NHK Trophy 2018 - Ice Dance Final - Challenging Victories

November 11, 2018

Kaitlin Hawayek & Jean-Luc Baker took the gold for USA

The ice dance competition was the land of opportunity in Hiroshima. All the skaters were couples that had never really been in the spotlight before. The short ended with Russia and USA in podium positions, but so close to one another, no one was safe.

The event started with the host's Misato Komatsubara/Tim Koleto. The two skated to Une histoire d'amour and made no errors. My favourite thing about their choreography was how it put each of them individually in the spotlight, particularly in the mid-line step sequence - you don't often see this in ice dance. Score: 94.87 -> 154.27.

Alexandra Nazarova/Maxim Nikitin followed with a crazy balance on their curve lift, but the first positions of the twizzles not in sync. They wore very glitzy costumes that matched the Charlie Chaplin theme, but I found her boots too chunky-looking. Score: 93.02 -> 153.22.

Troubles with the twizzles continued with Anastasia Skoptcova/Kirill Aleshin - she lost grip on her blade during the first position, which put them out of sync. Interpretation-wise though, she was super expressive and carried out most of the presentation by herself. Score: 95.43 -> 159.96.

If Lilah Fear/Lewis Gibson were not the fastest of the first group, they sure seemed like it. Their performance in Hiroshima was even better than in Everett, at Skate America. Their transitions were peppered with dance moves so it felt like every single second was perfectly choreographed. Score: 113.29 -> 177.20.

Lilah Fear & Lewis Gibson are the next stars of British figure skating

Carolane Soucisse/Shane Firus from Canada opened the second group. With tricky exits out of every single jump, they interpreted a mash-up of Earned It and Dirty Diana. The two songs were a good match because they are so similar, you almost miss the switch. Score: 103.83 -> 169.84.

I really enjoyed Shiyue Wang/Yang Jin's routine, just like I had at Skate Canada, but they suffered from having a lower level of difficulty than the British and Canadians. Great use of both their flexibility during the combination spin though. Score: 101.69 -> 167.96.

Rachel Parsons/Michael Parsons cut a pretty picture skating to The Cinematic Orchestra's To Build a Home. She was a little unsure on her feet at the end of the one foot step sequence, but otherwise, all the elements looked great. This new team from the USA showed a lot of potential in Hiroshima. Score: 109.57 -> 178.64.

Tiffani Zagorski/Jonathan Guerreiro gave it their best, but there were certain parts of the choreography that harmed them by comparison to others. Their choreographic elements, for example, were not as spectacular as those of the British couple. He also lost his balance during the twizzles. Score: 107.56 -> 183.05.

Kaitlin Hawayek/Jean-Luc Baker completed the modern array of programmes we saw in the last final of the NHK Trophy 2018, with a routine set to the Trampoline Theme by The Irrepresibles. Choreography-wise, there were a few moments that shone - watch the choreographic slide move - but it was their presentation that really stood out. Score: 113.92 -> 184.63.

With that score, the Americans won their first Grand Prix gold medal ever, and the joy was not underwhelming in the kiss and cry when they realised it. The silver and bronze also went to newbie couples: Zagorski/Guerreiro and Rachel/Michael Parsons respectively.

Quote of the competition: