Crystal Skate

The Rhythmic Dance was the only event I knew what to expect of. At the end of it, I got exactly what I expected: Stepanova & Bukin are first, Guignard & Fabbri are second and McNamara & Carpenter are third. The situation is not likely to be changed by the end of the final, but we'll see. Regardless of the standings, we're likely to see some solid performances tonight. Shari Koch/Christian Nuchtern  are the first to go on the ice. I love their costumes, which are really authentic, but they are a bit slow throughout the routine. She also wobbles during the dance sequence. Score: 86.91  -> 143.62 . Katarina Muller/Tim Dieck 's choreography is much more innovative and complex than that of their co-nationals. This is the second time I see this programme and I have to say, it's better this time around. She does fall during a step sequence though. Score: 87.00  -> 143.59 . Betina Popovici/Sergey Mozgov  truly impress me. Their spin is one of the most...

The ice dance final in Grenoble will likely follow the lead of all the other ice dance finals we've seen this season. This means the gold is reserved for one couple only, while the rest of them can only fight for the remaining two positions of the podium. This will help determine some of the couples who can attend the Grand Prix Final. So let's get started: France's Angelique Abachkina & Louis Thauron made a great impression in Grenoble Natalia Kaliszek/Maksym Spodyriev  are first to go. They have a lovely style, but there's not as much storytelling as there is dancing to the soundtrack of The Great Gatsby . They're the second ice dance couple I've seen to do what I call the Sui/Han combo spin position. Their score: 89.19 . Overall: 147.77 . Lorenza Alessandrini/Pierre Souquet  have chosen a modern medley for the free. The contemporary style comes through in the simple costumes as well. A lot of their lifts are quite basic, compared to those of the o...

The ice dance competition has seen some unexpected and quite unpleasant drama after the short programme. So if you're wondering why Anna Cappellini and Luca Lanotte are suddenly second when you saw them finish first, here's what's happened: the judges spotted an extra element in their routine (the transition out of the straight-line lift was classified as a rotational lift), causing them to lose one point and drop to second place. I'm sure a lot of us are not happy about how this whole affair was handled, but what's done it's done. Better to focus on the present. The first couple I'll have a look at are Alexandra Stepanova/Ivan Bukin . Their combination spin is exquisite - very cool, original poses and a breathtaking transition into it. Their entrances into their lifts are also very sudden, but the dance-hold sections are not as smooth. Their score: 98.76 . Overall: 166.93 . Charlene Guignard/Marco Fabbri  remind us how dangerous this sport can be even i...

Sometimes more is less, and although this doesn't usually apply to figure skating ('the more spectacular, the better' is how the motto goes here), this saying certainly seems to summarise the ice dancers' approach to their free dance costumes this season. Choosing to dial down the theatrics in the free dance might have been a consequence of this being the first season after the Olympic Games. Skaters tried so hard to impress last season, that they might have felt they needed to take a breather this time around. Or perhaps they kept it simple because the paso doble was flamboyant enough to draw attention on its own. Whatever the reason, this season was, costume-wise, one of the plainest. There were a few exemptions from the rule, of course, and they stood out like gems in a bowl of rocks. That's not to say that the simpler costumes were ugly, even ordinary rocks have their own wild-sort-of-beauty after all, but they simply couldn't compare to the more sophist...

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...