European Championships 2015 - The Paso Doble
The second event of the competition has arrived, and the pressure is not getting easier to bear as the outcome is hard to predict.
Anna Cappellini & Luca Lanotte return on ice after withdrawing from the grand-prix series due to poor results. I am looking forward to seeing what changes they've made to their routine, and how will they fare against Gabriella Papadakis & Guillaume Cizeron, on whom many have already bet for taking the European title from the Italians. I wish them all good luck!
Sara Hurtado/Adria Diaz are determined to make their homeland proud in a season that pays tribute to its traditional music. I love the clapping incorporated into the choreography and the way she plays with her dress. Unfortunately, the twizzles are not in unison. Their score: 62.59.
Ksenia Monko/Kirill Khaliavin's sombre costumes are less appealing than those of the Spaniards, while their routine feels more angry than passionate. She loses her balance in the twizzles, possibly because they're skating them in a crisscross rather than side by side. They get 58.34 points.
Federica Testa/Lucas Csolley make the crowd gasp in one frightened voice as he seemingly drops her during the curb lift; 'the drop' turns out to be part of the choreography, taking their routine to a whole new level. Also, I don't know if he let his hair grow with this season in mind or not, but either way, he truly looks the part of a Spanish dancer. Their score: 62.91.
Alexandra Nazarova/Maxim Nikitin are Ukraine's new ice dancers, who have stepped in after Heekin-Cannedy/Dun split up. You can tell they've never skated at this level before because they look nervous throughout the dance, but they manage to keep the nerves under control and are virtually flawless. They get 54.66 points.
Gorgeous and confident, Anna Cappellini/Luca Lanotte have come back with a more cinematic paso doble. The music has so many nuances that give the routine so many moments, I don't even know which one to talk about first... I'll settle for the drums, which give the programme angst and passion at the same time. Their score: 69.63.
Charlene Guignard/Marco Fabbri break the colour theme by choosing to wear purple, not red, but otherwise they don't really stand out from the rest. Theirs is an elegant performance though. They get 62.10 points.
Gabriella Papadakis/Guillaume Cizeron are not afraid to flirt with each other on the ice, which makes their paso doble more believable. This routine is as sexy as you'd like, but I do feel that the Italians' is more sophisticated. Their score: 71.06.
Penny Coomes/Nicholas Buckland never go for the traditional versions of the short dance music, and that makes them unique. With the paso doble, they chose a song filled with drum solos, which unfortunately doesn't help the routine flow. They also have the tinniest problem during the last twizzle position. They get 60.16 points.
Sometimes originality comes at a price. For Nelli Zhiganshina/Alexander Gazsi the price is being really cold, as you'd imagine Alexander is while wearing a white sleeveless tee on ice. The costumes are representative of hot Spain though and help sell the story. Their score: 61.98.
So there it is: Gabriella Papadakis & Guillaume Cizeron are rapidly skating towards their first European gold medal, while Anna Cappellini & Luca Lanotte have to settle for third place...for now. Although I wasn't able to see them skate, I'm certain that Elena Ilinykh & Ruslan Zhiganshin, who are on second place, did a fabulous job as well. Make sure you don't miss the final.
Anna Cappellini & Luca Lanotte return on ice after withdrawing from the grand-prix series due to poor results. I am looking forward to seeing what changes they've made to their routine, and how will they fare against Gabriella Papadakis & Guillaume Cizeron, on whom many have already bet for taking the European title from the Italians. I wish them all good luck!
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| Testa/Csolley's daring lift Photograph: Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images Europe |
Ksenia Monko/Kirill Khaliavin's sombre costumes are less appealing than those of the Spaniards, while their routine feels more angry than passionate. She loses her balance in the twizzles, possibly because they're skating them in a crisscross rather than side by side. They get 58.34 points.
Federica Testa/Lucas Csolley make the crowd gasp in one frightened voice as he seemingly drops her during the curb lift; 'the drop' turns out to be part of the choreography, taking their routine to a whole new level. Also, I don't know if he let his hair grow with this season in mind or not, but either way, he truly looks the part of a Spanish dancer. Their score: 62.91.
Alexandra Nazarova/Maxim Nikitin are Ukraine's new ice dancers, who have stepped in after Heekin-Cannedy/Dun split up. You can tell they've never skated at this level before because they look nervous throughout the dance, but they manage to keep the nerves under control and are virtually flawless. They get 54.66 points.
Gorgeous and confident, Anna Cappellini/Luca Lanotte have come back with a more cinematic paso doble. The music has so many nuances that give the routine so many moments, I don't even know which one to talk about first... I'll settle for the drums, which give the programme angst and passion at the same time. Their score: 69.63.
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| Despite skating in the second group, Ilinykh/Zhiganshin have finished on second place Photograph: Oleg Nikishin/Getty Images Europe |
Gabriella Papadakis/Guillaume Cizeron are not afraid to flirt with each other on the ice, which makes their paso doble more believable. This routine is as sexy as you'd like, but I do feel that the Italians' is more sophisticated. Their score: 71.06.
Penny Coomes/Nicholas Buckland never go for the traditional versions of the short dance music, and that makes them unique. With the paso doble, they chose a song filled with drum solos, which unfortunately doesn't help the routine flow. They also have the tinniest problem during the last twizzle position. They get 60.16 points.
Sometimes originality comes at a price. For Nelli Zhiganshina/Alexander Gazsi the price is being really cold, as you'd imagine Alexander is while wearing a white sleeveless tee on ice. The costumes are representative of hot Spain though and help sell the story. Their score: 61.98.
So there it is: Gabriella Papadakis & Guillaume Cizeron are rapidly skating towards their first European gold medal, while Anna Cappellini & Luca Lanotte have to settle for third place...for now. Although I wasn't able to see them skate, I'm certain that Elena Ilinykh & Ruslan Zhiganshin, who are on second place, did a fabulous job as well. Make sure you don't miss the final.
1)Stepanova and Bukin: this year, they skate to the music of... Doraemon . I know it's not original from Doraemon, and they gave the credit to the original, but still, when I first saw their SD test skate video, I almost felt out of my chair. ANd THAT Doraemon SD came in 4th, oh wow, I love them more and more by the day, and what a creative way of doing twitzles :))
ReplyDelete2) 1) It's so close, Lena and Rusland can still skate a good FD and win tomorrow, they DID beat the French at GPF in FD.
3) my cute Estonia team came in 14th, bt maybe they can pull it together and get in top 10 - as I hoped for them - next FD