Skate Canada International 2018 - Ice Dance Final - Having Fun

The ice-dance podium

The Rhythmic Dance left us all with bright hopes for this season, as couples who have been in the shadows until now took the first step to making a name for themselves. However, it was the final that validated those newly formed reputations as the future of ice dance.

We were off to a good start with Carolane Soucisse & Shane Firus from Canada. Skating to Earned It and Dirty Diana, they stayed perfectly in sync with the music throughout the routine, which made all their transitions and elements really good. The only tiny problem happened during the second position of the twizzles, when Shane struggled with balance. Score: 99.64 -> 156.74.

Haley Sales & Nikolas Wamsteeker also used contemporary music, but with Celine Dion behind the microphone, theirs was a more romantic routine. They had a bit of trouble with synchronicity during the second part of the twizzles. Also, apart from the last one, none of their lifts were what I would call picture-perfect. Score: 93.14 -> 150.23.

Anastasia Skoptcova & Kirill Aleshin looked super cool skating to music by Michael Jackson. I would honestly wear her look to a party; the dress, the make-up, the hair, everything was amazing. Unfortunately, their performance didn't quite match that as they actually fell during the curve lift. Score: 85.31 -> 147.99.

Piper Gilles & Paul Poirier were my favourites in Laval, so this might sound biased, but their free dance was poetry on ice to me. They were expressive, soft and daring, as they always are, may I add. The song is called Vincent and if I tell you that's a hint, can you quickly guess the painting her costume looks like? Score: 120.02 -> 186.97.

Piper Gilles and Paul Poirier - her costume was inspired by one of the most famous paintings in the world

Robynne Tweendale & Joseph Buckland were even better in Laval than they had been in Everett. I loved how the changes in positions during the straight-line lift followed the changes in the song. They were also really good at expressing the love story between their two characters. Score: 99.85 -> 162.50.

Marie-Jade Lauriault & Romain Le Gac got the arena dancing with their collection of contemporary hits like Uptown Funk. They made really good use of her flexibility during the spin, but the last positions of the twizzles looked completely different from one another - I'm not sure whose wasn't quite right. Score: 111.42 -> 180.32.

Shiyue Wang & Yang Jin completely changed the atmosphere with their intense, dark programme set to Meant by Elizaveta. I don't think I've ever seen them skate better. They are definitely an improved couple. Their transitions were great - complex body language and interpretation. Score: 98.92 -> 165.88.

The storytelling in Madison Hubbell & Zachary Donohue's programme was phenomenal. From the meeting at the very start to the falling in love, the struggles and then the tragic finale, you could follow the entire tale of Romeo and Juliet while watching them skate. Score: 120.27 -> 200.76.

Spain's Smart & Diaz looking the part while skating to The Beatles

Olivia Smart & Adrian Diaz's lifts are already something to look forward to. The dismount from the curve lift was incredibly smooth, while the straight-line lift was truly acrobatic. They skated to songs by The Beatles, so the artistic impression was not as overwhelming as for some of those before them. Score: 104.22 -> 176.57.

Victoria Sinitsina & Nikita Katsalapov ended the event with the only classical piece of the day: Suite in D Air by Bach. I always appreciate how balletic they are in their movements, particularly their arms. You can tell they come from the Russian school of figure skating. Score: 120.51 -> 195.17.

There was one dramatic change of ranking in the final, but I'm sure we all expected it: Piper Gilles & Paul Poirier left the rhythmic dance behind them and got themselves a bronze medal. Victoria Sinitsina & Nikita Katsalapov almost won the competition, but their total score saw them settling for the silver medal instead. As they did in their home country last week, Madison Hubbell and Zachary Donohue won the gold.

Quote of the competition is:


Want to know what else happened at Skate Canada International 2018?

Men Final

Pairs Final

Ladies SP

Rhythmic Dance

Pairs SP

Men SP

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Skaters We'll Miss, Part 5: Daisuke Takahashi

Image
October 31, 2008: It's a few days before the start of the 2008 Cup of China and for Japanese superstar, Daisuke Takahashi, it's the day disaster strikes. He's just torn a ligament in his right leg, which will take him off the ice for the entire season. What's even worse is that this is the type of injury that might just abruptly end the career of one of the most promising skaters of the decade. Long before becoming a superstar, Daisuke began his life in the ice rink by choosing between hockey and figure skating. He became a senior skater at the age of 16, but couldn't cope with the pressure and didn't become Japan's National Champion until four seasons later. Phantom of the Opera Photograph: Koichi Kamoshida/Getty Images Sport In 2005/2006, at the age of 19, he almost lost the National title, and the chance to participate at the Olympics, when it was accidentally given to Nobunari Oda due to a miscalculation. The error was corrected though and Daisu
Read more

Skate America 2015 Preview

Image
That wonderful time of the year is here again! No, I'm not talking about Christmas, but the start of the figure skating Grand Prix series. I've been waiting for this event since the last day of the 2015 World Team Trophy, and I know I'm not the only one, so let's get started. The logo of Skate America 2015 Photo: www.isu.org Skate America will open the Grand Prix series, as usual. It is held this year in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Milwaukee is not known for anything related to figure skating, but for its beer and festivals - beer festivals, I assume. In fact, the logo for Skate America this year looks so much like a beer label that I wouldn't be surprised if the party favours proved out to be small bottles of beer with the logo as labels. Wouldn't that be cool? As creative as the marketing of the event is, the logo isn't what it's going to make this event spectacular. That task is given to the skaters, and judging by the big names competing, they
Read more

Internationaux de France 2018 - Ladies Final - What Great Skaters Are Made Of

Image
Bradie Tennell took home a surprising bronze medal The ladies' competition in Grenoble started as most do these days - with Japanese and Russian skaters going against each other for the top three positions. At the end of the short programme, Japan was winning (by less than a point), but the possibility to see Russia on the podium in the form of Evgenia Medvedeva was very much real. Stanislava Konstantinova  began the event with a flawless performance of Anna Karenina . I loved the costume, the way her hair matched the era the story is from and the neckline detail that made her look as if she was wearing a pearl necklace. Score: 134.76  -> 189.67 . Laurine Lecavelier  followed with a sexier routine, set to I'll Take Care of You . Her performance was for the most part alright despite doubling out of both the 3Flip and Salchow, but then at the very end, she fell on the 3Loop. Score: 105.58  -> 157.24 Laurine Lecavelier of France I thought Matilda Algotsson 
Read more