Cup of China 2017 Highlights - Variations on a Theme (Ice Dance)
I previously said the pairs' competition was the calmest out of all Cup of China events, but one could argue that title could have gone to the ice-dancers' instead. After all, the top rankings didn't even slightly change here; but as it is always the case with dance, there was drama behind the surface. In ice dance, there's always a battle for the silver medal between equally talented couples and newbies waiting to assert themselves. And that's exactly what we had at Cup of China. So let's have a look at the top dance couples.
SHORT
Lorainne McNamara/Quinn Carpenter were one of the newbies to debut at senior level in Beijing. They've been together for over 10 years, but it's the first time I've seen them. My first thought was that they haven't found a trademark style yet. Also, their twizzles were not in sync and the elements were not that difficult. They earned 63.65 points, and finished on 5th place.
The second newbie couple to stand out was Tiffany Zahorski/Jonathan Guerreiro. I could tell she really enjoyed the Latino rhythms, which always helps with presenting this kind of dance in the cheerful manner most associated with it. However, they need to work more on their chemistry to convince as a make-believe couple. Phenomenal synchronicity in the mid-line step sequence. They finished 4th with 67.62 points.
Ekaterina Bobrova/Dmitri Soloviev had to settle for the third place, but they were miles away from everyone else below them. I think their musical choices for the short were more daring than what we've previously seen from them, which I see as a sign of growth. That being said, their Latino moves seemed a bit unnatural at times, which could go away as they chisel the routine more. Their short score was 72.34.
There weren't any major obvious differences between the Russians and Madison Chock/Evan Bates in Beijing. The Americans' music was easier to dance to, so more relatable from an audience point of view, and the choreography almost left them no space to breathe, being a bit more detailed than their rivals'. The curb lift was very difficult, but that's already one of their trademarks. They earned 72.66 points.
Gabriella Papadakis/Guillaume Cizeron comfortably took the lead in Beijing. When I first saw this routine, I thought, "Nope, Ed Sheeran is just not Latino." Now, I'm not so sure how I feel about this routine anymore. It still feels forced, but it's also really fun and it will definitely get the audience's attention. Their score: 81.10.
FREE
Lorainne McNamara/Quinn Carpenter's free was set to Anime Contro Vendo, a tango I don't remember hearing before. I enjoyed their lifts, particularly the straight-line one, but otherwise what I said about the short still stands - I'm struggling to see anything original in their style. It was interesting to see a spin feature that Wenjing Sui/Cong Han from pairs also often do. I wonder if it originally sits with ice-dance or pair skating. They got 93.96 points in the free and 157.61 points in total.
Tiffani Zagorski/Jonathan Guerreiro's Exogenesis Symphony reminded me of Alexandra Stepanova/Ivan Bukin's Eleanor Rigby. If I have anything to object to is the fact she smiled throughout a routine that gave off a rather sad feeling. It also seemed they were not quite on the same page, as Jonathan was expressing more of the melancholy of the music. Their free score was 96.79 and their overall score was 164.41.
Ekaterina Bobrova/Dmitri Soloviev are one of the couples who always try to come up with original lifts, and I really like the new stuff I saw in Beijing. I just wish I had known the story behind the programme from the very beginning. As I didn't, I found the first half rather uneventful, but loved the Beethoven's Five Secrets part. I'll get back to you on this routine once I see it again, knowing what I know now. For the free, they earned 110.50 points; overall, they had 182.84 points.
I knew Madison Chock/Evan Bates' routine would be amazing from the moment I saw their song was Imagine. I loved the way transitions followed different instruments - first the violin, then the drums. Changing the alignment in the twizzles was also a nice detail. All in all, I found their routine quite inspiring. They got the silver medal in Beijing with a free of 111.84 points and a total score of 184.50.
Gabriella Papadakis/Guillaume Cizeron did it; they made me like Moonlight Sonata. What really did it was the amazing attention to details. Just look closely at their arm movements, the way they go up and down in sync with the piano is quite breathtaking. Their victory in Beijing was very well deserved. They earned 119.33 in the free and 200.43 in overall, setting a world record or two in the process.
So, this concludes my coverage of Cup of China 2017. The ice dancers were a breath of fresh air after the topsy-turvy affairs of single skating, but as with pairs, their discipline was only getting ready for grander things. Don't keep your eyes off the ice dance competition this season if you don't want to miss quite a spectacle.
SHORT
Lorainne McNamara/Quinn Carpenter were one of the newbies to debut at senior level in Beijing. They've been together for over 10 years, but it's the first time I've seen them. My first thought was that they haven't found a trademark style yet. Also, their twizzles were not in sync and the elements were not that difficult. They earned 63.65 points, and finished on 5th place.
The second newbie couple to stand out was Tiffany Zahorski/Jonathan Guerreiro. I could tell she really enjoyed the Latino rhythms, which always helps with presenting this kind of dance in the cheerful manner most associated with it. However, they need to work more on their chemistry to convince as a make-believe couple. Phenomenal synchronicity in the mid-line step sequence. They finished 4th with 67.62 points.
Ekaterina Bobrova/Dmitri Soloviev had to settle for the third place, but they were miles away from everyone else below them. I think their musical choices for the short were more daring than what we've previously seen from them, which I see as a sign of growth. That being said, their Latino moves seemed a bit unnatural at times, which could go away as they chisel the routine more. Their short score was 72.34.
 |
| Madison Chock/Evan Bates won the battle for the silver in Beijing |
There weren't any major obvious differences between the Russians and Madison Chock/Evan Bates in Beijing. The Americans' music was easier to dance to, so more relatable from an audience point of view, and the choreography almost left them no space to breathe, being a bit more detailed than their rivals'. The curb lift was very difficult, but that's already one of their trademarks. They earned 72.66 points.
Gabriella Papadakis/Guillaume Cizeron comfortably took the lead in Beijing. When I first saw this routine, I thought, "Nope, Ed Sheeran is just not Latino." Now, I'm not so sure how I feel about this routine anymore. It still feels forced, but it's also really fun and it will definitely get the audience's attention. Their score: 81.10.
FREE
Lorainne McNamara/Quinn Carpenter's free was set to Anime Contro Vendo, a tango I don't remember hearing before. I enjoyed their lifts, particularly the straight-line one, but otherwise what I said about the short still stands - I'm struggling to see anything original in their style. It was interesting to see a spin feature that Wenjing Sui/Cong Han from pairs also often do. I wonder if it originally sits with ice-dance or pair skating. They got 93.96 points in the free and 157.61 points in total.
Tiffani Zagorski/Jonathan Guerreiro's Exogenesis Symphony reminded me of Alexandra Stepanova/Ivan Bukin's Eleanor Rigby. If I have anything to object to is the fact she smiled throughout a routine that gave off a rather sad feeling. It also seemed they were not quite on the same page, as Jonathan was expressing more of the melancholy of the music. Their free score was 96.79 and their overall score was 164.41.
Ekaterina Bobrova/Dmitri Soloviev are one of the couples who always try to come up with original lifts, and I really like the new stuff I saw in Beijing. I just wish I had known the story behind the programme from the very beginning. As I didn't, I found the first half rather uneventful, but loved the Beethoven's Five Secrets part. I'll get back to you on this routine once I see it again, knowing what I know now. For the free, they earned 110.50 points; overall, they had 182.84 points.
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| The overall winners were Gabriella Papadakis/Guillaume Cizeron from France |
I knew Madison Chock/Evan Bates' routine would be amazing from the moment I saw their song was Imagine. I loved the way transitions followed different instruments - first the violin, then the drums. Changing the alignment in the twizzles was also a nice detail. All in all, I found their routine quite inspiring. They got the silver medal in Beijing with a free of 111.84 points and a total score of 184.50.
Gabriella Papadakis/Guillaume Cizeron did it; they made me like Moonlight Sonata. What really did it was the amazing attention to details. Just look closely at their arm movements, the way they go up and down in sync with the piano is quite breathtaking. Their victory in Beijing was very well deserved. They earned 119.33 in the free and 200.43 in overall, setting a world record or two in the process.
So, this concludes my coverage of Cup of China 2017. The ice dancers were a breath of fresh air after the topsy-turvy affairs of single skating, but as with pairs, their discipline was only getting ready for grander things. Don't keep your eyes off the ice dance competition this season if you don't want to miss quite a spectacle.
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