The Dance Hall 7: Tripping the Light Fantastic 2019-2020

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clairecloutier

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Maybe I’m too stressed atm to have fun, but I think finger guns as choreography is just a bridge too far for me now...it’s cringey and juniorish. 🤷🏻‍♀️


Finger guns are a bridge too far for me too. Not only because they're cheesy, but just because, with current events, I don't really want to see any kind of celebration of gun culture right now.
 

Marta24

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Now with Shpilevaya/Smirnov getting the last host spot at CoR, it`s going to be interesting to see them, Skoptcova/Aleshin and Lajoie/Lagha competing against each other in Seniors.
 

Lara111

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A pity. It should have or at least could have been their season in theory. Of course, there is still a possibility of them returning with great success to the Junior Nationals and Worlds, but after missing the whole JGP season it becomes less likely.

But I think Nguyen/Kolesnik at least would have fought with U/N for the JGPF title anyway, so it's not like they would have been guaranteed that win.
I am wondering what N/K will do if they win JGP title. With U/N out it looks very realistic for them. I am not sure if they would benefit from moving to Seniors next year.
 

Colonel Green

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I am wondering what N/K will do if they win JGP title. With U/N out it looks very realistic for them. I am not sure if they would benefit from moving to Seniors next year.
I expect there would be people in the USFSA pushing them to do another junior season, since the US' other teams at the moment aren't as strong (though some, like Wolfkostin/Chen, I expect will be heavyweights next year). And given Kolesnik's lack of US citizenship, a longshot bid to make the 2022 US Olympic team isn't a consideration for moving to seniors quickly. But by the same token, they might want to get started on a 2022 Four Continents/possible post-Olympic Worlds positioning.
 

Bigbird

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Now with Shpilevaya/Smirnov getting the last host spot at CoR, it`s going to be interesting to see them, Skoptcova/Aleshin and Lajoie/Lagha competing against each other in Seniors.
Does this mean that Morozov and Bagin do not get a GP this year?
 

Dobre

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A pity. It should have or at least could have been their season in theory. Of course, there is still a possibility of them returning with great success to the Junior Nationals and Worlds, but after missing the whole JGP season it becomes less likely.

Oh, I think Ushakova & Nekrasov are well established enough to be considered favorites for both of those events. I think the JGPF will allow someone else to be favorites as well. And I think Shanaeva & Narizhnyy also have the opportunity to establish themselves more than they would have if U&N were competing the JGP. But I'd assume Russia will send out U&N for senior B events and get them seen by the European judges before Junior Nationals & Junior Worlds. If they were not already Junior World & JGPF medalists, I think it would really hurt to miss out on that opportunity to prove themselves & climb the junior ranks during the JGP. But they have those titles & have been out on the junior international scene three seasons.
 

firstflight

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I did say last season that I thought the choreo slide has the potential to be a rather short-term gimmick, and I do still think so. Having said this, however, I have also already mentioned on this thread that I really liked two slides from the first JGP event in France, both of which I thought fit the style of the programs and helped tell the stories the athletes were trying to tell. The major problem I see with a lot of choreographic slides is that they kill the skaters' momentum. And that can very easily lead to a hole in the program if you then have a stop or choreographic posing also and a choreographic spin . . . and choreographic footwork that only goes across the short axis of the ice. Anyway, you have to be careful about the construction of a program as a whole and keep the sense of speed & flow going. Use those choreographic elements as real highlights but make sure they don't turn into stoplights.

I liked Fear & Gibson's new choreo elements fine. I thought the final third of the program was entertaining (the part following the final music switch). The problem I had with their program is that the choreography doesn't really kick into the program until after they finish all the major elements. They are mostly focused on getting those elements done rather than "Striking a pose"--at least any interesting ones--when the music asks for it prior to the completion of those major elements.

Of course, I've only seen it once. And they will gain more confidence with the program throughout the season. But I did feel this was an issue with the choreography throughout the first two thirds of the program, and I do think the program as a whole is unbalanced at the moment. Better to have a strong ending and weak beginning than the reverse but still worth improving throughout the season, I think.

I think a related issue is that Lilah has zero Madonna in her. The choreography can be fairly light if the attitude is there, like Madonna herself in this performance:

She got there somewhat with disco but in a fun way. Lewis still always grabbed the attention in that program. Here, she needs sultry/intense sexy and I just don’t know if she ever gets there.
 

Andora

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I think a related issue is that Lilah has zero Madonna in her...

She got there somewhat with disco but in a fun way. Lewis still always grabbed the attention in that program. Here, she needs sultry/intense sexy and I just don’t know if she ever gets there.

I agree with this. I just had this sinking, nervous feeling as soon as I saw her costume. I hate to sound reverent about pop music in a skating thread, but you kind of have to handle the mantle of some artists. Lots of skaters don't skate up to their music - this was tough. BUT I'm really hoping, of all the FDs this weekend, that F&G get a handle on their program. Talk about swinging for the fences. Good on them.
 

Dobre

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It looks like K/F are withdrawing as well. Another strong team.

They are relisted for Italy, which will even things out in the JGP fields as a whole. It made no sense for three gold & silver medalists to be assigned to Poland.
 

Colonel Green

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The weird thing is that seemingly RusFed was going to keep them in Gdansk if not for the illness, which would have made Italy an extremely open contest after U/N withdrew.
 

Dobre

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The weird thing is that seemingly RusFed was going to keep them in Gdansk if not for the illness

I don't really buy it. If U&N were going to compete, then yes, K&F were going to Poland. But without U&N, sending K&F to Italy gives them a better shot at a win and keeps another team from another country from having a good shot at the title in Italy. (Which could have happened, you know. D'Allessandro & Waddell almost defeated Tyutyunina & Shustitskiy in Riga--bested them in the RD there). My guess is that U&N dropped out too late to fill the opening in Poland with a sub. The "health reasons" referenced on the website are probably U&N's. But, you know, I'm just a skeptic after having watched a LOT of close ice dance head-to-heads never come off.

Anyway, I don't care about the logistics. I care that the field as a whole is more even now. It didn't make any sense to have all three gold & silver medalists in the same spot, especially as we all knew U&N might withdraw from the final two events.

I'd be pretty upset if I were one of the Russian dance teams in line for a berth & saw a second JGP space go empty; but I'm a Demougeot & Le Mercier fan so I am glad D&LM will get a real shot. As I mentioned more than once, I really thought they should go to Italy. But this works too. I just didn't want to see them have a great skate here & then miss out on a JGPF berth to a team with a lower total score because of a possible 3rd place berth in a packed event. So now the fields are more even and we have the hard part. The current top scoring teams have to do their best to actually skate well with the Final on the line.
 

happycamper2554

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"health reasons" referenced on the website are probably U&N's. But, you know, I'm just a skeptic after having watched a LOT of close ice dance head-to-heads never come off.

Kudaberdieva liked a post this morning about them competing with N/K in Gdnask. If she or Filatov are sick or injured, she would have already known they weren't going to compete. Plus I love a good conspiracy and it's Russia.
 

Colonel Green

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My guess is that U&N dropped out too late to fill the opening in Poland with a sub. The "health reasons" referenced on the website are probably U&N's.
I agree that strategically it makes more sense for RusFed to move them to fill the gap created by U/N, but the idea of them dropping out too late would just be a different type of bad planning. Everybody knew that U/N's being named to the last two events was provisional. There should logically have been a threshold moment where RusFed definitively knew whether they'd be ready to compete or not to leave them enough time to get all their ducks in a row. That potentially they lost a spot simply by waiting too long suggests RusFed put less thought into this than I did.
 

marbri

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Chock/Bates at US Classic, practice videos

Don't really have an opinion on the programs at this stage but I do love their lifts. She just slithers into all those positions so well. They are like their coaches in that both teams major strength was their lifts so I was always interested to see what Patrice could do when he had a team like them.
 

MarieM

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Uh. The FD is a copy cat choreography of PechBourz program, but IMO, it's already much better in the way all elements look blended in. The lifts are amazing.

Hate the RD. But I won't like a lot of those this season like last season. Not my format at all.

And I saw the little ones on Hairspray. Horrid choice of composition, choreography that has nothing to do with what is said ... So deception again. And again. I want the ODs back.
 

Miloune

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Uh. The FD is a copy cat choreography of PechBourz program, but IMO, it's already much better in the way all elements look blended in. The lifts are amazing.

I can already hear Péchalat on Eurosport hinting to the fact that she and Bourzat are the ones who came up first with the Egyptian routine lol.
She loves to do this. Even more than she loves C/B... 😎.
 
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chantilly

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The only really similar thing to P and B Egyptian program is the music/theme. Egyptian tutting arms were not unique to P and B.

Stylistically it’s more reminiscent of D and L’s Titus.

RD suits them.

Liked what I saw so far in both programs. But will wait until they complete them to really get a sense.
 
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nuge

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The only really similar thing to P and B Egyptian program is the music/theme. Egyptian tutting arms were not unique to P and B.

Agree.
Denkova/Staviski did a FD in 03 which was quite good.Think I'm going to love this!
 

chantilly

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^ I thought I remembered another Egyptian style program. Loved D and S.

Will go and take a look.

Also didn’t some single skaters skate to similar music.
 

marbri

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I never ONCE was reminded of PechBourzat's Egyptian FD when watching Chock/Bates. But now that I am reminded of that program I do recall smirking to myself as I read how innovative it was because the Egyptian arms weren't invented by them ;)
 

Bigbird

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I never ONCE was reminded of PechBourzat's Egyptian FD when watching Chock/Bates. But now that I am reminded of that program I do recall smirking to myself as I read how innovative it was because the Egyptian arms weren't invented by them ;)
I thought Sara and Ciril had Vika and Nikita beat? For SinKats the costumes are too heavy and they seemed flat. They need something more light and airy to match their dancing. :(
 
C

casken

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Based on the clips, I'm actually really intrigued by C&B's FD for the first time in... ever? I like the ending a lot. Very different from the usual "ta-da!" ending they do.
 
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