Crystal Skate

The ice-dance podium The Rhythmic Dance left us all with bright hopes for this season, as couples who have been in the shadows until now took the first step to making a name for themselves. However, it was the final that validated those newly formed reputations as the future of ice dance. We were off to a good start with  Carolane Soucisse & Sha ne Firus  from Canada. Skating to Earned It  and Dirty Diana , they stayed perfectly in sync with the music throughout the routine, which made all their transitions and elements really good. The only tiny problem happened during the second position of the twizzles, when Shane struggled with balance. Score: 99.64  -> 156.74 . Haley Sales & Nikolas Wamsteeker  also used contemporary music, but with Celine Dion behind the microphone, theirs was a more romantic routine. They had a bit of trouble with synchronicity during the second part of the twizzles. Also, apart from the last one, none of their lifts w...

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...

Different is always exciting, and I can definitely appreciate how unique each and one of the couples competing in Marseilles are. So although I can't say if the winners of this competition come from Canada, France or the US, I can at least be sure all routines will leave their mark on the viewers. Madison Chock/Evan Bates are grungy, but have it rough not just metaphorically. She falls during a transition, which must be why she messes up the twizzles. Their score: 70.87 . Tessa Virtue/Scott Moir go with a pop classic and a ballad from Prince. Every element of their routine flows into the next naturally. I've said it tens of times before, and I'm happy I get to say it again: their chemistry is the best in ice-dance. They get 80.50  points. It's seduction and a swing party for Gabriella Papadakis/Guillaume Cizeron . I actually like the first part more than the routine of Tessa and Scott, but the swing comes out of nowhere and kind of ruins the mood. There ar...

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...

After more than 150 years since its official appearance, figure skating finally caught up with modern times last season when the International Skating Union (ISU) decided to allow all disciplines to skate to music with lyrics. This decision was seen by many as the perfect opportunity to bring modern music into the equation. After all, it's been ignored for far too long in competitions, always kept at bay by how much of an impact the lyrics have over it. Joshua Farris took the Four Continents Championships by storm last season with his Ed Sheeran routine. Photograph: Chung Sung-Jun / Getty Images Asia The assumption that the new rule - which kind of translates into 'there are no rules' when it comes to the choice of routine - would encourage more skaters to turn to contemporary tunes was right. There has been a noticeable increase in this type of programmes last season. Some feared that this would take something away from the lyricism of the sport, but anyone who has...

Tonight's dance final will surely be a preview of the epic battles we'll witness in years to come, as all the top couples competing here have what it takes to become tomorrow's superstars. Gabriella Papadakis and Guillaume Cizeron might even achieve that status tonight if they manage to win the French Grand Prix. As for Piper Gilles and Paul Poirier versus Madison Hubbell and Zachary Donohue, their countries' rivalry has been taking figure skating to a new level for years now, and there's no reason for them not to continue the tradition. Rebeka Kim/Kirill Minov  are still too fresh on the senior stage to pull off that vital chemistry that have made other Phantom of the Opera  routines mind-blowing. They also have a mishap here as she falls out of the blue during a transition. Their score: 70.29 . Overall: 115.95 . I'm still waiting for Alexandra Paul/Mitchell Islam 's breakthrough moment. I used to think it might be brought about by more daring routines,...

After defeating the world champions merely two weeks ago, France's new ice dance couple, Gabriella Papadakis and Guillaume Cizeron, are certain to win their first French Grand Prix gold in Bordeaux. The second and third places will most likely go to Canada and the US. Paso doble doesn't get more authentic than Sara Hurtado/Adria Diaz 's version. They know exactly what it is about, being from Spain and all, so it makes me wonder if his strange pants are how a toreador's pants should really look like. Their score: 57.64 . Alexandra Paul/Mitchell Islam  are amazingly fast, which makes their routine masterful and difficult. My only problem with them is that they do the same circular lift in every short programme. They get 55.17  points. Last time we saw Charlene Guignard/Marco Fabbri , they were close to disastrous. Their paso doble is much improved here, especially on the mirrored twizzles. Their score:  56.57 . Gilles & Poirier's gorgeous costumes Photog...

Kaitlyn Weaver and Andrew Poje have made their home country proud by effortlessly taking the lead in the short programme. They were followed by Ksenia Monko and Kirill Khaliavin. On third came Madison Hubbell/Zachary Donohue. Let's see if the standings change after the free dance. Elisabeth Paradis/Francois-Olivier Ouellette  have a better skate than in the short, on Un peu plus haut . It's a pretty routine with great lifts and open movements. Their score: 84.13 . Overall: 134.48 . Every bit as unique as always, Nelli Zhiganshina/Alexander Gazsi  skate on something called Swan Lake Reloaded . It looks like a modern, rather disturbing version of the ballet, filled with drugs, violence and sex. They have troubles with the twizzles, which is not new for them, I'm afraid. They get 85.60  points. Overall: 140.95 . Piper Gilles/Paul Poirier  are picture perfect on rhythms of blues and jazz. They have such difficult balance points on the twizzles and a lot of difficul...