Free Dance - 2013 Trophée Eric Bompard

[GF2445]

Tessa and Scott's program is not bland! If you find it bland, then you are missing out on what you can enjoy. Their motivation to dance comes more from within.

Meryl and Charlie's dance is dramatic, dynamic and gives you a sense of excitement but it doesnot have the same level of authenticity as the canadians programs, everything looks magnificent and is put there for a purpose but it looks ad put in place for the points. They skate for the levels and the points and that's what irks me. This detracts me from their skating- i try to relate and connect but the way they skate can only make me appreciate what they are dong drom a distance- and that fact cannot be disputed.

This contrasts with Tessa and Scott- they perform and take uneccessary risks for the sake of the dance. Yes, they dont slways hit the levels and the transitions are a little less smooth and effortless but The dancing is as one and they make the technical work seem almost incidental in comparison to the actual dancing. Their dancing is the dancing i enjoy watching,

Technically the americans are superior and they will win most likely win the olympics but im looking past 2014, when the and the canadians finish their careers- i worry about the direction of dance in the future- its going to be too clean, confined, constructed and controlled and if Meryl and Charlie win over tessa and scott, this precedent will be set for ice dance in the future.

 

[flaneur]

Bottom line, Virtue and Moir have to skate better if they want to win the gold medal in Sochi.

Blunt but true.

 

[Mao88]

FREE DANCE - VIDEOS (By Starting Order) - Updated

Warm-Up Group 1

1. Nicole ORFORD / Thomas WILLIAMS (CAN) Free Dance
2. Penny COOMES / Nicholas BUCKLAND (GBR) Free Dance
3. Ksenia MONKO / Kirill KHALIAVIN (RUS) Free Dance
4. Gabriella PAPADAKIS / Guillaume CIZERON (FRA) Free Dance, 2nd Copy

Warm-Up Group 2

5. Nelli ZHIGANSHINA / Alexander GAZSI (GER) Free Dance
6. Elena ILINYKH / Nikita KATSALAPOV (RUS) Free Dance, 2nd Copy, 3rd Copy
7. Nathalie PECHALAT / Fabian BOURZAT (FRA) Free Dance, 2nd Copy
8. Tessa VIRTUE / Scott MOIR (CAN) Free Dance, 2nd Copy, 3rd Copy

Medal Ceremony

RESULT

Overall Result, Segment Result, Protocols

 

[Matt K]

I/K are the better dancers on some dimensions but W/P (at least IMO) have the stronger program, more passion in their FS for sure, and are more consistently able to get levels. If I had to bet on one team right here right now, I'd bet W/P. I think I/K are more naturally talented but that's not enough, and the judges have shown they love and will reward both teams.

Yeah, that's why I said if I/K work out their levels (like here) and skate well with no mistakes (like here) they should win over Weaver/Poje. Obviously if their levels drop to what they got last week they'll be out of the running.

Agreed but I will say I think they had more of a 'spark' when skating Mahler even earlier that season. Spark in the sense that they seemed to wholly believe in and be committed to the program I am not yet seeing this season. I do hope it is coming.

Well I watched ice dance back in 2010 and Mahler wasn't anything to be excited about during its early debuts. It was very heavily criticized, especially during the initial stages of the GP series up until the GPF. Same with their Flamenco which was very much criticized by the same quarters who loved Bollywood.

 

[Tonichelle]

Tessa and Scott's FD is coming along. I definitely "got it" and "felt it" more this time around. I still come out feeling it's the "sequel" to their Mahler program from four years ago. Not saying that's a bad thing - or a good thing. Just feel that's how it is. I'm not sure if we at home can tell the true speed of the program, but to me their speed seemed fine (watching how quickly they pass the different ads on the boards).

This is not my favorite program of theirs, but I think artistically it's definitely them, just as D/W's FD is very much them. It will be interesting to see the two go head to head.

 

[Whitneyskates]

Tessa and Scott's program is not bland! If you find it bland, then you are missing out on what you can enjoy. Their motivation to dance comes more from within.

With all due respect, I am really tired of being told I'm missing something when I don't enjoy a V/M program. I don't care where their motivation comes from, I find that FD bland.

 

[chuckm]

Tessa and Scott's program is not bland! If you find it bland, then you are missing out on what you can enjoy. Their motivation to dance comes more from within.

People have different tastes and preferences. You prefer V/M---that's fine. Just don't characterize V/M as "authentic" and D/W as "not authentic" because you somehow KNOW their 'motivation'. If there is one thing I can't stand it's pseudointellectual twaddle!

 

[tulosai]

Yeah, that's why I said if I/K work out their levels (like here) and skate well with no mistakes (like here) they should win over Weaver/Poje. Obviously if their levels drop to what they got last week they'll be out of the running.

Yeah I should also have been clearer, evidently- I am saying even if they both hit levels, W/P will probably score comparable PCS to I/K and (in my opinion, which is only that) should score higher than them on CH and IN (unless I/K improve their IN- currently to me their program is pretty empty in that sense) and also TR unless I/K add TR. SS I/K have a slight edge but only a slight one; PE W/P have an edge but only a slight one. This is all just as things stand now.

I also do think you are underestimating the amount of respect/love the judges have for W/P, and thinking they prefer I/K. I do not think this is true.

 

[lavender]

Wow people will be coming back o this thread when the Olympics are over.:disapp:

 

[Ice Diva]

Uhm, no. They never won a GPF title. Smaller title, yes, but still.



Choosing a genre that has always been considered their specialty and making it a sequel to their previous Olympic FD is not exactly my definition of "pushing themselves" More like playing it safe.

GPF - yes, small title, & not very memorable compared to Worlds or Olympics.

As for using the word "always" - your memory seems very short. Included in V/M's repertoire are Pink Floyd, Latin & Carmen certainly that's always ...

 

[Mrs. P]

Giving everyone a break from the Ice Dance wars, to say... I Papadakis/Cizeron's FD(I just got a chance to watch it just now)! I know from a technical/polish standpoint, they still have a lot of work to do, but I just love their rock-and-roll dance style. They have this sort of abandon to their dancing that I adore.

And the music is really awesome, I'm going to have to listen to more of this artist's songs!

They will definitely be French No. 1 when P/B retire. I think they have a bright future ahead.

 

[marshan]

SS I/K have a slight edge but only a slight one;

You got to be kidding, right? Unlike Weaver Elena can really skate and fast, not just get dragged across the ice by male partner.

 

[Florencito]

Papadakis/Cizeron Best performance of the night, if you ask me! Guillaume is an incredible dancer, Gabriella not as well, but I really enjoyed them. Hope they'll do even better nex week!
I love Pechalat/Bourzat program. It's so sweet, graceful and delicate. Out of the teams fighting for the bronce they're by far my faves.
I/K finally showed some character after those sloppy performances they had in China. Anyway, I like the fist minute or so of their fd, but the rest is quite boring. Beautiful basics though.
Not impressed at all by Virtue/Moir. Fourth time I see this Seasons and still don't like it. It lacks so much, it feels almost like it's empty! The lifts are nice, but nothing to die for as in the previous seasons.

 

[Lota]

Papadakis/Cizeron. Wow. Surprise of the night for sure. They have things they need to work on, but I was really really impressed. The first time seeing them perform, but that FD... let's just say they have a new fan I loved the music and there's just something else about them that I really like, can't quite place it yet. Anyway, looking forward to seeing them next week.

I/K. Well, to tell the truth, I like them, but last seasons programs weren't my favourites. And this season, I didn't get to see them at NHK trophy and since their results weren't that good, I just decided not to watch their performances from that competition. So basically this is my first time actually seeing the program, and... I like it. They performed really well, I loved some of the lifts and the speed, the speed!

P/B. I absolutely adore this FD, but... I agree with the judges this time, they really should be placed after I/K. They seemed... slow. I wasn't as impressed with them as I expected to be, I guess they just didn't really skate their best this time. Hopefully next time will be a bit better, because this FD is really charming.

V/M... Hmmm... I'm a fan of them, but not of this FD. As many others have pointed out, it just lacks something. Hopefully they find that something by the OG, but so far... It's not like it's terrible or anything, it just doesn't really grab me as much as some of their other programs have in the past. All the time I was watching I was expecting for a moment to come when I could feel the program, when I could immerse myself in it, when it would just sweep me off my feet... but the dance ended and that moment never came. I know these 2 people can do it, and hopefully they'll be able to change things around a bit, because I'm not really happy so far, and I don't think they are either.

 

[noidont]

Why don't people love Glazonov's Seasons. I love the music. I like this program better than Mahler. But I could see it not being a crowd pleaser.

 

[Lota]

Another thought, if Orford/Williams continue getting scores like that, perhaps Paul/Islam have a chance to go to the Olympcs? Not that I wish anything bad for O/W, I just prefer P/I this season and I would really like to see them at the olympics

 

[chuckm]

Orford/Williams had very low levels on the FinnStep (L1 on both patterns) and L1 on the step sequences in both SD and FD, but they are not Paul/Islam's mail rivals----Gilles/Poirier are. However, Gilles may not get Canadian citizenship in time for Sochi.

 

[Lota]

Orford/Williams had very low levels on the FinnStep (L1 on both patterns) and L1 on the step sequences in both SD and FD, but they are not Paul/Islam's mail rivals----Gilles/Poirier are. However, Gilles may not get Canadian citizenship in time for Sochi.

Yeah, thanks, kinda forgot about Gilles/Poirier... I wanna see them at the OG too... Well, I guess I'll just have to forget about seeing much more of Paul/Islam this season (except for Nationals). This situation is ridiculous, so many great teams, only 3 spots. Gah, it's like Japan in the Mens event.

 

[chuckm]

Why don't people love Glazonov's Seasons. I love the music. I like this program better than Mahler. But I could see it not being a crowd pleaser.

I liked the music very much. But I found the program itself didn't seem to gel or have any particular point. The ending was abrupt as if the music suddenly ended and that was all there is.

 

[gottadance]

Yeah, thanks, kinda forgot about Gilles/Poirier... I wanna see them at the OG too... Well, I guess I'll just have to forget about seeing much more of Paul/Islam this season (except for Nationals). This situation is ridiculous, so many great teams, only 3 spots. Gah, it's like Japan in the Mens event.

maybe , if Piper doesnt get Cdn citizenship , P/I could go to Olympics and G/P go to worlds- is that a possibility uner Skate Canada rules? I would love that actually !