The Shibutanis Thread 6: Paradise Found

[chapis]

Tango is next season. The season after is the Broadway one. I’ll give you my thoughts later tonight. Heading out to dinner and a play.

My craziest idea was for them to tackle the Boy George musical Taboo with the song “Everything Taboo”. Before you ask, it’s not a jukebox musical and contains almost all original music written for the show. I was just imagining Alex going all Leigh Bowery.

omg, yes, they should use it!!, and it is so catchy, it is the first time I hear it.

 

[Kuurisu]

their short IG live was so cute, especially when alex and maia went artound target trying to find store puns^^

 

[teacakes]

I missed these two at worlds. Hope they're livin' it up lol.

 

[chapis]

I missed these two at worlds. Hope they're livin' it up lol.

Same . I wonder what they think about the new changes to the system and the new rhythms, I hope they liked it and will be motivated to continue.

 

[SCeline]

Maia and Alex still need our support as finalists for the Sullivan Award!
VOTE! Once a day this entire week through Friday!

Their track record of service to charities and communities both within and beyond sport, combined with their consistent efforts as positive representatives for the sport of figure skating, make them worthy finalists and potential winners in my view. "sportsmanship, leadership and persistence"

https://aausullivan.secure-platform.com/a/gallery/rounds/5/details/314

 

[chapis]

Here a lot of tweets for retweet #Shibutani4Sullivan https://twitter.com/search?l=&q=#Shibutani4Sullivan since:2018-03-23 until:2018-03-26&src=typd

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Did you see their most recent photos for Ralph Lauren? So gorgeous
https://www.instagram.com/p/Bgw9nQCh...=maiashibutani
https://www.instagram.com/p/BgwfvppD...=alexshibutani

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And I wonder what GP they will get, H/D will chose Skate America, I guess the most probable is Russia and China.

 

[VGThuy]

I was thinking about the Shibs continuing, and I know this sounds a little crazy, but it's clear Carol Lane LOVES the Shibs and even said they were one of two teams she thought were underscored in the Olympic SD. I think maybe Marina and Carol should do a sort of exchange program for a season and let the Shibs get their programs (at least their FD) choreographed by Lane's camp and have them follow-through with her checking etc. and maybe let G/P see if they like what Marina could give them. I know people will think the Shibs are getting the better end of the bargain, but we know Marina is capable of making great programs for non-siblings when she's inspired as evidenced by Muramoto/Reed's FD. I'd just like to see what Lane and her camp could come up with for the Shibs.

 

[chapis]

I was thinking about the Shibs continuing, and I know this sounds a little crazy, but it's clear Carol Lane LOVES the Shibs and even said they were one of two teams she thought were underscored in the Olympic SD. I think maybe Marina and Carol should do a sort of exchange program for a season and let the Shibs get their programs (at least their FD) choreographed by Lane's camp and have them follow-through with her checking etc. and maybe let G/P see if they like what Marina could give them. I know people will think the Shibs are getting the better end of the bargain, but we know Marina is capable of making great programs for non-siblings when she's inspired as evidenced by Muramoto/Reed's FD. I'd just like to see what Lane and her camp could come up with for the Shibs.

. I believe that Massimo's contribution is fundamental, perhaps more than that of Marina.

I really like the programs of G/P, but I'm not sure that the style favors Maia and Alex.

 

[VGThuy]

I think the Shibs do need someone with a strong creative/choreographic sense who has a strong idea of what will really work for them just for their personal growth and for continued success. The past three seasons, the Shibs had to work extremely hard to get FDs that worked and I think it will be beneficial for them in the long-run to work with creative minds who are also real ice dance coaches/choreographers who won't shy away from the challenge. They could learn even more about how they can move on the ice and what stories they could tell and what they want to be as ice dancers in the next four years. I also think a choreographer like Carol Lane could learn from the Shibs as well as Maia and Alex are so used to having so much control over their FDs that maybe they'd enjoy feeding off each other.

I think Lambiel's exhibition for them worked so well for me (as did Peter Tchernyshev's "O" exhibition) because that was them working with a choreographer who knew what he wanted to create and the Shibs completely gave themselves to that sort of dance and movement. I'd like to see that for a FD.

Anyway, I see that they are in L.A. again after being in New York, then L.A., then New York, then Boston, then home for a spell, and now L.A. I wonder if they have more public engagements and commitments. They really haven't been home long enough since the Olympics to train for Worlds (before that return home before this recent trip to L.A. they said there were only home for 19 hours), so it was wise of them to withdraw early on.

 

[kittyjake5]

They can count on my vote every day and I also have some of my friends voting too.

 

[Kuurisu]

is there a way they could put dance from actual dancers into their ice dance? for example if they learned from charlie bruce, would that be able to be incorporated into their dance? i know they have done latin and michael jackson, but they aren't quite as contemporary as what i'm thinking.

 

[chapis]

is there a way they could put dance from actual dancers into their ice dance? for example if they learned from charlie bruce, would that be able to be incorporated into their dance? i know they have done latin and michael jackson, but they aren't quite as contemporary as what i'm thinking.

What do you mean? They always collaborate with dancers (floor dancers, not only ice dancers). Actually, all ice dancers collaborate with dancers, but not always is so easy translate the moves from floor to ice.

 

[SCeline]

It has consistently been described, how hard it is to translate dance for the floor to the ice with authenticity. The Shibs though have always sought out some of the most authentic sources of dance influences to collaborate with. (Google is amazing). In 2012, they worked with Corky Ballas, a World ballroom champion for their Latin short dance program.

In 2013, for their Memoirs of a Geisha free dance they collaborated with Miyako Tachibana, who was the actual traditional Japanese dancer who advised on the Hollywood movie.
http://web.icenetwork.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20120904&content_id=37859440&fext=.jsp&vkey=ice_news

In 2014, for their Michael Jackson program they sought out Michael Jackson's own choreographers, Stacy Walker and Travis Payne. If you watch the movie "This Is It" you can see Walker and Payne selecting and training the dancers.
http://web.icenetwork.com/news/2014/03/27/70205514/this-is-it-shibutanis-prep-final-jackson-medley

In 2016, for their Coppelia short dance, they worked with one of the renowned "Coppelias," the principal ballerina Cheryl Yaeger from American Ballet Theater
http://web.icenetwork.com/news/2015...anis-remain-dedicated-to-exploring-new-styles

In 2017, for their hip hop short dance, they collaborated with dancers and importantly, musicians, from America's Best Dance Crew, Quest Crew
http://web.icenetwork.com/news/2017/01/20/214023554/shibutanis-set-new-us-standard-in-short-dance

In 2018, for advice on how to approach yet another Latin short dance (which I recall many skeptical skating fans figured would put siblings at a competitive disadvantage) they incorporated advice from Derek and Julianne Hough, and in the end came up with (in my opinion) one of the best constructed and musically authentic Latin short dances of the season.

It is this extent to which they seek authentic sources of inspiration that they then make their own, that originally drew me to Maia and Alex. I was not originally a skating fan. I 'discovered' them through their vlogs, and am foremost captivated by people who can bridge worlds and then make something totally their own. I'm really looking forward to the programs they'll come up with next, and what other creative worlds they will engage with in the future.

 

[VGThuy]

Nice that the Shibs were used as examples (with V/M) as teams that more than met the new +5 GOE requirements for their twizzles from Pyeongchang. Of course they made sure to use teams that were not competing at Worlds as that competition was still going on and it would have been seen as a conflict-of-interest.

https://youtu.be/E7tYDftWFGg?t=4667

 

[Kuurisu]

What do you mean? They always collaborate with dancers (floor dancers, not only ice dancers). Actually, all ice dancers collaborate with dancers, but not always is so easy translate the moves from floor to ice.

ah i see. i do suppose that translating to ice could be different and not quite recognisable as quick to the eyes. but Celine explained more than i could have ever asked, so i thank her for that^^

 

[chapis]

Nice that the Shibs were used as examples (with V/M) as teams that more than met the new +5 GOE requirements for their twizzles from Pyeongchang. Of course they made sure to use teams that were not competing at Worlds as that competition was still going on and it would have been seen as a conflict-of-interest.

https://youtu.be/E7tYDftWFGg?t=4667

I hope judges who give them +2 finally understand how inept they are.

 

[VGThuy]

I hope judges who give them +2 finally understand how inept they are.

That was exactly what I was thinking. I loved the "for sure" from the famous Russian judge/presenter regarding whether it was a +5.

 

[kittyjake5]

Nice that the Shibs were used as examples (with V/M) as teams that more than met the new +5 GOE requirements for their twizzles from Pyeongchang. Of course they made sure to use teams that were not competing at Worlds as that competition was still going on and it would have been seen as a conflict-of-interest.

https://youtu.be/E7tYDftWFGg?t=4667

But wasn't it convenient for the them that they got to show the ID team (Shibs) who have the best Twizzles in the business.

 

[VGThuy]

But wasn't it convenient for the them that they got to show the ID team (Shibs) who have the best Twizzles in the business.

They did show the Shibs. It's right after they show V/M and explain how V/M got +5 and then explain that the Shibs are also +5 "for sure".

 

[VGThuy]

Thanks to @Sylvia for posting the past PSA winners here:

http://www.skatepsa.com/psa/Best-Performances.html

I didn't realize that Maia got costume credit for their 2015-2016 FD costumes.

I also didn't know Maia and Alex were two time winners of this award, first winning for their 2010-2011 SD to "Carousel Waltz" from Carousel.

 

[SCeline]

In my opinion, there is sufficient basis to argue that the Shibs' 2017 hip/hop That's Life short dance as well as their 2018 Latin short dance , were both deserving of consideration for the Edy award. Not just for the electric quality of the performances that they gave at the National championships, but especially because of the virtuosity with which they approached music (splicing music together to create proprietary mixes with sound engineers as an almost explicit yet tongue-in-teach acknowledgement of how improbable it is to combine hip hop with any other genre) and composition (e.g., including 8 twizzles because the lyrics of the music calls for it), all of which I think exceeded the 'norms' for the discipline.

I'll be curious to see if any of the next generation of ice dancers can go beyond the usual "war horses" and traditional approaches, and really try to continue to advance the sport beyond the familiar "play some characters", "splice together a soundtrack" formulas. The Broadway themed programs chosen for an upcoming season would see, to make that unlikely, but I think it would be really cool to see if anyone matches the cleverness and 'smarts' that the Shibs have injected into their programs, especially since they started taking control over their creative product these past few years.

 

[VGThuy]

I maintain the work they put into the concept and music editing and choreography of their "That's Life" SD is still incredibly underrated. There was so much thought behind it and loved the Easter Eggs.

I also think their 8-count twizzles for their Perez Prado medley was the choreographic moment of the season with Tessa's backwards leap with a half turn to Scott's torso at the beginning of their Moulin Rouge FD following behind. I also think the Shibs were able to make Perez Prado seem fresh and modern, which was NOT easy to do.

 

[VGThuy]

So with SOI coming soon, are the Shibs working on new programs? They seem to be really busy right now and I'm not sure if they have been working on new material. I hope they don't do "That's Life" and a version of their FD as I'd like to see new stuff from them. However, even if that happens, it'll be worth seeing them.

 

[MRani]

So with SOI coming soon, are the Shibs working on new programs? They seem to be really busy right now and I'm not sure if they have been working on new material. I hope they don't do "That's Life" and a version of their FD as I'd like to see new stuff from them. However, even if that happens, it'll be worth seeing them.

I was curious too about what’s been keeping them so busy lately, since from Maia’s most recent IG post it seems obvious they’re not back in LA just to have fun and visit with friends. A new exhibition program would be awesome, and it does seem like other people doing SOI are getting a new program so maybe they want new programs for this post-Olympic tour?

 

[chapis]

New program?!!! omg, that would be great!! But they could be busy with anything in LA, they had a photo shoot with Ralph Lauren, that movie premiere, I wish they do a collaboration with Ryan https://www.instagram.com/p/Bg4WrQ9Aodk/?taken-by=notryanhiga, and they wear the same t-shirt here https://www.instagram.com/p/BgxvOa2FlNR/?tagged=shibsibs, while it would be cute if they decide to wear the same clothes for a random day, I think they were doing something else, maybe an interview.

eta. A week is left for the tour to begin. They do not look like the kind of skaters who get a new program a week before they debuted, or do they?

 

[Wyliefan]

I love this. It's just so them.

https://twitter.com/AlexShibutani/status/979734224977752064

 

[VGThuy]

They're on the ice, so maybe they are making a new program for SOI. They could just be training for the tour, but still, glad to see them with skates on.

 

[chapis]

And they still have that program that J. Buttle choreo and that they have never debuted.

 

[chapis]

I am reading that practically all the skaters have new programs for SOI , It is better they have something new prepared. Although let´s face it, it will be very difficult see a new exh program better than ¨Paradise¨ or ¨That´s life¨, those are competitive programs, so we know how much thought was invested in them.

 

[nimi]

ShibSibs posted a video of themselves hunting for Easter eggs in 1996! Too cute!

https://youtu.be/-PGWTEvw4js