2018 JGP Yerevan Rhythm Dance

[WeakAnkles]

Less of a surprise when you look at the tech panel. A relatively weak assistant techr from Armenia, and the other from Canada. The controller from Italy, so neutral,

Well it has certainly shaken up Pre-Event Expectations.

The Finals may be more interesting for it.

 

[Colonel Green]

Less of a surprise when you look at the tech panel.

I don’t see why.

 

[dorispulaski]

A weak tech tends to be rather forgiving. (Durnev of Armenia)

OTOH, it is always good to have a tech from your own country on a tech panel. This has nothing to do with hanky panky of any kind.

Every tech has a style and foibles. Consider Shin Amano of Japan in singles, known to be tough on UR's and edges. In dance, consider Judy Blumberg. Americans often have their dances reviewed ahead of time by Judy. She's a stickler!

If a tech is from your own country, you or your coach know his foibles, and you (or your coach) will likely have been judged by him before, and heard his review after the competition. When you skate, then, you feel prepared. This is a plus. Always.

So a weak tech + a Canadian, will on balance, be good for Canadians, especially where confidence comes into the equation.

 

[dorispulaski]

Btw, when it comes to the Browns, they suffer from coming from Long Island, not a hotbed of dance, and having a coach who has no other international teams, and who skated for Mexico. Some of their tech losses come from inexperience by all involved.

Some of their excellences come from a coach/choreographer who is not using the seven sure ways to get level four, and who, because he is out of the loop, has proposed some very interesting stuff, like two really creative lifts They also great expression and attention to the beat and character of the music. Their experiences with Ice Theater of New York has to be of help in this regard. Perhaps they were born with rhythm. Perhaps they watch nothing but dance competition reality shows in their spare time. But they are amazing in any case!

But the result of inexperience for the whole team is they came to their first event with a rhythm dance with a totally wonderful midline step that is a great choreographic step in tango style, but gets them level 1, and a Blues FD without sufficient change between the two pieces of music, and maybe too long sections without a defined beat. They would score better if they had a review with Judy Blumberg.

 

[Mrs. P]

Btw, when it comes to the Browns, they suffer from coming from Long Island, not a hotbed of dance, and having a coach who has no other international teams, and who skated for Mexico. Some of their tech losses come from inexperience by all involved.

Some of their excellences come from a coach/choreographer who is not using the seven sure ways to get level four, and who, because he is out of the loop, has proposed some very interesting stuff, like two really creative lifts They also great expression and attention to the beat and character of the music. Their experiences with Ice Theater of New York has to be of help in this regard. Perhaps they were born with rhythm. Perhaps they watch nothing but dance competition reality shows in their spare time. But they are amazing in any case!

But the result of inexperience for the whole team is they came to their first event with a rhythm dance with a totally wonderful midline step that is a great choreographic step in tango style, but gets them level 1, and a Blues FD without sufficient change between the two pieces of music, and maybe too long sections without a defined beat. They would score better if they had a review with Judy Blumberg.

Still, it bodes well that despite ALL that they still had the fourth highest TES out of all the teams today even with a level 1 step and level 2 pattern.

As for the low PCS, speed and power tend to be king with judges and while they have great presence, I can see perhaps they need a bit more power, which I think will come with more experience and time. They did improve their PCS from their last JGP, so I think that is also good. Overall, they are a young inexperienced team, but what matters at this point is make incremental improvements that they can build on for next season -- just consider Avonley and Vadim -- they improved leaps and bounds this season and I credit the experience of last JGP season for that.

 

[dorispulaski]

I think all of that is true.

I think that their only have 5 key points (with one questionable0 in the Pattern was due to their really attempting to push it out, rather than to just perform, which they were doing in Kaunas where they got 6 key points.

When a team is working to increase speed and power, either their tech suffers or their performance level, or their ability to hit the beat, or all three. For the Browns, it is tech. (Thank goodness )

 

[Mrs. P]

I think all of that is true.

I think that their only have four key points in the Pattern was due to their really attempting to push it out, rather than to just perform, which they were doing in Kaunas.

When a team is working to increase speed and power, either their tech suffers or their performance level, or their ability to hit the beat, or all three. For the Browns, it is tech. (Thank goodness )

I do find their situation, though different discipline, quite comparable to Kori Ade/Jason Brown (what is it with me drawn to people with that last name that seem to have no-name coaches ) back when he debuted on the JGP. Namely Kori was relatively inexperienced in working the international scene and Rohene back then had a lot of issues choreographing for COP -- though less consequential since Jason wasn't subject to the same high standards of the tech panel as the Browns are here. But still Kori had to have Jason work with a ton of other coaches -- names Anthony Liu, who was a technical specialist internationally, IIRC -- to get him up to speed.

I think Andrew would benefit from perhaps having them work with someone like Morozov, since they already train at the same rink (yes, say what you want about him, but he is a pretty solid technical coach -- and I think the Browns would benefit from training alongside a team like Weaver/Poje) and yes Judy Blumberg, though I cannot recall where she's based of now. They aren't far from Wheaton either, so that's also a viable option. Also, Linchuck is still in Aston too, IIRC.

I haven't watched Arina USHAKOVA / Maxim NEKRASOV yet, but that has to be the highest junior score for an RD? I don't recall anyone being that high -- U/N already had the highest score at 67+ That is really impressive! Also I don't know much about their coach, Gorshkov. I know he's been around a while....

 

[WeakAnkles]

I do find their situation, though different discipline, quite comparable to Kori Ade/Jason Brown (what is it with me drawn to people with that last name that seem to have no-name coaches ) back when he debuted on the JGP. Namely Kori was relatively inexperienced in working the international scene and Rohene back then had a lot of issues choreographing for COP back then.

I think Andrew would benefit from perhaps having them work with someone like Morozov, since they already train at the same rink (yes, say what you want about him, but he is a pretty solid technical coach -- and I think the Browns would benefit from training alongside a team like Weaver/Poje) and yes Judy Blumberg, though I cannot recall where she's based of now. They aren't far from Wheaton either, so that's also a viable option. Also, Linchuck is still in Aston too, IIRC.

Dear Lord NOT Linichuk. I still think she deliberately sabotaged B/A and I will never forgive her for not admitting she made a HUGE MISTAKE with that aborigine program.

One of the reasons I loved the Browns so much is because their choreography is so FRESH and NEW and NOT cookie cutter. Now they need to fit that vision into the rules and they will really have something.

 

[Colonel Green]

For trivia fans, with Kazakova/Reviya looking locked for the final barring disaster, there will be teams from four countries in the dance event, the most since 2009 (and that was when there were eight teams in the final).

 

[Spirals for Miles]

For trivia fans, with Kazakova/Reviya looking locked for the final barring disaster, there will be teams from four countries in the dance event, the most since 2009 (and that was when there were eight teams in the final).

Has there ever been a Georgian in the final before?

 

[Mrs. P]

Dear Lord NOT Linichuk. I still think she deliberately sabotaged B/A and I will never forgive her for not admitting she made a HUGE MISTAKE with that aborigine program.

One of the reasons I loved the Browns so much is because their choreography is so FRESH and NEW and NOT cookie cutter. Now they need to fit that vision into the rules and they will really have something.

I'm not saying she needs to choreograph for them -- just work with them on the technical side of things. I think you can separate her terrible taste in choreography with the fact she did have some technically good teams. Domnina/Shablin were definitely one of the best in the CD -- you have to credit her for that. And B/A did have technical improvements though yeah the programs were not good.

All that said, Wheaton is just as good at basics -- plus they have a crapload of experience working with sibling teams, so that's probably a better choice.

 

[WeakAnkles]

I'm not saying she needs to choreograph for them -- just work with them on the technical side of things. I think you can separate her terrible taste in choreography with the fact she did have some technically good teams. Domnina/Shablin were definitely one of the best in the CD -- you have to credit her for that. And B/A did have technical improvements though yeah the programs were not good.

Phew. I agree with you on her abilities technically (no one this season has come close to touching D/S's Tango Romantica), but I still shudder with horror and outrage at the schlock she foisted on B/A that Olympic season.

 

[dorispulaski]

Not to mention Linichuk's fondness for adding drum machine beats to music (shudder)

And the horrible costumes for everyone...

She has not had a good team to coach since 2014. There are reasons...

 

[dorispulaski]

Protocols are out. Browns got 5 key points, not 4. So what ted said was the review. One tech said 5, one said four, and the controller went with 5.
http://www.isuresults.com/results/season1819/jgparm2018/jgparm2018_JuniorIceDance_RD_Scores.pdf

 

[Mrs. P]

Phew. I agree with you on her abilities technically (no one this season has come close to touching D/S's Tango Romantica), but I still shudder with horror and outrage at the schlock she foisted on B/A that Olympic season.

You are SO right! I just watched it again and I'm like, everyone needs to watch this multiple times -- this makes me want to start a watch post of Tango Romantica somewhere.

Anyway, the Browns are super young and have time to develop. I look forward to seeing where they will go. I need to watch the other teams I missed.

 

[Colonel Green]

Has there ever been a Georgian in the final before?

It looks like the only prior Georgian to make the JGP Final in any discipline is Elene Gedevanishvili in 2005.

 

[chuckm]

That team may be skating for Georgia, but both team members are Russian.

 

[Ice Dance]

I didn't watch them, but they're very little, so they may be lacking in speed and power, which would bring the PCS down some.

I would think so. The Browns--just up out of novices--are very short relative to many junior teams. I've seen them live, and they aren't slow by any means; but teams get faster as they grow (simple physics) so against a Junior field, there are going to be faster teams. I really enjoy the Browns' tango this season. Think it is by far the best tango for a short team. Level 1 on the step sequence, though. I thought she might have missed the opening double twizzle in it; but I haven't rewatched.

BTW.. why was Ted saying it was a shocking result right before the ice resurfacing? Was it the placement of the Russians or the Americans? The Russian team was only 12 in jrs. at their nationals.

Shanaeva & Naryzhnyy lost 4 1/2 points on their RD score from their debut in Bratislava (3 of those on base value); and usually scores go up in the late events. I'd have given them even, if not better odds, than the Georgian team--who had a couple more points on their SB coming in--to make the Final. But S&N almost certainly won't. This is only their first season on the JGP so we really haven't seen enough of them to know how they perform as competitors. Their levels weren't great at their first event and the field at that event was pretty open; but S&N really performed well there. And they will learn from this experience; but they are the team out of sync with expectations here. Kazakova & Reviya were expected to be in the fight as well so nothing surprising about their placement (though their score is way up--5 1/2 points over a couple weeks ago); and it's not too surprising to see Fisher & Mallette-Paquette come behind, though they are three points up on only last week. Mostly, you have a bunch of teams we knew could jockey for position doing exactly that. This is probably the second Ukrainian junior team here (They're not bad. I liked the first half. The second dropped off in the performance; but I could see them pass Popova & Byelikov in the long run). Plus U.S. and Canadian teams that scored well enough in their first events to earn a second over a number of other teams.

Battle between the two Canadian teams looks pretty much over as well.

Battle between the American teams is still close. (I'm pretty shocked to see Gunter & Wein with two level 1's. Went back to look and they've never had only a level 1 on a pattern on the JGP before--this is their 5th JGP event--and I only found one time when they earned only a level 1 for a step sequence).

 

[Artemisa]

I'm sad ... I wanted Shanaeva & Naryzhnyy ... welll tomorrow is another day and I have hope

 

[dorispulaski]

Set your clock for the FD. It is at going to be on crazy early here.