The Dance Hall 11: Movin' On Up 2023-2024

[Andora]

I guess the Grease Mega Mix would qualify, non?

Jeebus, why does the ISU hate ice dance so much?

 

[quartz]

When I think of her dancing, I think of this. When I think of an Ann Margret song, I think of this Razzie Award winning masterpiece.

The Bye Bye Birdie outfit would be stunning as an ice dance dress!

 

[Sonata]

I feel like ISU wants Lilah Fear to have an Olympic medal. Timing is everything.

 

[Lanie]

Rockafeller Skank

not gonna lie I've always wanted someone to skate to this or to Weapon of Choice

 

[airgelaal]

not gonna lie I've always wanted someone to skate to this or to Weapon of Choice

Here you are

 

[Sonata]

Rockafeller Skank

I think this scene from She’s All That proves that Rockafeller Skank is EXACTLY what the ISU was thinking of when they proposed this theme. (I forgot Usher was in this movie.)

- YouTube

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

m.youtube.com

 

[On My Own]

I think the COP rules are too restrictive but I don't think that the rhythms and prescribed pattern are. I think they are exactly the authority that provides the tableau for creativity that makes the short/rhythm dance potentially interesting. The free dance is for the less restricted creativity (tho restricted by the technical requirements for various elements that often disrupt the possibility for things to be truly creative).

I don't think the short/rhythm dance should be the same as the free dance, lets see how the artistic works with more authority and then in the free dance how it works with less.

Well as I said, we just fundamentally disagree, which is perfectly okay by me.

I doubt I'm going to watch and argue about it during the time it's all happening anyway. I mostly didn't this season.

 

[screech]

I think this scene from She’s All That proves that Rockafeller Skank is EXACTLY what the ISU was thinking of when they proposed this theme. (I forgot Usher was in this movie.)

- YouTube

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

m.youtube.com

The best part about that scene is that clearly Freddie Prinze Junior couldn't dance, so they very noticeably kept him out of all the 'real' dance parts.

 

[LeafOnTheWind]

not gonna lie I've always wanted someone to skate to this or to Weapon of Choice

Didn't we have a dance team at US Nationals that used both Rockefeller Skank and Weapon of Choice? Or at least one of these.

 

[sap5]

Didn't we have a dance team at US Nationals that used both Rockefeller Skank and Weapon of Choice? Or at least one of these.

Didn’t Hubbell/Donohue do them that year they mashed up a billion songs in one dance?

 

[LeafOnTheWind]

It probably is Hubbell/Donohue because that was my first thought. I just wasn't sure.

 

[Rhumba d’Amour]

Didn’t Hubbell/Donohue do them that year they mashed up a billion songs in one dance?

They did do that and as I recall, it was so unpopular—both with fans and judges—that they modified it and reduced the number of music cuts.

So much for the ISU’s apparent belief that this is what the people want!

 

[hlp728]

Didn't we have a dance team at US Nationals that used both Rockefeller Skank and Weapon of Choice? Or at least one of these.

Kimberly Navarro and Brett Bommentre skated to those two songs and Soul Surfing for their 2008-2009 FD.

 

[Sylvia]

This GSD discussion thread has since been created:

So it’s going to be a “Dance Party” RD in 2024/25?

So it’ll be a Dance Party! Woooohoooo! Info posted on TSL- https://m.facebook.com/

www.fsuniverse.net

Europe on Ice interviewed Phebe Bekker/James Hernandez at Europeans ahead of their Worlds debut:

Bekker & Hernandez: On The Same Page

By Hiro Yoshida In just three seasons, Phebe Bekker and James Hernandez have crammed a wealth of experience into their career together. As they embark on their first senior World Championships, the…

europeonice.com

In case this link wasn't posted earlier, Yuka Orihara/Juho Pirinen article before they competed at Euros:

Orihara & Pirinen: “We Want To Be Remembered”

By Hiro Yoshida Now well into their fifth season of skating together, Yuka Orihara and Juho Pirinen are increasingly gaining a following for their unique programmes and fresh approach to ice dance.…

europeonice.com

 

[Sylvia]

Andrea Psurna, 16, and Jachym Novak, 17 (they were 6th at the Youth Olympic Games for CZE http://www.isuresults.com/bios/isufs00114230.htm) are both newly listed on IPS.

ETA:

As mentioned in the Canadian Dance news thread last month, both Canadian teams at the YOG split last month — Audra Gans/Michael Boutsan and Caroline Kravets/Jacob Stark. Gans, Boutsan and Kravets are on IPS, as is Dana Sabatini-Speciale (JGP with Nicholas Buelow).

 

[Sylvia]

JGP competitors also on IPS now...

Kenny Eckert (USA), who will turn 20 in June and is based in Novi, MI - he and Amy Cui were 7th in Junior, both at Nationals and in their JGP debut last fall: isufs00118177

USA-born Christian Bennett, 21 later this month, who debuted on the JGP this season with Emma Goodstadt for Canada: http://www.isuresults.com/bios/isufs00117694.htm
ETA that Emma suffered a pelvic fracture in a practice collision during Challenge and announced her retirement a few weeks later.

Nikita Sosnenko, 20, of Ukraine (competed on JGP with Harlow Stanley for Mexico: http://www.isuresults.com/bios/isufs00113861.htm) - he lists his location as Vancouver as of Nov. 2023.

 

[clairecloutier]

Europe on Ice interviewed Phebe Bekker/James Hernandez at Europeans ahead of their Worlds debut:

Bekker & Hernandez: On The Same Page

By Hiro Yoshida In just three seasons, Phebe Bekker and James Hernandez have crammed a wealth of experience into their career together. As they embark on their first senior World Championships, the…

europeonice.com

This Bekker/Hernandez interview is interesting, because they talk pretty candidly about how it affected them to miss out on a Junior World bronze medal by 0.06 points--with the loss being due partly to a technical call that was questionable (to them, anyway).

 

[azcalder]

JGP competitors also on IPS now...

Kenny Eckert (USA), who will turn 20 in June and is based in Novi, MI - he and Amy Cui were 7th in Junior, both at Nationals and in their JGP debut last fall: isufs00118177

USA-born Christian Bennett, 21 later this month, who debuted on the JGP this season with Emma Goodstadt for Canada: http://www.isuresults.com/bios/isufs00117694.htm
ETA that Emma suffered a pelvic fracture in a practice collision during Challenge and announced her retirement a few weeks later.

Nikita Sosnenko, 20, of Ukraine (competed on JGP with Harlow Stanley for Mexico: http://www.isuresults.com/bios/isufs00113861.htm) - he lists his location as Vancouver as of Nov. 2023.

I spoke with them before the partnership ended. I believe his mother had already moved from Ukraine to Vancouver.

 

[ice coverage]

Wait, what? ... Enjoyed seeing the four Finnish ice dancers mix it up as they train for Worlds.

Turkkila & Versluis on Instagram: "Final touch-ups before the World Championships 😉 Two weeks to go 💪🏻🤩 Viimeiset viilaukset ennen MM-kisoja 😉 Kaksi viikkoa jäljellä 💪🏻🤩 #partnerswap #worldfigure Cover 📸: @svenvee"

2,188 likes, 45 comments - turkkilaversluis on March 8, 2024: "Final touch-ups before the World Championships 😉 Two weeks to go 💪🏻🤩 Viimeiset viilaukset ennen MM-kisoja 😉 Kaksi viikkoa jäljellä 💪🏻🤩 #partnerswap #worldfigure Cover 📸: @svenvee".

www.instagram.com

 

[justtojoke]

Wait, what? ... Enjoyed seeing the four Finnish ice dancers mix it up as they train for Worlds.

Turkkila & Versluis on Instagram: "Final touch-ups before the World Championships 😉 Two weeks to go 💪🏻🤩 Viimeiset viilaukset ennen MM-kisoja 😉 Kaksi viikkoa jäljellä 💪🏻🤩 #partnerswap #worldfigure Cover 📸: @svenvee"

2,188 likes, 45 comments - turkkilaversluis on March 8, 2024: "Final touch-ups before the World Championships 😉 Two weeks to go 💪🏻🤩 Viimeiset viilaukset ennen MM-kisoja 😉 Kaksi viikkoa jäljellä 💪🏻🤩 #partnerswap #worldfigure Cover 📸: @svenvee".

www.instagram.com

What a palate cleanser. I feel like I enjoy these glimpses of the skaters practicing in ordinary clothing better then when they're all dolled up for competition at times. No comp nerves just beautiful skating. More women should wear pants, it creates such an uninterrupted body line but that's a different conversation.

 

[Sylvia]

Saulius A. shared this video filmed by Jordan Cowan as he & Allison prep. for Worlds: https://www.instagram.com/reel/C4TIraggCyJ/

Piper’s video of media day at Bell Centre on Wednesday: https://www.instagram.com/reel/C4Q4PkQOQEO/

 

[coralline]

IAM should have 14 teams at worlds per Entries, but they only count 13 in their new post.
Guess we know who are not coming.

 

[Wyliefan]

IAM should have 14 teams at worlds per Entries, but they only count 13 in their new post.
Guess we know who are not coming.

Wait, what?

 

[skatingguy]

IAM should have 14 teams at worlds per Entries, but they only count 13 in their new post.
Guess we know who are not coming.

Wait, what?

Wang/Liu - either that or they are no longer being coached by IAM.

 

[VGThuy]

Creativity with no restrictions is like rebelling against nothing. Creativity requires something to be new and innovative as to push the boundaries of an existing form/authority. Without much of a form or authority, then there’s standard to push forward and in new directions. It’s not “creative” but just “creating”.

Anyway, I always thought creativity was what the free dances/skates were for hence the name and it being different from both the compulsory dances/figures and the 1972-73 created short program aka the technical program, which were to ensure skaters showed off the technical elements and forced skaters to skate to required elements that made it more difficult for skaters to choreograph around their weaknesses and also helped the judges compare apples to apples.

Regarding creativity, with the required elements, you really saw the top teams/skaters shine when you saw something good and seemed to transcend the patterns and required elements of the short to become a holistic program that was much more than the sum of its parts. The whole and not the parts is the antithesis to IJS era skating.

No matter what we decide works best, we cannot force masterpieces or memorable programs and expect them to come all the time even if we just loosened the rules to nothing… if they did, then those programs wouldn’t be as memorable or impactful as they are.

Anyways, most skaters are too sheltered and most choreographers are too polished to give us the authenticity and attitude of most of the modern dances the ISU thinks will happen if we let skaters dance to whatever they think is streamed the most on Spotify/Apple Music and the way ice dance has developed under IJS and what the elements they decided needed to be scored under TES has failed to help matters.

Not to mention blade glide and movement with the way judging rewards ice dance and how we want to keep the strict adherence to classic skating steps and turns with lenient adherence to whatever standard we have left with expecting ice dance teams to remain in hold (they still have to keep touching each other outside of the many elements and times they can be separated) just don’t translate to many of the staccato, step-heavy, upper body heavy, or more stationary dances that are popular today.

This is why I always rolled my eyes when Savchenko/Massot kept getting praised over ice dance teams for their swing dance SP, but most of the moves S/M we’re doing wouldn’t be allowed in a SD and I highly doubt that S/M would have gotten level 3-4s for their step sequence with ice dance callers or the high GOEs with the ice dance judges and they wouldn’t have jumps or pair elements to fall back on. Look at what happened to the celebrated Daisuke Takahashi when he tried ice dance. He had respectable showings and his showmanship was there but his skating skills snd control of the blade really suffered in comparison to his ice dance competitors in ways they didn’t when he was a Men’s skater.

 

[lauravvv]

Wang/Liu - either that or they are no longer being coached by IAM.

Wang/Liu competed recently at the Chinese National Winter Games, they skated well, and Pascal Denis was with them, but Xinyu Liu seemed to be in severe pain after the FD.

 

[coralline]

The entries have updated
https://results.isu.org/events/wc2024_IceDance.htm

 

[Sylvia]

IAM should have 14 teams at worlds per Entries, but they only count 13 in their new post.

Holly HARRIS / Jason CHAN AUS
Laurence FOURNIER BEAUDRY / Nikolaj SOERENSEN CAN
Marjorie LAJOIE / Zachary LAGHA CAN
Olivia SMART / Tim DIECK ESP
Solene MAZINGUE / Marko Jevgeni GAIDAJENKO EST https://www.instagram.com/p/C4VaGF-r-Fa/ ("In the next posts, we will present to you the 13 I.AM couples...")
Evgeniia LOPAREVA / Geoffrey BRISSAUD FRA
Lilah FEAR / Lewis GIBSON GBR
Misato KOMATSUBARA / Tim KOLETO JPN
Hannah LIM / Ye QUAN KOR
Allison REED / Saulius AMBRULEVICIUS LTU
Mariia HOLUBTSOVA / Kyryl BIELOBROV UKR https://www.instagram.com/p/C4WzmnFrYsG/
Christina CARREIRA / Anthony PONOMARENKO USA
Madison CHOCK / Evan BATES USA

 

[Sylvia]

Europe on Ice's Hiro Yoshida talked to Olivia Smart and Tim Dieck about their first season skating together as a team for Spain (March 12):

Smart and Dieck: Finding Their Niche

By Hiro Yoshida Olivia Smart and Tim Dieck have had a rollercoaster of a first year competing together for Spain, but they are now on track and ready for the climax of the season at the World Champ…

europeonice.com

 

[Former Lurve Goddess]

I’ve decided that Ice Dance Technical Committee needs to make the Batty Batas the RD theme one year.