Tessa Virtue & Scott Moir | Page 54 | Golden Skate

Tessa Virtue & Scott Moir

Shedi0806

On the Ice
Joined
Mar 22, 2018
In a recent interview of TSL with Romain Haguenauer he talks about working with Tessa and Scott. It starts at 27:55. He is very complimentary of them, of their approach even at their first practice together. It is a great listen to every ice dance fan, I think.
 

rain

Record Breaker
Joined
Jul 29, 2003
Thought I'd come and post some thoughts, since I've just been doing a YouTube binge of Virtue and Moir programs through the years, missing the world championships this year like crazy.

I started out by watching some of my favourites — Olympic programs from 2010 and 2018, Valse Triste. Then I decided to segue over to Umbrellas of Cherbourg — boy did I not appreciate this program enough at the time. It is really stunning and put the world on notice that they were the new team to beat. I loved all the innovative lift positions bringing in "umbrella" shapes. It's really brilliant.

Then I decided to re-watch their programs from 2014 Olympics, which I don't do all that often due to the disappointment of them not winning. In 2014 I wasn't the biggest fan of their FD — I thought it wasn't as inspired choreography-wise as some of their other free dances (no, I didn't like Davis/White's program that year either; I thought Marina had lost her edge by then). But I have to say I now appreciate this program a lot more from the vantage point of 2020. Their expression of it was superb, and there were some really wonderful touches. But the star of the show was their short dance — man, that was genius. One of their best programs ever, I think. I could have loved a free dance by them to this music. It was just everything — elegant, classy, playful, sexy. The fact that they lost that portion of the competition to Davis/White is just highway robbery. It seems even more clear to me now than it did then. They were head and shoulders above the field in that program.

While I indisputably think that Virtue and Moir should have won gold in the individual event in 2014, I'm not one of those who thinks there was necessarily some kind of "fix". I just think that the judges had already decided on the placements before the event and gave their scores based on the last couple of years where sometimes Virtue/Moir had struggled to be clean, rather than what was danced that day.

But to anyone who doesn't often watch these programs due to feelings surrounding the event, they're really worth another viewing. There are a lot of great ice dancers in the field now, but I still miss these two — they were really something special. Maybe next I'll try Funny Face. Haven't watched that in a few years.
 

jersey1302

On the Ice
Joined
Jan 10, 2016
Country
Canada
Thought I'd come and post some thoughts, since I've just been doing a YouTube binge of Virtue and Moir programs through the years, missing the world championships this year like crazy.

I started out by watching some of my favourites — Olympic programs from 2010 and 2018, Valse Triste. Then I decided to segue over to Umbrellas of Cherbourg — boy did I not appreciate this program enough at the time. It is really stunning and put the world on notice that they were the new team to beat. I loved all the innovative lift positions bringing in "umbrella" shapes. It's really brilliant.

Then I decided to re-watch their programs from 2014 Olympics, which I don't do all that often due to the disappointment of them not winning. In 2014 I wasn't the biggest fan of their FD — I thought it wasn't as inspired choreography-wise as some of their other free dances (no, I didn't like Davis/White's program that year either; I thought Marina had lost her edge by then). But I have to say I now appreciate this program a lot more from the vantage point of 2020. Their expression of it was superb, and there were some really wonderful touches. But the star of the show was their short dance — man, that was genius. One of their best programs ever, I think. I could have loved a free dance by them to this music. It was just everything — elegant, classy, playful, sexy. The fact that they lost that portion of the competition to Davis/White is just highway robbery. It seems even more clear to me now than it did then. They were head and shoulders above the field in that program.

While I indisputably think that Virtue and Moir should have won gold in the individual event in 2014, I'm not one of those who thinks there was necessarily some kind of "fix". I just think that the judges had already decided on the placements before the event and gave their scores based on the last couple of years where sometimes Virtue/Moir had struggled to be clean, rather than what was danced that day.

But to anyone who doesn't often watch these programs due to feelings surrounding the event, they're really worth another viewing. There are a lot of great ice dancers in the field now, but I still miss these two — they were really something special. Maybe next I'll try Funny Face. Haven't watched that in a few years.

I did the same thing.. the olympic channel ( i think it was) has V/M programs at all olympics and worlds through their competitive career in one video.. its SO GOOD every year you see them how they grew and you can really compare each program and have a huge appreciation for it.. and of coarse the cake was that 2018 olympics. CBC in Canada aired a re broadcast of the figure skating events in 2018 olympics. They showed the french team and V/M back to back and.. wow that crowd reaction during the FD and after the FD for V/M is 100000x P/C reaction. I legit had tears again. Yesterday was a very comforting day watching that whole event again.
 

rain

Record Breaker
Joined
Jul 29, 2003
I did the same thing.. the olympic channel ( i think it was) has V/M programs at all olympics and worlds through their competitive career in one video.. its SO GOOD every year you see them how they grew and you can really compare each program and have a huge appreciation for it.. and of coarse the cake was that 2018 olympics. CBC in Canada aired a re broadcast of the figure skating events in 2018 olympics. They showed the french team and V/M back to back and.. wow that crowd reaction during the FD and after the FD for V/M is 100000x P/C reaction. I legit had tears again. Yesterday was a very comforting day watching that whole event again.

Yeah, the fact that they didn't win the free dance will always rankle a little with me. It's not that Papadakis/Cizeron didn't skate very well, it's that Virtue and Moir's performance was one for the ages. The audience was so excited by it (me included). It was one of those perfect moments in time — the right program, the right performance, the build up of their comeback, skating last. It was undeniable, though some of the judges sure tried their very best. It would have been one of the great injustices of all time had they lost the gold, particularly since they should have been much further ahead after the short, had it been properly judged, given the obvious and serious errors the French team made on several elements (as terribly as I still feel for them over the costume problem).

In that way it was a blessing that they did not win gold in 2014. I don't think we would have seen the phenomenal comeback if they had, and I'll always treasure those precious extra programs we got.
 

rain

Record Breaker
Joined
Jul 29, 2003
Update: Still not a giant fan of Funny Face, though I do see it as the gateway for them to other programs, not the least of which is the sheer perfection of Moulin Rouge. This was a departure for them into a kind of Broadway style.

Also went back and watched their Pink Floyd from 2009, and damn if i don't love that program now even more than I did at the time. The lifts and choreography are so fresh and sharp and innovative. Amazing!

People who say they never branched out and tried anything different are smoking something. Sure, they did a bunch of lyrical stuff, almost all of which I love to pieces, but they also did Pink Floyd, Latin, the thoroughly modern-dance-style Carmen, Broadway-style with Funny Face — and that's just the free dances. They must be one of the teams with the most diverse repertoire out there. It's something I've always admired about them, actually. They could have easily gone the safe route, especially with the time they lost to her injury and surgeries, and continued strictly in the Valse Triste/Umbrellas/Mahler vein, which they knew was successful for them. But they didn't. They pushed the boundaries and branched out, trying anything and everything.
 

siberia82

Addicted to Canadian men's singles skating
Record Breaker
Joined
Jun 18, 2008
Country
Canada
I know these videos are awfully late (better late than never!), but I thought some of you might be interested in Tessa's commentary for the ice dance event at the 2021 Skate Canada International. (Please note that this is the only GP event which CBC television aired this season.)

2021 SCI Rhythm Dance (CBC TV 720p):



2021 SCI Free Dance (CBC TV 720p):
 
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