2017 GP Skate Canada Short Dance

[LisaS]

I agree. I think it is game over and the French will win. V and M have not done well in the fs against the French and relied upon a good lead in the SD. That no longer is there. So the French are the faves. THe rules do not mark down the fact PC use the same kind of freeskate. I like V and M but I have a strong feeling the French have the OGM.

I am pretty sure Tessa and Scott beat them in every free dance last year except worlds when actually had an error so not sure why you say they haven't done well against the French in the free dance.

 

[icekiwi]

Saw the French SD early in the season, my opinion, Tessa and Scott SD is simply miles ahead in terms of Samba style, Skating skills (especially comparing Gabriela with Tessa), upper and lower body movement s across the ice. The French Samba lack Samba content. As far as SD is concerned, Tessa and Scott should be miles ahead compared everybody else so far. The French SD should be in the same group with the Bronze medalists.

 

[nocturnalis]

I agree. I think it is game over and the French will win. V and M have not done well in the fs against the French and relied upon a good lead in the SD. That no longer is there. So the French are the faves. THe rules do not mark down the fact PC use the same kind of freeskate. I like V and M but I have a strong feeling the French have the OGM.

You know that happened once, right? The other two times they faced each other last season, V/M won handily.

 

[Osmond4gold]

Okay Canada, how dare YOU be realistic in scoring! How ( in a polite way), can you be serious in offering realistic scoring? Did you not get the MEMO? You have failed, miserably in your attempt to H-inflate. How can FANS ever say that over scoring at Skate Canada, always happens ...a gimmee, as some have described.

And, SORRY does not count for much of us on GS! Hummmmmm, can we imagine that "TODAY" never happened. :scard7: Total FAIL!

Perhaps, we can have a groundhog day.

 

[Anyasnake]

Can we NOT go V/M against P/C and vice-versa when ONLY ONE of them skate and NOT the other ? We'll see at GPF and the Olympics because scores difference are meaningless UNLESS you compete against one another. Check the PCS scores, the range of it, and the levels. Let's go back to Skate Canada please :thumbsup:

Reposting my own post since I feel it's necessary.
It's a bit exhausting when it's always down to some 'fanwars' where I see that the Ladies SP thread is 100 pages. Can we talk about the actual competition ? Everyone has its own opinion and it's not going to change anytime soon.
Let's talk about today's skating instead.

skating order for tomorrow : http://www.isuresults.com/results/season1718/gpcan2017/SEG008.HTM

 

[slider11]

Great SD! Congrats to Tess and Scott; great score, not sure I'd rewatch but it seems to tick all the judges boxes. So happy for Weaver/Poje that they finally had a strong showing. Hubbell/Donahue =very good but, again, not memorable for me. If I were to rewatch one of the dances, it would be WeaPo's. JeanLuc is a strong dancer. Kaitlin has skills but she's a step behind. This likely isn't going to be their year but maybe in a couple years she will mature to his level. Their Lieberstraum is lovely; I hope they can put forth a good performance.

 

[TontoK]

Reposting my own post since I feel it's necessary.
It's a bit exhausting when it's always down to some 'fanwars' where I see that the Ladies SP thread is 100 pages. Can we talk about the actual competition ? Everyone has its own opinion and it's not going to change anytime soon.
Let's talk about today's skating instead.

skating order for tomorrow : http://www.isuresults.com/results/season1718/gpcan2017/SEG008.HTM

I appreciate your attempt at keeping everyone on an even keel.

But it is too late. I've already awarded the medals.

 

[maddiesparks]

V/M have a strong SD and FD. The French always end up relying on their FD to pull through, which IMO puts a lot of pressure on them to perform. Nothing that I saw at Finlandia in PC's SD program tells me that they could score over 80, which already puts them at a 3-4 point disadvantage heading into the FD. This is all conjecture, though, and obviously we all saw how Worlds turned out when Scott slipped.

I don't know whether I was just in a good mood coming off of watching V/M, but I really enjoyed W/P's SD. I only say that because I was not impressed at ACI, but they definitely brought it today. H/D seemed a little tight, but still great. Their FD is one of my favs, so I'm excited to see it tomorrow.

 

[Anyasnake]

I appreciate your attempt at keeping everyone on an even keel.

But it is too late. I've already awarded the medals.

Oh it's never about opinions, I like that everyone has theirs actually, as long as it's not insulting/bashing another skater/team However I would really like to speak about the actual competition, the technical, the (great) performances, etc. I always feel a bit sad when I see that the Dance threads have less replies and less fans sometimes
(I have my strong opinions too of course but I prefer being partial : I'm an Ice Dance fan before anything )

(And that awesome statement of mine is my 500th post )

 

[Chemistry66]

Oh it's never about opinions, I like that everyone has theirs actually, as long as it's not insulting/bashing another skater/team However I would really like to speak about the actual competition, the technical, the (great) performances, etc. I always feel a bit sad when I see that the Dance threads have less replies and less fans sometimes
(I have my strong opinions too of course but I prefer being partial : I'm an Ice Dance fan before anything )

I stay out of the post-event discussions because it's always so unnecessarily dramatic.

 

[chuckm]

The audience reaction to H/D felt very, very.. subdued.

It seemed through the screen they were bringing a bit more fire to their interpretation (especially in the last section) than W/P.

It's CANADA---the audience wants W/P over H/D so they aren't going to be that enthusiastic about H/D.

 

[peepsquick]

I appreciate your attempt at keeping everyone on an even keel.

But it is too late. I've already awarded the medals.

How about enjoying the ice dance performance for itself and stop this tiring attempts at stirring rivalry and bad spirit between fans of different teams. This, to me, is not only insulting for the teams but also not at all in line with the Olympic spirit. Enough with the posturing! Can't we all just enjoy the show?!

 

[Osmond4gold]

It's CANADA---the audience wants W/P over H/D so they aren't going to be that enthusiastic about H/D.

Yes, lets just play the"It's Canada" game chuckm. Your defense and credibility does get questioned here, after repeating such a continued false narrative.

 

[chuckm]

It IS Canada, O4AU, and the audience is filled with folks who are as rabid as you are about Canadian skaters. And aren't excited as much about skaters who aren't Canadian.

 

[coldblueeyes]

How about enjoying the ice dance performance for itself and stop this tiring attempts at stirring rivalry and bad spirit between fans of different teams. This, to me, is not only insulting for the teams but also not at all in line with the Olympic spirit. Enough with the posturing! Can't we all just enjoy the show?!

Well, some of us really had a hard time enjoying the GP last week - every time a russian team was scored it incited three pages of moaning, which is something that barely happened in here. So, yeah, I would like to see everyone enjoying their favorite teams competing well, but maybe we'd have to push this envelope in all competitions.

 

[bramweld]

Now THAT was a short dance competition.

Tessa and Scott, just WooOOOooW, you schooled the entire class!!
Most improved, Weaver and Poje. Apparently, they took the criticisms seriously.
Hubbell and Donahue, pure class. Weaver and POje will have to earn it tomorrow, these guys smell blood. YaaSSS!!:hap93:

Really liked Hawayek and Baker as well, pity about the twizzle mistake. Hoping all couples ake the dancing do the talking tomorrow. Peace out!!

 

[Ice Diva]

It IS Canada, O4AU, and the audience is filled with folks who are as rabid as you are about Canadian skaters. And aren't excited as much about skaters who aren't Canadian.

Poor, chuck's knickers're in a knot. But never fear, only 1 hour till the men's and then you can go all out with your rabid rant about Patrick Chan.

 

[Purv]

Saw the French SD early in the season, my opinion, Tessa and Scott SD is simply miles ahead in terms of Samba style, Skating skills (especially comparing Gabriela with Tessa), upper and lower body movement s across the ice. The French Samba lack Samba content. As far as SD is concerned, Tessa and Scott should be miles ahead compared everybody else so far. The French SD should be in the same group with the Bronze medalists.

You dont get it.. Look at the PCS french got from the judges and canadians ones last year on worlds.. They are similar, veery similar. Only 0.33 points difference in PCs in short!!!! They lost level on twizzles and two step sequencess. If they got lever 4 for twizzles + better goe , they would win overall ! If they judges wanted to send a message that Tessa and Scoot are simply miles ahead of everyone , they wouldnt get pcs almost the same as the french. Their SS was the Same! This is everything the fault of french , their mistakes. They lost levels on steps , thats all. Thats the difference. Judges think they are equal , in terms of PCS. Sorry .And it is worth to mention that there were bigger difference between last short programs of both teams..Frech's was not so good

 

[NoNameFace]

As usual, my few cents (but exchanged into million smaller ones,you know me)...

Positively surprised by Olivia and Adria – that score is a promising thing. I liked the flow of the routine today, the amount of polish in connections/transitions, the feel of the music and its expression through their bodies. It's a nice play on a bit sensual and vibrant Latin aesthetic and I think that they sold it out today on point – they've given not only a face, but moreover a nice body action going well with rhythms, I particularly loved partial step sequence and non-touching one. The more they perform the routine,it gets 'richer' and more dimensional in terms of interpretation and sole execution even. It shows that they put a lot of work to introduce more closer skating and swift/fluid changes between elements. I love Adria's partnering skills and presentation in this Latin theme – he truly knows how to show off his partner and himself as a strong leader who 'frame' the dance.

I wish Kaitlin would be more confident and courageous in this SD...She just seems too tentative at places,especially before this twizzles part where energy level should be the highest as the dance is building to the finale. For me, there is a good energy and nice composition in that dance – laced with musicality and fun, but somehow they cannot get fully into it with ease and carefree. Don't get me wrong – the dance needs focus and expertise in technical execution, but it also need a confident, engaged performance by two of them going equally strongly for it. How they can get there,if they seem always so unsure about their next step, Kaitlin especially? I wonder if they could give themselves more space and freedom in terms of performance/interpretation next time fr that SD, less concentrating on TES/levels; this technical side: pattern, step sequences, it should be more 'automatized' for them, not like a Everest adventure each time they performing them. I don't know sometimes, if this is just nerves or just pure unluck about those falls/stumbles. I also wish somehow that there would be more 'tongue-in-cheek'/flirty expression on Sean Paul and Pittbull parts than trying to resemble Latin for what it's worth...

Sad,sad for Poles...The concept of the dance looks so fun, kind of inviting to the party, but then it's so poorly executed: too much choppy parts, missed holds, no proper body actions, especially from Natalia...And that muddy dress – yes, in terms of cut, it is a step forward since Finlandia, but the colour is just big, fat NO; give that dress some cut-outs, show more skin, maybe some cleavage and do it in red for example. Maksym is looking hot and appropriate for the dance – suave and Latino-like for me, even if a little bit too dated. They desperately need to give some elevation to that dance – now, it's forgettable by itself AND with no proper backing technically-wise.

Kavita and Joti may have one of my fave music combos this season for SD, but again – it has to be spiced up a little more, explored more in terms of interpretation through movement, expression,body actions etc. to make it pop/stand out, music alone won't get all the work and splendid done. Kavita especially has to work more on control of her movement/balancing flow of the movement with rhythmical action and expression. After seeing quite a few Ice Dance competition this season,it really shows who actually GETS the Latin program they have instead of just putting it out there with no deeper thought.

Alla and Pavel is the paradox team I have quite a lot issues with – they have some great,great skills out there, but their packaging is not showing them properly, like at all...The SD looks for me like truly 'patched' from some cliche telenovelas: little body actions referrecing Latin movement/dance styles, some awkwardness in holds sometimes, Alla's center too high to do figures properly, costumes taken more from King Arthur than sambodrome, too many artificial gestures...It all looks just too mismatched, too busy and disconnected. Why not making it more 'hip', younger: some 'Mas que nada' as a last part, some altered costumes (Pavel's especially), more bounce in rhythm, sensual vibe in expression looking NATURALLY? It pains me that there is so many possibilities with such talented, skilled technically team to make those abilities pop out tastefully,in sophisticated, not cookie-clutter way. The problem also may lay in the fact that they both seem such strong personalities on ice, strong performers – and in SD there is too little of them showing, in FD – it's too much of their attitude respectively shown. They need to find a good, steady balance to present themselves out there, but not in bland or distracting way for spectators.

I have to say that WeaPo kind of 'resurrected' that SD since ACI and YAY for them! I think that they gave it most importantly the spirit and spark performance-wise it lacked – they figured out how to gave out this vintage-like Latin sensuality, something less visible, but equally captivating if done right way. I saw foremost more connection between them in holds (partial step sequence was fantastic – accentuation of music, framing, coverage, musicality), between elements and more interpretation of all rhythms included. Finally some colour out there which gave some dimension and shape to their movement – Kaitlyn looked really like soma vintage Latina from postcard/poster, all that hair, flowers, bracelets and all. I like that there is variety in vibrance shown in all rhythms chosen: they do not feel as flat as at ACI, today they were more sharp and differenciated, yet still made up on one coherent, flowy dance. Still, I think it has potential to grow out even more – to have more confidence, sass in expression, to make it more intricate/detailed at places, maybe make it more cheeky/flirtacious than just sensual. But the most important thing is that they lived it today potential-wise – for me, it is truly a top class vehicle, with great balance between Latin referrences and figure skating expertise.

I know it's vain from me, but boy – Madison never looked better in my book, her body is SMOKING hot and that dress was amazing on her, she totally served that hot Latina look, sleek hair et all like hot cakes! For me, this is one of the best SDs this season in terms of concept and matching to the team's attitude and skills – it focuses on them both, how they interact together, how flowy their dancing became, what music they are feeling the best. I love its composition, the way it builds, the middle rhumba part is such a pleasure to watch: there is that natural ease in their movement, how they work in holds, continuation of lines and the lift at the end. I love also non-touch step sequence, how the focus there is put on drum bounce beat action, so well reflected by their movement, some of isolations and edge control were amazing today, the overall design of that first part is just very attractive and gives such nice, sophisticated outlook to the whole dance for me. I do think that the last sequence of music need a little more control from Madison in particular, more finishing of hands and crisper connection between them, but that final spin tho – so Salsa club vibe, me gusta. And what I love that it is polished and looked choreographed for this particular convention chosen, but feels organic and natural from them.

And finally...I have to say that I expected a punch from the dance, but not so hard one and in so many places at once – talk about making an impression...I think that the basic problem people could have with that dance it its bold intention to provoke and push hard in many areas – Tessa and Scott dare by that dance to think about Latin aesthetic, conventions a bit different, they prove that 'loud' and bit 'out-there' combination of things could be working and successful IN THE RIGHT HANDS. It takes a specific kind of maturity and experience to pick up a 'heavy-loaded' concept and mould it into your own way of performance like Tessa and Scott did. Moreover – some would expect them to play it safer and play on more accessible universally notes music/concept-wise with that Latin SD, yet they went for 'bold manifesto' dance in unapologetical way. And to be honest – I totally get this; even their last year's Prince SD was a proof that they did not return to do dances with description like 'sit there in the corner and wait until they see you', so why put a brakes now? They said that they simply both responded positively for the idea of that dance – and boy, how they went for it. For me, there is a little of everything to appreciate: Latin ballroom referrences (movement/body actions) from 'traditional' side, originality in musical choices, unpredictability in overall packaging, this bold vibe of the dance (and those costumes ofc) and predictable quality of their skating which today surpassed even my expectations to be honest. I think that the biggest surprise for me is to see them still 'strech' and expand execution-wise that much, especially with such loaded dance from every perspective, but they really proved their utter class today. To maintain control over expression, balancing Latin-referencial movement and skating expertise, having such impactful performance quality, all going amazingly with the music, harmony in bodies' action and keeping the enagagement, spark between them AND emitting it ito the audience – this takes something special they truly have to pull off. Talking a bit about elements – like I said, no one does non-touching step sequences the way Tessa and Scott do it; some could have lvl4 for for it, but it takes a masterful hand and skill to make that element work in EVERY aesthetic, every rhythm and circumstance. It just illuinated the arena for me – what is kind of unique is how well they balance the isolation of upper body parts and bouncy movement of hips/knees/edges on the lower part, that stop of Tessa followed by samba action – hard to do even on the floor. The partial step sequence really improved since ACI – it got more refined in terms of skating closer and with finished movement, now it really oozes sensuality of that guitar. I love changes in transitions done before partial step and lift – another unique feature introduced is how Tessa's positions in lift change so on point with the beat of 'Oye como va' intro. Like I said at the beginning – they pushed a lot of buttons today, even with more force than at ACI and for me, this is the strenght of this SD: its powerful, bold outlook, 'animalistic' and hypnotizing execution/expression matches the concept and direction they wanted to go with. With such level of performance they thrown today, they should never be regretful or apologetic about the idea of the dance and if does not suit well with everyone.

 

[ancientpeas]

Devastated for my Poles and Turkish teams.

I thought V/M were the class of the field but I enjoyed W/P and H/D too. Totally stunned to see Smart/Diaz in 4th.