Worlds 2016 - A Kaleidoscope of Styles (Pairs' Short)
The Olympic champions are back! How many times have we hoped to hear these words? Well, they're true tonight, and although they've been back all season long, tonight's the night when we get to see if Tatiana Volosozhar & Maxim Trankov are reclaiming their supremacy in the pairs skating. They're up against the technical Duhamel & Radford, their own team mates Stolbova/Klimov and the delightful Sui/Han.
We shouldn't forget, of course, about Aliona Savchenko/Bruno Massot. They have a whimsical piece of music (Creature de Siam from Kurios) and less whimsical costumes, but a good performance overall. That triple twist is huge! Their score: 74.22.
Miriam Ziegler/Severin Kiefer skate to the quirky It's Oh So Quiet by Bjork. They don't get as crazy as the music requires and they're slightly out of sync with it too at times. I like the different feature on the low position of the pair spin though. Technically, she doubles out of the triple Salchow. They get 45.31 points.
A bit of a mishap for Tarah Kayne/Daniel O'Shea - he falls during a transition. Another mistake is her hand down on the thrown triple Lutz. The song, as I'm sure you're aware, is the contemporary hit Take Me to Church by Hozier. Great to see every day music making its way into the sport. Their score: 59.27.
We change the musical style abruptly as Nicole della Monica/Matteo Guarise skate to the solemn Magnificat by Mina. Great unison in the step sequence. I also like their costumes; they always wear such pretty costumes. They get 64.82 points.
Evgenia Tarasova/Vladimir Morozov bring some Irish energy on the ice with Lord of the Dance. This is such a powerful theme that it can't be sold without a difficult step sequence, so it's no wonder Vladimir stumbles for a second. The traditional-ish costumes are a nice touch. Their score: 72.00.
Getting a sexy vibe from Vanessa James/Morgan Cipres' I Put a Spell on You. They have a couple of minor mistakes: they're out of sync in the side-by-side triple Flips and finish after the music. They get 66.69 points.
Gasp! Cheng Peng/Hao Zhang are having a very hard time today. It all starts when she falls on the thrown jump, slides into the boards and can't make it back up in time for the side-by-side jumps. Oh dear... I have to show my appreciation for their fashion sense though - these two always dress to impress. Their score: 60.01.
Tatiana Volosozhar/Maxim Trankov might have just got me into Bollywood music! Their routine looks so much fun, and I absolutely love how they take that extra step to ensure accuracy. I'm sure they took a Bollywood dance class just as they took waltz classes two years ago. The song is called Nagada Sang Dhol, if you were wondering. They get 77.13 points.
Ksenia Stolbova/Fedor Klimov bring another I Put a Spell on You on ice, this time by Annie Lennox. You cannot not compare them to their team mates, so here it goes: artistically, the former definitely have the advantage; technically, the latter have more powerful jumps, but a rough triple twist. Their score: 73.98.
Wow, I think the Russians have found their match in Wenjing Sui/Cong Han. Their Spanish Romance is astounding - the power, the control, the unison with the music, the perfect elements, the extra-difficult triple twist, the Spanish details. I didn't think I'd like this routine as much as I do. Bravo! They get 80.85 points.
Alexa Scimeca/Chris Knierim add another style to the colourful kaleidoscope of musical genres we've seen tonight: rock. Nothing Else Matters by Metallica is a strong theme, but it pales in comparison with the ones we saw previously tonight. On top of that, he falls on the side-by-side triple Salchows. A shame! Their score: 71.37.
This is what it looks like when things go right! Meagan Duhamel/Eric Radford keep their wits about them and land the side-by-side triple Lutzes splendidly. Meagan does touch down with her free leg out of the thrown Lutz though, so it's not flawless. Beautiful song, Your Song sung here by Ewan McGregor. They get 78.18 points.
The final short programme comes at an end with surprising results. I was expecting to say there is no messing with Volosozhar/Trankov, but that is clearly not the case. It's all good though when the quality is this high. Fantastic skate from Sui/Han, who are first at the moment. On second, the lovely Duhamel/Redford.
We shouldn't forget, of course, about Aliona Savchenko/Bruno Massot. They have a whimsical piece of music (Creature de Siam from Kurios) and less whimsical costumes, but a good performance overall. That triple twist is huge! Their score: 74.22.
Miriam Ziegler/Severin Kiefer skate to the quirky It's Oh So Quiet by Bjork. They don't get as crazy as the music requires and they're slightly out of sync with it too at times. I like the different feature on the low position of the pair spin though. Technically, she doubles out of the triple Salchow. They get 45.31 points.
 |
| The hug moment after Nicole della Monica and Mateo Guarise's performance Photograph: Maddie Meyer / Getty Images North America |
We change the musical style abruptly as Nicole della Monica/Matteo Guarise skate to the solemn Magnificat by Mina. Great unison in the step sequence. I also like their costumes; they always wear such pretty costumes. They get 64.82 points.
Evgenia Tarasova/Vladimir Morozov bring some Irish energy on the ice with Lord of the Dance. This is such a powerful theme that it can't be sold without a difficult step sequence, so it's no wonder Vladimir stumbles for a second. The traditional-ish costumes are a nice touch. Their score: 72.00.
Getting a sexy vibe from Vanessa James/Morgan Cipres' I Put a Spell on You. They have a couple of minor mistakes: they're out of sync in the side-by-side triple Flips and finish after the music. They get 66.69 points.
Gasp! Cheng Peng/Hao Zhang are having a very hard time today. It all starts when she falls on the thrown jump, slides into the boards and can't make it back up in time for the side-by-side jumps. Oh dear... I have to show my appreciation for their fashion sense though - these two always dress to impress. Their score: 60.01.
Tatiana Volosozhar/Maxim Trankov might have just got me into Bollywood music! Their routine looks so much fun, and I absolutely love how they take that extra step to ensure accuracy. I'm sure they took a Bollywood dance class just as they took waltz classes two years ago. The song is called Nagada Sang Dhol, if you were wondering. They get 77.13 points.
Ksenia Stolbova/Fedor Klimov bring another I Put a Spell on You on ice, this time by Annie Lennox. You cannot not compare them to their team mates, so here it goes: artistically, the former definitely have the advantage; technically, the latter have more powerful jumps, but a rough triple twist. Their score: 73.98.
Wow, I think the Russians have found their match in Wenjing Sui/Cong Han. Their Spanish Romance is astounding - the power, the control, the unison with the music, the perfect elements, the extra-difficult triple twist, the Spanish details. I didn't think I'd like this routine as much as I do. Bravo! They get 80.85 points.
 |
| Russia's Mr and Mrs Trankov (on paper) take us on a trip to India Photograph: Maddie Meyer / Getty Images North America |
This is what it looks like when things go right! Meagan Duhamel/Eric Radford keep their wits about them and land the side-by-side triple Lutzes splendidly. Meagan does touch down with her free leg out of the thrown Lutz though, so it's not flawless. Beautiful song, Your Song sung here by Ewan McGregor. They get 78.18 points.
The final short programme comes at an end with surprising results. I was expecting to say there is no messing with Volosozhar/Trankov, but that is clearly not the case. It's all good though when the quality is this high. Fantastic skate from Sui/Han, who are first at the moment. On second, the lovely Duhamel/Redford.
Great competition!
ReplyDeleteDid not see that coming , expected higher scores for Tatiana and Maxim . Glad to see that Meagan and Eric performed above expectations 😀
ReplyDeleteTatiana looked tired,before their short program,Meagan and Eric are always technicaly good,but i don't like their style of skating .Chinese couple really best with their short program.
ReplyDelete