Saturday, November 13, 2010

ISU Grand Prix: Skate America Short Dance

Andrea Joyce and Tracey Wilson are covering the event for Universal Sports and explaining this new Short Dance as a hybrid of a Compulsory and Original Dance. They also tell us that the mid-line step sequence in this event does not allow touching so that judges can evaluate the skaters individually


1) Lynn Kriengkrairut & Logan Giuliette-Schmitt (USA)
    Music: The Trouble With Love Is
  • I thought I saw some unison issues on the unison in the twizzle secion
  • I would love to see deeper knees and edges in the Golden Waltz section
  • As Tracy Wilson says, the main focus on the Golden Waltz pattern is on the the blades and the hold positions
  • Very clean, but lacked sparkle and sizzle
  • SD Score: 29.83 (technical) + 22.30 (presentation) = 52.13
2) Stefanie Frohberg & Tim Giesen (Germany)
    Music: Tanz der Hofdamen
  • This is a character piece and I think it must be hard to continue a character throughout the the Golden Waltz
  • This piece really isn't doing much for me, but then again, I'm not a huge fan of the short dance in general so I may be biased
  • They are only in their second season together so they are really babies in the world of Ice Dance
  • SD Score: 25.24 (technical) + 18.79 (presentation) = 44.03
 3) Ekaterina Riazanova & Ilia Tkachenko (Russia)
   Music: The Snowstorm
  • Effortless look on that midline step sequence with great ice coverage
  • Russians do have a way with these compulsory dances
  • Ice dance is arguably the most detail-oriented discipline with a wrong edge earning costly deductions
  • This is also a new team and they are very cohesive
  • I am not crazy about her hair at all
  • SD Score: 28.49 (technical) + 27.03 (presentation) = 55.52
4) Penney Coomes & Nicholas Buckland (Great Britain)   
    Music: La  Valse d'Amelie/Tango de los Exilados
  • Nice coverage of the ice
  • The Golden waltz was just okay for me
  • I hate the waltz/tango mixture as one costume rarely suits both
  • Unison problem on twizzles
  • His arms seem much higher than hers on the mid-line step sequence
  • The ending scared me for a moment but I realized the drop was planned
  • Coach Evgeni Platov is not here with them as he is with other skaters in Austria
  • SD Score: 28.17 (technical) + 21.26 (presentation) = 49.43
5) Cathy Reed & Chris Reed (Japan) **
     Music: The Addams Family
  • Cathy recently had to renounce her American citizenship to compete for Japan
  • Their costumes and the whole look suits this Adams family theme
  • I liked that opening lift into the low position
  • Wow, close to the boards
  • I like the look of the costumes at a stand still, but when they move, there are too many strips of fabric moving with them, especially with Cathy's long hair
  • The commentator just suggested they work on their turnout and pointed feet, hello ballet!
  • Major twizzle issue with broken unison and Chris coming out of the twizzle early
  • I like that they are using their characters throughout the performance
  • The rotational lift started nicely but the exit was awkward
  • SD Score: 23.43 (technical) + 21.97 (presentation) - 1.00 (deduction)  = 44.40
  • Deduction was likely for an extended lift
6) Maia Shibutani & Alex Shibutani (USA) **
    Music: The Carousel Waltz
  • I love this team so much and I love this music so much, it just sends me to heaven
  • I see her dress has been shorted to take care of that costume issue they had at NHK with him stepping on her dress
  • Perfect unison on the twizzle sequence with amazing speed
  • This team is so young and they will be a force to be reckoned with in upcoming seasons
  • Amazing unison on the midline step sequence
  • The commentators have been calling them the "Shibu-sibs"
  • This music is absolutely stunning for the Golden Waltz patterns
  • I literally have tears in my eyes right now because this is so beautiful
  • The costume issue in Japan was on the shoot the duck and it was wonderful here
  • A bit of an issue on the second twizzle sequence
  • The commentators are stating that they've heard form may teams the Short Dance is the hardest thing they've ever done because the transition from open dancing to the Golden Waltz is so difficult
  • Looks like Marina is on coaching duty today
  • SD Score: 30.08 (technical) + 26.38 (presentation) = 56.46
7) Kaitlyn Weaver & Andrew Poje (Canada) **
    Music: At Last/Cheek to Cheek
  • I am obsessed with this team, they really caught my eye at NHK trophy
  • This is such a romantic program and they have wonderful, elegant flow over the ice and a gorgeous lyrical quality
  • That side lift is gorgeous and requires amazing strength
  • That Golden Waltz is beautifully integrated into this piece
  • Her shoot the duck wasn't as low to the ice as I would have liked it to be
  • Musical transitions were very good and it brought up the tempo a lot while keeping the same theme
  • Twizzles showed good unison, but not nearly the speed of the Shibutanis
  • Seamless integration of required elements with the Golden Waltz, a perfect example of what a Short Dance should be
  • That program just made me smile and it was a Performance with at capital "P"
  • "Gorgeous" is all I have to say about that performance
  • SD Score: 32.42 (technical) + 27.06 (presentation) = 59.48
8) Vanessa Crone & Paul Poirier (Canada)
     Music: Fallin'
  • That opening upside down lift is striking
  • I'll say it again, that costume either needs to be not so tight, or not so white
  • Something about Vanessa Crone always rubs me the wrong way, she always looks so angry to me
  • They have really gorgeous lines and ice coverage
  • Nice work in the compulsory section 
  • I think that because the Golden Waltz is such a classical style of dance, the Short Dance concept works best with more traditional music, i.e. The Carousel Waltz from the Shibutanis or At Last/Cheek to Cheek from Weaver/Poje
  • I do not like seeing the Golden Waltz set to music by Kelly Clarkson or Alicia Keys, sorry, personal opinion
  • SD Score: 30.92 (technical) + 29.49 (presentation) = 60.41
9) Meryl Davis & Charlie White (USA) **
    Music: La Boheme/La Traviata by Puccini
  • Hello old friends, barring any travesty you will be in first easily
  • I love these costumes for this piece, they are very "operatic" in nature
  • The speed and unison on those twizzles is just insane
  • Wow Charlie lost balance and put his hand down on the twizzle
  • Gorgeous edges and beautiful weaving in and out on the mid-line step sequence
  • On a side note, I'm so glad Charlie's hair is not so long anymore, he looks  much more mature now
  • The speed and flow on this Golden is lovely
  • I love that rotational lift at the end, it is a gorgeous position
  • That mistake is so uncharacteristic of them but I doubt it will really even effect them that much
  • They are struggling to catch their breath
  • I wonder what was going through Meryl's mind when she saw Charlie's hand go down
  • The closing pose reminded me of a final bow in an opera
  • A big change from last year's Balliwood Original Dane, no?
  • SD Score: 30.00 (technical) + 33.62 (presentation) = 63.62

    Current Leaderboard:

    1) Davis/White (USA)                                          63.62
    2) Crone/Poirier (Canada)                                     60.41
    3) Weaver/Poje (Canada)                                     59.48
    4) Shibutani/Shibutani (USA)                                56.46
    5) Riazanova/Tkachenko (Russia)                         55.52
    6) Kringkrairut/Giuliette-Schmitt (USA)                  52.13
    7) Coomes/Buckland (USA)                                 49.43
    8) Reed/Reed (Japan)                                          44.40
    9) Frohberg/Giesen (Germany)                             44.03

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