Moves of 2011 - Pechalat & Bourzat's Finale

The last 15 seconds of this program is indefinable. A playful medley of moves set to a Charlie Chaplin theme ends and then girl suddenly goes blind again with a heartfelt, elegant and affecting finale music. You can feel the sadness and then hope and love again. I have never seen a touching finale like this before. The turn in the music and feeling of the dance comes out of nowhere.
 In their 4th time presenting this program, audience still thinks the program is over after Pechalat's hop from the back of Bourzat. But after a second, you hear that sad but in the mean time hopeful music while she seeks for her lover for a moment she loses hope, but tahen a glimpse of a touch with the happy ending.
I find Natalie so succesful in this performance. She acts blindness very well. But the actual move is where she becomes blind again while the music changes she reaches foward

Moves of 2011 - Davis and White's Straight Line Lift

The other move of 2011 is Davis & White's Straight line lift. They are skating to a collection of Tango's and its been great to see this program evolve. An intricate cheorography from the beginning. The nuances and expressions really got better. Levels in the music changed and in the last program we can see that they are bringing this dance into life. And the greatest part of the music, the most intense, most passionate part of it takes place while in their straight line lift, which makes this move even more beautiful.
Technically, its base value is 4.00 which is not a very high value for a straight line lift. But I don't think that any base value or GOE should be the only qualification to a move. As much as technicality is important for an element it is also important that how it makes the audience feel, how passionate and artisticaly how good it looks like. I have seen a lot of great lifts artisticaly brilliant but technically qualified with low values.
In this particular lift he grabs her and raises her from his shoulder to his back then she passionately holds him from his back her eyes closed and final pose with a difficult position she leaning back, he only holding her from her neck while she opens her arms and she lets go...

Moves of 2011 - Crone and Poirier's "Jar"

Lets take a look at this seasons original and greatest moves. Ice dance proved in years so much that in the 70s people could not even imagine these lifts, footwork, twizzles that couples do in these years.... So every year, some couples do something maybe tiny maybe big.. but something different, a minor move that actually changes the perspective, that makes people think what a great move it is. Thats why "moves" are so important that we should locate every year what these are.
There is the first one, Crone and Poirier, correct me If I'm wrong but I have never seen a move in a program before that defines of reflects the song they are dancing by symbolic moves. In Crone & Poirier's FD performance with The Beatles legendary song Eleanor Rigby, especially Vanessa Crone makes but both of them are making "the jar" by combining their hands in front of their bodies constantly, during the program, wearing the face that she keeps in the jar by the door, Who is it for? 


all the lonely people

Four Continents Championships Free Dance Overview

As expected Virtue & Moir and Davis & White were in a close battle to claim the top on the podium but an almost injury knocked Tessa and Scott out of the competition. After a minute in their routine Tessa stumbled on a twizzle. We don't know if its from the tightness she felt but ater 30 seconds she hooked her leg around Scott's neck in their rotational lift and as he put her down she wanted to stop. Tessa had an injury in 2009 4CC so it is possible that she didn't wanted to take the risk for the World's. High performance director of Canada Michael Slipchuk told that it was nothing linked to her surgery so I hope there is nothing to be afraid of. It looked like latin really suited them as I told. Hope we can see the rest of the programme in World and see them on the podium.
Davis & White combined precision, fluency and elegance in their FD as usual. It was not a surprise they reached the top with 103.02 points. Their prog. components are 9 points higher than Shibutani's who ranks after them which is a very big gap. Crone and Poirier ranked 3rd after Shibutani's, they recieved the identical scores in some of their EC's but Shibutani's Base Value is higher, don't agree with the PCS's I think Crone & Poirier's should have been ranked higher. Although Weaver and Poje's most of their
elements ranked as level 4 except
for one, overall qualities of elements wasn't high because judges netted them negative GOE in one particular element and base vaues of the elements they have chosen are not high enough. Because of this, they were forced to change some of their elements last year in their SD to raise their base values. They can make the same decision this season for the worlds.

Four Continents Championships Short Dance Overview

Current Standings after the Short Dance,
Virtue and Moir on the lead followed by White and Davis, Weaver and Poje are 3rd, a suprise, Shibutani & Shibutani following them and Crone&Poirier are 5th, which is a very big disapointment for me.
Tessa and Scott were so nervous before the dance I thought Tessa's heart was going to jump out from her chest. It was their first time competing since 2010 March so ıt was a big shot for them.
Stating to a Tango and then switching to one of the most beautiful songs in film history Nights&Days by Waldemar Kazanecki which is obviously Shpilband or Zueva's suggestion, I really wanted to join them, it was an elegant dance with a sentimental mood but also gives you hope. They were smiling during the dance but in the mean time they were looking very sexy so there was a great balance between the feelings. Loved the grey dress of Tessa.
Timing wasn't so great as I hoped it would be and it wasn't their usual performance. Don't get me wrong it was a great performance but It was their first this season and they didn't get the chance to recover and were not able to exercise, they didn't had enough time so I know what they are capable to do and I think this short dance is going to be technically so much better in the worlds. I really believe in this Short Dance.
Thats why Davis and White's program components ranked higher even though at overall they are 2nd. But it wasn't a succesful opening. It technically reflected their points. But they wraped up quickly so rest of the points were very high. About Weaver and Poje, it may seem like they've got very high points especially in the executed elements but actually they have the highest base value so, it is normal for them to be 1-2 points ahead of V&M-D&W, Virtue & Moir's GOE is higher but with base values, Weaver and Poje lead in technical scores.It's the same reason, Shibutani & Shibutani had a higher element score, even though  Crone & Poirier's program components were higher. Crone & Poirier has great edgility but not so easy in changing positions.
You can see from this performance that they achieved so much this year yet you cannot see that they are done. There is so much more in their potential.
Last but not least, Weaver and Poje's fluidity in this Short Dance ımpressed me one more time.

Virtue & Moir 2011 Season Preview

They are starting a bit (!) well..very late actually to 2011 season because of Tessa's surgery, she underwent to reduce the lingering pain in her shins. She has chronic exertional compartment syndrome which has been a wall in front of her in her career. She underwent surgery in 2009 from the same lingering pain which I think makes her a real fighter. This disease makes her more passionate about Ice dancing. She gain a bit weight so Its a wonder how will she show up.They will be dancing to short dance with Nights and Days by Waldemar Kazanecki which is one of the greatest songs in film history. If they push hard then the performance will be great. But the real deal is the free dance here. 

They will be dancing to a latin mix of great choices of music. I bet they will be fast and I really think (although I have never seen a succesful latin combo on the Ice dancing history) it will be glamarous. I always hated the way Ice dancers do latin sometimes because of their cheesy clothes, sometimes because of latin is compeletly different issue that every dancer just cant make it. It needs profession and perfection. I think Tessa and Scott are going to handle it perfectly    because their footwork is amazing, they can recover the tiniest mistake quickly. 

They can be incredibly fast even in low tempo music. And above all, they are so talented in this, which makes them different from all of the Ice dancers. Thats how they have beaten Domnina and Shabalin . Its not about time and how much they work. They are talented. I am saying this twice because they are going to be so succesful in latin because of this. Only this. Because of their great technicality and their passion they reflect while they dance. Wish the best of luck to Tessa and Scott.