2011 U.S. Nationals

Senior Dance

Photos copyright 2011 by George S. Rossano

The Senior Short Dance has to include two sections of the Golden Waltz pattern dance.  The two sections can be skated in either order.  In addition to the two pattern dance sections, the Short Dance includes synchronized twizzles, a not touching mid-line step sequence and a rotational lift.  Many of the couples also included an optional lift that is scored as a connecting movements, but does not receive element points.

While many of the Junior Short Dances bordered on the tedious (two patterns of the Viennese is just not that interesting), the Senior dances were much more lively and interesting.  The dance choreographers we spoke to said they found incorporating the Viennese into an interesting coherent dance much more difficult than the Golden Waltz and the dances put on the ice this week shoed it.

Meryl Davis & Charlie White blew away the competition with all their elements called at level four.  This includes the pattern dance sequences which receive a level call from the Technical Panel based on the execution of the required steps.  Save for one lone +1, the GoEs from the panel where all 2s and 3s.  Their program components were scored mostly in the nines, with one judge going to 10.00 for Composition/Choreography.  Out of a maximum possible 40.00 for PCS the couple earned 37.26 points.

The 2010 National Junior Champions, Maia & Alex Shibutani also dazzled in the execution of their program.  They too received all 4s for the levels of their elements, with GoEs of mostly 2s and 3s.  In one year moving from Junior to Senior they are already the technical equal of Davis & White, scoring only 1/3 point behind the leaders in Total Element Score.  Currently, the difference between these two couples is in components, with the more experiences Davis & White scoring in the mid to high nines, while the Shibutani's were scored in the high sevens and eights.

A fine performance was given by Madison Chock & Greg Zuerlein, though a clear step below the top two teams.  Their routine was cleanly skated with elements called at level three, except for their rotational lift at level 4.  They received no negative GoEs, and their components were scored in the mid sevens, with the artistic marks of Performance, Choreography and Interpretation the highest of the five.

Lynn Kriengkrairut & Logan Giulietti-Schmitt gave a strong performance with good speed.  Their bluesy interpretation of the Golden Waltz, however, was a poor fit within the dance as a whole resulting in an incoherent routine.  There elements were called at level three and four and were scored with mostly 1 and 2 GoEs, with a few 0s and 3s, reflecting their strong technical skills.  In components, their marks were in the mid sixes.

Madison Hubbell & Keiffer Hubbell skated with decent speed and nice expression, though overall were a bit sloppy.  Madison's twizzles were a bit of a struggle and that elements was scored at -1 by six of the nine judges.  The couple also received two -1s on the not touching step sequence.  Their components were marked slightly higher than Kriengkrairut & Giulietti-Schmitt, in the high sizes and low sevens.

Shannon Wingle & Timothy McKennen displayed some nice technical skills with level three and four elements.  Their twizzles, though, were a struggle and the couple drifted too far apart during the element.  Their components were scored in the mid fives to mid sixes, averaging just below 6.00.

2011 Senior Dance Medallists