Finnstep
While we're waiting for 4CC and Worlds to begin, I thought it would be fun to look down the road to next year's Olympics. Over on the Golden Skate forums, they've been discussing the compulsory pattern for the short dance, which will be the Finnstep. It's a variant on the Quickstep and is based on a program originated by the wonderful team of Susanna Rahkamo and Petri Kokko.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ieH0uk-cks
The last year the Finnstep was used as a compulsory dance was 2009, when it was used at both Europeans and 4CC. Here are what some of the teams looked like (as a point of interest, 2009 was a pre-Olympic year, like 2013, and it's fun to think about how these teams have progressed in four years).
From 4CC
Virtue-Moir:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fWHgSYl7pvk
I think this was one of the years Virtue was having problems with her legs; it looks like she has a couple of small mis-steps during this dance.
Davis-White:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ypFuIG1Bb48
They finished second to VM in this phase of the competition but won the overall title on the strength of their Samson & Delilah freedance.
From Euros:
Pechalat-Bourzat:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=br7DzHQAK7k
According to Wiki, they were 4th in both the CD and the OD, finished 2nd in the free, and were 4th overall, missing out on a medal by about half a point.
Cappellini-Lanotte
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bIISlu62Mw4
They were 7th in the CD, 6th in the OD, and 5th in the FD, finishing 5th overall.
Here's what the Finnstep looks like from an ice dancer's perspective (YIKES):
http://pbs.twimg.com/media/BCRsK-_CYAA3X69.jpg:large
The allowed rhythms include, AFAIK, quickstep, foxtrot, and swing. Overall, this looks like an elegant, classy ballroom dance, and it should hopefully produce some fantastic SDs in Sochi next year.
(Can we add tags for Rahkamo-Kokko, Pechalat-Bourzat, and Cappellini-Lanotte? And maybe one for Sochi 2014 as well?)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ieH0uk-cks
The last year the Finnstep was used as a compulsory dance was 2009, when it was used at both Europeans and 4CC. Here are what some of the teams looked like (as a point of interest, 2009 was a pre-Olympic year, like 2013, and it's fun to think about how these teams have progressed in four years).
From 4CC
Virtue-Moir:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fWHgSYl7pvk
I think this was one of the years Virtue was having problems with her legs; it looks like she has a couple of small mis-steps during this dance.
Davis-White:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ypFuIG1Bb48
They finished second to VM in this phase of the competition but won the overall title on the strength of their Samson & Delilah freedance.
From Euros:
Pechalat-Bourzat:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=br7DzHQAK7k
According to Wiki, they were 4th in both the CD and the OD, finished 2nd in the free, and were 4th overall, missing out on a medal by about half a point.
Cappellini-Lanotte
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bIISlu62Mw4
They were 7th in the CD, 6th in the OD, and 5th in the FD, finishing 5th overall.
Here's what the Finnstep looks like from an ice dancer's perspective (YIKES):
http://pbs.twimg.com/media/BCRsK-_CYAA3X69.jpg:large
The allowed rhythms include, AFAIK, quickstep, foxtrot, and swing. Overall, this looks like an elegant, classy ballroom dance, and it should hopefully produce some fantastic SDs in Sochi next year.
(Can we add tags for Rahkamo-Kokko, Pechalat-Bourzat, and Cappellini-Lanotte? And maybe one for Sochi 2014 as well?)