Kaitlyn Weaver & Andrew Poje | Page 3 | Golden Skate

Kaitlyn Weaver & Andrew Poje

beebee51

On the Ice
Joined
Jan 19, 2005
Country
United-States
Granted, I'm a big W/P fan, but am trying to be as impartial as possible in assessing their new FD. No matter how I slice it, for me it's a work of art (I am so in awe of their willingness to challenge themselves with respect to different styles of dance).

WeakAnkles, are you aware that Max Richter's version of Four Seasons is not a rearrangement but a recomposition? According to Richter, he discarded 75% of Vivaldi's music. It's funny that the two criticisms you mentioned are some of my favorite parts of the program. I think what you are referring to as the cantilever lift is the curve lift where Kaitlyn is supporting pretty much 100% of her body weight. It looks like in this version, Andrew actually ends up holding her with only one hand, rather than two. Why not use it this season--it's spectacular and very difficult. I hate to go here, but there are more than a few dance teams who recycle lifts--and whole programs--season after season. I also love the diagonal footwork--it is fast and difficult, and they make great use of the new rule that allows a retrogression in diagonal and serpentine footwork sequences.

I hope I don't sound preachy, but I'm just so in love with this program that I want everyone to love it. Obviously, that's not possible. Ice dance has been my favorite discipline for a long time now and if I've learned anything, it's that to truly appreciate ice dance, I had to make a real effort to understand it. The beauty of ice dance is that programs really can grow over the course of the season, and actually with each watching of a particular performance. I'd love to know your thoughts, WeakAnkles, after you've seen a few more outings of Four Seasons.
 

Barb

Record Breaker
Joined
Oct 13, 2009
I definitly love their FD :love:, even more than their SD, and her dress is perfect. I cant believe C/B won the FD :scowl:
 

slider11

Medalist
Joined
Jan 12, 2014
I love both of Weaver and Poje's dances, too. But I think the musical cuts of the Vivaldi Four Seasons are a bit ragged in parts when they are trying to make the music fit the choreography rather than the skating match the music. Love to see that ironed out. Regardless, I do like it's potential very much and did prefer it over Chock and Bates.
 

WeakAnkles

Record Breaker
Joined
Aug 1, 2011
Granted, I'm a big W/P fan, but am trying to be as impartial as possible in assessing their new FD. No matter how I slice it, for me it's a work of art (I am so in awe of their willingness to challenge themselves with respect to different styles of dance).

WeakAnkles, are you aware that Max Richter's version of Four Seasons is not a rearrangement but a recomposition? According to Richter, he discarded 75% of Vivaldi's music. It's funny that the two criticisms you mentioned are some of my favorite parts of the program. I think what you are referring to as the cantilever lift is the curve lift where Kaitlyn is supporting pretty much 100% of her body weight. It looks like in this version, Andrew actually ends up holding her with only one hand, rather than two. Why not use it this season--it's spectacular and very difficult. I hate to go here, but there are more than a few dance teams who recycle lifts--and whole programs--season after season. I also love the diagonal footwork--it is fast and difficult, and they make great use of the new rule that allows a retrogression in diagonal and serpentine footwork sequences.

I hope I don't sound preachy, but I'm just so in love with this program that I want everyone to love it. Obviously, that's not possible. Ice dance has been my favorite discipline for a long time now and if I've learned anything, it's that to truly appreciate ice dance, I had to make a real effort to understand it. The beauty of ice dance is that programs really can grow over the course of the season, and actually with each watching of a particular performance. I'd love to know your thoughts, WeakAnkles, after you've seen a few more outings of Four Seasons.

Yes the lift is spectacular and yes it is difficult, but there is also the matter of "familiarity breeds contempt." Now that is a deliberate overstatement, but I do believe that a lift loses it specialness when it is repeated year to year. I already want to yell at Hawayek and Baker for repeating the same curve/cantilever lift (they did in both their SD and FD last year, and they're doing it in their SD AND FD this year--enough already!). YMMV, of course.

I agree with slider11 that the music cuts in the FD are jarring. It's the old temptation to paste together all the "best bits" of a piece of music, whether it makes for a bumpy listening experience or not. The only time in recent memory where I think that approach has worked is D/W's Scheherazade. There isn't a natural transition into that diagonal, wither musically or choreographically; it's too abrupt; for me it feels stapled on. It disrupts the flow.

And actually, yes, I CAN believe that C/B won the FD over them here. I realize there is not much love on these boards for C/B, but that is by far the most sophisticated program they've ever done, and it is obvious they have been working their butts off through the off-season. W/P's FD looks much less practiced at this point in the season. But it's still Early Days. I think the FD has loads of potential, but I also think it does them and their team a disservice not to acknowledge the program still has kinks which need to be worked out.
 

Orange Cat

On the Ice
Joined
Feb 27, 2012
I love W/P, and I adore their SD. Actually, this is the first time I've loved their SD more than their FD! I think this is largely because the FD, while it has moments of real beauty, does feel choppy; conceptually I kind of get what they're aiming at, having all four seasons shown in this skate, but the music cuts are jarring. Winter pops up out of nowhere to justify leaving the step sequence to the end, and I agree with slider11 and WeakAnkles that it doesn't quite work... Hopefully they can iron that out. I still remember how they reworked Humanity in Motion - their performance of that program at Worlds still gives me goosebumps.
 
Joined
Feb 13, 2014
I love W/P, and I adore their SD. Actually, this is the first time I've loved their SD more than their FD! I think this is largely because the FD, while it has moments of real beauty, does feel choppy; conceptually I kind of get what they're aiming at, having all four seasons shown in this skate, but the music cuts are jarring. Winter pops up out of nowhere to justify leaving the step sequence to the end, and I agree with slider11 and WeakAnkles that it doesn't quite work... Hopefully they can iron that out. I still remember how they reworked Humanity in Motion - their performance of that program at Worlds still gives me goosebumps.

ITA, I really like their FD and feel I can see what they're wanting to show, but it would be wonderful if they could iron it out as nicely as they did to "Humanity" bc for me, it's just not quite there. I am huge WP fans, but...I feel like they need to continue working on their FD or it may not take them to where they want to be.

I really enjoy their SD! But, that's no shocker. They do latin programs very well, imo.

WeakAnkles Ita with you on CB vs WP's FD; and the lifts. I would love to see more variation. AND! I feel like their first big lift needs to be ironed out because right now it doesn't flow and look effortless. It seems choppy from point a to point b.
 

dorispulaski

Wicked Yankee Girl
Joined
Jul 26, 2003
Country
United-States
Congratulations to Kaitlyn and Andrew on accomplishing something Tessa and Scott never managed: winning the GPF!

:cheer:
 

Ladskater

~ Figure Skating Is My Passion ~
Record Breaker
Joined
Jul 28, 2003
Congratulations Andrew and Kaitlyn!

Just a huge congrats to Andrew and Kaitlyn in their recent gold medal skate at four continents. They have had a real break out year becoming the Canadian Ice Dance champions as well. I love both their programs. Of course, Shae Lynn Bourne had a hand in the choreography! Congrats to Shae Lynn as well.

:points::cheer:
 

OS

Sedated by Modonium
Record Breaker
Joined
Mar 23, 2010
Just a huge congrats to Andrew and Kaitlyn in their recent gold medal skate at four continents. They have had a real break out year becoming the Canadian Ice Dance champions as well. I love both their programs. Of course, Shae Lynn Bourne had a hand in the choreography! Congrats to Shae Lynn as well.

:points::cheer:

Lol I opened this thread thinking they are getting married or something for valentines day... oh those ice dancers!!
 

NotSoSweetie

Spectator
Joined
Feb 15, 2015
Just saying hi! Love them, their technique, style, and personalities. Hard to decide my favourite dance from them, though I adore this year's FD. Wishing them the best of luck at Worlds; should be very very interesting!
 

GF2445

Record Breaker
Joined
Feb 7, 2012
Im going to be blunt and put it out there.
Even though i am not Canadian, i want Kaitlyn and Andrew to win this years world title over Gabriella and Guillaume, and i believe they can do it. I am very happy if Gabriella and Guillaume win from next season onwards but for this year, it's Kaitlyn and Andrew's time for the top of the world podium.

They have been screwed around too many times by judges.
 

peg

Medalist
Joined
Jan 17, 2014
I really want them to win too, especially after that 0.02 loss to C/L last year.
 

sabaism

Rinkside
Joined
Apr 14, 2015
Hi guys! Another Weapo fan here. I became so obsessed with their Maria de Buenos Aires FD that I put the whole Maria de Buenos Aires opera on repeat :O I'm planning to buy the CD now and listen the hell out of it! I haven't really followed them this season, but I'm glad I stumbled upon their 2014 Worlds FD performance. I plan to marathon their programs in the off season. I hope that their SD and FD of this season and their older programs will grow on me and that I'll become more familiar with Weapo :)
 

moon

On the Ice
Joined
Jan 3, 2011
Now that W/Ps touring is over I am interested in seeing if they will be staying with Krylova and Camerlengo. I think the coaches really dropped the ball with their teams this year and some of their teams have already left them.
 

ice coverage

avatar credit: @miyan5605
Record Breaker
Joined
Feb 27, 2012
Now that W/Ps touring is over I am interested in seeing if they will be staying with Krylova and Camerlengo. I think the coaches really dropped the ball with their teams this year and some of their teams have already left them.

As an aside, W/P have The Ice tour in Japan coming up next month.

Hard for me to imagine to whom they would turn for coaching if they were to leave Camerlengo/Krylova? :think:
 
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moon

On the Ice
Joined
Jan 3, 2011
I agree with you and I am a bit worried for them. I don't feel anyone's programmes developed significantly this year in their group. If any team can make things happen for themselves no matter what the situation is it is W/P though. So I will trust in their decisions
 
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