Gilles and Poirier's new FD

In Vancouver, Piper Gilles and Paul Poirier made good on their sentiment that they were over settling for the bronze medal at Canadian Nationals. The duo clenched the silver medal thanks to a brilliant short dance that created enough of a gap to compensate for a third-place free dance. Earning a score of 192.08, the competition marked their first and long-awaited ranking over teammates Kaitlyn Weaver and Andrew Poje.

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“It’s the right step forward,” said Poirier of their finish, where they performed their new free dance to music from James Bond. “It was definitely a bit scary to debut a new program at this point in the season and we have had our fair share of doubts throughout the last month.”

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Carol Lane on Gilles and Poirier:

Looking ahead, Lane was blunt in the training plan from now to Olympics. “We worked our asses off, basically,” she firmly stated. “Small tweaks here and there, but we are basically very happy with everything, so now we just train the ever-loving s*** out of it.”

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What do think of their new routine?

Here's a link to the first outing of their James Bond FD at 2018 Canadian Nationals:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dd1YpwpGaEE

:yes:

I love the new program! It will only get better by the Olympics. Thrilled for them to get silver at Nationals

I really liked the Perry Mason program, but the new one is quite good too! It's got more of an impact at the end, and by the Olympics it should be something special. One very minor nit to pick - Paul needs a more Bond-y costume. The turtleneck didn't work for me.
I'm so happy that they won the silver! I enjoy this team so much!

This competition is a big step forward for Gilles and Poirier . It is too bad that it had to come at the expense of Weaver and Poje, though.

G&P always bring something fresh and unexpected to their performances. Very entertaining. I think the Bond program will gel nicely over the next month.

gsk8 said:

In Vancouver, Piper Gilles and Paul Poirier made good on their sentiment that they were over settling for the bronze medal at Canadian Nationals. The duo clenched the silver medal thanks to a brilliant short dance that created enough of a gap to compensate for a third-place free dance. Earning a score of 192.08, the competition marked their first and long-awaited ranking over teammates Kaitlyn Weaver and Andrew Poje.

More...




Carol Lane on Gilles and Poirier:

What do think of their new routine?

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I'm so happy they kept most of the choreography from the Perry Mason program and glad that they are making more of a mark on the judges and audience with the change of music to James Bond. It was the right move. I love it and them!

Absolutely over the moon! A gamble that paid off big time. Good on them. I really love them, they’re soooo refreshing!

Ravyn Rant said:

I really liked the Perry Mason program, but the new one is quite good too! It's got more of an impact at the end, and by the Olympics it should be something special. One very minor nit to pick - Paul needs a more Bond-y costume. The turtleneck didn't work for me.
I'm so happy that they won the silver! I enjoy this team so much!

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Yes, the more I rewatch it, the better I like it but I think to be really convincing at the Olympics he needs that Bond costume. P&P are never ones to overlook costume, so I suppose it's just still not ready.

I remain to be convinced. For me, G/P have always been so innovative and original that to turn to a warhorse theme like Bond just doesn't sit well. I'm hoping to be won over the more I see of it...

Now this is interesting. So far I have been entranced every time I watched the Perry Mason. Have to say that I always like James Bond as a theme so I am keen to check out this new FD very soon!

I am a huge fan of Piper and Paul and wish them well for the rest of the season.

In comparison to the original program, the Bond music is more dynamic particularly in the way they chose to cut and edit the soundtrack together. The previous music just had the same tone all the way through, not enough light and shade.

They evidently weren't able to change some of the choreography that was left over from the change, so some of it doesn't match as well to the Bond music as I'm sure they would have liked. I agree with other posters here that they need more time, especially when it comes to the relationship and story between them. The program will work better if Paul is in a suit and if the pair of them have a push and pull with each other, mimicking the signature Bond and Bond girl characters (doesn't have to be exactly that, just be drawn from it).

Ravyn Rant said:

I really liked the Perry Mason program, but the new one is quite good too! It's got more of an impact at the end, and by the Olympics it should be something special. One very minor nit to pick - Paul needs a more Bond-y costume. The turtleneck didn't work for me.
I'm so happy that they won the silver! I enjoy this team so much!

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Lester said:

Yes, the more I rewatch it, the better I like it but I think to be really convincing at the Olympics he needs that Bond costume. P&P are never ones to overlook costume, so I suppose it's just still not ready.

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yes, I second the points about costuming - this is one of a very few teams to pay immense attention to the entourage of the dance going with all other elements like music or choreography, and they usually reflect this originality/authenticity in their costumes like they are doing with their programs.

I think that right/projected/planned costumes were just not yet ready for Nationals, bearing in mind that this FD change move was quite recent and they sure were more concentrated on gel the program together execution/performance-wise for this first official outing than fuss around with costumes. Myself, I'd LOVE to see Piper in a dress with similar cut/bedazzle effect to Wakaba Higuchi Bond FS dress, but maybe in red/gold colouring, Paul in some sort of tux/suit variation in black, loose bowtie, maybe slight shine on lapels - he sure knows how to rock a suit type of costume after Tango FD

About the program - well, I'm digging it as everything PSquared produce, because it screams 'them' and 'different' from everything we see in the field I feel. For last 2/3 seasons they developed kind of signature for themselves in every program they are doing: this distinct way they connect with the music and each other, the individuality of their characters created on ice, attention to the detail and music, using those non-standard themes/stories to show, this determination to make them work and be accessible. I think that the program needs of course more mileage to appear continuous, flow-y and more convincing as a whole overall (not only by singled elements which have 'wow' factor), but I am very glad that they've decided on this risky move: the program is definitely a step forward to more universal appeal and more 'mainstream' aesthetic, yet it still remains in their own alley I feel. I do believe that once they'll have new costumes and more confidence in executing/presenting that program in terms of more skating it, the attitude will be more intense and impact more profound to judge; now for me it's all about making the program equal in brilliance and polish for both 'wow' factor elements (like this insane lift from cantilevers or ending lift/spin variation!) and skating/portraying characters in-between. And the change itself adds to the excitement and suspense around this team, so it gains some attention per se, which is good for their exposure I think

Carol Lane Tells It Like It Is!

You are my hero!

lyverbird1 said:

I remain to be convinced. For me, G/P have always been so innovative and original that to turn to a warhorse theme like Bond just doesn't sit well. I'm hoping to be won over the more I see of it...

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I can understand this point of view. I think ultimately the music moves more than Perry Mason score so especially in the second half it does a better job of showcasing their unique moves. I think some of those were getting lost in the Perry Mason program. So yes, now they have a more conventional wrapping paper (the music) on the goodies, but that wrapping paper will allow more people to notice their uniqueness.

Did he recycle his Hitchcock 2013/14 costume? I thought it looked familiar. Maybe they wanted to test the program and, if it works, he'll modify an old tux or have a new one built for OG / W?

I walked past Carol Lane that day and she was over the moon happy with the results / skate.

G/P won silver because Andrew Poje fell on the first twizzle in the SD, thus causing Weaver/Poje to lose all value for the twizzle element (at least 8 points altogether).

Maybe they did some voodoo to make Andrew fall. Because it's not like they showed up and skated or something... :noshake:

I have to wonder how much the audience in PyeongChang will know about Bond music because of Yuna. It may become a popular program there for this reason alone. But I admit, it does have some interesting choreo moves.

chuckm said:

G/P won silver because Andrew Poje fell on the first twizzle in the SD, thus causing Weaver/Poje to lose all value for the twizzle element (at least 8 points altogether).

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well, that's fair to be pointed out, but in case of one team's error, another one has to step it up and seize the opportunity to move up and Gilles/Poirier did it, quite unexpectedly for a lot of people due to their inconsistency in delivering clean, high levels program regularly. No one should really blame them to grab the chance and hold it by its horns, because they really smoothed out that SD it seemed and defend themselves in FD despite program being completely new, error on twizzles and lack here and there in continuity and flow of the piece. I think that this attitude and determination alone presented - combined with silver medal at Nats - could be really a push for them to get themselves in more 'winner'/real contender-competitor mind-set going forward, not just being the quirky ones with originality and non-standard approach brought to the field. I'd really love them to stay few seasons more to develop more stronger and profound as competitors.

Just so it is easy to find,
Here's a link to the first outing of their James Bond FD at 2018 Canadian Nationals:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dd1YpwpGaEE

I added it to the first post.

Moving to the Bond theme got rid of two problems:

• Perry is only remembered by people my age or by METV or Hallmark Mysteries viewers. Everyone knows James Bond!
• The Perry Mason Noir jazzy section in the middle of program tended to drag a bit.

Piper makes a better spunky Bond girl than the seductress mystery lady in Perry Mason. And It was never clear in Mason whether Paul was playing detective Paul or lawyer Perry. In Bond, it is absolutely clear he's Bond, James Bond.

The lifts in the new program are well placed, appropriate and fabulous! This quad, really good, creative lifts are undervalued. These are lifts that deserve +3 GOEs. Thank you Piper and Paul!
A Bond program should have surprises and gadgets. We should see the influence of the ice dance version of the Bond gadget creator Q, and we do with these clever lifts.

Some of the steps need a little work, as does the gun toting twizzle sequence, but I think the new program was a great move. Carol Lane's description of how they are going to spend the time before the Olympics is spot on.

Bravo!

dorispulaski said:

Just so it is easy to find,
Here's a link to the first outing of their James Bond FD at 2018 Canadian Nationals:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dd1YpwpGaEE



Piper makes a better spunky Bond girl than the seductress mystery lady in Perry Mason. And It was never clear in Mason whether Paul was playing detective Paul or lawyer Perry.

Bravo!

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In Skate America, Paul was wearing a police badge.

^^^^^^^^^
Say it ain't so

That makes it even odder. No one would want to be Lt. Tragg, the only police personnel continuing character in the Perry Mason stories.

Tragg is not only the honest but not too bright guy who is perpetually arresting the wrong person, he is just unattractive!

(Never Paul, obviously)

Here's a shot of Tragg, in an early example of product placement:

http://lileks.com/bw/TV/perry/cast/5.html