Do You Wanna Dance Final? (Vancouver Free Dance Analysis)

Here's how the dance card played out...

CRONE/POIRER, CANADA…

MUSIC: Nocturne/Bohemian Rhapsody

YOU MAY HAVE HEARD IT… in the movie Wayne’s World… or, more recently, when covered by The Muppets.

REMEMBER THEM FOR: The big standing lift (my term, not theirs) that just soars across the ice much like Domnina/Shabalin did last year in their Spartacus FD.

TRY TO FORGET: the fact that NBC didn’t cover any of their other dances. Shame, shame…

SCORE for the FD: 85.29. FINISHED 14th.




SAMUELSON /BATES, USA…

MUSIC: Canto Della Terra, sung by Brightman & Bocelli

YOU MAY HAVE HEARD IT… when you were rocking out at Opera-PaLooza last summer.

REMEMBER THEM FOR: “best in the bizness” footwork (says Tracy) and great lifts. Is it because it’s the Olympics that I liked this music much better than I have all year? It didn’t seem as ploddingly mid-tempo this time. Hmmm.

TRY TO FORGET: Um… I got nothin’.

SCORE for the FD: 88.94. FINISHED 11th.




KERR/KERR, UK

MUSIC: Krwlng by Linkin Park

YOU MAY HAVE HEARD IT… I’m going to go with “at a Linkin Park Concert”

REMEMBER IT FOR: The interesting story of messed-up John seeking help from his “savior” Sinead. Also for the part where she lifts John. Always cool.

TRY TO FORGET: That John botched his twizzles AGAIN, dammit. (Is that because he’s supposed to be “messed up”? Um, I don’t think the judges will buy that.)

SCORE for the FD: 92.23 FINISHED 8th.


PECHALAT/BOURZAT, FRANCE

MUSIC: Kika, Requiem for a Dream

YOU MAY HAVE HEARD IT… The Requiem part you’ve probably heard in about 29 other programs in the past 2 years… a true new one for the warhorse stable.

REMEMBER IT FOR: being one of those heavy-handed free dances they build stereotypes upon.

TRY TO FORGET: That he’s a clock in this “dance”. A CLOCK. And the big inverted lift near the end got a little goofed up.

SCORE for the FD: 94.37. FINISHED 7th.



DELOBEL/SCHOENFELDER, FRANCE…

MUSIC: La Quete by J. Brel

YOU MAY HAVE HEARD IT… as The Impossible Dream

REMEMBER IT FOR: The cute thing they did with the dialogue, costumes, etc. to tell their story in 20 years of skating together. Also for Tracy exclaiming, mid-program, “When did she have her baby?!”

TRY TO FORGET: That while this was a sentimental hit, it was far from their best.

SCORE for the FD: 97.06. FINISHED 6th.



KHOKLOVA/NOVITSKI, RUSSIA…

MUSIC: Firebird by I. Stravinski

YOU MAY HAVE HEARD IT… if you’ve been within spitting distance from any skating rink, anywhere, ANYTIME.

REMEMBER IT FOR: Another great quote from Tracy about how their costumes say it all: Here’s the top, now let’s go over it.

TRY TO FORGET: The aforementioned costumes and incessant flapping of wings. Do you get it, everyone? She’s a bird!!! Oh, and as for him… we have now found the yin to the yang of Ben Agosto’s white Elvis-esque costume that we’ll se later. With any luck the two getups will fly to Vegas after all this is over and live happily ever after.

SCORE for the FD: 93.11. FINISHED 9th.



DAVIS/WHITE

MUSIC: Phantom of the Opera

YOU MAY HAVE HEARD IT… if you haven’t lived in a vacuum over the past 25 years.

REMEMBER IT FOR: being powerfully gorgeous.

TRY TO FORGET: Charlie really DID bang his head on the sink. Did you see the gash? Ouch. (Slammed my head on sink while getting ready... hahaha)

SCORE for the FD: 107.19!! Holy crap. But a one-point deduction…?! I hope that doesn’t make the difference… (it didn’t.) WON SILVER! Nicely done.



FAELLA/SCALI, ITALY

MUSIC: The Emigrants by N. Rota

YOU MAY HAVE HEARD IT… or, then again, maybe you haven’t.

REMEMBER IT FOR: Being the dance that was sandwiched between Davis/White and Virtue/Moir. If you can remember it, that is. Poor kids.

TRY TO FORGET: um... what?

SCORE for the FD: 99.11. FINISHED 5th.



VIRTUE/MOIR, CANADA

MUSIC: Mahler’s 5th Symphony

YOU MAY HAVE HEARD IT… if you’re a fan from way back, I believe this is what Katia Gordeeva skated to in her first appearance without Sergei (from the CBS special Celebration of a Life)

REMEMBER IT FOR: Being so glorious, so spot-on, so moving, that politics never had to rear its ugly head as far as gold was concerned.

TRY TO FORGET: That they’re not from the U.S.. (KIDDING!!!! Don’t hate me Canada!)

SCORE for the FD: 110.42. Good Lord. Beat D/W by 6 points. WON GOLD.



BELBIN/AGOSTO, USA

MUSIC: Ave Maria/Amen

YOU MAY HAVE HEARD IT… cascading from the heavens? (No clue.)

REMEMBER IT FOR: That cool thing where she arches off his skate near the end of their routine

TRY TO FORGET: That they used to look really, really adorable before the costume devil got hold of them.

SCORE for the FD: 99.74. FINISHED 4th.




DOMNINA/SHABALIN, RUSSIA

MUSIC: The Double Life of Veronique

YOU MAY HAVE HEARD IT… if you caught the 1991 Polish film some of it was featured in… or, you may have noticed a little MORE Requiem For a Dream sneaked in there too.

REMEMBER IT FOR: being a valiant, if under-rehearsed, effort.

TRY TO FORGET: The lack of speed… his hair (I’m coming after him with the scissors next)… and those oh-so-subtle lifting aides belts. (“I think we’ll see a new rule next season,” Tracy says)

SCORE for the FD: 101.04. WON BRONZE.


OK, so the big question bubbling around with my Every-4-Year Fans right now is: were Tanith and Ben hosed out of bronze? Well on the one hand… when was the last time they defeated Domnina/Shabalin? Three years back? So there’s that. As for tonight’s performance, well… let’s just say I’m glad B/A already have a medal.

Ladies’ predictions already?! Yep, better get them in tomorrow… come back and check mine out!