Dance

Starting Order - Compulsory Dance

Results for the Compulsory Dance

(Silver Samba)

Notes:

Bourne and Kraatz performed the dance with good expression but somewhat sloppy feet.  They received decent but not outstanding marks, mostly in the 5.6 range for the first mark and 5.7 in the second mark.  They got an outstanding response from an enthusiastic partisan crowd, but the fact is they will have to bring their CDs up a notch to challenge the top two teams at Nagano.  Lobacheva and Averbukh skated a very smooth and fluid dance of middling expression.  Punsalan and Swallow, who placed ahead of Lobacheva and Averbukh at Worlds, probably would have taken second place were it not for a small but costly  stumble near the end of the second pattern.  Their dance was energetic and otherwise well presented.

Starting Order - Original Dance

Results for the Original Dance

(The Jive)

Notes:

Skating to the Beatle's "I Saw Her Standing There", Bourne and Kraatz won the Original Dance with a routine that was fast, fun, and well skated, but made up of mostly ordinary steps.  Punsalan and Swallow moved up a spot, passing Lobacheva and Averbukh, with one of the more original dances of the evening.  It was fast and lively, with choreography that showed originality and variety, and was totally with the music.  Lobacheva and Averbukh skated a wild and creative dance to "Tuttie Fruttie".  They received one of the two full standing ovations of the evening for their effort, and was the only one of the two that deserved it.  Drobiazko and Vanagas were one of two couples that skated to "Great Balls of Fire".  There dance was of reasonable difficulty and fairly well presented.  Below the top four, the dances were all pretty ordinary.  They were all skated fairly fast, and got into the spirit of the dance,  but in general the choreography was mundane and the steps simple.

Starting Order - Free Dance

Final Results

Notes:

Bourne and Kraatz hopped and skipped to victory, skating to "Riverdance".   Their steps capture the essence of the music but most of these are in-place or in straight line sequences with no changes of direction.  In other places they still fall back on step sequences were one partner actually skates steps while the other glides on one or two feet.  The program is faster and more interesting than last year's and should be good enough to hold their third place position in the world.  It is dubious, however, if it is difficult enough to allow them to move up.

Punsalan and Swallow presented a more traditional dance using two Latin rhythms with an intervening slow rock-and-roll section.  They skated moderately fast with good expression, and they presented a real dance.

Lobacheva and Averbukh skated to "Jesus Christ Superstar" with unintelligible choreography that was a throwback to the early 1990's when every dance seemed to have a story or a message that no one could understand.  They displayed decent technique but the program was slow and looked more like an exhibition routine than a dance.

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