Shanghai 2015 - Reminiscing the Four Continents (Ice Dance)
The first event of these World Championships is the ice dancers' short programme. The main contenders for the gold medal seem to be Kaitlyn Weaver and Andrew Poje, but they will have to skate better than the new European championships, Gabriella Papadakis and Guillaume Cizeron, to win it. Madison Chock and Evan Bates are also looking for as high a place on the podium as possible. Let's see how they do.
Elena Ilinykh/Ruslan Zhiganshin's debut at the Worlds is not as explosive as we've seen their routine be. Perhaps it's because of the early morning (it's about 10 am), but they seem slower and more cautious than before. Their twizzles are not in perfect unison either. Their score: 69.46.
Rising stars Federica Testa/Lucas Csolley are beginning to make themselves noticed. The curve lift that made the audience gasp at the Europeans because it looked as if he had dropped her is a roaring success in Shanghai as well. Their side-by-side step sequence is slightly out of sync, but other than that, everything looks great. They get 60.07 points.
Laurence Fournier Beaudry/Nicolaj Sorensen's paso doble is more dramatic than passionate. They skate on Malaguena. They are technically perfect, but the lift is too easy. Their score: 62.40.
Ksenia Monko/Kirill Khaliavin are also at the Worlds for the first time. Their paso doble sequence is less sharp than others', not really following the rhythm of the music towards the end. Her dress also seems to be a bit too much in terms of matching the theme; it certainly does not look Spanish. They get 62.36 points.
Madison Hubbell/Zachary Donohue's minimalist style allows you to focus on what they're actually doing. Unfortunately, I'm not impressed with what they're doing. He loses his position in the twizzles, their lift is not the most elegant, and perhaps they should have chosen a more lively section of the music for the paso doble sequence. Their score: 61.43.
Piper Gilles/Paul Poirier have the most original paso dobles costume of the season, that's for sure. I absolutely love her appearance, even though the symbolism behind her make-up evades me. They make no mistakes here, but I do think their rotational lift falls short in difficulty of other lifts they've done in the past. They get 65.90 points.
Alexandra Paul/Mitchell Islam have been doing the same rotational lift in the short programme for a few seasons now. It's not a very difficult or impressive lift, so could they please put some variation in it next season, please? Other than that, a very good routine, the step sequence in particular is fast and totally in sync. Their score: 64.38.
Charlene Guignard/Marco Fabbri have had better days. She stumbles and almost falls towards the end, but they cover it well. Their costumes are always masterpieces, thought out in the smallest of details, something they probably inherited from Barbara Fusar-Poli. They get 61.02 points.
Madison Chock/Evan Bates' Don Quixote is commanding and foot-perfect. The balance of power does seem to lean towards her though, which is not a bad thing, but it is different because usually, in the paso doble, it's the boy who looks domineering. I honestly believe their lift is the best short dance lift of the season. Their score: 74.47.
The current World champions' strength lies in presentation. Anna Cappellini/Luca Lanotte's choreography is not as difficult as their rivals', which is why they've been in quite a drought this season, but for those two and a half minutes, they live and breathe paso doble. They get 72.39 points.
Maia Shibutani/Alex Shibutani's phasing of the music is so perfect that the choreography seems tailored to it, making it look like they are one single piece, rather than two separate bits that you need to pay attention to individually. Their score: 69.32.
Kaitlyn Weaver/Andrew Poje's twizzles look incredibly easy to do, which goes to show what great skating skills they've got because they are everything but easy. They are one of the couples who don't risk too much with their lifts, but they rarely repeat them, always finding a way to re-interpret old lifts, giving them new variations. They get 72.68 points.
Gabriella Papadakis/Guillaume Cizeron's relationship on ice is what sells the programme. They fit together perfectly, but her dress looks so heavy, it puts me off. The first bit of the twizzles is not perfectly synchronised. Their score: 71.94.
It seems that the rankings from the Four Continents are making a re-appearance in Shanghai - Chock & Bates takes the lead while Weaver & Poje fall on second place. The third position is currently occupied by Cappellini & Lanotte, who prove that they haven't quite lost their touch yet.
Elena Ilinykh/Ruslan Zhiganshin's debut at the Worlds is not as explosive as we've seen their routine be. Perhaps it's because of the early morning (it's about 10 am), but they seem slower and more cautious than before. Their twizzles are not in perfect unison either. Their score: 69.46.
Rising stars Federica Testa/Lucas Csolley are beginning to make themselves noticed. The curve lift that made the audience gasp at the Europeans because it looked as if he had dropped her is a roaring success in Shanghai as well. Their side-by-side step sequence is slightly out of sync, but other than that, everything looks great. They get 60.07 points.
Laurence Fournier Beaudry/Nicolaj Sorensen's paso doble is more dramatic than passionate. They skate on Malaguena. They are technically perfect, but the lift is too easy. Their score: 62.40.
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| Russia's Monko & Khaliavin are not quite dressed for the occasion Source: Xiaolu Ghu / Getty Images Asia |
Madison Hubbell/Zachary Donohue's minimalist style allows you to focus on what they're actually doing. Unfortunately, I'm not impressed with what they're doing. He loses his position in the twizzles, their lift is not the most elegant, and perhaps they should have chosen a more lively section of the music for the paso doble sequence. Their score: 61.43.
Piper Gilles/Paul Poirier have the most original paso dobles costume of the season, that's for sure. I absolutely love her appearance, even though the symbolism behind her make-up evades me. They make no mistakes here, but I do think their rotational lift falls short in difficulty of other lifts they've done in the past. They get 65.90 points.
Alexandra Paul/Mitchell Islam have been doing the same rotational lift in the short programme for a few seasons now. It's not a very difficult or impressive lift, so could they please put some variation in it next season, please? Other than that, a very good routine, the step sequence in particular is fast and totally in sync. Their score: 64.38.
Charlene Guignard/Marco Fabbri have had better days. She stumbles and almost falls towards the end, but they cover it well. Their costumes are always masterpieces, thought out in the smallest of details, something they probably inherited from Barbara Fusar-Poli. They get 61.02 points.
Madison Chock/Evan Bates' Don Quixote is commanding and foot-perfect. The balance of power does seem to lean towards her though, which is not a bad thing, but it is different because usually, in the paso doble, it's the boy who looks domineering. I honestly believe their lift is the best short dance lift of the season. Their score: 74.47.
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| Italy's Cappellini & Lanotte give us their best paso doble Source: Xiaol Ghu / Getty Images Asia |
Maia Shibutani/Alex Shibutani's phasing of the music is so perfect that the choreography seems tailored to it, making it look like they are one single piece, rather than two separate bits that you need to pay attention to individually. Their score: 69.32.
Kaitlyn Weaver/Andrew Poje's twizzles look incredibly easy to do, which goes to show what great skating skills they've got because they are everything but easy. They are one of the couples who don't risk too much with their lifts, but they rarely repeat them, always finding a way to re-interpret old lifts, giving them new variations. They get 72.68 points.
Gabriella Papadakis/Guillaume Cizeron's relationship on ice is what sells the programme. They fit together perfectly, but her dress looks so heavy, it puts me off. The first bit of the twizzles is not perfectly synchronised. Their score: 71.94.
It seems that the rankings from the Four Continents are making a re-appearance in Shanghai - Chock & Bates takes the lead while Weaver & Poje fall on second place. The third position is currently occupied by Cappellini & Lanotte, who prove that they haven't quite lost their touch yet.
Weaver/Poje will win, I have faith in them
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