European Championships- Ice Dance

Gabriella Papadakis and Guillaume Cizeron seem to have come out of nowhere this season, after a less than stellar record last season. This season they have been on a spectacular streak. Their programs are a great mix of classic and innovative, and the choreography by Marie-France Dubreuil's team is some of the most interesting on the ice this season. Their freedance is a fantastic balance of classic styles with modern movements, and has great technical content. These two are on the up and up, and it seems like this fantastic streak is going to continue. I wouldn't put it past them to land on the podium at this year's worlds.

World champions, Anna Cappellini and Luca Lanotte have not had a strong season. After a disastrous start to the season and this second place finish it seems that the coaching switch to Marina Zoueva has not worked in their favour. There really isn't anything all that special about their programs, and it seems that Zoueva has too many teams and is spread too thin to give all of her teams enough time and energy to ensure she will continue to have the top ice dance teams skating with her. Overall, their programs are fine, but compared to some others, there really isn't anything that helps them to stand out, unlike last year. These programs also aren't as polished as they could be, though they've come a long way since the beginning of the season.

Alexandra Stepanova and Ivan Bukin finished in third place after a lower finish, but with a significant mistake from their teammates, Ilinykh and Ziganshin, Stepanova and Bukin were able to step through the door left open for them onto the podium. This is a strong finish for the new senior level team. This being their first year as seniors, this was a spectacular finish for them.

Elena Ilinykh and Ruslan Ziganshin may become a stronger team over time, but at the moment, they are not one of the stronger teams. People seem to be partial to them simply because of Elena Ilinykh's name and past accomplishments with her former partner. However their free dance, in particular, is rough and not as technically difficult as many others. It's also not particularly interesting. Their programs are fine, but not really anything special. Maybe in the future they will get better, but at the moment, these two are not my favourites.