2017 Worlds: Free Dance Highlights

After personal best scores were handed out in Boston like candy at Halloween, the love from the judges panel was not flowing as freely at the 2017 World Figure Skating Championships in Helsinki during the free dance.


In an event of high drama, none of the top medal contenders skated to a personal best, many due to stumbles, with the exception of France's Gabrielle Papadakis and Guillame Cizeron, who delivered a world record free dance score of 119.15. The feat however was not enough to catch up to short dance leaders, Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir of Canada, who won their third World title.

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What are your thoughts overall on the FD?

Best dance: Cappellini and Lanotte.

To me, it is hard to draw any conclusion because the scores and placements were determined by glaring and uncharacteristic errors.

What a shame for Hubbell and Donohue.

Anna and Luca brought the crowd to their feet. I think Anna's twizzles caught my attention more than anyone else and had a snappy zest that when they exited got a healthy round of applause. I love everything about them and when the scores came up they maintained the sweetest composure that was like...oh well...what can we do? Luca's face after the scores was priceless. Please....someone gif. that for conversational purposes here amongst ourselves.

My faves did not disappoint me and I'm glad I rearranged my day in order to watch them.

I just want to put in a good word for Tanith Belbin and Ben Agosto's commentary on NBCSN in the U.S. this afternoon. It was very insightful, yet they did not talk over our heads. Theyt were not afraid of periods of silence during the performances.

Mathman said:

I just want to put in a good word for Tanith Belbin and Ben Agosto's commentary on NBCSN in the U.S. this afternoon. It was very insightful, yet they did not talk over our heads. Theyt were not afraid of periods of silence during the performances.

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Agreed. I also thought it was more conversational than scripted and felt like watching with good friends.

Mathman said:

I just want to put in a good word for Tanith Belbin and Ben Agosto's commentary on NBCSN in the U.S. this afternoon. It was very insightful, yet they did not talk over our heads. Theyt were not afraid of periods of silence during the performances.

Click to expand...

C/L and P/C were the best for me, these programs were just magical Gutted for H/D, still annoyed that B/S were third, someone should make a GIF of Andrew Poje's reactions to their scores, they themselves couldn't believe what we were seeing. Really sad for Mr. Bates, Igor looked noticeably upset, I hope they can put this behind them.

Well, that was interesting....

A bunch of questionable/political judging in the middle of the event, and then some pretty well done judging for the last flight. Spots 1 and 2 were not really in question, but those 3 to 9 spots were pretty hotly contested.

FB/S: had some unfortunate moments in the FD, but I really think they should have been scored higher in the SD. I'd have them ahead of S/B for sure.

S/B: I really don't understand how this team ended up as high as they did. A lot of flailing of arms, very poor musicality, incredibly bad posture, not a lot of real dancing. The FD was really not good at all. She really has a very stiff back when she moves, even though she clearly is very flexibility. She doesn't dance with her whole body. I kept thinking they look more like pairs skaters than ice dancers. I have to think if his name is not Bukin, they wouldn't be nearly that high.

G/P: Now, most people would know that I'm not this team's biggest fans. That being said, credit where credit is due. They had a very fun SD, which had some definite technical deficiencies with some flat edges, etc., but I would have had this ahead of at least B/S. Their FD is probably the best program they have ever done as a team. They finally put aside the gimmicks, and allowed themselves to actually skate. It suited them, and they did a pretty solid job of it. They absolutely should have finished at least a place or 2 higher with that. There is no way either S/B or B/S should have been even in the same ballpark as that program. Someone elsewhere mentioned that Skate Canada wants to push this team so they can be ready to take over when V/M and W/P retire. To be ready, this team needs to keep choosing great material like this year, but really, really, really take a page out of both V/M and W/P training books and go elsewhere for a bit - made a number of months - to reinvent their technique. They have to improve their overall lines, edges and quality. If they do that, they can be on the podium. Without that, I'm not sure they will ever get there, as fun as they are to watch. They simply do not have the smoothness and quality of either of the top Canadian teams, or the French, or the Shibs, or.... I also expect Soucisse/Firus to be making some great progress, and putting all those technical details in place.

B/S: This was an angsty mess. Their lines are awful, and their posture is horrible. They have more musicality than S/B, but all this flailing around and uber drama is just not good. I did like their first lift. Very innovative. There is no good technical reason why they would be third with so many much better teams. I'd have G/P ahead of S/B. Third? Not a chance! Pure politics.

C/L: Loved their program. They tell a great story, and combine that with really good skating. You can see they have been a team for a very long time, with the ease they have with one another, the matching lines and edges, the run of the blade, the crispness of movements. They did an excellent job today. Where I think they get lost in the mix is that their skating looks smaller and slower than some of the teams above them. I'd have had them 5th today, after the Shibs.

W/P: So upset that this team ONCE AGAIN is robbed within a fraction of a point. They absolutely deserved more marks both in the SD and FD. And they deserved that bronze medal. No question. Moving to Morozov has done wonders for them, and you can see how much they have improved over the course of the season. They have more power, more confidence, and great sweeping lines and flow. They are well positioned for Olympic year, and I certainly hope that the games we saw at this competition are put to the side so that what is actually skated on ice is rewarded accordingly. It's high time for this team to no longer be robbed by the skating politics. Just crazy.

C/B: So too bad for the error on the twizzles. With so many teams so close in scores, there was no room for any kind of significant error. I am not a fan of this team. I'm not a fan of "skate by numbers". I don't find them very musical in the material they chose this year. Cool idea, but it just doesn't suit them as a team. To me, they have often been over-scored (including the in the SD in Helsinki) because of levels (the skate by numbers part), and I was pleased to see their lack of execution today judged accordingly. The current trend in ice dance is to put the "dance" in ice dance. Not the D/W, C/B, etc. style of skating. I think C/B need to make a move to coaches with more current ideas in ice dance.

Shibs: I've always had a soft spot for this team. They've been good for a very, very long time, and it's good to see them getting the attention for it. Their twizzles are a thing of beauty, and they have such precision and unison. Maybe it's because we have P/C and V/M, but I find that they skate very high up on the ice, not so deep in the knees. They kind of float a little delicately. A sign of a great program is when it's over before you know it. That was the case with the Shibs. But I really think they are missing a little depth and grit in their skating this season. ColdPlay last year had more grit, a certain depth and authenticity, and it worked. Not sure they progressed that part of their skating this year, and I thought W/P should be ahead of them by a couple of points, the Shibs' twizzles not with standing.

P/C: The FD today was very beautiful. They absolutely deserved their scores. They skate deeper in the knees, and have a great sense of flow and movement. They are enormously talented, and you can see how much Gabrielle has improved over the course of the season. I do think they need to work more on creating more difficult and innovative lifts. I suspect this is harder to do, since it may require a change in technique especially from Gabby. But it would be really worth it for them. These 2 are still very young. It will take some time for them to develop range in material, and the ability to really skate to other rhythms and styles. The SD next year should be interesting since it will provide some real challenge and growth for them.

V/M: The best ice dancers of all time. Ever. Their SD is one for the ages. In the old system, it would have been 6.0 across the board, technical and artistic. I have to think that Prince would have absolutely enjoyed what V/M did with that music. The details, the quality, the unison, the deep edges, the innovative choreography, .... I could go on and on about the amazingness that is V/M. I don't often rewatch skating programs, but I will definitely do so with the SD this year. Their FD was also amazing, even with Scott's odd stumble. They were ding'd a level on the step, and some GOE. But the stumble happened after all the turns and everything was complete. It was on the way out. Lucky for them, since earlier would have made them lose more points due to more levels. Step sequences have the highest point values. Everything else they did in the FD was on another level. They have difficulty and complexity and lines and chemistry....the whole package. They have the most difficult content, the most even division of work, the most details, of any team. I think if they had been error free today, they would have had a score of 120+. Can't wait to see what they do next year. So glad they came back.

H/D: So gutted for these 2. Ice is slippery, and it happens. Every team has had moments like this. I think they are one of the most improved teams in the circuit, and the move to Montreal has been excellent for them. They are more fit than they've ever been, they move much better than they used to, and they are skating and looking better than ever before. Today was a bad day at the office. But they should keep on the track they've been on, and they will climb to that world medal. And I'd like to see some more sophisticated music for them next year. I'm sorta done with the schmaltz.

My order based on what was skated?:

V/M, P/C, W/P, S/S, C/L, G/P, B/S, C/B, H/D, ....

Mathman said:

I just want to put in a good word for Tanith Belbin and Ben Agosto's commentary on NBCSN in the U.S. this afternoon. It was very insightful, yet they did not talk over our heads. Theyt were not afraid of periods of silence during the performances.

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:agree:! They were outstanding together. I actually enjoyed listening to their commentary as the competition unfolded, unlike T/J who I usually wish would just STHU. Ben is a gem, low key but so insightful and sincere in both his praise and criticism. I would love for this duo to do all the NBC ice dance commentary.

NorthernDancers said:

...But I really think [the Shibutanis] are missing a little depth and grit in their skating this season. ColdPlay last year had more grit, a certain depth and authenticity, and it worked. Not sure they progressed that part of their skating this year....

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I think this observation nails it. I say this in retrospect, because I was a big fan of the Shibs Arvo Part free dance at the beginning of the year.

Last year they had a career defining breakthrough with Coldplay. I think that this year their approach was to take everything that worked for them in Coldplay and push it even farther in the same direction. The resulting minimalist program was interesting. But now I think they will have to re-tool for the Olympic season.