Moves of 2012 - Fully Extended Free Leg Twizzles

I love twizzles because they are one of the few moves you can subjectively compare teams performance in it. You might be thinking "What is she saying? Doesn't she know they are not a couple anymore?" Well I do.. But lets look at what Hubbell&Donohue and Gilles & Poirier twizzles this season. What a coincidence that the first part of their twizzles are unique and quite the same. They are performing the first set of twizzles with a fully extended free leg. In my opinion Donohue and Hubbell's is much better. But thats not the point. This is very unusual. I love the fact that people are trying to renovate the twizzle concept and go beyond borders to make something dissimilar. Absolutely loving these twizzles. Not only they are difficult to execute they also require a great balance indeed and even the slightest unsynchronization is out there, clearly you need to be bold to include this kind of movement into a program. My God I love this flash of dazzle called twizzle don't I :) Sorry for the terrible print screens

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.