Crystal Skate

Gilles and Poirier's spectacular curve lift The biggest news of the Internationaux de France was without a doubt that Gabriella Papadakis and Guillaume Cizeron were participating. The French couple had to withdraw from the NHK Trophy due to an injury, which scared a lot of their fans. Hopefully, their presence here meant that Guillaume is feeling much better. The rhythmic dance saw Victoria Sinitsina/Nikita Katsalapov and Piper Gilles/Paul Poirier behind the French in podium placements, something that didn't seem likely to change at the start of the final. The first couple was French - Adelina Galyavieva/Louis Thauron  - and told us a French tale - Amelie . The choreography played a lot on the idea of getting lost and found. She was super expressive, stealing the attention from him, which might have been planned, given that this was the story of one of the most famous French female characters. Score: 90.84  -> 146.05 . The next skaters were Allison Reed/Saulius A...

In my opinion, the scene stealers of the day were Spain's Smart & Diaz The top 5 ice dance couples at the end of the Rhythmic Dance were not quite whom I expected. The big disappointment for me were Gilles & Poirier finishing just outside of this group, but the exciting part is having two couples I haven't seen much before in it. Madison Hubbell & Zachary Donohue  are slowly, but surely heading towards the Grand Prix Final. They finished the Rhythmic in first place after winning the gold at Skate America exactly one week ago. They changed their costumes, or at least Madison did (sorry, can't remember his tango outfit very well 😅, and I have to say, I like the new red dress more. Score: 80.49 . Victoria Sinitsina & Nikita Katsalapov  came second, with an intense and sharp tango set to  Verano Porteno . Really good rotational lift, with the girl starting very high and then making her way down all the way to the ice. Score: 74.66 . In my opinion, ...

The calm of the ice dance wasn't disturbed in the free skate. Luckily for this discipline, it is one of the most artistic, so it's often a lot of fans' favourite. So there's always drama even if there is no drama (I might have 'over-metaphored' here, but you get what I mean). Here is what happened to the top couples in Osaka. Penny Coomes/Nicholas Buckland  blew my mind with their extremely creative lifts. I'm not sure if some of them were not too long, but boy, were they extraordinary! As always with them though, they experienced trouble with the synchronicity in the step sequence. The song is called Battle Remembered . Unfortunately, they didn't match the technical prowess of other skaters and ended on 7th place overall. Free score: 92.51 . Total score: 158.15 . Victoria Sinitsina/Nikita Katsalapov  got the audience laughing thanks to Nikita's surprising fall. Luckily, it happened after the music ended, so they didn't get a deduction for it...

Ice dance at the Grand Prix Series has always been less dramatic than the other disciplines. It's quite rare to see obvious rivals in the same event, and the NHK wasn't any different. That doesn't mean there are no comparisons though. The biggest question on everyone's minds was how Virtue/Moir would perform compared to Papadakis/Cizeron, who set a new world record last week in Beijing. Here are my thoughts not just on the Canadians' routine, but some of the best programmes of the day. Penny Coomes/Nicholas Buckland  marked their return on ice in Osaka. Their routine was enjoyable, although it didn't necessarily stand out to me in terms of musical choice or style. Really difficult change of position for her in the curved lift. They finished the short on 5th place with 65.64  points. Victoria Sinitsina/Nikita Katsalapov 's twizzles were faster than those of the British although Victoria's first position was a bit wobbly. I particularly liked how the R...

It's day one of the 2015 Rostelecom Cup, and as all the attention is directed at the skaters, Russian fans must be at a loss. Who to cheer for - Sinitsina/Katsalapov or Ilinikh/Zighansin? Past history aside, they're the best the host has got competing in Moscow, and the decision must be hard. Not that picking a favourite couple for the gold medal is any easier. Weaver/Poje and Cappellini/Lanotte have both been outstanding this season. The ruling will likely be in the details. We start with Victoria Sinitsina/Nikita Katsalapov , who are very literally at home in Moscow. Their routine is a classic Russian waltz with music by Tchaikovski and balletic costumes. Although elegant, it's not as sharp as at Skate America. The twizzles, in particular, are messy. Their score: 63.63 . Rebeka Kim/Kirill Minov  choose a Parisian theme for the short. Not good, not bad, they have a few cute moments in the choreography. Nice twizzles and rotational lift. They get 51.83  points. Elena ...

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...

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...

This year's Rostelecom Cup, hosted by Moscow, lacks significantly in Russian power. Olympic champions Adelina Sotnikova and Tatiana Volosozhar/Maxim Trankov are just some of the Russian skaters who are off ice due to injury. That doesn't mean though that the event will lack in excitement, as we've got European champions, World medalists and aspiring winners competing here. Let's begin with the men's event, where the obvious winner is Javier Fernandez. However, last time we saw him the odds weren't quite working for him. But there are no mindbogglingly talented Japanese skaters here, just very ambitious Europeans. Sergei Voronov will fight for a chance at the gold, but he'll more likely end up battling Michal Brezina for a lesser spot on the podium. And what about Jason Brown? Will his successful streak continue even when faced with quadruple pros? Elena and Ruslan have passed the test; how will their rivals do? Photograph: Kevin Lee/Getty Images Asia ...

This season's Cup of China, taking place in the slick Oriental Sports Centre of Shanghai, will introduce us not only to new routines from top-of-the-pile skaters, but also to some intriguing new pairings (ahem, the Ilinykh-Katsalapov Affair). Elena and Nikita's last free skate together Photograph: Chris McGrath/Getty Images Asia So let's begin with ice dance. Last season, there was a crazy rumour circling around the World Championships that Elena Ilinykh and Nikita Katsalapov were calling it quits. They didn't deny or admit it at first, but they did give themselves away pretty easily (unless rolling your eyes at your partner's mistake is a friendly gesture). When they finally confirmed their partnership was over, it was clear that this was no sudden decision. They had both already procured for themselves brand new partners: Ruslan Zighanshin for Elena and his partner, Victoria Sinitsina for Nikita. Now, I don't know what strings were pulled backstage to mi...

Ekaterina Bobrova and Dmitri Soloviev have had to withdraw due to an injury sustained by him. It's now up to Nathalie Pechalat and Fabian Bourzat to prove that 'the experts' can hold their ground against younger skaters, such as Anna Cappellini and Luca Lanotte. Will they succeed? Find out: Maia Shibutani/Alex Shibutani  skate on music by Michael Buble and ace the twizzlers and the finnstep sequence. Their interpretation might not be spectacular, but they put on a great performance. Maia's blue dress is really beautiful! Their score: 63.55 . Watching Elena Ilinykh/Nikita Katsalapov  skate amid serious rumours of a break-up is awkward. You can spot some tension in there and a few fake smiles, but what really stands out is that they're simply no longer in sync. Nikita messes up the twizzles, making Elena bump into him, which is really a shame because their twizzles are the fastest we've seen this season. Whether we can blame that on the break-up or just plain ...

Figure skating is becoming more jaw-dropping with every edition of the Olympic Games. This time, the biggest surprise comes from the winners of the Bronze Medal, which have so far been skaters nobody expected on the podium. Will the Dance final follow this new trend or is this the one discipline where experience matters more? Tanja Kolbe/Stefano Caruso must have fallen in love with New York. Yesterday they paid it a tribute and today they skate on the soundtrack of Enchanted , the story of a fairytale princess who literally falls into our world and well, you know what happens afterwards. Taking a Disney theme is not something many skaters do despite the gorgeous music that comes with these movies, so we're glad to see these two haven't shied away from it. There are however some bits with just bird chirping which don't sound that pretty. As mistakes go, she stumbles during a transition. Their score: 76.13 . Overall: 130.56 . Alexandra Paul/Mitchell Islam skate on t...

Canadian friends versus American friends, French quirkiness versus Russian classics! This edition of the Olympics has four incredibly talented couples fighting for the podium and who will win which medal is anyone's guess. Cathy Reed/Chris Reed almost paint a picture of sparkling champagne and high society parties with their programme. Very good twizzles and great costumes! Their score: 52.29 . Pernelle Carron/Lloyd Jones take us to Broadway with a "delightful, delicious and delovely" routine. Unfortunately, as it's happened all season long, their twizzles are not entirely in synch. They get 58.25 points. Victoria Sinitsina/Ruslan Zhiganshin are bound on having fun today and pull off an amazing lift, in addition to an innovative twizzle position. They have however moments when they are not in synch. Their score: 58.01 . Tanja Kolbe/Stefano Caruso take a trip to New York in a pair of costumes that couldn't fit the theme more. The Finnstep however is ...

Tonight a couple will make history by winning their first European Championships. Whether it will be Anna Cappellini and Luca Lanotte or Elena Ilinykh and Nikita Katsalapov, is left to be seen. And will Penny Coomes and Nicholas Buckland manage to take home the Bronze medal after years in which Great Britain was barely present in ice dance competitions? Isabella Tobias/Deividas Stagniunas re-enact Skyfall for us. They have beautiful lifts, but not-so-synchronized twizzles. Story-wise, except for one moment in which she plays the seductive part of a veritable Bond Girl, there isn't much there. He should mimick James Bond a bit more. They earn 85.55 . Overall: 142.31 . Julia Zlobina/Alexei Sitnikov tell a story of sacrifice and passion for dance, accompanied by the soundtrack of Pina . Except for a tiny non-synchronization moment in the twizzles, the two do a pretty good job. This time they chose great costumes which emphasize their roles as dancers. Their score: 87.96 . Over...

Nathalie Pechalat and Fabian Bourzat's withdrawal has once more opened a whole new world of possibilities for ice dancers. The French couple decided to focus on the Olympic Games rather than risk an injury in Budapest, as did Ekaterina Bobrova and Dmitri Soloviev. This makes the perfect opportunity for Elena Ilinykh and Nikita Katsalapov to change last year's silver medals with the gold ones they almost got. But what will Anna Cappellini and Luca Lanotte have to say about it? Isabella Tobias/Deividas Stagniunas ' Marylin Monroe theme suffers from a flawed step sequence and lack of speed in the first part of the dance. They earn 56.76 points. Penny Coomes/Nicholas Buckland chose a modern Fred Astaire and Jurassic 5 for their short programme. The twizzles are strong and the interpretation is good enough, but as pretty as Penny's dress is, she needs to go all the way and learn that longer means more spectacular. Their score: 61.76 . Chicago might be enjoyable to w...

MEN Alexander Majorov never fails to find original stories for his programmes. Skating on Archangel  by T.J. Bergersen, he double-footed the Quad Toeloop, singled both Triple Lutzes and fell on the Triple Flip. His score: 120.90 . Overall: 180.62 Nan Song 's mission in France can be ticked as a success, although he could have used a bit more emotion in the interpretation. He also had a hand down on the Quad Toeloop and double-footed the Triple Loop. He obtained 133.37  points. Overall: 204.73 Michal Brezina  is once more battling his inconsistency demons. Although he did a tremendous job impersonating the infamous Sherlock Holmes , his jumps were rusty at best. He over-rotated the first Quad Salchow and completely failed the second, fell on the Triple Toeloop, singled the Triple Flip and Triple Salchow, and doubled the Triple Toeloop. His score: 134.31 . Overall: 206.22 Florent Amodio 's life might have lost a shade of pink after this performance. Although he stil...

You've probably noticed how figure skating is changing every year; the rules get a little less strict (who else is excited about lyrics in single and pairs competition starting 2014/2015?), programmes get a little riskier and skaters are trying new elements each year (remember Aliona Savchenko/Robin Szolkowy's thrown triple Axel?). Ice dance in particular is an area where you can bring as many innovations as you'd like, but some skaters take that opportunity and dress it up in something ridiculous they then call originality. Others know that innovation is like pepper: you use a teaspoon and it adds flavour, you use a fistful and it sets you on fire. Kaitlyn Weaver/Andrew Poje are no strangers to using new regulations in their programmes; whether they're using a prop (i.e.: Kaitlyn's scarf for the 2007/2008 original dance) or using iconic words to set the scene (Ewan McGregor and Nicole Kidman's voices at the start of their Moulin Rouge routine back in 2010/2...