Internationaux de France Highlights 2017 - Getting the Rhumba Right (Ice Dance SD)
The most exciting event of the competition for the host country is without a doubt the ice dance. They will keep the gold in France if nothing unusually unlucky happens, with the silver probably going to North America. And this is where the battle begins. Will the silver really go to North America or will it go east, to Russia? Here is where the short programme left us:
The thing that stuck with me about Lorenza Alessandrini/Pierre Souquet was how much their costumes reminded me of Gabriella/Guillaume's Woodkid ones. From their routine though, my favourite part was probably the transition between the first and second twizzle positions. Their score: 54.07.
Elliana Pogrebinsky/Alex Benoit had a really sharp rhumba, but I wasn't a fan of how the three songs didn't seem to match each other. Nevertheless, I said it last year and I'll say it again, they have a lot of potential of becoming the next stars of American ice dance. They earned 60.64 points.
Alla Loboda/Pavel Drozd have a lot in common with the aforementioned Americans. They could also be the next celebrities, but of Russia, and their songs also didn't seem to follow a particular theme, just like Elliana and Alex's. Good performance in Grenoble, but it is obvious this is their senior debut. Their score: 60.43.
Alexandra Stepanova/Ivan Bukin are another couple who have tried to fit a pop hit into a Latino beat and it's just not working for me. Sia is not Latino, just like Ed Sheeran is not. Oh well... Kudos to Alexandra for the daring costume; it's not easy to wear costumes made for the South American climate in an ice rink. They earned 70.02 points.
Charlene Guignard/Marco Fabbri on the other hand, really knew how to bring the Latino feel out on the ice. The songs flowed beautifully into each other and there was an obvious melodic theme going on. Their score: 69.73.
Gabriella Papadakis/Guillaume Cizeron got the crowd on their feet, and with good reason. I have to say, acing the Latino moves is not easy for some of the guys (it can look really unnatural), but Guillaume is an amazing Latino dancer on ice. Also, this routine is slowly growing on me, but I'm still struggling with Ed Sheeran's music for a rhumba. They earned 81.40 points.
Madison Chock/Evan Bates showed more understanding of the Latino culture than the French with their routine. The sass is at maximum as well, which is one of their specialties, but the skating skills, the relationship and the flow of the routine are below those of the European champions. Their score: 73.55.
Only three points between the two main contenders for the silver medal is not a lot, but the odds are still stacked in favour of the Americans. Their short was definitely more authentic, but I haven't seen Stepanova/Bukin's free yet, so I'm curious to take a peek at it tomorrow.
The thing that stuck with me about Lorenza Alessandrini/Pierre Souquet was how much their costumes reminded me of Gabriella/Guillaume's Woodkid ones. From their routine though, my favourite part was probably the transition between the first and second twizzle positions. Their score: 54.07.
Elliana Pogrebinsky/Alex Benoit had a really sharp rhumba, but I wasn't a fan of how the three songs didn't seem to match each other. Nevertheless, I said it last year and I'll say it again, they have a lot of potential of becoming the next stars of American ice dance. They earned 60.64 points.
Alla Loboda/Pavel Drozd have a lot in common with the aforementioned Americans. They could also be the next celebrities, but of Russia, and their songs also didn't seem to follow a particular theme, just like Elliana and Alex's. Good performance in Grenoble, but it is obvious this is their senior debut. Their score: 60.43.
Alexandra Stepanova/Ivan Bukin are another couple who have tried to fit a pop hit into a Latino beat and it's just not working for me. Sia is not Latino, just like Ed Sheeran is not. Oh well... Kudos to Alexandra for the daring costume; it's not easy to wear costumes made for the South American climate in an ice rink. They earned 70.02 points.
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| The French, European and World champions during their twizzles |
Charlene Guignard/Marco Fabbri on the other hand, really knew how to bring the Latino feel out on the ice. The songs flowed beautifully into each other and there was an obvious melodic theme going on. Their score: 69.73.
Gabriella Papadakis/Guillaume Cizeron got the crowd on their feet, and with good reason. I have to say, acing the Latino moves is not easy for some of the guys (it can look really unnatural), but Guillaume is an amazing Latino dancer on ice. Also, this routine is slowly growing on me, but I'm still struggling with Ed Sheeran's music for a rhumba. They earned 81.40 points.
Madison Chock/Evan Bates showed more understanding of the Latino culture than the French with their routine. The sass is at maximum as well, which is one of their specialties, but the skating skills, the relationship and the flow of the routine are below those of the European champions. Their score: 73.55.
Only three points between the two main contenders for the silver medal is not a lot, but the odds are still stacked in favour of the Americans. Their short was definitely more authentic, but I haven't seen Stepanova/Bukin's free yet, so I'm curious to take a peek at it tomorrow.
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