4 Continents Championships- Ice Dance

This is going to be a long one folks, all my favourite teams from my favourite event competed this weekend and I couldn't just talk about some of them.

Kaitlyn Weaver and Andrew Poje did not do as well as we all expected in the short dance as I think most expected of them, after winning the Grand Prix Final, I don't think anyone anticipated them in third place after the short. However, in the free, they certainly did not disappoint, making up the small point deficit from the short.

Their beautiful freedance, though very traditional, is quite beautiful, and accentuates their amazing skating skills. They have a great connection to the music and each other. The choreoraphy suits them well, it's light, graceful, smooth and sweet, filling the music and catching the nuance of the melody. They have fantastic speed, even through their difficult elements, there isn't much need for long set ups for elements when they are able to create speed through their intricate transitions.  

And who doesn't love a reaction like Kaitlyn's?

Madison Chock and Evan Bates are always exciting to watch, they have some of the most interesting lifts in ice dance at the moment and despite any mistakes, Madison is always selling the performance with everything she's got. I have to say though, I am not a fan of the new costumes for the freedance. the mesh down the sides of both her dress and his shirt is unnecessary. They had a few mistakes in the freedance, but overall, their performance was strong in both programs. Some of their transitions come off a little awkward but they make up for most of the minor mistakes they make in the performance quality. They have great musicality and are very inviting to their audience.

Maia and Alex Shibutani finished better than I think many expected them to at this year's 4 Continents Championships. Perhaps this is due, in part to the fact that they were the only team training in Michigan whose flight was not delayed. While the rest had to worry about making it to the competition at all, Maia and Alex were already in Korea, giving them a chance to adjust better to the timezone and get some practice in. Following the short dance, they really stood a chance to overtake one or both of the top two teams. Their short dance is clearly their stronger program, the free just doesn't have the spark that we all know the Shibutani's are capable of.

Their freedance is unfortunately a little drab, especially when compared to the power, precision, and control in the short dance. It seems that they aren't really getting the attention and choreography they need to become the top US team, something they are certainly capable. There are lots of strange little details within the choreography that don't seem to fit. There are times when their legs are bent, and even if it is intentional, it doesn't always look good. These little details should have been smoothed out by now, but I fear they are still not Marina's top priority. It might just be time for these two to make a coaching switch, as I've said before, I want them to do as well as they possibly can, and I'm not so sure that's going to happen if they stay with Marina Zoueva.

Piper Gilles and Paul Porier maintained their fourth place from the short dance to the free, and are doing quite well for themselves this season, but the very traditional freedance may not have been the best choice for these two.

(Video not available everywhere, sorry.)

Though their Freedance certainly has merit, and there are quite a lot of really great moments, my favourite being the period move for the choreographic spin movement, a new addition this season, which, I have to say, I quite enjoy. However, for Gilles and Porier, the classic style while good enough and entertaining enough, when compared to their Hitchcock program, it falls a little short for me in terms of creativity. They do weird too well for them to not capitalize on it. A program like Hitchcock helped them stand out from the crowd in a way this program does not.

Kaitlin Hawayek and Jean-Luc Baker are a joy to watch. They are one of my favourite teams this season. They have gorgeous, deep edges and wonderful flow across the ice. They have something very few skaters can manage, the perfect connection to each other, the music, and the audience. This only amplifies their beautiful skating. I would like to see them be a little more adventurous in the freedance. While their program is beautiful and smooth, the choreography is so much like so many other programs it can be hard to stand out, and they don't really have a reputation to help them achieve that recognition, though they are quickly making their presence known in the world of ice dance.

However, it must be said that their short dance is not quite as good as the free. Like most teams this season, their paso is good, but not as good as their freedance. The Pasodoble is clearly not their best style of dance, but next year's Ravensburger Waltz should suit them better, and give them the freedom to be a little ore adventurous in the free. Their energy is fantastic to watch, they are always so enthusiastic, and watching their happy dance on the ice at the end of the freedance brought a smile to my face.

Alexandra Paul and Mitchell Islam are a team I have always been partial to. Though I enjoyed their old freedance, many did not share that opinion, and it was smart to re-work the program choreographed b Jeffrey Buttle for their new freedance. Overall it seems to be better received than their old one.

They always have such nice lines, especially when in hold, something many other teams struggle with. The costuming is beautiful and different from the other teams. They have great flow and deep edges, and the hold position you'd expect from the son of an ice dance coach. They have great musicality, and considering this is only the second time they've skated this program in this way it looks extremely polished, though as you'd expect, there's some kinks to work out. Everything seemed to be going so well for them, and then he tripped. I should've known it was too good to be true, but at the very least, his trip over his toepicks (it happens to everyone, but did it have to be in the middle of Four Continents?) didn't happen during an element, so the cost was pretty minimal. That doesn't mean we're all not hoping Mitch gets his toepicks under control before Worlds.