Worlds 2004
Free Dance
Fanf Yang & Chongbo Gao CHN
Miss these two, attempting to inhale my dinner but I’m hearing Chicago and All that Jazz in the replays, so I’m making a guess…she’s wearing a very 20s style dress, he’s in sparkly blue shirt with black suspenders and black trousers… we see a nice hydroblading guy-crusher type move… and marks of 3.4-3.9… there’s Dubova…3.7-4.2.
Alexandra Lau & Michal Zych POL
Black t shirt and trousers for him, with silver sparkles on the edges of his belt. She’s in a tangerine fluorescent dress, with sparkles, and Ricky Martin to begin Simon says…and spinny moves… and he poses as she skates to him and gets as close as possible without being charged with indecency…lift wehre she’s aligned with his wasit, then up to her leg around his neck… skate around to a lift where he’s carring her on his hip… circular step… and looked like she nearly stumbled there…. Chris even called it uncomfortable… music changes and they do dacne spin… into a female vocal in a language that I don’t know… she goes to him and he dips her… and around to a lift where one of her legs is extended and the other tucked up…. Twizzles… not so sure of what happened in the middle but it got better towards the end… lift wehre she’s standing up against his chest, and then drops down… him in an ina bauer as she leands against him nice…. And into another lift with him in spread position and her against him, and then down into spread move from him with her on his back… and to dance spin with travel in centre ice. And stop… and now it’s time to really get moving…la vida loca the dance viersion and they get the twizzles all wrong… more steps with pretty good changes of hold… bit of nose nuzzling as they go around…diagonal step looks a little messy but that could just be me…lift where her legs are in splits as she’s held against his hip and then they’re done. Good fun Simon calls it… presentation Chris says was good, alludes to the nasty moment in the step and lack of synch in first series of twizzles, the forward ones, also the spin, he calls travel on… coach looks happy with it though. Simon points out the good eye contact between the two of them, Chris praises how they look lilke a team, how they work well together…
Marks… they are saying hello to the world! 3.4-4.3… long wait for those… 3.7-4.6… and they are second.
Josee Piche & Pascal Denis CAN
Never seen these before….she’s in a white dress with red tassles on the side, and she’s got a white flowerly looking thingy in her hair…she’s in black pants, mostly black toop with red wispy bits on end and end of sleeves and it’s very sergei sakhnovski with the froof and the high collar…angel and devil is the music… dance spin to begin and it lloks nicely centred… and stop and it’s the beaty music so of course they run… and lift wehre she’s upside down and then he moves her so that she’s parallel to the ice…loved that….another lift with him in lean ahd her against him…and change position… am liking this…move where he leans against her… to the corner and diagonal step …enjoying the changes of hold that we see between them…lift where she spins before she gets to his arms, and stop right on the music… slow part less drummy, into dance spin where we inexplicably get a waist shot and I want to shoot the camerapeople… lift with him in sit position and her lying back aparallel to the ice…were first pass of twizzles not great in unison? Not sure but second section was fine….s/s knee turns… pulling and dragging on another athen the second twizzles which are ok, but might lose it a bit at the end… good unison in the skating… circular step… he moves his arms like he’s casting a spell over her… very nice spinny lift where she’s facing away from him… a nd lift where she stands on his thigh… rotational lift to finish and they’re done and I really like that… well sakted, and they sold it really well, never stopped… really sharp Simon calls it but at the end, he feels like it might have got a bit samey… these are in last place at the moment and Chris liked it too, Linichuk choreographed it, agrees the with the sameyness of the thing does Chris, lack of light and shade etc… feels they would benefit from stroking classes, his forward runs have no power to them he says…as Simon snarks him on the term stroking… program would have had ten times the impact with more speed, but Chris loved it…
Marks… 3.5-4.4… 3.6-4.5… which puts them in first on the free and second overall. They’re going to move up. Two places says Simon.
Julia Golovina & Oleg Voiko UKR
Long deep crimson sparkly dress for her with grey wingy thingys on the back of it…and he’s in matching coloured jumpsuit that is very Alexei Urmanov… also with the wingy thingys…lift to start to o fortuna and then a dance spin… and good grief those sparkles are going to blind someone if she hits the light just right… steps which could be circ step …and going down diagonal she knee slides under his legs… and lift where she’s reasting on his thigh and he turns her around his body… very smooth… eyeing up the judges a little, and this is the circular step! Seems much slower than the Canadians but who knows really? Diagonal step and now they’re moving and lift wehre she’s gathered up in his arms and he’s on one foot…but ungainly on the way out. Music changes… twizzles… not bad and again, not bad… steps where I think he does the splits but we got a close up so I’m only guessing… lift where she’s got her legs around his waist him in besti, then change postion so that she’s lying against his wasit…twizzles, they lose it near the end of the first pass. He comes out of it slightly before her…to the boards and the diagonal steps and it looks like she might have gone down but I think they meant that… lift with her in tuck position coming from behind him to set it up and it does look ugly in the set up…around to do a dance spin and change postion and steps and turns to finish. For which I’m grateful as the music was killing me towards the end there, it just kept building and building with nowhere to go! Madame Butterfly was the end bit… Simon ponders the range of dances in this opening group and Simon prefers the Canadians, as does Chris…he thinks it was disjointed, Carmina Burana powerful, esp in arena like this, have to skate your socks off to do it justice and these two don’t have the sakting ability to pull it off… last lift in particular nicky feels was a bit of a struggle, which I agree with, and the last bit looked ragged… I’m reminded of last night wehre everyone seemed to be dying around the three and a half minute mark… they were sometimes struggling to find where the other was…
Marks… 3.4-4.3… 3.6-4.7… and that puts them in first on the free and overall.
Group Two
Anastasia Grebenkina & Vazgen Azrojan ARM
Mostly black dres for her, lines of flesh coloured net and pink/tangerine belt… his top is patches of black and tangerine/pink, large blocks separated by lines of gold…armenian music for these two… and he lifts her straight away..and she does spiral and turn and he ducks…would’nt you? And dance spin… lift where her leg is on his shoulder… twizzles… good unison. Into move where she drapes herself over him and he glides…drummy music, beating steps from them…seemm to be using the rhythm well… and nice step sequence here… and stop right on the music… posing bit across from the judges… if those are their second twizzles they’re done turning into each other which is a nice idea but unison is horrible so not so much…. And lift sequence with nice edge work from him… lots of this being done with her behind him which I don’t think you see so much….move where he’s turning her as she’s in spiral and hten he lifts her and spins her with her in the same position… lift where her leg is over his shoulder and it’s not half ungainly on the way down…dance spin with travel on second position… and beaty music again has them high stepping… circular step… lots of kicks and lunges and it’s done in a dacne hold, very close together it looks like…diagonal step… and around again… lotsof crossovers, lift where her leg is around his neck as he spins her… and that’s that…I miss what some of Simon and Chris think because I take a minute to run to the room next door to fix the tv aeriel, my tv was gone quite fuzzy… Chris now saying that it always looks to him like they’re holding back…it’s got better but he thinks it has a long way to go… especially him he says. When they start to really give it, they’re going to go up a few more places.
Marks 3.9-4.5… 4.1-4.7 and a row of ones.
Nozomi Watanabe & Akiyuki Kido JPN
Pink pastel dress for her, raggy looking skirt and designs on the waist…he’s in pastel blue with gold Xs across it, and dark grey slate coloured trousers… music is the nutcracker… start very far apart… and he’s doing the little running thing and going over to her… now both are running along the ice and he’s lift her so that she’s on his waist and then moves her so that hse’s parallel to the ice…sets her down, then lifts her in front of him again and she ends up facing away from him, her legs around his waist… and now steps… lovely speed along the ice and it’s the nutrocker that yags used…step sequence…chris notes the speed but says that moves not that difficult… crossover… lift and rotate… and stop right on the music… she spins as he waves around her… and then goes to her, brings her into dahnce spin change of position dance spin… skateinto twizzles which get further apart as they go and aren’t that quick… steps with high kicks and more stps… lift where she’s resting on his shoulder… and down from that to him in nearly hydro move as she lies on him….dance spin… posing dancing bit on centre ice… more twizzle ish things better in unison, again not that fast. Musically back to where we’ve started and lots of speed…steps… diagonal step… and parts of it seem to go with music, parts not so much…long carry lift… moves where she goes under his legs while he’s in spiral…somersault lift…and go apart and finish. Pleasing on the eye says Simon, didn’t do much for me… Simon says once chris pointed it out, he couldn’t stop thinking that it didn’t look difficult, was like junior program…very open, lots of runs to build up speed and once they did, they didn’t do a lot with it. Both love to watch them… he’s a fantastic character… this was skated faster than the Armenians…chfris also points out the distance on the twizzles… they interpreted the music well he thinks… linichuk choreographed…
Marks… 4.0-4.7… 4.2-5.0… they are first on a 6/3 split.
Kristin Fraser & Igor Lukanin AZE
Backless dress for her of navy blue with quite a lot of silver sparkles and her hair was never that blonde before was it? I remember not but maybe she’s robbed Genrich Stretenski’s hair dye because his is platinum blond with dark roots…there are so many things I could say but I will go back to his costume which is blue velvet the match of hers also avec sequins. No sleeves for her but much with the flesh coloured net and sequins wrapped around her arms…love under the rain is the music… and dance spin to being and he lifts her and spins with her … more spins and steps….fast violin plays… steps… goo holds including one where her leg is over his arm and she’s spinning…twizzles are fine, thought we get a close up on the second set…grrr…steps and a lift with nice transtitions… steps down the length of the ice and really intricate holds…. Spin where she’s holding onto his leg and I’m sure she wasn’t meant to slip like that…she’s pu fast though and into dance spin… simons says almost like it was choreographed chris says not from look on her face… steps… and I love how they’re using their holds… she’s got good extension as well, really nice lines… in hin cantiliever and her kneeling on him, and change of positions, serpentine lift chris calls that… steps down the ice… into dance hold and this their circular step.. they look to be close together throughout… twizzles… and again with the lcose ups! Fer gawd’s sake… and what a lift! Her upside down along his back… really unusual and great entry into it…diagonal step… just seems a little slower? Rotational lift… and into dance spin… and finish. Really enjoyed that…extremely intricate as simon calls it… these are the leaders of this group going into the free… missed Euros because he was injured… and Genrich needs to dye his hair back. Now. Yesterday. Whenever the heck he can as long as he does it. Chris also says it was good to watch… circ step he feels music was racing and they weren’t skating to it as well as they could have… we see the slip again and it was a slip…one arm around his thigh, one on his arm and she hanging on for dear life as he spins her… and when she put her skate down on the ice it just went… he’s married to Daria Timochenko… chris says she needs to get her hips underneath her more
Marks 4.0-4.7… 4.2-5.0… and that has them 1st overall but is it second on the night? Four have them first and yes, beaten by the Japanese.
Nathalie Pechalat & Fabian Bourzat FRA
Him in khaki pants and black with red panel on ittop, with band on his hair, black with red star… her dress is a multi coloured skirt that looks like a thousand peacock feathers stuck on it… very busy… red corset type top to it, but the material of the skirt is also coming through near the sleeves… nand she has the red band in her hair with the little design on it… not sure what the music is but it sounds very latin… twizzles are all wrong from him to begin and took forever to get back if they ever did…somersault lift and that is brought up to her shoulder level and horizontal as he spins… and he loses it again going around the coerner, Chris queries something wrong iwt his skates but he’s struggling… move where he’s kneeling and turning on the ice and move to stop and she drapes herself all over him…lift to her upside down, then turn to have her on his hip…dance spin change position dance spin… and around the coerner incrossovers…lift… good transitions… twizzles are better one first part but not on second… step…. Lift where she’s crosslegged on him and he’s in shoot the duck…and dance spin with him in sit positin… into lift … steps back… and stop… she runs away from him then he spin-steps back to her… circular step… and lift with lots of changes of position never staying anywhere long… now circular step, sorry… very open, lots of space between them… and seem slow… and that last spin and lift looked neither safe nor fast… we see Totmianina and Marinin talking to the Russians in the next group… Chris said he liked the program, they have a real raw energy…blames his mistakes on either skate or nerves… twizzles look worse on slo mo… chris wondering about a chip on the blade or something like that… simon points out that it wasn’t apparent once they hit the half way mark…
Marks… 3.8-4.6…4.2-4.9… they are 4th…simon thinks they’ll drop.
Nora Hoffman & Attila Elek HUN
Deep forest green jumpsuit for him with bright pink trim, to match her dress… pink and sparkles and flesh net oh my! Big cut out at her side as well… 18th last year, 17th now… music is dance with me… and there is no height differential here…she might even be taller than him… loads of energy to begin… kinda jazzy music and thye’re motoring… good amount of turns … and close holds in the diagonal stp.. and lift and set down…chris calls the diag step fabaulous…rotational lift with her upside down and then coming out of it there’s a mistake they get all tangled up and it’s very ungainly and that was very close to a fall…twizzles are good… he doesn’t look safe on second pass of them but he doesn’t make a mistake either… slow secition now with a heck of a close up of her smile… lift with her in splits and him in shoot the duck and down he falls… and a long time getting up…and dance spin as chris calls it unbelievable… change position dnace spin where they travel quite a ways… and she leans back as he dips her in steps… lift wehre she sits on his shoulder and he drops her down and he spins her…chris says sharpeness disappeared, the confidence gone and the second set of twizzles bears him out, esp at the end… very raggy looking. Lift with him in hydro as she lies on him and you could see the shakes! Steps and turns and the crowd clap….music speeds now and they go into steps… circular step… and she’s smiling again… and he looked to stumble again… and assisted cartwheel for her and they’re done. She claps her hands to her head, doensn’t even sustain the pose… and oh dear says simon… she’s half smiling, he just looks wretched…and she goes ot him and hugs him and it looks like she’s telling him that it’s ok… little kiss on the cheek for him… ooooh he’s gutted… we see the coach grooving away… we see the fall again… and it was right in front of the judges… see move where he helps her pull her leg around over her hip (that sounds better in my head but I don’t know how else to say it!)
Marks… 3.2-4.4… 4.1-4.9… they are 3rd ordinals of 1-9…3rd on the night. Words fail Simon. They fell twice. Two bad errors the lads say.
In the warm-ups, they go on about some protest that might be lodged from the Americans, something about someone’s music being too long – am on the phone so miss the salient details, but am dying to hear more about it!
Group 3
Sinead Kerr & John Kerr GBR
Chris off talking to his journo mates, so Simon flies the flag alone… she’s in a shiny silver dress with black background, his shirt is likewise shiny…almost shiny snakeskin from both, and black toursers with silver bits on it…lift to begin, then dance spin…matrix is the music and I loved this at euros! Steps… on the spot and now moving and using evvey inch of the blade on the twizzles…. Spiral from her as he turns her…and kick out as he goes under her… move wehre eh’s going forwards and she in front leaning back on him…lift where he swings her all around his body… move with them facing away from one another in cantilivers, holding hands…circular step… very close together I think? Lift with her in splits and he throws her up and catches her…to the boards as chris calls it a sharp state…twizzles facing into one another … and we gt close up on her … grrr…. Leaning back move from her as he supports her… and somersulat lift wehre she ends up doing a handstand on his leg, then change position again and comes down…really great… diagonal step… I love this, did I mention I love this? Lift wittih her in tuck then upside down, then him in shooot the duck her facing away from him lying on his knees…great! Step along the diagonal… quite slowly moving…. She lifts him, throws him over her hip… her in spread leaning back on him, him in squat….more steps…into dance spin…. Change dance spin…. And lean back and forwards and done. And I love that. And she looks knackered! He’s kneeling on the ice and the Brits are standing… wonderful, Simon spotted a dicey moment as Sinead is still fanning herself, Chris tells us again that it really is hot there…very dry air… chris loved it too… and she applauds the crowd and he can’t believe the support they have… home crowd like them… Joan Slater hugs them on the way off…chris concurs that they were wobbling on the end… chris says they’ve improved even from the british championships… we see the spin her all around his body lift…
Marks… 4.5-5.1… 4.7-5.4… woohoo!!! A row of ones. Crowd, Simon says, are going crazy for them.
Melissa Gregory & Denis Petukhov UDA
Him with wingy thingys in mostly black but with shades of blue and grey, and her in angelic white…toccata in fugue, air, by bach…bits of grey around the edges of her dress too… he lifts her to begin and sets her down easily… and another lift and spin… into dance spin… and out… they have nearly matching hairdos… twizzles… why do we get a close up of her feet? Nice unison in the bits I c ould see… and loads of energy as they fly around the ice… very close together in the steps… circular step… lift and spin with her arm around his neck…and stop with him kneeling, her standing behind him. Move up and down with arms a waving… around the corner they go… lift where she’s holding her skates as he does shoot the duck… and out of that…into liftwith her upside down, him on one foot… steps around ainto somersault entry to him in besti and her upside down, moving to him standing on one foot going forwards….s/s cantilevers her leaning back onto him…dance spin… to the boards they go. Straight line step… lots of changes of position, going back and forth and turns… very intricate… side by side for twizzles… she looks to be going faster than he is at the moment… steps wehre he jumps and kicks twice and then three times… lifts her as she stands on his leg and it looked like the skate started off on a very sensitive part of his anatomy, hope he doesn’t want kids… and that changes to a lift where he’s holding her against his chest and she’s sriaght up in the air, and that finishes that. Choreographed by Nikolai Morozov and Chris thinks ShaeLynn would have had a hand in it as well… oooh there is Shae! She hugs Melissa on the way out and calls it beautiful. Great shot of the two of them on the coach cam… see the final lift where she dropped from that position and he leaned over and rolled her over his shoulder into the standing lift…that was tricky!
Marks… Shae looks well! 4.5-5.2… 4.7-5.4… they are in the lead 7/2… and first overall.
Natalia Gudina & Alexei Beletski ISR
Black top for her, white trim on it and red
roses on her shoulder right. No midriff but a few lines of black and a white
skirt. With roses. White blouse and black pants red
cumberband for him and he looks like a waiter rather than the barber of
Marks… in all the slo0mo shots, it’s all very open remarks chris… linichuk pair… 4.1-5…. 4.8-5.3… thye are 3rd! which means the Brits have moved up. Which is only right.
Svetlana Kulikova & Vitali Novikov RUS
Orangey top for her with skirt to match and black butterfly thing across the chest, and one black sleeve. Carmina burana.. him in red on chest with cutouts and black sleeves and pants… lift and spin holding her horizontally him on one foot to begin… loads of speed… and lift holding her out away from him and spin… and there’s more flesh net than red on his chest I’m just saying… him in cantilver, her lying across him facing down, very good…. Running bits… dance spin and already you can see it’s closer than the Israelis and faster…twizzles are sharp… she more so than him… around the coerner and down as he does his hoppy kicky kops twice… and she knee turns on the ice…. Lift with him in besti, her upside down against him in nearly headstand…and she holds that position as he changes his…dance spin…this is impressive…techno carmina for the step sequence… circular and liking that… twizzle and he falls off his first set, second is better…though maybe that’s just me… hyrdoblading crusher move… move with her upside down in splits as he does back spiral… back crossovers as she smiles at someone off ice…drops down into cantilever from her as they do steps…around to diagonal step… and they’re getting slower, as most people are… and steps to centre ice…lift and spin and they’re done and that was something else says simon and he tookd the words right out of my fingers… really good. Very intricate, very fast, and I think maybe seeing the comparison to hwat went right before it, that was noticed… Simon thinks it was maybe too intricate, too closed, that it didn’t let the emotion out…Chris praises their speed… their twizzles twice as fast as anyone else’s that evening… dicey moment where they nearly went Simon remarks… we see Tarasova, Usova and Platov there… replays of the first few steps… we see Vitali doing the hoppy turns which Chris notes are pushing the rules…
Marks… 4.4-5.1… 4.8-5.4… should be second… and they are. One first and 3 thirds.
Megan Wing & Aaron Lowe CAN
Her in red dress at top, then purple on the waist fading to pale blue… him in blue grey trsouers and pale grey shirt with red on the neck inside… and ift with her in sideways split… and nice move into dance spin…very light along the ice…she spins on her own a second and he takes her hand and moves her… stroking along the ice into a lift with her at a level with hisshoulders, then she drops down lower as he moves onto one foot…pulls her through and spins her around on the ice… nina rota music here… she kicks out to kick off the step circular sequence and really nice edit on the music there… very open in the steps though… and they both mime wiping their borws… twizzles…wehre we once more get close ups… serpentine step… again, really really open… lift with them faing in opposite directions… and he lifts her up and over…music changes and they dance on the spot… twizzles which have very good unsion…. Dance spin… and change position to dance spin… she leans on ice in hyrdoblade, he pulls her around… lift and spin and set her down… music changes again, slow to fast… into dance hold with lots of kicks from her… diagonal step… someone is calpping… lift him going into cantilever… and out of that and another lift where he spins her horizontally and she ends up with her arms around her neck, leaning against him…and they’re done. With a big hug for her from him and he’s not letting her go…simon not mad about it btu they skated it as well as they can… will they move up he says? Chris is eerily silent… gave it everything he finally says, lods and loads of steps, perhaps almost too much, untidy, ragged around the edges? Shpilband and Zoueva there to meet them… lovely lines in opening section he says, spotted no major deductions… her personality projected around the rink… and he looked happy coming off.
Marks… 4.7-5.3… 5.1-5.4… very solid… which has them in .. 1st overall. 5/4 split on the night. Simon a bit surprised, thinks the Americans could have taken them…will admit to feeling the same way. Personal favourite though thus far are the Brits.
Group 4
Marie-France Dubreuil & Patrice Lauzon CAN
Black dress for her with black leather on the side and magenta accents on the skirt, and on the right hand side of her chest. Him in black blousey shirt, with matching trosuers and it looks like his belt is made out of red flouwers… she seems to have taken to wearing her hair down, she did so yesterday as well, and what a head of hair it is… leather dress it looks like, and she has fishnet effect glove on her left arm… he kisses her hand as they are announced…all together now…aaaaaw!!! Not flowers, but red spirals and sparkles… tango selection is the music. Oh. Joy unconfined. Now skating in Lyon… her hand on his neck to begin… and plenty of attitude in the kicks… and running steps… spin her over… and around they go into lift where he’s in squat and she’s horizontal… nicely transitioned… steps around… plenty of speed… lift where her arms around his neck, her in splits and nice exit… twizzles with close ups and god they really lost it on the first set, got it back on second…dance spin… that was not what they wanted, nor I… rotational lift… movewhere she’s lifted up to on his shoulder… dangerously close to violating rules I would have said…circular step… nicely done very interpretive of the tango… lift wehre shes standing on his waist and he’s straight up and so is she…dance spin with him in sit change to one where both stand… and stop… music changes, so she vamps at centre ice and weaves a spell on him… so he dances her around the ice… in a serpentine pattenr. One move wher she goes under his spread legs, second set of twizzles are much tigheter… him in sit glide, her lying back away from him…. Straight line step… very nice and very close together… to the abords, that went end to end… she’s smiling at him… lift and spin with her horizontally on his hip…perpendicular to him, steps on the spont and lift and throw her around the place and they’re done. Terrific simon says it and she smooches him on centre ice, you go girl! Simon loved it, considering I hate the tango with a terrific passion, I enjoyed it too. Chris says it was difficult, kept interest from start to finish… they attacked everything. Circ step was fabulous, holds were great… they gave it everything… just tinkered with the limits he thinks… slo mos look great… we see the lift with him in the squat and her leaning back… chris says you feel like it’s only a matter of time before they break into the big time…I personally can’t believe they dropped after the OD but that’s just me… I was really annoyed by that yesterday. Aaaw they’re holding hands! And blowing kisses…
Marks… 5.2-5.5… good… 5.4-5.7…excellent. a row of ones. And are we all agreed that we will see sixes by the end of the night? Thought so.
Galit Chait & Sergei Sakhnovski ISR
Black dress for her with bits of black net on it, and no sleeve on her right arm, big long glove instead. He’s also in black velvet, with wispy things on his chest and back and the bottom of his right leg. Sparkles abound. Music is clowns. So they’re all in black naturally. Start running towards the judges… lift and spin her and good lord the speed of that…she nearly took off! And steps around the ice and the speed is something else… blows kisses as they go around he does… he spins her under his arms in dance hold… twizzles look good… and steppy moves where they’re staying on one spot and spinning and stomping…running the length of the ice… and lift wher she’s upsidedown and over his head, then spinny lift where he sets her down rather nicely… she spins and he catches her…steps on centre ice… chris comments on speed of foorwork… lift with her in splits, him on one ofot and then he changes and does it on the other… amazing chris says…into dance spin… twizzles also good… their speed is something to behold in the first part, will like to see how they sustain it vis a vis the heat in the hall… slow siection, him in shoot the duck, her lying on his shoulder, facing same direction…. And then change to antoerh lift him hydroblading, her on his shoulder… cantilevers…dance spin… and around the corner as they do a blinding straight line step… she ducks he kicks over her… and to centre ice… and he lifts her and spins her … and run to the judges…and done. Wow. Didn’t suffer from lack of speed at the end. Just sensational Simon calls it. Well now. Honestly, got to say, it didn’t do it for me on a personal level, but I said that at Euros, it’s just not my cup of tea. Simon and Chris both loved it, and I will say that they did it very well…Chris saw two sets of forward inside twizzles, but not back twizzles…which is a .5 deduction… he thinks maybe he didn’t see them because everything was so damn fast! Ofcourse maybe it was bcause of the CAMERA CLOSE UPS!!!! Sorry, but those are really annoying me this week….
Marks… as we see the French backstage… tarasova behind them… 5.2-5.6… 5.4-5.8… they have overtaken the Canadians… first on a 5/4 split. Which I’m not in favour of, but I can understand. Kind of. Sort of. Anyway.
Oksana Domnina & Maxim Shabalin RUS
Black across one side of her chest and on left sleeve, rest of the dress si bright pink. Him in black and white on top, with flesh coloured oval cut out in the middle. Black trousers… four seasons tango. Another tango. Joyous day. Start back to back and yeah tango holds… he half kneels and she throws her leg over his shoulder in spin and change position dance spin… off the go and this looks very close together and very fast… he kneels before her and she skates away from him… lift where she’s sitting on his hip… diagonal step… again,really close together and Simon can’t put the words great step sequence together… but it was! and stop and pose on the ice… and into steps again… twizzlea are out of kilter and again on second set… lift and spin and set down and into dance spin… steps around the ice… plenty of amr throwing and hair tossing… circular step… lots of changes of hold… steps and lift with him in canitvler to begin and her moving all over him! Spin where she’s holding onto his waist… and centre ice, posing again… twizzles are better second time around… and steps around… diagonal step… and lift wehre she’s herringboned back against him…. And another lift where he carries her… and sets her down with some frenetic twisting about to finish. Simon calls it a privilege to sit here, I think I’m still slightly bitter about the Israelis taking over from the Canadians to really enjoy that, thank god for video. Last year’s jnr world champs… coach Alexei Gorshov… and it was all done so close together, really good lines and extension and unison…
Marks…4.9-5.4… 5.1-5.5… and they’re in 3rd on the ngiht and overall.
Isabelle Delobel & Olivier Schoenfelder FRA
Purply blue collar for her, and dress mostly purple with blotches of white nad blue… him in white trousers, with gold belt, and his blouse is white at the bottom, blue/purple on the top and fading in between. Red going down her middle, and she has sparkles on her forehead…music is merlin, they are in 6th…start with her leaning up on the ice and him leaning down, facing in opposite directions…from which position he lifts her and spins her in that position…she gets up…kicks her leg, goes underhis… lift her up .. her sitting against his side… set her down… lift with her horiztonal against him and he goes down to squat and comes back up again all while holding her… steps around the ice…in closed hold with changes of hold and position.. circular step? Around the corner we go into lift with her upside down then leaning over him…and we get the worst angle ever on that, straight on instrad of ffomr the side … and twizzle are ok… him in spread and she goes under his legs… move with him with leg out behind him, her holding onto him going forwards, her arms around his waist….he kneels on centre ice, she skates away, skates abck, dance spin. Off again they are now… twizzleas… out of synch… second pass much better… speed building…. Or not… diagonal step… and she kicks over his hed…him in cantilever ,her lying back perpendicular to him, dicey moment on changes of edge and position! More lifts going down the ice and a spin lift as she’s on his thigh…and dance spin… change position dance spin… back to back… and she leans down back to her starting postion while he reaches straight up into the air. And he’s punching the air for all he is worth, she just looks wrecked… that didn’t move Simon, got to say I feel the same way… I enjoyed it much more at Europeans… Chris loves their basic skating skills esp him… very enjoyable and I couldn’t mark it down, but just something missing, you know? His hand is injurted… Chris thinks there’s a violation, move where she goes down on the toes of her boots, Chris thinks blade should be on the ice… .1 deduction if the judges spot that. We see the move again, its where she’s in front of him, her arms around his waist ,and she’s arching back againat him while he’s got one footon the ice
Maks 5.2-5.7… 5.4-5.8… there’s a French judge on the panek. Marks that get them 1 on 5/4 split, 5 1s. 2 2nds 2 3rds
Federica Faiella & Massimo Scali ITA
Black tango style dress for her, only one sleeve, the left… netty material, as if she’s dyed her mammy’s curtains, and there’s red underneath it along the chest. He lookes like a waiter in the white shirt and the black waistcoat and the trousers… changed coaches and now with Joan Slater, aka MamaNicky… and another tango. Joy of joys. Piazola. Start very close to one another… she kicks up her leg and spins… drapes herself against his side…twizzles to begin… and very nice on both halves… diagonal step… and smore steps leading to a lift where he spins her as she’s on his back balancing… lift with him in cantilever and he turns her right the way around while in it! Nicely done and steps into dance spin…and stop… change of music… miming hitting one another… crikey I know some teams don’t get along… steps aoround now and he dips her… up again… some one is singing… her in splits in lift then change so that he’s between her legs and him on one foot…. She lifts HIM! Very nice.. twizzles… and she looked to make mistake one second set, definitely unison not as good….and she spins on the spot post-steps…and that leads into dance spin… change postion dance spin… and stop, right in front of the judges…music speeds as we see tango steps on the spot… and lift and spin… steps sequence is very nice… circular step? And it is…and could be me but they look tired…ragged move where he lifts her and pulls her through, and then they’re done. He covers his face with his hands… kisses her forehead, and he looks like he can’t believe it… and he’s in tears! Aaaaw bless him! Dude, he’s bawling! And she’s looking at him as if to say “Ya big sap! What are you like?” And I’m a big old sap too but that’s won me over… MamaNicky gives him a big hug and he’s gone again! And ‘tis not little tears, ‘tis the big old ugly cry… and look at the expressions in the close ups! Simon points that it will be hard for them to move up since the Israelis, one ahead of them, have already have… can they go ahead of the Canadians? Chris says that as long as they stay in the top ten, that’s hwat matters… we see the lift of him again and that was great… and close up of him… holding onto MamaNicky for dear life
Marks 5.1-5.4..5.3-5.8.. they’re 4th. 2 have them 2. they hold their place. And in the close ups, we see him falling apart again!
Break for the ice resurface.
Ooooh! Look at the pretty Gwendal! How does he enjoy the comp? Thinks it’s good, started slowly, then we started to see high level couples and they’re all close. It’s a high level competition. He prefers Maxim and Albena, they’re friends too so it’s difficult to say…will be difficult for the judges, two different styles and in the way they build the program, the bulgaraisn he thinks are more difficult and complicated, but russiands have better look more interesting to see them skating. For bronze, it’s ahrd because there’s a lot of skaters who are really close to each other, all the eight top couples could have won medal…german couple have possibility, ukr is pretty good and it’s really difficult to say… he’s so nice! Isn’t he so nice! And really good English too!
And so pretty!
This is where I point out something that a lot of you might already know about me. Winkler and Lohse. I first saw them at SkateAmerica 1994. Their exhibition program to Beauty and the Beast. Loved it muchly, supported them ever since. Their worlds debut? Take 5, Birmingham 95, they were something like 22nd? Loved them. The whole Olympics qualifying thing in 98, Rene crying in kiss and cry at Europeans because they got into the top ten, which the federation said they needed to do? I was crying right along with him. Because I loved them and because I’m a sap. And also, because Rene was in see-through trousers. Oh yes, those were happy days. Those of you who have read me for any length of time know that I have the teensiest little bit of love for Rene. If calling him the finest of fine things constitutes the teensiest little bit of love. I have been there in good times and bad, through injuries and more injuries and still more injuries. On Tuesday, upon hearing the CD results, my first reaction was delight. My second reaction was “Feck! They’re going ot break my heart!” Yesterday, seeing the OD, I cried. Hey, if Scotnicky can be moved to tears, so can I be! This is by way of saying that when they are skating, I’m going to be a wreck. I’m also not going to be able to be anywhere near coherent or objective, so any Grushina and Goncharov fans that might read this, I swear, it’s nothing against them, it’s just my heart is all with Kati and Rene! This could be as bad as Shae and Vic last year… I swear, this is me done. No more fandoms for ice dancers, it’s just too hard!
Group 5
Elena Grushina & Ruslan Goncharov UKR
Her in white and feathery skirt, and him in black, with shiny pleather and raggy thing and sparkles, hanging escape is the music… she has a dove on her chest and a helicopter in the soundtrack…and he kneels down… and she skates to him and skates around him…gets him to stand and he lifts her up as she does head stand by gripping him around the neck… he spins her in lift, then sets her down does dance spin… he’s lost his frizzy hair, did I mention? Endorsements for GHD can’t be far off…nice upside down lift with him dropping down to besti… and really nice smooth flowing style…see I can do this impartial thing… step sequence, circular… lift and spin with her at wasit level and do it in the other direction…twizzles… clean… and again but very far apart on second half… around the corenr… and lift with her at shoulder height lying on his arms and he drops odwn to hold her in squat.. tqizzles… and again.. and they do move far apart on those. And no I was not shouting fall during that lift! Dance spin… change position dance spin.. with travel. I’m just saying. Skate back wards… around the corner we go… movewhere he hand etween her legs to begin lift and was it me or did that look messy? To the boards, straight line step where she kneels and he turns her and more steps and very close together they do be… to the centre and he lifts her around his back and lifts her.. and they’re done. And she’s beaming. Simon calls it outstanding… couldnot have done more… I’ll enjoy it more once I look back at the video I know I will, but I can’t feel my fingers right now I’m that nervous…there’s shae and nikolai… we see kati and rene backstage… see the slo-mos.. and we see the upside down lift where he actually goes to one foot going forwards…chris clals it breath taking, it had speed passion aggression was very very difficult… kati and rene have to go some and the crowd have to get behind them he says…
Marks… 5.4-5.8… very good…. 5.7-5.9… oh my. That funny sound? That’s my heart breaking. 8/9 have them first.
Tanith Belbin & Benjamin Agosto
Her in red dress, deep crimson, a la Natalie Wood… him in blue/grey shirt and darker trousers… oooh jeans? Or looking like. And his shirt is ripped. Oooh nice arm. Start off kneelin… her holding his head…awww… somewhere… not seen this before…lift her and spin her… tonight… lovely flow… nice speed… lots of kicking moves… lift where ehs’es right up… and down to rest on his knee while he’s on one foot…to the boards for ststraight line step to America… nice… and lift wehre she’s on his hip and he’s in spread…goes down to squat, twizzles are nice… and the second part gets far apart… he runs to catch up to her… oooh and see the stab mark? Steps down the ice I think diagonally? And stop right on the music. Somewhere again… lift him in lean… and maria and nice lift… twizzles… very nice.. upside down lift where he goes into forwards shoot the duck… dance spin wit him in sit her standing and she leansdown to touch his face… and look at the smiles! And fast part now…circular step… crowd get into it… really like that… keeping well together…liftand spin… and into dance spin with both sitting…. And up with her leg extended… and he slides away, she runfs to him and holds him and both lean back and they’re done. Captivating performance Simon calls it… I really liked that…USA have never won gold at ice dance and Simon touts these to break the duck certainly after several couples have retired… he wonders about difficulty…chris calls it enjoyable… but questions the difficulty too…likes the circ and straight line steps… lots of twizzles but on the whole the drama the focus. I’m nodding here… but it was so enjoyable. Very easy on the eye. Chris praises her for being wonderful to watch, played the aprt well, and not that she needs it, but he sold her well. If my stomach wasn’t going like a washing machine, I might agree…but lord I’m nervous.
Marks…5.4-5.8.. those are good… 5.6-5.9…whew… oh yeah. Sixes are coming. And 2nds but 3 have 1 and 2 have 3rd. Oh my.
Albena Denkova & Maxim Staviski BUL
Pastels ahoy for her, with no midriff or very little…all mauves and pales greeenss.. and his blouse is matching his trousers dark blue. Miusic from handel and I can’t type… start off him standing her behind him, waving expressively… and he slides back after going behind her and pulls her along… steps around and lots of speed… upside down headstand with him in squat, her arms around his neck and going forward… lift where she’s tanding on him and then goes down a little…and someone in the crowd loves them! Clipped the boards he did as he went around there…sand circular step… very nice, really into the ice and into the rhythm… him leaning back in cantilever her elaning on him…into dance spin…change position dance spin… and moving on the spot… spiral from him and they go around…twizzles… nice but moving far apart again…they cross in front of one another is nice…cantilever lift and how he doesn’t topple over I’ll never know and nice changes of edge… gliding moves and he likes his cantilevers does maxim… lift with him in sit postion and she goes over his shoulder doing it…dance spin wit him in sit… and stand and face one another… and music speeds…steps the width of the rink in front of the judges… lift her over the shoulder again… steps… diagonal step… nice… lift with her leg over his shoulder and down and thye’re done. I have no memory of seeing the second twizzles, they must be in there somewhere…he kneels on the ice to get his breath back and he when he does, he lifts her and spins her around which is rather cute… it was very good and I’ll get into it more when I can feel my fingers and my heart isn’t lodged in my throat… she looked down and out in last 30/40 seconds says chris, talks about the demanding and difficult program and they gave it everything…didn’t hold back…simon asks about sixes chris doubts it simon points out they’re handing them around like bouquets, says “If you get them for falling over…” LOL! He’s not letting it go! We see the circular step…and the closing moment and the hug…
Marks… he wags a finger… 5.7-5.9… 5.7-6.0! 2 6.0s… oh me. Oh my. A row of ones with one two.
Oh. God. Never again. I mean it this time. Never again. There’s Lindemann. Never again. Ever.
Kati Winkler & Rene Lohse GER
Her in off the shoulder dress of dark blue with sparkles and blue sky blue sash going down the centre of it… him in sunshine yellow and orange and he is my sunshine my only sunshine.. he makes me happy when marks go astray…it’s hard to be witty…cause he’s so pretty… please don’t take my rene away… and there are red trosuers. And what fine red trousers they are. And she has a moon not a blue sash, and she has stars on her dress… and listen to the noise. Music is day and night. She leans against him. And who wouldn’t really? And I am shaking…she turns around… skates around…this is earthsong by Michael jackons sung in german…lovely lift with him in cantilever, and nice changes of positions…stand up on his thigh lift… into dance spin… change position dance spin… change misic…he leaps..and dance rene! Dance! He runs after her…why would she leave him? Nice steps here… lift with her in splits as he spins her and the noise of the crowd! Twizzles and again are fantastic!!! Into steps and the circular step… it is quite open? And stop music and glide….and move again and lift with her in splits with one leg around his neck… ahem…not saying it! More steps… serpentine pattern methinks? Around the corner… upside down lift wehre she’s herringboned against his chest….him in cantivever her around him…twizzles…. Nice… and dance spin. Change and stop… and sell now… he moves away from her and she, showing good taste, follows him….steps…runs… steps… around the corner and down the diagonal… a sun bream blows into his face … and what a pretty face it is…down the length of the rink… and lift …. And spin… and spin again…and done… and that was wonderful!!! She gives him a big hug. Simon thinks they were foot perfect. We see katarina smiling and applauding…and Stefan is standing… simon thinks it will happen chris thinks it wasn’t good enough… I can’t think. I just literally cannot think. Chris thinks it was empty. I’m not so sure about that. I’ m with Simon, on the fence. Chris would love them to do it but he’s not sure. And he’s beaming…Chris thinks tech not enough to beat the Ukrainians… I’m not close to being objective on this one. Feck it, sue me. I want them to get the bronze. There I’ve said it. I don’t care if they weren’t as good. I simply do not care. If they don’t get it I’ll know why I’ll just hate it and growl a lot but say what you want about me, Kati and Rene for bronze. Chris praises what they’ve done in terms of his injury and the pressure and my heart is going like a trip hammer. Scroll up to get the marks. For ukr.. ok have them in my head.
Marks… 5.6-5.8…oooh that’s not as good…. 5.7-6.0….they have it!!!! Seocncd!!!!she’s balwing! He’s on his knees! And martin scotnicky is in floods of tears! And Rene’s crying!!!!
Oh my God! Oh my GOD!!! Wooooooo-hooooooo!!!!!!!
Tatiana Navka & Roman Kostomarov RUS
The usual pink dress for her with the marked lack of back… he’s in black shirt and black trouser and I am shaking… and crying… oh this is just like last year… start wit him behind her…breathe… she goes off and he follows her…pink panther… twizzles… and second set are good… and she’s giving it loads… love this music… lift her around the back and down into leaning lift and him in cantilever and very nice… steps s/s and nice picking out of the musical point…lift with her legs around him and her holding onto her skates… and pairs spin… dance spin…whatever! Stop… he pushes her along into fast bit and lots of turns for them… circular step… very close together… and lift and spin… and dancey bits on center ice and stop right on the music… and she’s vamping and whatever she’s selling he’s buying… and lift and spin… and steps… dance spin… change dance spin. This is nice… lift where she’s upside down doing a hand stand on his boot and he’s going forwards on one foot… she leans back against him, facing in opposite directins…and stop… and Austin powers… twizzles…. Sell baby sell… crowd are clapping… dance and kicking the legs…to the boards for the diagonal… lotsof kicks right on the music… around the corner… lift and spin with her horiztonal to the ice and on his wasit… and more steps and they’re done. Simon says it’s hard to call this between this and the Bulgarians,… I think I’d just margainlly go for this… but sue me all you like, I don’t are who wins! Chris tipped the Bulgarians now he says he hasn’t got a clue! Rinkside with kati and rene…kati says they’re speechless doesn’t have a clue why it wnet so well, she can’t believe they’re third she feels really emotional… rene… crowd really supportive…they just wanted to do what they could and produce their best performance…had a feeling it might be their day… just one second where they thought they might not get the medal but after that they were pretty optimistic…bless simon and his translation skills…how do you decide says chris they’re completely different and with gun to his head he’d go with the Russians
Amrks.. 5.7-5.9… she’s nervous… 5.8-5.9…..9 60s! and she’s in bits! She can’t believe it and hugs from Sasha…
Right. So. Navka first, then the Bulgarians then Kati and Rene. Grushina and Goncharov are 4th, the Americans 5th… and I don’t get the rest. I need a tissue. And a nice bit of chocolate, which I’m off for Lent, bugger. So off I go for a nice soothing cup of tea… back tomorrow for the ladies’ free!