US Nationals 2016- Dance

The Shibutanis surprised I think just about everyone by winning the national title. I am absolutely thrilled that they won, because I think realistically, they definitely deserved to win here. I'm still not a huge fan of the short dance, I think the theme of the dance is far too young for them. For seniors do be doing a doll dance is less than stellar. They skate so well, and they finally have a vehicle that can support that in the free dance but unfortunately, they don't have that in the short dance.

The build of their freedance in the twizzles in fantastic, and I love the changes they've made to the program over the season. They are excellent skaters, and their issue with projection of emotion is not a problem with that free dance. If they can have two vehicles like their free next year, they're going to be a force at worlds. For this season, they may do very well, but I don't see them on the podium.

Chock and Bates had a surprising loss at nationals. Despite the fact that I personally don't think they are the best team the US has, they have been doing exceptionally well, and I expected that to continue here. They did win the short dance, even though I honestly think that Hubbell and Donohue should have had the short dance in the bag. Chock and Bates have two programs that don't have a whole lot of impact for me. I find their programs this year kind of forgettable, and they don't have the same technical prowess to back up a program that may be lacking a little. A lot of the details in their program are sloppy, they don't bring their feet back together, like ever, which is a simple detail that can make a program look cleaner and more appealing. To be honest, they're really not my favourite, and for me, I would've put them in third, behind Hubbell and Donohue.

Hubbell and Donohue have such an amazing short dance. I think their short dance is my favourite program this season, in any event. The choreography has the perfect balance between the difficult technical elements and a beautiful simplicity. They have wonderful lines, and this is the one short dance that I feel actually has emotional impact. They have the technical ability, and this short dance should be enough to put them at or near the top at most competitions, but we're not seeing that. It is really not being well represented in their PCSs and unfortunately, I think that has a lot to do with them not having the base reputation points to prop them up.

Their freedance is good, but I don't think it is anywhere near as good as their short. It lacks some of the emotional impact, and the music and the costuming don't help them. I think that with a better freedance, they could've been a top team this season, but unfortunately the freedance just missed the mark. Overall though, I'm thrilled they made the choice to move to Montreal, because even if the freedance isn't the perfect vehicle, it is miles ahead of last year's freedance.

Cannuscio and McManus made a step up into fourth place, ahead of Hawayek and Baker, who I think many assumed would be the fourth place US team. Overall, I think they're fine. They don't have some of the refinement some of the other teams have, their Ravensburger was a little heavy and so didn't have the same flow as the other teams, but they do have the technical ability, and they sold the material they had.

I'm not the biggest fan of their freedance. To me it feels a little too much like they're trying to be Papadakis and Cizeron, and it comes off a little tacky. The grabbing of the ear is much too much, and other than that, they don't really have something in either program to make them memorable.

Hawayek and Baker didn't have a great weekend at nationals, they managed to hold on to fifth, but that doesn't bode well for them for the rest of this season or next season. It's beginning to feel like they've settled for what comes easy. They're not making an attempt to push the envelope with the themes of the programs or the content. We've seen this pretty people skating to pretty music far too many times from them, and the novelty of their nice lines and good skating skills has worn off. It was one thing when they were brand new seniors, but it's time to find something else. They're going to need to push themselves really hard if they want a shot at getting back on that world team next year.

(Side note: I really don't get the new FD costumes from Hawayek and Baker, like they look fine, but they don't make sense with the music they're using)

Grand Prix Final 2015- Dance

Weaver and Poje won the event, and their programs are good, but the reality is that the programs aren't something unique and special. It's no secret that I like Weaver and Poje, I like the quality of their skating, and they can do something extremely emotionally powerful, but I just don't connect to their programs. That said, there aren't really any programs in the dance event that I find especially impactful this season. Unfortunately, the dance, which is usually my favourite event, is just not having the same impact on me as it has in past seasons. I feel like people are trying too hard to follow in the path of Papadakis and Cizeron and with a waltz for the short dance, the whole event feels too one note for me.

Chock and Bates are really not my favourites, and I really think they were overscored here. They didn't have the quality in their elements that some of the other teams did. Madison also had a significant issue on the twizzles, which they still got positive GOEs on.That seems ridiculous to me. With a mistake that big on the twizzles, they should not have gotten positive GOEs. I have done nothing to hide that these two are not my favourites, I honestly just don't think they have the quality of skating that other teams do. Madison has great performance quality, but I feel like judges allow her to let that mask where she is weaker in the technical elements. Honestly, I think the Shibutanis were better than Chock and Bates here, but this doesn't bode well for Maia and Alex at US Nationals.

Cappellini and Lanotte were strong here, but like with Weaver and Poje, I like them well enough, but I just don't think the programs are anything all that special. I think overall they're good skaters, but I don't think the programs they have this year have any emotional impact, so I'm left just thinking it's fine, but what I really want is more programs that have emotional impact.

Maia and Alex Shibutani were underscored here in my opinion. I think they are better than Chock and Bates, and yet that wasn't reflected in the scores. I'm not really sure where the score difference is coming from, because I do really think they are better technical skaters than Chock and Bates. Their short dance is fine, but I'm really not a fan of the doll programs. Their freedance though, is definitely one of the best freedances. I didn't love it at first, but it is quickly growing on me.

Bobrova and Soloviev skated well, but they weren't the most memorable for me. Their music choices are not my favourite. They don't stick out in my memory because their music choices are a little unoriginal and they aren't exceptionally choreographed.

Hubbell and Donohue have something really special in their short dance, but unfortunately, I don't think their freedance matches that impact. I will admit that I like their freedance more than I expected when I saw their music choices. I definitely like them far more than I did last year, and it goes to show how important the music and choreography are for ice dance.

Cup of China 2015- Ice Dance

By the end of the weekend, the ice dance event was very small. Two teams had to withdraw at some point.

Yue Cong and Zhuoming Sun had to withdraw before the short dance and did not compete at all. I don't know why they withdrew from the event, but them withdrawing was overshadowed significantly by the other team that withdrew.

Kaitlin Hawayek and Jean-Luc Baker had to withdraw during the warmup for the free. Apparently, Kaitlin had food poisoning and wasn't able to skate. Their short dance was good, but not exceptional.

Elena Ilinykh and Ruslan Ziganshin got bronze in China and they have made significant strides since pairing up. They are one of the only teams that has been extremely successful in the last year after pairing up following the Olympics. They're skating well, but they will have to watch out for their former partners Victoria Sinitsina and Nikita Katsalapov, who did far better than I could have anticipated at Skate America.

Chock and Bates, surprisingly, did not win the Cup of China, coming in second to Anna Cappellini and Luca Lanotte. Chock and Bates skated well, but they do not have the technical ability and basic skating skills expected from the world's top teams. Madison in particular could use some more time on the skating skills, she certainly sells the skating, but does not have the skills to match her performance level.

Anna Cappellini and Luca Lanotte made a comeback at their first Grand Prix this season after a disappointing season following their victory at worlds in 2014. Their programs are not the most exciting or original, but there is no denying she sells the program as well as Madison Chock, but they have better skating skills overall.

Skate America 2015- Ice Dance

I am still a little in shock about the ice dance event.

This is so far from what I expected from this event, and I'm still not quite sure how it happened.

The biggest shock was obviously Sinitsina and Katsalapov coming in second. Last season they didn't even get the technical requirement to qualify for worlds and now they're beating out some of the best teams in the world.

Sinitsina and Katsalapov were fine, but they were not exceptional. I really can't believe they beat Gilles and Porier, and Hawayek and Baker. I don't know what happened, but I really didn't see what the judges apparently saw.

Sinitsina and Katsalapov didn't have a great Ravensburger, the choreography is less than exciting, and they don't have the best lines. Their lifts are also strange. They never settle into a position, which leaves them looking like she's rolling around in his arms, and then all of a sudden she's back on the ice.

Also, I really don't understand the motivation to skate to Swan Lake. Nikita already did that with Elena, and it is nowhere near as good. The music they use also doesn't work exceptionally well for the Ravenburger, which makes me question what the hell Marina Zoueva is thinking with these two.

The winners of the event are the ones we all expected to win here. No one is surprised that Madison Chock and Evan Bates took the gold here. Even for them though, the freedance was very sloppy. We're used to Madison having less than great technique, but this week, they were exceptionally sloppy. Madison really needs a strict technical coach to fix her edges and turns. However, a quick fix is for her to just bring her feet together between turns. I went back and re-watched their programs, specifically watching Madison's feet, and not once did I see her feet come together once between their programs.

Piper Gilles and Paul Porier are still the silver medalists here in my mind. They have interesting programs, they're fun and exciting, and they have interesting music choices. I really like their programs, even though I don't really get the theme of the freedance, I like it so much that it doesn't matter to me. It is nice to see dances that are not just typical pretty people skating to pretty music.

Speaking of pretty people skating to pretty music, Hawayek and Baker finished just barely off the podium here. Their programs are not my favourite, and I would like to see them do something a little different from the past.
They have really nice lines and good technique, but their programs are so similar every year that they are seriously becoming a snozefest. I really want to love Hawayek and Baker, but I would love for them to step out of their comfort zone, even a little bit.

I was really disappointed in the Chinese team here. They have become one of the teams I love to watch, and they had some more interesting programs than some of the other teams, but they really did not skate well here. They had a lot of mistakes, and I'm just hoping they can pull it together sooner rather than later.

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.

US Nationals 2015- Senior Ice Dance

Madison Chock and Evan Bates took their first national title in Greensboro North Carolina. They have the ability to sell any program, masking technical errors, and make up for any lack of technical skills in the difficult lifts and showmanship. Sometimes the step sequences are less than stellar with small technical mistakes that can be missed by judging panels because they don't appear to stumble. It is clear that Chock and Bates are a force to be reckoned with at the World Championships this year. The question is, will they be able to beat Kaitlyn Weaver and Andrew Poje of Canada? They couldn't do so at the Grand Prix Final, but it is a real possibility for them.

Maia and Alex Shibutani finished in second place behind Chock and Bates with a significant lead on Hubbell and Donohue and only a few points behind Chock and Bates. However, their programs this season lack true spark. The programs aren't anything special, they don't stand out from the crowd, even though these two are capable of more than they are given this season. It seems that Marina Zoueva is spread too thin, with too many teams and not enough focus on teams like she had in the past with Virtue and Moir and Davis and White. Though the Shibutanis are one of her top teams, they don't seem to have the attention from Marina that they deserve. It seems that it is time for them to leave Marina to move onto better things with a different coaching staff to reach their full potential because they are capable of much more than their programs this season.

Madison Hubbell and Zachary Donohue managed to squeeze into third place ahead of Kaitlin Hawayek and Jean-Luc Baker though their skate in the free dance was not as clean. They were sloppy and had more than one significant stumble. They received generous program component scores that did not reflect the performance they had. Personally, I have never been a fan of their free dance, though different from others, the hip-hop elements do not translate well to the ice, and their performances always seem rough with the attempt to give the program the illusion of the dance style. It seems as though the program, though an interesting concept, never translated perfectly to the ice.

Kaitlin Hawayek Jean-Luc Baker the shock of the night was when these two fell below Hubbell and Donohue after the spectacular free dance. Their free dance was performed seamlessly. They fell behind only marginally in both the short and free dances. The short dance was one thing, but the difference in quality of the programs was clear. Hawayek and Baker were near flawless, they have smooth, deep edges like only the top teams can manage. Though they beat Hubbell and Donohue in the technical elements score, but it is clear the judging panel did not appreciate their clean skating style as much as they did the unique, though sloppy, style of Hubbell and Donohue.