Olympics 2006
Gala
Faella and Scali
Karel Zelenka
Silvia Fontana
Denkova & Staviyski
Joannie Rochette
Inoue & Baldwin
Him in street clothes, dark jeans, yellow long sleeved t-shirt and black t-shirt over it… techno-fied doo-wah-diddy the music as out comes Rena in little orange tank top and skirt… she falls on throw double axel… steps and lift with a step through and a pendulum dismount… using the music well, double twist, even if I’m singing it for the rest of the night… lift and spin… back outside death spiral… s/s flying sits with really great timing… oppositional walleys into jumps… lift her up and put her down… oppositional steps… into a straight line steps… great unison! Stars to barrel roll from him, spin from her… hip lift from the spot and spin to end… no, there’s some play acting on centre ice… and I liked that! Robin calls the throw a triple loop, I’m sure it was a double axel… dunno, I’ll check the tape later…
Johnny Weir
In black tuxedo effect suit with more sparkles than Liberace… music is My Way… please someone help me find my eyes, they’ve rolled all the way under my desk… lovely gliding steps to begin, and I love his edge work, I could watch him without a single jump, and have done for the entire first verse. He’s giving Plushy a run for his money in the arm waving department… mini spread eagle near the end of the second verse, slide stop to the boards… and step around and to the bridge he does a straight line step… triple toe?... flying sit spin with variation on leg position and arms up behind him, nice scratch spin to bring him to the next verse… knee glide in step… and more steps… this is a hard one to write about! Catch foot glide to the triple lutz…I think…and another triple toe I think… I swear I used to know the jumps!!! Catch foot back glide to Y glide… nice… butterflies to camel to sit change foot sit spin with change of position where his head is on his scrunched up leg… and he’s done. To rapturous applause I might add, as even Barry says the crowd have come to life… Robin talks about his long languid start, just hopes that’s not hiss way of saying he’s on the way out. Robin says two triple toes and a lutz, so yay me.
Delobel and Schoenfelder
Him in black shirt with no sleeves that’s very big and black trousers, her in lilac and red dress of rags and her hair is out and it looks fabulous! She does a spin with him and how is her hair staying out of her face? She kneels down and he glides over her, then he spins with her at knee level as he holds her legs… out of that into besti lift with her lying perpendicular on his knee… he does a spread, she glides leaning back tangled up in his legs… he slides to her on the ice… kneels hack as she leans in front of him… cross rolls back… he lifts her right up, then carries her and she leans back in his arms… step seq… she jumps backwards into his arms and he carries her at waist level… then she steps and jump on him into the Xlift where she’s lying upside down balanced against his front and he’s got no hands… the strength of abdomen glide where each facing away with one foot raised, and up they get… and then final lift with her lying back in his arms as he holds her with his arms around her knees…and that’s that. Diego, by Johnny Halliday the music. Really loved that.
Fumie Suguri
She’s in black trousers and a lovely tunic top, lilac sparkles on the bodice, and lighter sleeves… red ball on the ice… camel spin to begin, steps up to the red ball, pick it up… gives it to audience member, no, she takes it away again… hydroblade with the ball touching the ice… moves it up and down as she steps around…puts it down again… crossovers to axel double with hand down, no height and dead stop. She gets up, gets the ball and does a little spread eagle as the music drums… and put it down again, faster music now, steps, lutz double with I’m sure a change of edge on the way in… flip that’s short on rotation, caught between 2 and 3… flying camel with change of edge… she rips open the ball and throws things to the crowd… drops it away now, and straight line step… camel spin to sit spin layback spin change foot sit spin to scratch spin that goes on forever, are we sure she’s not Swiss, and she leans back with arms out to finish. Music was Hidam (sp?) by Cirque du Soleil, and Robin doesn’t know what significance the red ball has… he thinks it was sweets she threw…
Petrova and Tikhonov
He’s all in white, with short sleeves and cut outs, she’s in a white strapless dress with lilac tassels for a skirt… drumming music… upright spin, then lift her up from nothing, turn her around and put her down again…steps with great unison bring to the boards, then around the corner, lift and spin so that she’s horizontal across his back, flip her over and drop her down, then spin her holding one arm and ankle… very nice. Hand in hand spirals to allow me to catch up my typing... s/s 2axels on which she falls… lift and another roll her around his body… lift with her in stag position, dismount where he squats down and she travels over him… sets up throw triple sal, excellent… glide where she holds his waist and takes her feet off the ground…steps with great unison to drum beat… he does spread, she does spiral behind him… leaning back in death spiral back outside… crossovers to hip lift with twirly dismount… and lift where she’s leaning back in his arms as he holds her at knee level… and that finished them off. Very nice, new version of Ave Maria, very techno-ified, I would barely have recognised it… and Barry says they’re soon to be married!!!
Evan Lysacek
All in black for him, deep V on the chest, suits him. Strikes a pose…and he’s bringing the stubble; I approve! And long wait for his music… and it stops after a few beats!!! The look on his face… and here we go… Michael Bublé’s Sway… love this music! Down the ice to the triple flip with step out… oh nifty footwork to the upright spin… steps back flying camel spin… with variations where he drops to bent legs spin… down the ice for the triple flip again, I think, which is much better… stars to butterfly… steps back… and glide with leg held in front of him… I’m loving this… great skating, love the song… I’m a Bublé fan, and the techno version of this song (not done by MB) is one of the first songs that my fiancé and I ever danced to… while I’m dancing down memory lane, Evan does a great straight line step and a fabulous combination spin to finish right on the music. Love. Love and adore!
Grushina& Gonacharov
All white for him with black piping on the trousers and top… she’s all in white sparkles with huge cut out on the back and the side… start with him lying on the ice, lifting her up so that she’s lying flat out too… she gets up and helps him up… very Clannad sounding music… lifts her up and she bicycles her legs…put her down, do it again for fun… oh hang on, is this the Celine Dion thing I suffered through before? He does hydroblade move, and she leans on him… steps around and he does squat lifting her as she leans back… and then lift up so that she’s held at waist level leaning back… steps and knee slides back… lift her over his back, so that she’s lying back and he’s on one foot going forward, then change to lift with him in near hydroblade… down the ice to rotational lift with her out to side of him… hop lift where she hops on him and does splits, then down and does it again… lift with him going forwards, she on his thigh with leg fully extended in the air… midline steps… good unison… nice steps where she spins and hops to him and he spins her… and lift to finish with upside down entry and she’s upside down leaning over, then change so he spins her and that’s done, dipping her back. Albioni’s Adagio, sung by Lara Fabian…and it is the Celine Dion like thing I was thinking of… and a little voice inside my head whispers that while I’m not sure I liked it exactly, it was sure as hell more interesting than their free dance.
Irina Slutskaya
Black dress with lots of sparkles for her, big cut out on the back, nice sparkles of fire on the middle… starts with a little spin… and a nice smile. Crossovers, glide, split jump ad another, round she goes into the double toe… layback spin… which she has a lovely position in. turning steps out of that, and steps around and glide… flying camel spin with variation on position, looking upwards, then go to donut spin… crossovers back with clenched fist… catch foot spiral, with change of edge… and catch foot back spiral… into camel spin to sit spin layback spin with skate to head to biellman… change foot biellman… and stop… and oh, that was lovely. Robin speculates this may have been the last thing she felt like doing today, but says it’s lovely to see the smile return. She smiles and blows kisses to the camera as the little girl gives her flowers…
And break for ice resurface as we see highlights from the first half.
Fusar-Polo and Margaglio
He comes out and sits on a chair. Well it’s one way of making sure he won’t fall down. Unchain My Heart… she’s in yellow skirt barely, and barely a bikini top, with yellow feather boa, he’s leaning back in chair with paper over his head and I don’t blame him… he’s in black t-shirt and trousers, and just pulled on white suspenders… she’s having fun twisting them all around him… he does a backwards tumble on the ice ,but it’s ok, it was part of the program… him in squat, her balanced on him like in the od… good speed… little shimmies… dancing on the spot… now steps in dance hold…more steps in a dance hold… and crossovers… lift that they fell on in the od, and it works this time, her ending up leaning back as he steps and spins her, then him in glide with leg up as she’s underneath it…and they’re done, she skates away from him, leaving him on the chair… and Robin comments on how they’re talking to one another and looking at one another… well, he’s looking at her, I’m still not convinced she’s looking at him… ok, she had way too much fun pushing him down when they were messing with the suspenders…messing for the camera, smiling and he takes her boa, she says hello to Georgia…
She’s all in white and feathers, not much
in way of material around the midriff there… start off with glide going
forwards, and this is some sort of Ave Maria… turning steps, and into the
double sal… steps and turns into the double toe… I think…camel spin with change
of edge and position… little spread eagle, crossovers and loads of speed into
amazing looking back spiral, which turns to kick to the side spiral… and Y
spiral going backwards… steps in circular pattern… little jump, single axel
with arms left open Robin calls it… and side glide and she’s done. Very nice…
performed by Philippa
Pang & Tong
Black pants for both, with sparkles. He in white shirt, she in white halter neck with black tank top underneath. Start with her kneeling in front of him….this is josh groban… gira con me… I love his… him in besti and she leans back and does some kind of somersault over his leg so she’s upside down as he carries her…oppositional steps, then spreads into the double axels which are spot on… steps and lift where he’s holding her up in the air, her knees at level with his shoulder, turns her upside down, then sets her down… steps to throw 3sal that is monstrous! Lift with her behind him and then bring her around to carry lift in his arms…that’s lovely. Into the forward inside death spiral… crossovers to the steps to the huge double twist… lift where she stands on him as he’s in besti… and then from that, up to hip lift… wow. And glide with him in spread, her on his skates…aww! Pairs spins to end, with him lifting her up during it… oh and that was gorgeous! Robin says it’s the first one for him that’s had the wow factor… and I must agree.
Jeffrey Buttle
Yay!!! He’s wearing his short program costume, so won’t describe that. Music is Feeling Good…and more Bublé, I have no problems with this at all!!! Crossovers, spread to double flip methinks? Kick out… and to the boards, steps in a straight line… really nice. Now he’s going back up the ice, selling it for all he’s worth… crossovers to Ina Bauer and drop to knees and then jump… turns into camel spin to sit spin with change of position. And upright …stop on a dime, steps back… crossovers now into double axel and he just barely lands it, nearly falls…stars into flying sit, hop change to sit spin on other foot… circular step… split jump, steps slide to stop, camel to sit spin to half a butt spin change foot sit spin change position… and great changes of speed there….steps back and into scratch spin.. and he’s done after a couple of turns on the ice. Loved that.
Belbin and Agosto
He’s in his free dance outfit, she’s in red dress with no back and sparkles of silver going down the front of it and the middle belt area… guitar music to begin… turns in place and facing one another, she goes a layback spin as he skates around her and takes her hand…slide to sop and spin with her holding her blade in near biellman… and then lift with her horizontal in biellman and spin… steps around… lift with her in stag position on his shoulder, drop down to lying back and rotational… steps the length of the ice, him doing lots of turns and hops and spins… steps in dance hold in circular pattern… lift with her in splits, him in squat to the side… lift with her leg up in the air, her body leaning back to get her other blade… and then lift with her leaning back one leg in air as she does forward glide in squat position…and they’re done. Alessandro Safina the music. Didn’t get the name of the piece.
Sasha Cohen
Blue sparkly dress for her, very little back, Don’t Rain on My Parade the music… steps back... Barry wonders about irony of the music… catch foot spiral after steps… little hop, turns into the layback spin to goes to biellman… little shimmy… blows kisses to the crowd, charlotte in splits!!! Steps out of it… and Ina Bauer… spread eagle… steps backwards… crossovers… turns split jump, spiral that is amazing in its flexibility… and goes to forward charlotte, I am impressed… Y spiral… and then into the camel spin to sit spin to layback spin change foot sit spin to splits spin… and she spins again, and she’s done, in the splits. And I only notice when Robin says it….aside from the split jumps, no jumps. He laments the fact that some of the stuff she did here, with the new system, there’s no time to do it in your long program any more.
Shen and Zhao
He’s in black, with panels of salmon and sparkles going across the shirt. She’s in white and pink, start going back to back… Impossible Dream. *sigh* she leans back in his arms…then move where he leans her over so she’s facing the ice then brings her back… kick spirals hand in hand… his goes to back spiral… upside down entry to lift, banana position, goes to carry lift with her over his head parallel to the ice, then he spins… steps and spin and centre ice…throw 3sal is huge! Handstand lift with him in besti, and she steps down… stop on centre ice, lean back… spin and lift with him holding one arm and her ankles… spread eagles with his arm around her… and drop to him supporting her in a glide… crossovers to split double that has such hang time, great delay on it… she knee glides, he stops, covers face, she comes back to him, they do pairs back camels, and he lifts her and spins, and then they kneel and spin on the ice and are finished leaning back and that was gorgeous. And if Luther Vandross can see this, wherever he is, I’m sure he’s smiling. Exquisite.
Stephane Lambiel
Him in black velour with touches of blue fade to white on the sleeves… You’re Beautiful by James Blunt… steps back… and off again in a little spread… nice steps after that… and into the triple flip triple toe… nifty, in spotlights no less. Steps with expansive wave of the arms into a triple something that I’m missing the edge of because I look down at the wrong time… circular step, to centre ice and camel spin to sit spin with variation and change foot sit spin and upright spin and out of that… he blows kisses to the crowd… two Russian split jumps… slide to stop, steps again… triple toe with heavy landing… straight ish line steps… he’s singing along bless him… butterflies to flying sit spin… upright and out, to the headless spin that is just a blur… touches the ice and finishes with arms outstretched.
Navka & Kostomarov
Good Jesus. He’s shirtless, apart from some black sashes tied across his chest, black trousers and headband… and leopard print… holy smokes… starts kneeling on the ice… then he crawls and rolls… I have never seen a man with such skinny skinny legs… seriously, knee to ankle are toothpicks. Out she comes in likewise leopard print and not much of it, it must be said… thought he’d take her headband but no, she has one of her own… he turns steps in front of her, she does likewise…then they do mirroring of one another… he bangs his chest as they skate around… he helps her do cartwheel, then lifts her over his legs… steps around… and lift with him in besti, her in splits, facing away…rotational lift from that with her out to the side… circle one another, and do so again and then she hops on him, he bends down and lifts her up and down… stalking steps… a march really… then they do the opening move of their free… steps back and he’s got skinnier legs than she does…steps back… good unison… steps down midline… her in besti squats… rotational lift where she’s in bracelet around his waist… spirals… and steps… he does half Bobrin hops… steps on the spot looking very like Irish step dancing… then the besti move where there’s facing one another, and finish both lying down on the ice… Incantations by Cirque du Soleil is the music. Robin says much of their steps from the free were incorporated in here, they just changed the style in which they did it…
Robin is expecting them to do encore… they’re chatting away to one another… and Brick House is the music… and they’re deciding what to do… they do the besti move… and crossovers. To her in spiral and flip over to rotational lift… Roman dances on the spot and Tatiana claps her hands over her head… and they stop moving and take their bows.
And most of you know what’s coming next.
But does anyone else remember the days and look back fondly upon them when Olympic champions, or world champions, would do two performances? And I mean two different programs… they’d have come with something prepared. Even if you got caught short, you’d have your short or a bit of your free… but no. No more. I miss those days.
Shizuka Arakawa
Lovely blue dress for her, high neck, lots of flesh net, and it’s You Raise Me Up… I love this song!!! As long as it’s not Westlife… and steps to begin, then crossovers… spiral… and no, it’s a female version. One of the 102 other versions then. Spread eagle… and no, I’m not making that figure up. For once. Change of edge on the spread, and then biellman spin… and the triple toe… flying camel spin lovely position… nicely centred… this is gorgeous… spiral to the key change and change position, from catch foot to traditional… great flexibility… crossovers… to kick spiral… Ina Bauer leaning right the way back… spread eagle… Y spiral with slide… layback spin … and steps to the camel spin to catch foot donut and close. Exquisite. Robin calls it delightful. Fabulous.
And she comes back out again to some fast piano music… no, this is the part of her free program where she does the Y spiral… and the back spiral, with catch foot… to the layback spin with skate to head to biellman… and that’s that from her.
Totmianina & Marinin
Red costumes for them, with the sleeves striped with flesh net, still no word on worlds… he does butterfly, skates over to her… she turns and begins to skate around him…slides away form him… then skate to one another… circle one another… and skate together to set up the loop throw and it’s perfect. Steps and the s/s triple toes and he doubles his… lift with her upside down ,him in forwards spiral… and change position to him spinning as he holds her… circle one another… he pulls her back in spiral, and does it again in the opposite direction… split double twist… lift where she’s in splits and he’s holding her with ones hand, goes to two hands to bring her down… and into the forward inside death spiral… where he lifts her near the end of it… and she sits on the ice, he comes to her, kneels by her, ends with her face in his hands. Bocelli, song is Melodrama….
See??? This is what I mean!!!
Edvin Marton comes out with them. I think
he’s got something about Plushy in sparkles on his shirt. He says hello to
OK, they’re to skating yet… but he’s playing. Oh and the shirt says Plushenko and Edvin Marton, No 1.
And now he’s stopped playing.
Music… and he plays Romeo and Juliet… and here are Tatiana and Max… start at the boards… fast bit for the straight line step… and spin her… and more steps… hip lift… goes to one hand… and down from that… and shoot the duck into the forward inside death spiral… and him in thinker pose… and stop. The three exchange hugs and take their bows…
Evgeni Plushenko
He’s all in black…no, wait, his free program costume. Barry says Plushy’s mum in the arena, and she’s never seen him skate live… awww!!! Marton plays as he does triple something triple toe double loop… and now the axel triple… and the triple lutz… and glide on two feet… into flying camel… and Marton has Olympic rings on the back of his shirt… Plushy skates around him, doing spread eagle, and waving the arms… music speeds now and Plushy does his Plushy footwork which is blindingly fast… and there’s a minor skid… but hardly noticeable… flying sit spin and out… he blows kisses… to the boards for midline step… blows kisses when he gets to the end, and then steps to centre ice and huge flying sit spin to scratch spin and stop, facing Marton… that was great. Music was Tosca, of course.
Out he comes again… to centre ice… piano music that I know I know… is this Caruso? And it is! Spin on the spot, spread eagle… and turning steps… spreadeagle… nicely held too. Axel triple… and steps after that, stops right on the music, then circular pattern… hands outstretched… glide… glide on one foot… triple toe… some Plushy flailing… huge death drop… and steps to centre, kneel on ice and he’s done. And again, would it be churlish of me to note that it’s far more enjoyable than his free? Barry says his mother would never watch him skate in case she put him off… Robin laughs and says nothing puts him off! People are standing all over the Palavela… Pavarotti singing… and I’m not sure but I think he’s making a big show of kissing his wedding ring…
Grand finale… Madonna, Hung Up the music… and everyone comes out to do a party piece… and Plushy does triple axel triple toe triple loop and then spazz dances at centre ice… love it!