The Dance Hall 14: Waltz Tango Foxtrot

Ka3sha said:
A little update on Russian Ice Dance since the ISU update on AIN / neutral status

Ekaterina Mironova / Evgeny Ustenko
Coached by Elena Sokolova. Fourth place at RusNats, third place at the Russian Cup Final. They have been actively seeking international opportunities over the years and have been going to training camps in the US. They have just spent a few weeks at WISA with Tanith and Greg
FD from Russian Cup Final: https://www.1tv.ru/sport/final-gran...al-gran-pri-rossii-po-figurnomu-kataniyu-2026
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Thank you for the update @Ka3sha . I remember enjoying Mironova/Ustenko during the Beijing quad - they had sone interesting programmes (they were the time with the A Chorus Line Finnstep RD, right?) but at the time were quite weak technically compared with other teams being sent out internationally. I guess sticking together has paid off when most of the other teams were back on the partnership merry-go-round.

Is Devid Naryzhnyy still injured?

Still :fragile: that Khudaiberdieva retired so young.
 
Belsornia said:
Thank you for the update @Ka3sha . I remember enjoying Mironova/Ustenko during the Beijing quad - they had sone interesting programmes (they were the time with the A Chorus Line Finnstep RD, right?) but at the time were quite weak technically compared with other teams being sent out internationally. I guess sticking together has paid off when most of the other teams were back on the partnership merry-go-round.

Is Devid Naryzhnyy still injured?

Still :fragile: that Khudaiberdieva retired so young.
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I think David is on the mend. Hoping he can recover. OTOH, it may have been good for Khuda; she struggled so publicly with eating disorders as she climbed the ranks. I wonder if her challenges contributed to her poor posture issues? It was very distracting for me; I couldn't get into her at all. Pity, though, that Katashinskaya couldn't keep going. She was lovely to watch, if only she had continued to develop.
 
Narizhny had a knee surgery and him/Khavronina had to sit out a season and a half. If I am not mistaken, he is back on the ice now.

Khudaberdieva is now on the junior ice dance supervision team (aka junior head coach or so)
 
Karen-W said:
Are there any other junior teams that may be in the mix for one of the 2 JGP spots?

And are they good enough to medal against the current JGP field (Aboian/Veselukhin, Perrier Gianesini/Blanc Klaperman, Mouaden/Bigot, Soldati/Tagliabue, Bianchi/Basile, Robertson/Rohner?

There may be an opportunity for a talented Russian team to make the JGPF but they're going to need a bit of luck that the USFS, FFSG and FISG don't send their top teams to either China or Thailand, I think.
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Well Benoit Richaud choreographed for Fefelova & Valov this season and he said something like no one in the current international jr field is better than them.

Back when they were both in Russia with different partners, Rodin had a clear lead over Veselukhin. It will be interesting to see where he would be now with Grimm.

I have heard rumors that USFS was considering sending Aboian/Veselukhin to Thailand (and Calhoun/Zheltysev, Stapert/Korotcov to China). But it may change with the comeback of Russia.
 
In the Loop on X is posting quotes and photos from the skaters at the media day:

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In The Loop (@InTheLoPodcast) on X

Covering what there is to know about figure skating, from an international team of figure skating fans. Support us: https://t.co/CMkrTQ8Td4
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#MarjorieLajoie / #JeanLucBaker’s goals is to be smart. They want to get in shape, prevent injury, and be comfortable with each other. Results wise, they want to win Canadian Nationals, make the 4CC podium, and have a top eight finish at Worlds.

#HannahLim / #ZakLagha said that they like LiLa as a team name but also accept HanZa! They didn’t like the idea of LimGha, Hack, or HaZak

#SandrineGauthier / #PaulAyer will be skating to a Queen medley for their rhythm dance (starting with We Will Rock You to get the crowd going), and The Hunger Games for their free dance. Paul was asked if he considered representing Mexico as he got citizenship this summer but said that representing Canada means a lot to him. Donovan Carrillo apparently keeps begging Paul to switch though

Alicia Fabbri and Marko Jevgeni Gaidajenko made a pros and cons list to decide if they’d represent Estonia or Canada but eventually Canada landed on top! They are looking at working hard to hopefully make the Worlds team and are making an eight year plan
 
coralline said:
I have heard rumors that USFS was considering sending Aboian/Veselukhin to Thailand (and Calhoun/Zheltysev, Stapert/Korotcov to China). But it may change with the comeback of Russia.
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Skaters representing America who have Russian passports could have difficulty gaining entry to some of the JGP host nations, which could limit where these teams are sent. That was reported as the reason that Calhoun/Zheltyshev had to withdraw from junior worlds.
 
her grace said:
Skaters representing America who have Russian passports could have difficulty gaining entry to some of the JGP host nations, which could limit where these teams are sent. That was reported as the reason that Calhoun/Zheltyshev had to withdraw from junior worlds.
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Poland and Latvia are the two JGP countries where I'd expect there to be issues for any skaters with Russian passports, regardless of the country they now represent. I'd expect Grimm/Rodin to have similar issues.
 
chantilly said:
Bakerie look the strongest. But I'm very intrigued by Lim and Lagha.
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I think I disagree. I think there's a difference in interpretation and upper body movement that is very noticeable with Bakerie while Lim/Lagha seem to fit and match better. But overall, both teams look very promising to me.
It's also a smart move that both are going in completely different directions - Bakerie said they are doing fun, upbeat programs while Lim/Lagha talked about wanting to do a more traditional waltz (and some clips they shared show balletic movement). It's good that both will have different identities, and it also makes me wonder if the fun, upbeat L/L programs came more from Marjorie than Zak (as both talked about struggling to agree on their creative visions).
Anyhow, super exciting to see what both teams can bring to ice dance.
 
angi said:
I think I disagree. I think there's a difference in interpretation and upper body movement that is very noticeable with Bakerie while Lim/Lagha seem to fit and match better. But overall, both teams look very promising to me.
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I thought Bakerie matched better from the waist down and Lim/Lagha matched better from the waist up. Jean-Luc is very relaxed in the upper body compared with almost every other ice dancer, and Hannah Lim still has a noticeably stiffer knee bend than Lagha. But these were short clips and its very early days for all the new teams.

Fabbri/Gaidajenko looked pretty solid too, though I'm still a bit perplexed by their decision to skate for Canada rather than Estonia (and Gauthier/Ayer to pick Canada over Mexico). I guess the posibility of going to the Olympics is a strong motivator.

I didn't expect Lajoie/Baker to go for an upbeat FD, since both tended towards lyrical FDs with their former partners, but I'm looking forward to seeing it.
 
Belsornia said:
Fabbri/Gaidajenko looked pretty solid too, though I'm still a bit perplexed by their decision to skate for Canada rather than Estonia (and Gauthier/Ayer to pick Canada over Mexico). I guess the posibility of going to the Olympics is a strong motivator.
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If Gaidajenko has been in Montreal since 2021, he might be well on his way or already have PR status in Canada. She also is eligible for a developmental card this season. The Estonian Fed isn't that well-financed, and there's a decent chance for a more lucrative card next year, if they do well at Canadian Nats, where the field is pretty open. Quebec funds its athletes as well.

I thought Ayer might skate for Mexico, but that doesn't make financial sense either, especially with both teams training in Canada.
 
TanithandBenFan said:
In the Loop on X is posting quotes and photos from the skaters at the media day: [...]
Alicia Fabbri and Marko Jevgeni Gaidajenko made a pros and cons list to decide if they’d represent Estonia or Canada but eventually Canada landed on top! They are looking at working hard to hopefully make the Worlds team and are making an eight year plan [/I]
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AnythingGOEs compiled Fabbri/Gaidajenko's quotes into this article (July 11): https://anythinggoe.com/fabbrigaidajenkointerview/
 
I know most focus is on Lajoie & Lagha's new partnerships, but I find myself interested in Fabbri and Ayer's new partnerships almost as much. I know they were solid together, but incredibly boring, and possibly a mismatch in terms of style? With Gautier, it's clear he's a spark plug, and Fabbri pulled more elegant. Super interesting to see how all four teams evolve.
 
Belsornia said:
I thought Bakerie matched better from the waist down and Lim/Lagha matched better from the waist up. Jean-Luc is very relaxed in the upper body compared with almost every other ice dancer, and Hannah Lim still has a noticeably stiffer knee bend than Lagha. But these were short clips and its very early days for all the new teams.

Fabbri/Gaidajenko looked pretty solid too, though I'm still a bit perplexed by their decision to skate for Canada rather than Estonia (and Gauthier/Ayer to pick Canada over Mexico). I guess the posibility of going to the Olympics is a strong motivator.

I didn't expect Lajoie/Baker to go for an upbeat FD, since both tended towards lyrical FDs with their former partners, but I'm looking forward to seeing it.
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Did they say they were going upbeat for the FD? I thought I saw upbeat for the RD and something different for the FD.
 
Theatregirl1122 said:
Did they say they were going upbeat for the FD? I thought I saw upbeat for the RD and something different for the FD.
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I was responding to @angi 's comment that they were doing fun, upbeat programs, which I took to mean both, but looking at the quotes from the media day they were pretty vague about their choices. I guess as they're debuting later than the other teams it's probably still work in progress for them.
 
Registered to skate at next month's Quebec Summer Championships in Pierrefonds for Greece in Senior are Olympia Kalaganis/Émile Deveau (JGP for Canada last season & 10th in Junior at 2026 Nationals): https://www.isuresults.com/bios/isufs00124091.htm

Also listed for the Quebec comp. are Sara Kishimoto/Michail Savitskiy, who will make their debut there for Germany, and her former partner in Junior, Atsuhiko Tamura (he skated with Chisato Uramatsu last season), who has formed a new partnership with Rikako Fukase for Japan.
 
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I've been having fun watching all the clips that Shoma and Marin are posting. I love that they are willing to post their mistakes. Can anyone identify this music?

www.instagram.com

Instagram

Create an account or log in to Instagram - Share what you're into with the people who get you.
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Allskate said:
I've been having fun watching all the clips that Shoma and Marin are posting. I love that they are willing to post their mistakes. Can anyone identify this music?
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Here's the direct link to Honda/Uno's video reel (rather than the Insta story): https://www.instagram.com/reels/DauxXaWpPF7/

Fear/Gibson working with Scott Moir on the Golden Waltz: https://www.instagram.com/reel/DalZ50Phhsh/

Clips from Fabbri/Gaidajenko's Billie Eilish RD:
www.instagram.com

Skating Stan on Instagram: "Alicia Fabbri & Marko Jevgeni Gaidajenko are skating to Billie Eilish for their 2026-27 Rhythm Dance!🖤💚 Alicia and Marko, a new senior Canadian ice dance team, announced their partnership on June 17 after skating together

841 likes, 7 comments - fs.skatingstan on July 12, 2026: "Alicia Fabbri & Marko Jevgeni Gaidajenko are skating to Billie Eilish for their 2026-27 Rhythm Dance!🖤💚 Alicia and Marko, a new senior Canadian ice dance team, announced their partnership on June 17 after skating together on a tryout day...
www.instagram.com www.instagram.com

More training clips from I.AM Montreal:
www.instagram.com

Skating Stan on Instagram: "A sneak peek at some of your favorite ice dance teams! #figureskating #iceskating #icedance"

547 likes, 4 comments - fs.skatingstan on July 13, 2026: "A sneak peek at some of your favorite ice dance teams! #figureskating #iceskating #icedance".
www.instagram.com www.instagram.com
 
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