2017 Europeans Free Dance

Anyasnake said:

http://mamont.tv/channel?id=50

Click to expand...

Great stream. Thank you, though I checked it only minute ago many hours after competition. Eurosport seems to not care for Figure Skating more. They prefer snooker, ladies soccer and replays of ski jumping qualifications instead of showing us all skaters. :disapp: Even sites like streamhunter do not feature Russian streams from Russian TV Station like they do not know that it exists.

BTW. Can anyone explain me why Stepanova / Bukin received only lvl 1 for one of their step sequences in Free Dance? What they missed or executed improperly?

Ares said:

BTW. Can anyone explain me why Stepanova / Bukin received only lvl 1 for one of their step sequences in Free Dance? What they missed or executed improperly?

Click to expand...

If you watch their blades carefully, you'll see that often their edges are flat or not very deep.

If you sat through 20 we-take-our-art-seriously programs, you would be dying for the life, humor, & personality Anna & Luca have to deliver.

If you sat through an entire SEASON of soft, floating programs you would be on your feet in the first few seconds of Anna & Luca's character-driven FD.

How many character-driven FD's have we had this season in ice dance?

I doubt you can name five. I have watched every junior program and every senior program on the JGP and GP and cannot name 5. I can name a slew of Marie-France style programs. (And that is not counting practically the entire senior pairs field).

yuna13 said:

i was like a lot of you sad, dissapointed when sara and adria split but i love Sara and Kirill Free Dance : the music+ the lifts + the choreo + their interpretation.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lraKzMAtmQ0

Click to expand...

Actually I still love her with Diaz. But this partnership also has its merits. Its more than that though most of her previous programs were mesmerizing. Kiril is technically on point most times but I find him artistically dry. Its the usual stem and flower jive.

Ice Dance said:

If you sat through 20 we-take-our-art-seriously programs, you would be dying for the life, humor, & personality Anna & Luca have to deliver.

If you sat through an entire SEASON of soft, floating programs you would be on your feet in the first few seconds of Anna & Luca's character-driven FD.

How many character-driven FD's have we had this season in ice dance?

I doubt you can name five. I have watched every junior program and every senior program on the JGP and GP and cannot name 5. I can name a slew of Marie-France style programs. (And that is not counting practically the entire senior pairs field).

Click to expand...

Yeah ... while people seem eager to criticize Cappellini / Lanotte for repeating themselves you can't say that they do not bring something that is rare nowadays. They're truly engaging and compelling in what they do. I can't blame them for playing to their strengths.

I think C/L could pull an upset this season their FD suits them to a T and it is very engaging

finally carved some time to post my thoughts on FD...

first of all - ecstatic for Poles, Natalia and Maxim were fantastic! The program is so easy on eyes, so adaptable and catchy and their performance abilities are developing by strides. Yes - it could look a little 'cliche' with that litteral costumes, whole image, story portrayed, but for me the joy they have on the ice which then they transfer onto audience is so infectious and they look so relaxed and in character while performing, I just can't help but love it! They really capitalized on their biggest strenghts I think - energy, enthusiasm, solid execution, connection and interaction with audience. Definitely my top 3 performance.

Charlene and Marco...what can I say? They were so on fire and that horrible fall happened, I was simly heartbroken for them. So amazing SD, best for me hands down and such disappointment and bad luck in FD. Their FD may not be my favourite program this season, but I do appreciate their constant, steady progress made, the way they always going out, reaching to the audience with their vivid, bold interpretation and expression. Wish them lots of health and calm now, I hope they'll bounce stronger at Worlds!

thrilled for Isabella and Ilya - despite the fact that there is one star in that team, the effect of their work is suprisingly very balanced for me: they are complimenting each other's best qualities I think - his strenght and partnering skills and her dance experience, flexibility and mesmerizing carriage on ice. Despite all this 'friends on judging panel/score inflation etc.' talk, this program is very good, impactful and musical, a solid vehicle to climb up I think. And there is some sense of freshness about this team - they may take some warhorses, but 'modernity'of their movement balances the overall effect as for FD.

Ekaterina and Dimitry - very solid performance in my opinion, the program is growing, that's for sure. There are few great moments there, but mostly my impression is that this is a bit of misopportunity for them after MAGNIFICENT 'Anna Karenina' FD last season. I feel like this is too much of trying too hard to be someone else, going too deep into abstract stuff - it seems artificial and forced from them, I just can't shake that feel. Yes - it is quite dramatic, there is that 'big skating' impression created by elements (lifts in particular), but the music and choreo don't reflect them properly I feel, there is some sense of mismatch going between music, movement and expression. While music feels 'continous', their moves are kind of chopped, cut, not fluid and there is too much 'gimmick' factor for me. Overall - a solid performance, but I wish they would stick more to this brilliant storytelling quality they have, to this strenght of portraying the story with the music. I think that nowadays it is really rare to see an old, simple story told, to see bold characters portrayed based on simple emotions, not digging deep into metaphorics, abstract view of complicated ways of interpretation, they should really capitalize on that as they have goods to pull it off brilliantly.

Anna and Luca - the performance felt not strong and solid as usual from execution point of view, but they really have some unique charm in them, transporting into each performance. The storytelling level, portraying characters are probably the best out there and their interpretation, expression, engagement never leaves a room for doubt who's the crowd's biggest pleaser. At this point I am simply happy to see that kind of spirit from them - to see them building and excelling on what they do the best: entertaining, performing lights out of music and choreography. They seemed comfortable, confident, really into every pose and gesture which translates into great performance. Of course - smoothness in execution is equally important, but this is probably one team for me where this lack of their usual level of sharpness and smoothness of their skating is not bothering me that much. And apart of all said - the choreo is very smart, expressive and musical which helps a lot in performing, suits them like a glove.


Gabriella and Guillaume - I will only say that this 4 mins of their FD performed in Ostrava was an escape from reality for me and reality can't really express this transcendent value and feel of their skating in my opinion. We can debate on difference of styles, whose performance was more/less accesible, whose concept/choreography was more/less clever/engaging, but I feel that there is no discussion about superior, 'regal' quality of Gabriella and Guillaume's skating over rest of the field. In European field in particular they present something difficult to catch, difficult to teach and even more difficult to express. This uniqueness about them, about their skating quality, the way their skating is presented was so profoundly displayed in this FD. Fluidity, continous feel of movement, shapes created, musicality (insane in twizzles in particular), this non-descript connection between them - I think there is so much to admire and to fall in love with, even if the program does not speak yet to someone. To maintain a class, uniqueness, smoothness with power and strenght - that's remarkable.


and on an ending note - I think that this season is showing us that sometimes it is best to use your biggest strenghts and abilities and transform it into actual work. Yes - there may be no big surprises, no going outside of comfort zone, no risks taken, but instead there will be a great pleasure of watching supreme stuff, pulled off with ease, spark and confidence. In times when a lot of teams seem to go into similar streamline and somehow in the process they are loosing their individuality and signature a bit (often with confidence in execution and performance), I really salute these who are sticking with their winning formula, even for sake of being called boring, repetitive or one-note. For me, this kind of a bravery to do so, to stick with their style and expand it with different stories, because in all honesty - for example Anna and Luca's FDs ma have the same vibe, similar style, but they are each a different, separate story, an acting masterpiece, each equally enjoyable. Same could go to Gabriella and Guillaume - as much as many of us would like to see them in something entirely different, as much as a lot of people considering their FDs as repetitive and one-dimentional, I can't help but admire their consequence and expanding new colours of their artistic pallete. I'd rather see that instead of forced, artificial in expression and mechanical stuff done by them just because they'd feel 'obliged' to step outside of their style they're operating. I'd say that courage, raver and guts to try new stuff should be equally applauded as consequence, building and excelling at signature/trademark developed, it's all worth embracing and understanding I feel.

I am a bit disappointed with the results of the Free Dance. I honestly think B/S were robbed of the silver medal, I wasn't overly impressed with it when I saw it initially but it has improved each time I have seen it and felt last weekend in Ostrava was two of their best performances all season. I am a fan of C/L and while what they do every season is very similar, it has it's own charm but in Ostrava they were not the second best. I found them a bit slow and being honest, over marked.

I have been disappointed with P/C this season. The free dance is great but not their best free dance. What has disappointed me is in their duels with V/M they seem to struggle, are nervous, make mistakes, maybe lack a bit of fighting spirit. I thought V/M would struggle against them this year but it has been the other way round and I would now have them as favourite for the Worlds and Olympics. P/C were without doubt the best here and deserved their victory but the score wasn't as huge as I expected.

I was very impressed with the Israelis, I liked them last year but they have jumped a few levels this season. After only 2 seasons together they are ranked 4th in Europe, they really work well as a couple, it was a very enjoyable Nutcracker. S/B must be very disappointed with their performance, after running B/S very close in Russian Nationals but they were a long way of the pace here. They will need to regroup for Worlds.

Another couple I liked, but didn't even make the Free Dance was the young couple from Azerbaijan. Hopefully they will progress in the next few seasons.

NoNameFace said:

and on an ending note - I think that this season is showing us that sometimes it is best to use your biggest strenghts and abilities and transform it into actual work. Yes - there may be no big surprises, no going outside of comfort zone, no risks taken, but instead there will be a great pleasure of watching supreme stuff, pulled off with ease, spark and confidence. In times when a lot of teams seem to go into similar streamline and somehow in the process they are loosing their individuality and signature a bit (often with confidence in execution and performance), I really salute these who are sticking with their winning formula, even for sake of being called boring, repetitive or one-note. For me, this kind of a bravery to do so, to stick with their style and expand it with different stories, because in all honesty - for example Anna and Luca's FDs ma have the same vibe, similar style, but they are each a different, separate story, an acting masterpiece, each equally enjoyable. Same could go to Gabriella and Guillaume - as much as many of us would like to see them in something entirely different, as much as a lot of people considering their FDs as repetitive and one-dimentional, I can't help but admire their consequence and expanding new colours of their artistic pallete. I'd rather see that instead of forced, artificial in expression and mechanical stuff done by them just because they'd feel 'obliged' to step outside of their style they're operating. I'd say that courage, raver and guts to try new stuff should be equally applauded as consequence, building and excelling at signature/trademark developed, it's all worth embracing and understanding I feel.

Click to expand...

:clapper: well said. I enjoy diversity but above all I enjoy teams who have a clear identity and stay true to themselves artistically whether, as you said, it is through experimenting many styles or deepening one style again and again.

I also agree about B/S, I loved their Anna Karenina and they are at their best when telling a story, they should come back to that next year. None of that abstract stuff for them.

Finally, P/C's twizzles are indeed gorgeous this year, both in SD and FD. I noticed commentators loving all the little choreographic details mentioning how hard it is to incorporate such details which fits so well to the music but you are one of the first one on a forum to notice it.

Thanks for your always very thoughtful posts. Very interesting to read.

cocotaffy said:

:clapper: well said. I enjoy diversity but above all I enjoy teams who have a clear identity and stay true to themselves artistically whether, as you said, it is through experimenting many styles or deepening one style again and again.

I also agree about B/S, I loved their Anna Karenina and they are at their best when telling a story, they should come back to that next year. None of that abstract stuff for them.

Finally, P/C's twizzles are indeed gorgeous this year, both in SD and FD. I noticed commentators loving all the little choreographic details mentioning how hard it is to incorporate such details which fits so well to the music but you are one of the first one on a forum to notice it.

Thanks for your always very thoughtful posts. Very interesting to read.

Click to expand...

a lot for Your kind words, sometimes to be honest after writing such long posts I just think 'what an another word vomit from you...'

Throughout all these years watching Ice Dance as my favourite discipline I've learned to appreciate various things in different teams against my first impression/opposition to programs/level of expression etc., but it wasn't that way. I feel just better to dig deeper into a team, a performance they're presenting us and from where they are coming with it - I makes a lot easier to find something interesting and unique in different teams.

Continuing my thought about staying true to the team's aesthetic/way of expression/strenghts and reaching even beyond it - while watching Ekaterina and Dimitri's FD made me focused almost only on execution of elements, on a PROGRAM before actual performance, Gabriella/Guillaume's and Anna/Luca's FDs made me forget about technical parts of their dances and put a PERFORMACE over a program, adding so much personal flavour and character into it. I think this said is a great testament of their confidence as well, which I truly admire, however both team are having this confidence from different sources I feel - Anna and Luca from this experience they have, their entertaining skill mastered throughout all these years, Gabriella and Guillaume on the other hand - from their very particular vision they have over Ice Dance, individual, atristic, complex approach towards it. Both are also drawing their confidence from maturity already achieved - Italians as mature, brilliant entertainers, French - as mature, individual artists.

sarama said:

Shibs will have to be smart and give the program the right flair, but it's doable. PapCiz can work well with the sultry quality of the rumba. Actually I think most teams will manage to do better with next year's SD compared to this year's (there are some very awkward SDs even from the top teams this season).
Of course Tessa and Scott got really lucky because they really shine while doing Latin and I believe the rumba is also Scott's favorite pattern dance...I think you can't ask for more in your last season

Click to expand...

The rumba is one of Scott's least-favorite dance patterns. He likes the more complex ones, like the Golden Waltz or Argentine Tango.