Daniil Gleikhengauz's programs

This season Daniil is being criticized a lot for his music cuts, but are there any programs made by him that you actually like? Do you think he is a good choreographer in general or does he still need to learn a lot?

I'll start. My favorite programs made by him are Anastasia Tarakanova's 2017-2018 season SP (Experience) and FS (Sarabande Suite). They are quite unusual for the fs and I believe they suited the skater's personality well.

Alina's both programs last year deserve at least a mention just because of how memorable and controversal there were.

In ladies Daniil and Ilya are the best now.

To be fair, there is no need for that much of music cuts/concepts/ideas in one program (Phantom of the Opera). I think he is too much 'involved' in it like he wants people to talk about him and not about actual skater who are skating to it. While i dont have problems with it like some others do, he appears kind of a little narcissistic to me (which is my biggest impression about Alina's programs this year, and is not her skating... which is great and should be in first place/first topic to talk about, not Daniil...) Forgot to add, Trusova's programs this year look great for her type of skating!

Daniil is still quite a new choreographer, he doesn't have the experience of veterans like Bourne and Wilson. I think he's a good choreographer, who has some not so good programs with crazy cuts this season, something even the best share. Because those programs are for high profile skaters, he gets a lot of criticism. And of course everything higher profile skaters do, including choreo, gets more criticism (and praise); people talk about them more. For this point in his career, I do think he's doing very well, but also has a lot to learn. My favourites of his include Tarakanova's SP last season and Shcherbakova's SP, Trusova's FS, and Alina's FS this season. I also liked Alina's DQ, but I think that was more of Eteri's work than his as her name always appeared first on the list, if I recall.

I think most of the criticism happens for the same reason Eteri gets a lot of criticism - their skaters win all.
Of course, Daniil has a lot to learn, since he is not even 30 yet, quite on the younger side of the coaching world, so not sure how fair is to compare him to choreographers who are 15 or 25 years older than him. His programs may not be everybody's cup of tea, but they do their job in being a great vehicle for the skaters, enabling them to get very nice scores.

One of his programs that I like a lot and that was not mentioned here yet is Light of the Seven by Tsurskaya

The ones for Zagitova this season have worn me down into accepting them for what they are.

Well, yes -- skaters who win everything will rightfully have their programs and overall packaging be scrutinized. That's only to be expected. My biggest issue with the Eteri camp's programs is that they always felt "one size fits all", especially in the years of transition between Lip and Medvedeva. Their step sequences can also tend to be very samey. However, I think they are really hitting their stride with the 3A girls coming up, they each have very different styles and project distinct images on the ice. Trusova stands out especially and I hope they will let her keep her "warrior" image coming into the senior ranks. Did Daniil choreograph Valieva's SP? That one's a beaut.

When it comes to music choices / cuts I'm afraid it is unlikely to change, the taste level is simply irreconcilable imo based mostly on cultural differences -- it's been like this since the golden days of Russian ice dance.

Last season he had more ideas, good ideas. Tarakanova's and Kostornaya's programs were really good.
This season Tursynbaeva's and Shcherbakova's SP are not bad.
But seriously, most of his music cuts are a mess this season. It's like he couldn't make a choice between many musics.

He is still on the younger side. I feel there is a bright future as a choreographer for him ahead. His best choreography is still to come. He certainly yet to produce more and more good programs for another year or two to prove himself a bit more for all skeptics and demonstrate his consistency at producing top-notch choreography. He is certainly "certified fresh" comparing to some other established and "good oldie" choreographers out there.

One might dislike Eteri's coaching and Daniil's choreography, but one simply can't deny their skaters and their choreography is like breath of fresh air. One simply can't but notice Eteri and her team have brought to the FS world (and to the FS forums, including our GS forum) more new FS fans. They can "sell it" in their programs - like a short movies with a small story. A little dramatic at the right places, a little acting for TV-camera close-ups, a little pause'n'go and rhythm changes, a little stylish crescendos at the end. More youth-oriented I would say. Refreshing. Even their war-horsey and ballet-inspired programs are somewhat up to modern taste and date. Aesthetics changes (as some like to say regarding the recent gymnast-like ballet trend in the US, hehehe ).

Kostornaya’s programmes last season were beautiful. Despite the music cuts, she also makes her programmes this season work imo.

Ones I particularly like:

Kamila Valieva, SP 2018-2019
Anastasia Tarakanova, SP + FS 2017-2018
Alena Kostornaya, SP + FS 2017-2018, SP + FS 2018-2019
Polina Tsurskaya, SP 2016-2018
Alexandra Trusova, FS 2017-2018, SP 2018-2019
Anna Shcherbakova, FS 2016-2018, SP 2017-2018, SP 2018-2019
Alina Zagitova, FS 2018-2019, SP 2017-2018
Elizabet Tursynbaeva, SP 2018-2019

thexfireball said:

Kostornaya’s programmes last season were beautiful. Despite the music cuts, she also makes her programmes this season work imo.

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Kostornaya can bring me to catharsis. :thumbsup:

My favorite programs:

"Angel" of Kostornaya (SP in this season)
"Karenina" of Zhenya
"5th element" of Sasha
Tarakanova's FP in 2017/2018
SP of Dasha Panenkova in 2017/2018
SP of Kamila in this season

About music cuts - completely don't understand the reproaches. Just don't understand. It's always intresting, creative

From my point of view, Daniel has a very strong advantage - he really well knows those for whom he does programs, and his programs fitted for them, “resonating” with them.*

* I will illustrate what I mean - last year Tarakanova had programs that were very fitted for her personality - our wild, passionate "Princess Tarakanova" as we call her (this is a historical character). And this year her SP is just awful in my opinion, the one who made it absolutely does not understand Nastya’s personality (and the long program is on the contrary awesome, as if two different people did it)

He's my favorite choreographer. I think that he's unfairly criticized by people just trying their best to find faults in what he(Or team Eteri in general) does.

My favorite program of his is Anna Shcherbakova's Dreamcatcher FS from last season. I also really like Kamila Valieva's and Anna Shcherbakova's SPs this season. Evgenia Medvedeva's Anna Karenina is Medvedeva's best program in my opinion, which is also his.

I think I heard on TSL that POTO and Carmen were programs that Zhenya had wanted to skate to. Is there any truth in this? It makes me wonder if Alina’s programs were changed up after Zhenya left.

I definitely think that Daniil has some great ideas and a potential that he'll develop further in the upcoming years. What I like the most about his programs are the music choices because most of them are not so common in the figure skating world or when he uses a warhorse, he chooses at least a re-arranged piece or cuts it himself in order to distinguish it. Yes, he did an awful job with Alina's current SP but at the same time her Swan Lake was his best work that we've seen so far, so I will accept it as sort of an artist-crisis or over-experimenting

One of the problems I have though is what RoastToast mentioned above me. From all the interviews of Daniil and Eteri, I got the impression that he produces or at least has some visions for new programs and when those are finished, he chooses together with Eteri which student will skate to it. Unfortunately, I don't think that all of their students..or at least some of their ex-students fitted into this box, therefore those programs left me cold. Another issue is the style itself - at the time Lipnitskaya was in top-form and then Medvedeva, it felt fresh and unique. 4 years later, however, with all those successful students of them, it's kind of repetitive and doesn't have the wow factor any more (exception: Alina's Swan Lake). But that said, I agree here again with RoastToas's post - he managed to distinguish the 3A from one another - each girl has a choreography that suits her perfectly and in comparison they all look quite different after all, so that's positive.

Also, what bothers me with those programs is that he makes the interpretation of the music really juniorish, understandable though since their skaters all are under 18. He uses every music note in order to stuck some jump/spin or leg-grabbing pose to match it, which done twice is ok but when it's the main content of the program is kind of boring because it's very obvious that this is his work and not the musicality of the skater. This doesn't have to do with the score but for me as a spectator it takes somehow the joy from watching.

Favourite programs: Zagitova Swan Lake, Scherbakova's current SP, Tinny Boss 5th Element. I don't know if he choreographed Med's Nocturne SP but that was very beautiful too.

He has some very good works, some good works and some bad ones.
But even the bad ones are original in a way or another, such as for example Alina's POTO this year. Which is a big plus.
I like his originality and out of the box thinking. And he is also pretty versatile.
My favorite programmes are:
- Alena's Angel and Alena's last year short program
- Alina's Black Swan
- Tarakanova's last year programs

Sugar Coated said:

I think I heard on TSL that POTO and Carmen were programs that Zhenya had wanted to skate to. Is there any truth in this? It makes me wonder if Alina’s programs were changed up after Zhenya left.

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I would not trust anything that TSL says about Tutberidze team. No offence but every time I heard them speaking about any of the girls the amount of salt was unbelievable. "Well, I guess at least this Kostornaia girl is not completely terrible....BUT". - Their usual attitude.

They also like to repeat dumb rumors. I heard, they say, etc. No facts.

Just to remind you people how young Daniil actually is, grabbed coaches and choreographers of the Olympic Medalists.
So whenever we bash him, we have to remember he is still a junior.

1991 Daniil Gleichengauz
1982 Jeffrey Buttle
1980 John Kerr
1976 Shae-Lynn Bourne
1976 Romain Haguenauer
1975 Patrice Lauzon
1974 Eteri Tutberidze
1974 Bruno Marcotte
1974 Marie-France Dubreuil
1973 Ravi Walia
1973 Zhao Hongbo
1970 Sergei Dudakov
1966 David Wilson
1966 Alexander König
1961 Brian Orser
1961 Tracy Wilson
1958 Christopher Dean
1956 Marina Zoueva
1943 Machiko Yamada

I've seen Daniil is also Sofia Guidote's choreographer. At least it's what mentioned in her ISU bio.