Shanghai 2015 - Unexpected Wins and Young Victors (Dance Final)
The ice dancers' short programme left us reminiscing the results Chock and Bates received at the Four Continents Championships, when they finished ahead of Weaver and Poje, despite the fact that the Canadians had begun the competition as favourites. Will history repeat itself and help them snatch their first place back from the Americans?
Maia Shibutani/Alex Shibutani's elegant waltz is set to Roses from the South and The Blue Danube. Their twizzles are diverse and different than others', but the programme as a whole is too similar to a short dance for me. Their score: 102.71. Overall: 172.03.
Kaitlyn Weaver/Andrew Poje try to do their best on Max Richter's arrangement of The Four Seasons, but it does come off as rather uptight. There are no mistakes though, just pure lyrical magic for three and a half minutes. They get 106.74 points. Overall: 179.42.
I'm so glad that Madison Chock/Evan Bates have gone back to their black and white costumes; the ones they wore at the Four Continents just didn't represent the story. I love how daring their lifts are and the transition between the spin positions. Madison does mess up her twizzles though. Their score: 106.87. Overall: 181.34.
After one season of trying to figure it out, I'm still not closer to discovering what Elena Ilinykh/Ruslan Zhiganshin's free skate is about. Is it just a story of love-gone-wrong? There's lots of drama, that's for sure, but why, I've no idea. Their twizzles are a disaster and the lifts are shaky, which does not help the presentation. They get 95.38 points. Overall: 164.84.
Well, I did say that Gabriella Papadakis/Guillaume Cizeron could become the real threat. Despite the fact that their twizzles are out of sync, this routine set to Mozart's Adagio from Concerto No. 23 is superb. The genius of it lies in the little details of the choreography, which helps tell a story where originally there was none. Their score: 112.34. Overall: 184.28.
Anna Cappellini/Luca Lanotte came here to defend their title, but their level of difficulty is, I'm afraid, not as high as their rivals'. Despite this, they look at ease, which shows that the main reason why they skate is that they simply love the sport. It's good to see them do a dark story again, after the cheerfulness of last season. They get 105.11 points. Overall: 177.50.
Well, I am not going to lie: I don't quite understand how Papadakis and Cizeron got the astronomical score they did with their mistake, but they are world champions at 19 and 20, which not a lot of people can brag with. Chock and Bates finish on second after an equally flawed, but exquisite routine. Weaver and Poje have to settle for the bronze, which leaves me a bit confused because out of the top three couples, they were the only ones with perfect twizzles. Regardless of all this, I believe they all did a fantastic job. Congratulations!
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| The Shibutanis' fifth place doesn't take anything away from their talent Source: Xiaolu Ghu/Getty Images Asia |
Kaitlyn Weaver/Andrew Poje try to do their best on Max Richter's arrangement of The Four Seasons, but it does come off as rather uptight. There are no mistakes though, just pure lyrical magic for three and a half minutes. They get 106.74 points. Overall: 179.42.
I'm so glad that Madison Chock/Evan Bates have gone back to their black and white costumes; the ones they wore at the Four Continents just didn't represent the story. I love how daring their lifts are and the transition between the spin positions. Madison does mess up her twizzles though. Their score: 106.87. Overall: 181.34.
After one season of trying to figure it out, I'm still not closer to discovering what Elena Ilinykh/Ruslan Zhiganshin's free skate is about. Is it just a story of love-gone-wrong? There's lots of drama, that's for sure, but why, I've no idea. Their twizzles are a disaster and the lifts are shaky, which does not help the presentation. They get 95.38 points. Overall: 164.84.
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| France's Papadakis and Cizeron have never been more sublime Source: Xiaolu Ghu/Getty Images Asia |
Anna Cappellini/Luca Lanotte came here to defend their title, but their level of difficulty is, I'm afraid, not as high as their rivals'. Despite this, they look at ease, which shows that the main reason why they skate is that they simply love the sport. It's good to see them do a dark story again, after the cheerfulness of last season. They get 105.11 points. Overall: 177.50.
Well, I am not going to lie: I don't quite understand how Papadakis and Cizeron got the astronomical score they did with their mistake, but they are world champions at 19 and 20, which not a lot of people can brag with. Chock and Bates finish on second after an equally flawed, but exquisite routine. Weaver and Poje have to settle for the bronze, which leaves me a bit confused because out of the top three couples, they were the only ones with perfect twizzles. Regardless of all this, I believe they all did a fantastic job. Congratulations!
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