Crystal Skate

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/Pa...

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 ou...

Comebacks haven't quite risen to expectations in the past two seasons, but Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir's return is unlike any other. After breaking the world record in the short programme, they're looking more likely than ever to win the gold. On second, the Shibutani siblings have just finished ahead of World champions Papadakis and Cizeron for the first time in their career. Can they hold onto the silver medal? Madison Chock/Evan Bates  probably didn't expect to start the final as 6th place holders. They skate to Queen's Under Pressure , keeping the rock style they showed in the short. Their free is not smooth either, but they make no errors per se, just little moments of hesitation in lifts and such. Their score: 108.45 . Overall: 179.32 . Ekaterina Bobrova/Dmitri Soloviev  have some original twizzle positions, but their lifts are not at all impressive when compared to the difficulty level of the others. Also, they didn't manage to get into the right posi...

The ice dancers got the party started in Moscow, quite literally, with tunes from the likes of Elvis Presley and  Grease  that got people moving their feet. Let's see what the top five couples of the competition brought to the game. Tiffany Zahorski/Jonathan Guerreiro  ended up in 5th place with music by Christina Aguilera and Parov Stelar. I have to say I'm not a big fan of this musical combo. The first part was super sexy, but the second was silly and completely destroyed the vibe they had going at the beginning. They also still need to work on their chemistry, but this is their debut at the Grand Prix Series, so there's time for that. Their score: 64.28 . Madison and Evan's dance was the grittiest of the day Charlene Guignard/Marco Fabbri 's concept was at an entirely different level. They chose to skate to the soundtrack of Grease , and everything about the concept, from the costumes to the rock 'n roll touches of the choreography, was perfect. Absol...

Privet, everyone, or  привет!  Think it's too early for me to Google how to say Hello in Russian? Well, so did I before discovering Rostelecom Cup had moved out of its usual place in the Grand Prix Series. The trip to Moscow comes early this season, but it's not leaving any of its drama behind. By drama, I actually mean, difficulty level and by difficulty level I mean, Hello, world medalists! Sorry, I meant Privet, world medalists! So, who to look for? In no particular order... Shoma Uno after his victory as Skate America 2016 Photograph:  Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images North America MEN Javier Fernandez  - the double World champion and his Elvis Presley routine pretty much have this in the back of his pocket if everything goes according to plan. Shoma Uno  - the future of Japanese male skating just got a new Personal Best Total Score (279.34), so he's in everyone's predictions for a spot on the podium. Mikhail Kolyada  - Russia's best known athlet...

The sun is burning, the fan is spinning like crazy and we're wearing flip flops. It must be that time of the year when we can but reminisce about colder days and figure skating. And reminisce I shall, with my first post of a series I've decided to call The Mighty Five. Each discipline gets five mighty programmes each season that will rock the world of figure skating. I've decided to take a look at my favourite five programmes of each discipline in 2015/2016. First up: the short dance. Another season, another waltz? Not really. Last season's Ravensburger waltz felt fresh, not only due to the variety of themes the ISU has been coming up with lately for the SD, but also due to the couples' creativity. Here are my personal choices for the mighty five Ravensburger waltzes: 1) Kaitlyn Weaver & Andrew Poje's The Blue Danube & Annenpolka Every season there is a textbook-perfect short dance, and I think last season's came from the top Canadian couple....

The Four Continents usually get overlooked by a lot of top skaters because they'd rather 'focus on the Worlds.' This is why in recent years this competition has proven to be the place for the underdogs to shine in every discipline but ice-dance. Ice dancers, no matter how high they get on other podiums, seem bent on not over-looking the Four Continents, and thank God for it. It provides them with a chance to compare their routines against some of their toughest rivals' and therefore polish whatever rusty parts they may still have. For the people in the stands (and in front of the screens), it's a spectacle not to be missed. Couples like  Emi Hirai/Marien de la Asuncion  are one of the reasons I enjoy watching the Four Continents. It gives me the chance to become familiar with some skaters I otherwise rarely see on ice. She loses her balance during the twizzles, which is probably why she seems rather rigid during the Ravensburger waltz section. Their score: 47.09...

The free dance of the Cup of the China 2015 starts with a withdrawal: Kaitlin Hawayek/Jean-Luc Baker from the United States have had to call it quits. In their absence, there is an opportunity for Testa/Csolley to make a lasting impression, although given that the Americans were never threatening the podium, the Slovaks can't possibly get a medal. Shiyue Wang/Xinyu Liu  are first to skate. This is the second time I see their Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon  routine, and I still really like it. You can tell they're more comfortable doing something culturally relevant than the Ravensburg waltz. The twizzles are out of sync though. Their score: 76.09 . Overall: 126.73 . Federica Testa/Lucas Csolley 's Malena  seems really long, but not in a bad way. The medley of songs make the routine complex and tell the full story from the merry beginning to the tragic end. They get 82.27  points. Overall: 136.17 . Elena Ilinkyh/Ruslan Zhiganshin 's costumes are great. You can i...

Cup of China sets off as the first important competition of the season for not just two big names, but four: Anna Cappellini/Luca Lanotte of Italy and Elena Ilinykh/Ruslan Zhianshin of Russia. I'm very curious about their new routines, and I can't wait to see how they perform against the USA's best. Yue Zhao/Xun Zheng 's routine looks taken straight out of a fairytale. I love his green velvet costume, but not so much her dress (it doesn't look as sophisticated). Good twizzles and lift, even though the latter isn't very difficult. Their score: 51.02 . Shiyue Wang/Xinyu Liu 's short dance takes a whole different direction. Their costumes look more fit for a Latino song, and although the song is one of the best ever written ( Piano Man  by Billy Joel), they do not interpret its sadness at all. They get 50.64  points. Federica Testa/Lucas Csolley 's presentation is miles away from that of the Chinese. The Slovaks are graceful and elegant, a gentleman a...

The ice-dancers' short programme saw Madison Chock & Evan Bates waltz their way effortlessly to the first position, but that's something we all saw coming. The pleasant surprise was the second place of Victoria Sinitsina & Nikita Katsalapov, who are indeed trying to improve their image after last season's fiasco. On third came the always-innovating Piper Gilles & Paul Poirier from Canada. Let's see what happens in the free: I am amazed at how much I love Shiyue Wang/Xinyu Wang 's Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon . My only experience with this story is Stolbova/Klimov's free skate from last season, which is probably why I like the dance version more. It's more complex in terms of story and music, displaying a softness I wouldn't have thought existed. I'm very glad they kept the Chinese lyrics. Their score: 80.22 . Overall: 129.59 . I need to make a note to count the positions in Alexandra Nazarova/Maxim Nikitin 's straight-line lift b...

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...

The ice dancers' short programme left us reminiscing the results Chock and Bates received at the Four Continents Championships, when they finished ahead of Weaver and Poje, despite the fact that the Canadians had begun the competition as favourites. Will history repeat itself and help them snatch their first place back from the Americans? The Shibutanis' fifth place doesn't take anything away from their talent Source: Xiaolu Ghu/Getty Images Asia Maia Shibutani/Alex Shibutani 's elegant waltz is set to Roses from the South  and The Blue Danube . Their twizzles are diverse and different than others', but the programme as a whole is too similar to a short dance for me. Their score: 102.71 . Overall: 172.03 . Kaitlyn Weaver/Andrew Poje try to do their best on Max Richter's arrangement of The Four Seasons , but it does come off as rather uptight. There are no mistakes though, just pure lyrical magic for three and a half minutes. They get 106.74  points. Over...

The first event of these World Championships is the ice dancers' short programme. The main contenders for the gold medal seem to be Kaitlyn Weaver and Andrew Poje, but they will have to skate better than the new European championships, Gabriella Papadakis and Guillaume Cizeron, to win it. Madison Chock and Evan Bates are also looking for as high a place on the podium as possible. Let's see how they do. Elena Ilinykh/Ruslan Zhiganshin 's debut at the Worlds is not as explosive as we've seen their routine be. Perhaps it's because of the early morning (it's about 10 am), but they seem slower and more cautious than before. Their twizzles are not in perfect unison either. Their score: 69.46 . Rising stars Federica Testa/Lucas Csolley  are beginning to make themselves noticed. The curve lift that made the audience gasp at the Europeans because it looked as if he had dropped her is a roaring success in Shanghai as well. Their side-by-side step sequence is slightly ...

The short dance of the ice dancers began as most figure skating competitions do, with a well-defined if predictable idea of who should end on which place. Weaver & Poje had come to Seoul to take the gold, after all, and they were unlikely to be satisfied with less. But something quite inexplicable made the judges put them on third place at the end of the event. Thus, the first stage of the competition ended, ironically so, in a predictably unpredictable result. Why predictably unpredictable? Because this has happened so many times this season, I've learnt to expect it. Let's see how the three best couples did: The Shibutani siblings dazzle with their waltz Photograph: Streeter Lecka / Getty Images North America There are apparently 25 pages of rules in the short dance guideline, but  Kaitlyn Weaver/Andrew Poje  looked like they knew every single one of them by heart. From where I stood, they did nothing wrong with the paso doble. The judges however were less enthu...

Kaitlyn Weaver & Andrew Poje are very close to accomplishing their lifelong dream of winning a Grand Prix Final. Starting the final on second, Madison Chock & Evan Bates can do little to prevent the Canadians' win, but they will try. Meanwhile, the Shibutanis are back up there with the top couples and will hope to remain in that position. Gabriella Papadakis/Guillaume Cizeron  are not just dancing to Mozart's Adagio from Concerto No. 23 , they've created a love story to go with it. It is complex by being both uplifting and heartbreaking. Their score: 100.91 . Overall: 162.39 . Is this podium a preview of the World Championships? Photograph: David Ramos/ Getty Images Europe It doesn't get closer to a ballroom atmosphere than Maia Shibutani/Alex Shibutani 's waltz. And perhaps that's a bit of a problem; the music doesn't really allow them to express any real emotions (unless you're counting the smiles glued to their faces like a Halloween...

We kick off the second day of the Grand Prix Final with the ice dancers' first event - the short dance. The game hasn't changed much since last year, given that Canada and the United States are still the two main rivals, but the players are definitely new. Let's see if Chock/Bates and Weaver/Poje manage to continue with the legacy of Davis/White and Virtue/Moir. When you're skating with your sibling, you can't really present love stories, which is why Maia Shibutani/Alex Shibutani 's paso doble looks a bit colder than others. However, being limited means they have to work harder to find other ways to approach the music, which shows versatility. It also helps that they know the technicalities of the dance in and out. Their score: 63.90 . Kaitlyn Weaver & Andrew Poje are leading comfortably Photograph: Atsushi Tomura/Getty Images Asia Gabriella Papadakis/Guillaume Cizeron 's dance is much sexier, but also filled with errors: he stumbles during a t...

Madison Chock and Evan Bates have secured themselves a first place, it seems, but Elena Ilinykh and Ruslan Zhiganshin might just get a bust of energy from the crowd and move a step. The European bronze medalists, Penny Coomes and Nicholas Bucland, are on third. There are too many Phantom of the Opera  programmes for Rebeka Kim/Kirill Minov 's version to leave a mark. The lifts are not very difficult and the spins are really slow. Their score: 72.13 . Overall: 118.27 . The same argument can be brought about Kaitlin Hawayek/Jean-Luc Baker 's Romeo and Juliet . The difference is that the Americans don't go for the obvious songs, which makes the theme seem fresh. The speed and lifts are better too. They get 83.47  points. Overall: 136.33 . Chock/Bates are reaching higher than ever this season Photograph: Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images North America In comparison, Alexandra Alridge/Daniel Eaton 's Gone with the Wind  has rarely been portrayed by skaters. However, th...

I've talked about this for way too long, but it's finally time to find out who's better: Ilinykh/Katsalapov or Sinitsina/Katsalapov. Oh no, wait, that's not right, it's Ilinykh/Zhiganshin now. It's probably going to take some time for these two couples not to be mixed up. Meanwhile, Chock/Bates have a shot at beating both of them. Let's see how it goes down. We dive head first into the action. Victoria Sinitsina/Nikita Katsalapov  are first to go. You can definitely see Marina Zueva's touch on their paso doble. It's complex and passionate, with lots of twists and turns, but they have trouble with the twizzles. They're in perfect unison in the step sequence though. Their score: 57.96 . Well, it's settled. At least for now, Elena Ilinykh/Ruslan Zhiganshin  have the upper hand. It's an explosive rendition of Carmen , depicting the tragic love story perfectly. Because of the theme the costumes could have been more flamboyant, but they...

The three most popular musical genres in figure skating are represented on the first podium of Skate America 2014: contemporary, classical and soundtrack. How appropriate! Here's some thoughts on the top performances: Maia & Alex Shibutani - picture perfect on rhythms of waltz Photograph: Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images North America Alexandra Stepanova/Ivan Bukin  deliver some very difficult lifts with plenty of position changes, while keeping their costumes and presentation simple. Sometimes I do wish their choreography expressed more of the story instead of being just arm waving. Not that we don't need that too. The music is Eleanor Rigby  by The Beatles. Their score: 87.50 . Overall: 143.87 . Waltz works best with the delicate, classy style of Maia Shibutani/Alex Shibutani . However, because there is no background story, merely dancing to Johann Strauss's strings, it doesn't come across as impressive as other routines. They get 96.13  points. Overall: 160....

The 35th edition of Skate America starts with variations on the ardent rhythms of paso doble. Though there's not enough competition here to keep you on the edge of your seat, it will still be interesting to see each couple's take on this fierce Spanish dance. Elisabeth Paradis/Francois-Xavier Ouellette  are first to go, with an obvious musical pair: paso doble and flamenco. His step sequence is a bit wobbly, but otherwise, this is a pretty good routine. Their score: 52.11 . Anastasia Cannuscio/Colin McManus  are a bit more aggressive in their interpretation and pull off some great twizzles, but you can still see they're beginners. They get 55.14  points. Don Quixote  by Madison Chock/Evan Bates Photograph: Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images North America Slovakia might have a bright future in ice dance with Federica Testa/Lucas Csolley . Their paso doble keeps to the handbook, proving that sometimes the best way to interpret Spanish music is to keep it simple a...