Nicole Orford/Thomas Williams - That's quite the belt buckle on Thomas. Oh my goodness, they're skating to "Sold," a John Michael Montgomery country song from my college days. It used to make my ears bleed back then and it's not any better now! Who wants to bet $1000 we'll see "lasso arms" as part of the choreography? Yep, there they are. Not once, not twice, but three times! The skating doesn't look half-bad, but the costumes and the music are overwhelming me.
Ksenia Monko/Kirill Khaliavin - I like them right off the bat. They look stylish and charismatic. Ksenia is a little hunchy and their Yankee Polka is sloppy in parts, but I like the overall package.
Victoria Sinitsina/Ruslan Zhiganshin - I skipped them since I didn't feel like seeing another country program (and I just saw them last week at Cup of China). Just saw their score and am wondering if they made drastic improvements in one week?
Penny Coomes/Nicholas Buckland - The music is sorta country-ish, sorta Irish jig-ish? They've had some cute programs recently. Not loving this one because of the music.
Nelli Zhiganshina/Alexander Gazsi - I think Nelli's new dress is an improvement over the gray and pink dress she wore at Skate America. I love the neon green under the skirt. This team's skating basics may not be the strongest, but I appreciate how they always stay fully in character and completely engaged in the program.
Elena Ilinykh/Nikita Katsalapov - Elena's costume is a little loud, to put it mildly. They look more prepared than they have the past couple of years when they came out like a sloppy mess. Not sure why Elena is wearing a sourpuss face upon seeing their score. What was she expecting - 70? In the current hierarchy of Russian ice dance, I'd like to see some other teams catapult past them. I'll even take Hunchy McHuncherson (aka Bobrova) over them.
Maia Shibutani/Alex Shibutani - Maia looks like she'll be skating to Firebird. Midline no-touching step sequence nicely executed and close together. Their lift is a repeat from last year (seems like a lot of teams are using repeat lifts in the SD). Would like to see something new. Some interesting choreography in spots, but overall I'm not sure this program has enough excitement.
Tessa Virtue/Scott Moir - Tessa's nightgown/slip must go. There's too much fabric swinging around. I think they could do more with their midline step sequence. The program doesn't leave a lasting impression on me. Similar to the Shibs, I feel like this needs more excitement. It's all very pretty but nothing to write home about.
A couple of thoughts on the other disciplines - I haven't been able to get into Patrick Chan's programs the past few years, but WOW WOW WOW - his short program this year is brilliant. I was a Jeff Buttle fangirl back when he competed, so I'm not surprised I adore his choreography. He's crafted the perfect program for Patrick.
So happy to see Agnes Zawadzki skating well. She has such a mature and powerful quality to her skating, and I'd love to see her gain some consistency!
A couple of thoughts on the other disciplines - I haven't been able to get into Patrick Chan's programs the past few years, but WOW WOW WOW - his short program this year is brilliant. I was a Jeff Buttle fangirl back when he competed, so I'm not surprised I adore his choreography. He's crafted the perfect program for Patrick.
So happy to see Agnes Zawadzki skating well. She has such a mature and powerful quality to her skating, and I'd love to see her gain some consistency!
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