Rostelecom Cup 2014 - The Short Dance
I've talked about this for way too long, but it's finally time to find out who's better: Ilinykh/Katsalapov or Sinitsina/Katsalapov. Oh no, wait, that's not right, it's Ilinykh/Zhiganshin now. It's probably going to take some time for these two couples not to be mixed up. Meanwhile, Chock/Bates have a shot at beating both of them. Let's see how it goes down.
We dive head first into the action. Victoria Sinitsina/Nikita Katsalapov are first to go. You can definitely see Marina Zueva's touch on their paso doble. It's complex and passionate, with lots of twists and turns, but they have trouble with the twizzles. They're in perfect unison in the step sequence though. Their score: 57.96.
Well, it's settled. At least for now, Elena Ilinykh/Ruslan Zhiganshin have the upper hand. It's an explosive rendition of Carmen, depicting the tragic love story perfectly. Because of the theme the costumes could have been more flamboyant, but they're still beautiful. They get 64.12 points.
Rebeka Kim/Kirill Minov bring their best on ice, but it falls short of what we've seen so far. I love their twizzles though. Their score: 46.14.
Speaking of twizzles, Alexandra Stepanova/Ivan Bukin's are the best I've ever seen. Period. That being said, there is no magic in their paso doble and their costumes, as beautiful as they are on their own, don't really match each other. They get 56.90 points.
Kaitlyn Hawayek/Jean-Luc Baker still have to work on their interpretation, especially him. She is feeling the music, but he seems a bit distant. The twizzles aren't entirely synchronised either. Their score: 52.86.
Alexandra Alridge/Daniel Eaton bring us another Carmen. It is less descriptive than the Russians' and there are times when they don't communicate very well - he's looking at her, but she's looking at the crowd. The twizzles are problematic too. They get 54.39 points.
I have a problem with Penny Coomes/Nicholas Buckland's costumes. Why is her dress so short, first of all? With a dance such as paso doble, it really hurts their presentation. And what on Earth is he wearing? Anyways, their lift is equilibrium on ice, but the twizzles are messy. Their score: 59.55.
Madison Chock/Evan Bates's choreography never misses a change in the music. The lift in particular is fast and difficult and sharp as a whip. Her attitude, as well, stands out as classy, confident and poised. They get 68.86 points.
Now that the rivalry between the two main Russian couples has been dealt with, it's time to move on and start treating them separately. Ilinykh/Zhiganshin awe the crowd in Moscow with their breathtaking performance, but it's not enough to defeat the elegant Chock/Bates. On third comes Great Britain's finest ice-dancers, Coomes/Buckland.
We dive head first into the action. Victoria Sinitsina/Nikita Katsalapov are first to go. You can definitely see Marina Zueva's touch on their paso doble. It's complex and passionate, with lots of twists and turns, but they have trouble with the twizzles. They're in perfect unison in the step sequence though. Their score: 57.96.
Well, it's settled. At least for now, Elena Ilinykh/Ruslan Zhiganshin have the upper hand. It's an explosive rendition of Carmen, depicting the tragic love story perfectly. Because of the theme the costumes could have been more flamboyant, but they're still beautiful. They get 64.12 points.
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| Ilinykh/Zhiganshin have the best Carmen of the day Photograph: Kevin Lee/Getty Images Asia |
Speaking of twizzles, Alexandra Stepanova/Ivan Bukin's are the best I've ever seen. Period. That being said, there is no magic in their paso doble and their costumes, as beautiful as they are on their own, don't really match each other. They get 56.90 points.
Kaitlyn Hawayek/Jean-Luc Baker still have to work on their interpretation, especially him. She is feeling the music, but he seems a bit distant. The twizzles aren't entirely synchronised either. Their score: 52.86.
Alexandra Alridge/Daniel Eaton bring us another Carmen. It is less descriptive than the Russians' and there are times when they don't communicate very well - he's looking at her, but she's looking at the crowd. The twizzles are problematic too. They get 54.39 points.
I have a problem with Penny Coomes/Nicholas Buckland's costumes. Why is her dress so short, first of all? With a dance such as paso doble, it really hurts their presentation. And what on Earth is he wearing? Anyways, their lift is equilibrium on ice, but the twizzles are messy. Their score: 59.55.
Madison Chock/Evan Bates's choreography never misses a change in the music. The lift in particular is fast and difficult and sharp as a whip. Her attitude, as well, stands out as classy, confident and poised. They get 68.86 points.
Now that the rivalry between the two main Russian couples has been dealt with, it's time to move on and start treating them separately. Ilinykh/Zhiganshin awe the crowd in Moscow with their breathtaking performance, but it's not enough to defeat the elegant Chock/Bates. On third comes Great Britain's finest ice-dancers, Coomes/Buckland.
So happy for Lena and Ruslan! Lena looks so much more happy in this partnership! Victoria and Nikita didn't do as good, but it wasn't horrible either for a very first outing... He's got to change his hair though... he looks like a douche like that (he might be one too, but he doesn't have to display it! lol) Overall, putting all the drama from the break up aside, I much prefer Elena and Ruslan. Victoria and Nikita feel less balanced to me, a little like Piper Gilles and Paul Poirier... They're not terrible; he's just so much better than her that it looks he's continuously slowing down for her. Paul mastered it so that it doesn't show that much anymore. Nikita should take notes.
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