What is Davis and White's legacy in the sport?

[Japanfan]

Casual skating fans who watch every Olympics and maybe once in a while other than that won't remember the names of the medalists at the last Olympics.

Virtue and Moir got a lot of buzz after they won their second OGM and I think there LP was rebroadcast the morning after the event. So, a lot of Canadian probably know who they are - but even so, they might need their memory jogged. If you asked the average Canadian what team won the last Olympics, V/M might not immediately come to mind.

What might make a difference, however, is that Tessa is now doing commercials on TV for Nivea. I always fast-forward through those commercials so don't know if she is introduced as two time Olympic Gold medalist. If so, she'll have more household name recognition.

Another thing that makes a difference is appearances on night talk shows, which also exposes the general public to athletes. Or, appearing on reality TV.

But FS is really not that important in the scheme of things, and not that important in most people's lives.

It's only a few who maintain a presence in the public eye beyond their competitive career, like Kurt Browning (and being featured in advertising recently hasn't hurt).

I expect that the return of Battle of the Blades will spark a bit of interest in the sport and familiarize the general public with a few athletes. That's a good thing.

 

[gkelly]

I expect each team will leave more of a legacy in their home country than internationally.

 

[Foolhardy Ham Lint]

Davis & White are examples of being able to work and meet the specific criteria of IJS. They ticked all of the boxes, and did what was required. They also made dance an athletic pursuit first and foremost, more than playing on any specific chemistry between them. (Sometimes I wonder how Charlie and Tanith would have fared as a dance team.)

I think one of the reasons why D & W don't stand out to me as much as other Olympic or World Champions, is their propensity for choosing warhorses. Which is strange. Because, their training partners, Virtue / Moir and The Shibutanis, often had more boundary - pushing music and choreography.

 

[Vash01]

They were the first US ice dance team to win an OGM and a world championship. That is a great legacy. Although the upward movement in ice dance in the USA started with Belbin Agosto’s Olympic silver medal, the US had not had such a consistently winning ice dance team. May be they were not trend setters in the world the way T&D or P&C were, and they won only one OGM, but they were a force when they were competing. They made US ice dance very respectable. Those who followed them were not going to feel satisfied with just good performances. They were/are medal contenders.

 

[Tinami Amori]

Davis and White..... a team that actually danced, to music that you're supposed to dance to, and how you're supposed to dance to it..... without garbage and "invented sorrows and feelings" to some abstract BS.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=53BotahnuJ0

 

[Foolhardy Ham Lint]

It's kind of a shame their win didn't come 12 or 16 years earlier. At skating's peak in popularity, D & W would most likely have headlined their own national (and international) tours.

 

[Vash01]

Another legacy may be that they did not have to portray fake romance in their performances. They were themselves when they skated and they won without pretending to be sexy.

 

[VGThuy]

One more thing, I also think Charlie White is incredibly underrated as an ice dancer despite his titles.

Davis and White..... a team that actually danced, to music that you're supposed to dance to, and how you're supposed to dance to it..... without garbage and "invented sorrows and feelings" to some abstract BS.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=53BotahnuJ0

Rewatching that reminded that unlike almost every team competing right now, there never seemed to be a piece of music that was too fast for D/W. They could keep up to the demands and tempo of any dance music.

 

[Bigbird]

I am still trying to figure that out.

 

[Tinami Amori]

Rewatching that reminded that unlike almost every team competing right now, there never seemed to be a piece of music that was too fast for D/W. They could keep up to the demands and tempo of any dance music.

and their selection of music (imo) is fantastic. ever since they came up in the international arena in 2003 until 2014, i loved EVERY piece of their OD/SD and FS, year to year.. (except for 1 only, ER/Beatles).

 

[VGThuy]

and their selection of music (imo) is fantastic. ever since they came up in the international arena in 2003 until 2014, i loved EVERY piece of their OD/SD and FS, year to year.. (except for 1 only, ER/Beatles).

That was actually the FD that made me a fan of theirs. I heard it changed a lot from the GP series to Nationals and the version at Nationals was way better. I never saw their earlier versions so maybe that's why.

 

[sap5]

One more thing, I also think Charlie White is incredibly underrated as an ice dancer despite his titles.



Rewatching that reminded that unlike almost every team competing right now, there never seemed to be a piece of music that was too fast for D/W. They could keep up to the demands and tempo of any dance music.

You really think so? I often thought the music really was too fast for them, because of the number of times they would run or leap across the ice to catch up to each other and the music, instead of actually glide.

 

[VGThuy]

That was part of their style. Even if you prefer or are more impressed with skaters who utilize more glide, I don't think they could handle all that running and leaping and keeping up to the fast tempo anyway. Although D/W were never my favorite team because I preferred teams with deep edges, now that we have had like 5 years where that's all that we're seeing, I do miss ice dance when that's not all that was rewarded when the steps were also about choreographing actual steps to match character and keeping up to fast rhythms. I mean dancers on the floor run and leap and do short steps all of the time because it matches the beats. I know it may not be the best "skating" but I'd like to see some of that dance language back in ice dance. Obviously, I found V/M's past routines to be the most impressive because they had excellent glide but could also skate to faster music and do it well.

 

[ManiDani]

Davis and White..... a team that actually danced, to music that you're supposed to dance to, and how you're supposed to dance to it..... without garbage and "invented sorrows and feelings" to some abstract BS.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=53BotahnuJ0

I also think this program is a gem because it feels like an actual social dance done for enjoyment. While I do love to see dance used as a storytelling vehicle, the form of dance that most touches my personal life is social dance. The freedom and connectivity of having fun on the dance floor at a party or a celebratory occasion. For me, this is one of the rare free dances that was able to capture that energy and feeling.

 

[Barbara Manatee]

The only time their music really was too fast for them was the infamous Happy Feet OD of 2008/2009. Which I will always love anyway because of Cup of Russia.

Now that I think of it, that COR performance is definitely part of their legacy. They sure showed that no matter how many times you fall on your ass, you still pull yourself together, get back out there, and above all learn from your mistakes. They had an stellar, steely-eyed competitive mindset.

 

[Orm Irian]

The other inimitable Davis/White lift is the curve lift from Scheherazade. Still waiting for the dance team with the moxy and athletic ability to steal that lift.

Having just rewatched the program, I wonder if Fear/Gibson might be able to pull something similar off in a few years' time. They have a bit of the same energy and they're not scared to try new things.

 

[MarieM]

Olympic Champions. World Champions. That is all there is to say to end this discussion that is futile.

 

[mollymgr]

Everyone remembers stuff for different reasons. I love the thrill of live sports and therefore they made it easy to be a fan with their nerves of steel. I'm sure some of their former competitors still get nightmares from having to compete against them.I wish there was a way to bottle it up and hand it out to our current favorite competitors. That is a quality that is extremely rare. I also loved the variety in the themes of their programs from year to year.

 

[giselle23]

They elevated ice dancing in the US. They had unreal precision in their moves. They had iconic performances with their Bollywood and Notre Dame programs. They haven’t been forgotten by unbiased fans.

 

[Spun Silver]

Another legacy may be that they did not have to portray fake romance in their performances. They were themselves when they skated and they won without pretending to be sexy.

That was something they were much criticized for though. They worked on it and got a lot better at acting.

Their legacy for me is their speed and the excitement they generated, with style and polish! and their consistency, their range of expression and their wonderful programs. From Samson and Delilah to Fledermaus to Hunchback... I love it that they combined virtuosity with the artistry to take on those classics.

 

[Spun Silver]

They elevated ice dancing in the US. They had unreal precision in their moves. They had iconic performances with their Bollywood and Notre Dame programs. They haven’t been forgotten by unbiased fans.

No, but this is why I really hoped they would stick around and go for a second OGM. It is harder to forget a two-time OGM than a one-time. But even so Meryl and Charlie should be remembered for their winningness--obviously no US team has yet come close to matching what they accomplished.

 

[bcash]

I think the only thing they will be remembered is for their rivalry with v/m. They didn't bring any new style or have something super special about them (no one will be like "remember d/w edges" 10 years down the line). V/m were one of the most well-rounded and gifted teams in history with many historic programs. They had wonderful edges, difficult lifts, and an amazing connection. P/c created a completely new style of ID which I think marked the beginning of a new generation in the sport whose effects can be seen on most of the current teams (already you see people calling that style of programs "p/c type"). They have practically trademarked the soft and flowy style. Overall other then being occasionally mentioned as the US's most successful team, I don't think future skaters will really look at them for influence or role models.

Um. A proper way to put it is they’ve trademarked style period. To many of my friends in the dance world they are the first team since probably Torville and Dean to catch their attention—for they way they embody musicality and the way they move—“truly dancers and not just skaters”, which Virtue/Moir never transcended. Not in their earlier vanilla wedding dance programs or their applause machine of a burlesque show Moulin Rouge.

I think Davis and White’s legacy is and will be about the injection of exciting athletic flair and that extra adrenalin rush the’ve always shown in their performances. They probably have the fastest rotating twizzle in history and really pushed every other team to catch up to them on that.

Their overall “look” on the ice is also going to be remembered for a long time—incredible hair game from both haha.