythms. It doesn't HAVE to be sultry or hot necessarily. I thought HawBak brought a playful, quirky quality and I rather love it. Here's the other thing, they know who their top competitors are and where their strengths lie - they're never going to be sultrier than Chock & Bates, so why even try? That's true of most teams, though most of them will try to sex it up because they aren't thinking outside of the same box you're stuck in. I love that HawBak went in a completely different direction with their RD this season and are trying to play to what audiences love in their exhibitions - something humorous and with a bit of a wink to the music.

Also, the recording was probably from the 1940s, and it sounded like it. I'm not sure any of Desi Arnaz's music from before he became a TV star has ever been remastered, which is a shame, but it is what it is. Get over it.

To each his own, I guess, but I thought the complete opposite of their RD. It was cold and clinical - hard to make me think you're sexy or hot for each other when you can barely even look each other in the eyes through the entire dance. And don't get me started on Laurence's smile through most of it. This dance was giving Garabedian/Proulx Senecal a run for their vanilla, bland money.

Eh, they were better on sultry and passionate than FBSor, I'll give you that. I don't think their RD is appreciably better than some of the other US teams we've seen this season. I think Pate/Bye have a better RD and they're on par with McNamara/Spiridonov, which is borne out by their score here today - same general 72-73 point range that both of the other teams received when they skated clean at their Challengers earlier this season.
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Now I'm picturing a Flowers in the Attic free dance and can't stop giggling to myself

But I also wouldn't be shocked if it was done at some point in the 90s or something
 
Ena Grins said:
Re: Hawayek and Baker, this is their RD from 2018 (samba/rhumba):

- YouTube

Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube.
www.youtube.com www.youtube.com

It was definitely more of an attempt at being hot/sultry than this season's, and I think the difference between the two actually shows just how MUCH they've grown as a team and their clearer artistic vision and sense of who they are on the ice.
Click to expand...

This was actually the dance that first made me a fan of Hawayek/Baker. Although I agree they've grown a lot with their artistic vision since then, this dance was actually also a bit innovative that year, because they used rap/club music whereas most teams were going with more traditional/straightforward Latin selections. It was just a little bit daring and interesting and was the first time that they really captured my attention as a team. I actually still watch this RD fairly often compared to other dance programs.

Watching this is a bit painful right now, as it's a reminder of how much better the RDs were with a pattern and a real step sequence and no character steps. I agree with everyone who's argued that the character steps aren't really necessary in RDs.
 
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Oh, my word. I am loving everything from Lopareva and Brissaud!! I can honestly watch their programs on repeat. I know GC did their FD does anyone know who choreographed the RD?
 
I think choreographically there are interesting moments in G/P's RD, but right now the vibe they are serving is "I have the steps to this dance memorized!" I don't love the music, but I do like that it's different, however they have to bring something more out of it.

FBS-S's program feels on the generic side to me? Like two really hot people who figured that just being hot would work for them.

TBH H/B's program is the one of the ONLY RDs I've seen so far that feels like it was choreographed/performed with any kind of vision whatsoever. It needs more millage on it to clean it up, but it's actually doing something. Most Latin RDs tend to be doing "this is a Latin RD" and are barely programs.
 
Theatregirl1122 said:
I think choreographically there are interesting moments in G/P's RD, but right now the vibe they are serving is "I have the steps to this dance memorized!" I don't love the music, but I do like that it's different, however they have to bring something more out of it.

FBS-S's program feels on the generic side to me? Like two really hot people who figured that just being hot would work for them.

TBH H/B's program is the one of the ONLY RDs I've seen so far that feels like it was choreographed/performed with any kind of vision whatsoever. It needs more millage on it to clean it up, but it's actually doing something. Most Latin RDs tend to be doing "this is a Latin RD" and are barely programs.
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I love their take on Latin, it's like watching classic Latin dance sports. Who did the choreography pretty please?

Funnily I find the H/B R/D dreadfully flat and dull. How they scored so close to FB/S is a mystery and why Green/Pars is so low is also another mystery. Oh well.
 
Not a great outing for Green/Parsons in the FD as well, scoring only 104.70 and finishing 5th overall. I always expected to have a dull FD set to Rhapsody In Blue and unfortunately, it proved to be right, their FD is as generic as it gets and after the great set of programs they had last season with a strong RD and FD that was one of the two most popular FDs (along with Zorro), their material this season is just not good. I also question the decision to have them compete here, since they switched coaches only in June I doubt they were ready for this event. No video yet, unfortunately, I'll edit once I'll find one.

ETA: We have a link now


Hawayek/Baker can go home happy with new PB in the FD and overall score. Their FD is basically Chopin rehashed with a lot of the elements and choreography staying the same, but not sure I can even fault them for it after they struggled for so long and only with Chopin started to see a consistent rise in their scores.


Fournier-Beaudry/Sorensen didn't come to Finlandia to play and it shows. Their FD is also similar in many ways to their most successful FD (Spanish Caravan) but it works so well for them that they still manage to make it impressive and look sharp and well-trained. Whoever is responsible for Laurence's costumes this season deserves an award, she is by far the best-packaged skater we've seen so far, only Madi Chock can come close.


And I just can't get behind the Taschler's PSA themed FD, I like them a lot but the FD is offputting for me.
 
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angi said:
Not a great outing for Green/Parsons in the FD as well, scoring only 104.70 and finishing 5th overall. I always expected to have a dull FD set to Rhapsody In Blue and unfortunately, it proved to be right, their FD is as generic as it gets and after the great set of programs they had last season with a strong RD and FD that was one of the two most popular FDs (along with Zorro), their material this season is just not good. I also question the decision to have them compete here, since they switched coaches only in June I doubt they were ready for this event. No video yet, unfortunately, I'll edit once I'll find one.

Hawayek/Baker can go home happy with new PB in the FD and overall score. Their FD is basically Chopin rehashed with a lot of the elements and choreography staying the same, but not sure I can even fault them for it after they struggled for so long and only with Chopin started to see a consistent rise in their scores.


Fournier-Beaudry/Sorensen didn't come to Finlandia to play and it shows. Their FD is also similar in many ways to their most successful FD (Spanish Caravan) but it works so well for them that they still manage to make it impressive and look sharp and well-trained. Whoever is responsible for Laurence's costumes this season deserves an award, she is by far the best-packaged skater we've seen so far, only Madi Chock can come close.


And I just can't get behind the Taschler's PSA themed FD, I like them a lot but the FD is offputting for me.
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Beautiful from Lolo. Could we just stop pushing them under Piper and Paul, its beginning to look more ridiculous year after year. She has been one of my favourites by far for such a long long time. Sorensen keep it together man!

Edit: But programme wise I still think L/L and Lop/Bri have much better FDs.
 
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Bigbird said:
Beautiful from Lolo. Could we just stop pushing them under Piper and Paul, its beginning to look more ridiculous year after year. She has been one of my favourites by far for such a long long time. Sorensen keep it together man!
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I both agree with this ... And manage to not love this redux attempt at Spanish Caravan. I grant that I really loved that program of theirs and have found 85% of FB&S programs since to be lacking. Glad they're going in a better direction finally, and yet.... (Loved the RD because I love those Gloria Estefan songs, so....)

H&B are great but their programs feel long. Again. Hopefully I'll get over that later this season as they polish the FD at least.

Weird year for ice dance. Everything is interesting with the podium wide open. Most programs are... More miss than hit. God bless post -olympic seasons!
 
I am definitely enjoying junior dance and the lower ranked senior dance teams over anything I have seen from the top contenders. My mind completely wandered during H&B’s program and I focused more on Lolo’s skirt than the skating.
 
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3 out of 9 judges at Finlandia gave Taschlers' FD music requirements violation so maybe the "music" they use will be modified.

I like this team a lot and I support the cause, but that program is totally absurd.
 
Karen-W said:
Did you get a look at the Canadian judge? Now there was a real outlier! The only team where the Canadian judge's marks were in line with the rest of the panel were FBSor. For HawBak and TurkVer, the Canadian judge was a good 8 points below each team's overall score, 3 points below for both the Taschlers and GrePar, nearly 6 points below for OriPir and RamKiz, 2 points below for LingWein. That's some questionable judging there and some pretty obvious national bias going on.
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Today she (Klein) went for a +4 on FBS and -5 on HawBak to get her 10 points gap.
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The US judge (Millier who was also generous with TurkVer) put HawBak first by a small margin followed by a heavy lead by Estonian judge (who is the girl here).
Finnish judge (Lenkola) almost tied TurkVer to HawBak.
And the Czech judge (Misurec) put the Taschlers into third with Yuri from Kazakhstan agreeing with him.
Prins massacred the Taschlers (5.5 in Composition). Krauziene from Lithuania didn't like HawBak.

Nobody had Green/Parsons ahead of TurkVer (not even in the PCS), not even the US judge. Yuri from Kazakhstan had them 6th behind OriPir. OriPir were liked by Estonian judge who had them 4th.
 
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Definitely a tough start to the season for Green/Parsons. :( If you compare their free dance scores to their FD results at Skate Canada last year, the levels are fairly similar, but the PCS/GOE are significantly lower. I like their Rhapsody FD more than their RD. I think it's very flowy and elegant in places and kind of shows off Caroline in a new way. But yeah, the speed did seem to lag a bit toward the end. I don't know. I am a little surprised that they decided to go with such a traditional FD after last year. But maybe they just didn't want the pressure of trying to constantly top themselves as innovators (which gets hard). :confused: It could be that this dance just needs more practice and development to really look good.

On first glance, I really liked both Hawayek/Baker's and Founier-Beaudry/Sorensen's free dances. Gorgeous dress on Kaitlyn and great sense of intimacy/connection and flow with her and Jean-Luc. I love that Laurence and Nik are doing Spanish again. Nice to see something with definite character and out of the "contemplative contemporary" genre.
 
clairecloutier said:
Definitely a tough start to the season for Green/Parsons. :( If you compare their free dance scores to their FD results at Skate Canada last year, the levels are fairly similar, but the PCS/GOE are significantly lower. I like their Rhapsody FD more than their RD. I think it's very flowy and elegant in places and kind of shows off Caroline in a new way. But yeah, the speed did seem to lag a bit toward the end. I don't know. I am a little surprised that they decided to go with such a traditional FD after last year. But maybe they just didn't want the pressure of trying to constantly top themselves as innovators (which gets hard). :confused: It could be that this dance just needs more practice and development to really look good.
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Score wise they got the same as C/P did at Finlandia last year (as a reference point).

It feels like MIDA were touching on their second Finnstep RD as it had a similar feel in a way. This wasn't a bad FD, it was just a bit meh and didn't really feel like them? Any other team it might have been nice - but it felt like Michigan circa 2014 if that makes sense? I think the main issue programme wise is that THEY don't seem convinced by it, so how are we supposed to be? Some moments were nice - like the spin for example but overall kind of a step back in a way. I don't know - they set such a high bar last year that I was expected a really out of the box interpretation of this music.
 
IIRC, I think Tanith and Charlie both liked Green/Parsons' Martha Graham FD last year (right?), so it is a bit of a puzzle that they would now steer G/P back in a more traditional direction. Assuming this concept was their idea; which, we don't know if that is the case.
 
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