Natalia

I have now added my ice-dance comments to the original post, above. Enjoy...laugh (hopefully)!

ICE DANCE: Oh, Canada!!! The Maple Leaf flags flew high at MCI Center, as Canada's Shae-Lynn Bourne & Victor Kraatz FINALLY won their long-awaited world title, despite a perfect 6.0 mark awarded to dethroned champions, Irina Lobacheva/Ilya Averbuch of Russia. In a night of, IMO, less-than-inspired free dances, as well as hideously tasteless costumes, B&K were truly the best. Somebody please remind me to skip the first flight of ice dancers if I ever return to a Worlds...the difference in quality between the lower and higher-ranked teams is much more marked in ice dance than it is in the singles and pairs categories. It wasn't until the Italian team took to the ice that the ice began to sparkle (see below). The final standings: 1 Shae-Lynn BOURNE / Victor KRAATZ CAN - Albinoni Adagio for the 21st Century (Sarah Brightman vocls) - a stunning "one-theme/adagio" program, a-la-Torvill/Dean 'Bolero.' (As opposed to the more traditional, pre-Torvill/Dean, 'ballroom-dancey' type programs with various recognizable dance rhythms, as Lobacheva/Averbuch performed...see below) Black costumes; hers appears to have a red sequined heart on the bodice. Many, many tricky lifts and hydroblading moves, all performed beautifully, without noticeable glitches. Perhaps not the degree of intricate footwork of the Russians but such is the nature of this sort of one-theme adagio program. Audience loved it...demanded the gold right away, even though B/K were the first among the top six couples to skate. 2 Irina LOBACHEVA / Ilia AVERBUKH RUS "Rock n'Roll medley" The most atrocious costumes in memory. As the unofficial 'Russian Cheerleader of MCI Arena Section 214," my heart sank to my stomach when I first detected the flourescent lime-green jacket of Ilya and matching bra/skirt combo on irina...remember the round "Mr. Yuk" stickers, of a face with downturned mouth and tongue sticking out, to warn people of a poisonous material? Well, these outfits were the exact color of "Mr Yuk." On the TV monitor, these costumes look more normal-yellow..but it's "Mr. Yuk" when seen live!!! As for the skating - they probably topped B/K technically, due to the high speed and degree of lightning-fast footwork, skated in perfect unison. However, the lacjked the "Torvill/Dean"-type moments of long sustained lifts and deep-edged glides. Two different styles. The Canadians won. 3 Albena DENKOVA / Maxim STAVIYSKI BUL - Arabic-theme program, to pretty new costumes...thank goodness that Albena ditched the funky Cleopatra wig from the Grand Prix season! Well skated. Nice knees with low bends & deep edges. They are almost same heighth (shortish), so not as effective as others in lifts. Nice skate, if not as spectacular as their baroque-ballroom OD, in an earlier phase. I was happy with their 3rd-place placement. 4 Tatiana NAVKA / Roman KOSTOMAROV RUS - The Feeling Begins...another Arabic-sounding music. (Kwan's short program is to this, too. Sorry but I don't know why people love this music so much. Somebody explain it, please.) My favorite couple (classic, balletic long lines; Tatyana Navka is surely the most glamorous woman on the ice!), yet I was not impressed with any of their performances at this competition. Maybe it's just that I prefer truly dancey (old-fashioned) programs and this was, to me, yet-another-boring-Arabian-Nights wiggle-the-midrif session. Maybe the music was such a huge turn-off that I could not enjoy the dance...yet it did not impair my enjoyment of Michele kwan skating to it. 5 Elena GRUSHINA / Ruslan GONCHAROV UKR - a gypsy theme, I think. I've seen better from them. Nice synchronized twizzle-turns. 6 Galit CHAIT / Sergei SAKHNOVSKI ISR - I've never been their greatest admirer but, tonight THEY WUZ ROBBED. Incredible speed. Very sharp & precise. No major slips. Outstanding lifts. And they really SOLD the program...one could almost see their hearts popping out of their chests, they were trying SO HARD to 'sell' to the audinence, which remained unusually cool...perhaps sensing that the USA teams were right behind them (in 7th and 8th places)? There was cool, polite applause. I could not understand it. What the crap? 7 Tanith BELBIN / Benjamin AGOSTO USA - 'Elvis on Ice" Ben Agosto merely stepped onto the ice and struck his Elvis pose - enough to elicit a volley of "Woooo-hoos" from the crowd. That's really all that I remember about this well-skated program. B/A are masters are milking the audience. And we all lap it up. 8 Naomi LANG / Peter TCHERNYSHEV USA - a song by the Scorpions. Romantic, classy. To me, their talent is obviously superior to that of the other USA team -- especially Peter Tchrnichev -- but this program did not have Elvis. 'Nuff said. 9 Isabelle DELOBEL / Olivier SCHOENFELDER FRA 10 Marie-France DUBREUIL / Patrice LAUZON CAN 11 Federica FAIELLA / Massimo SCALI ITA - HOT Latin ballroom dance. Crowd went crazy!!! This was, to me, THE most enjoyable program of the night. These two (esp. the guy) are THE great talents of the future. Watch out for them to be on the podium in Turin 2006 Olympics. I would have placed them above the French and 2nd Canadian teams. 12 Megan WING / Aaron LOWE CAN 13 Kristin FRASER / Igor LUKANIN AZE 14 Natalia GUDINA / Alexei BELETSKI ISR 15 Oksana DOMNINA / Maxim SHABALIN RUS 16 Veronika MORAVKOVA / Jiri PROCHAZKA CZE 17 Weina ZHANG / Xiaoming CAO CHN 18 Nora HOFFMANN / Attila ELEK HUN 19 Pamela O'CONNER / Jonathon O'DOUGHERTY GBR - train in Lyon, France, with the coach of last year's Olympic champs. Best of the lower-ranked teams, by a mile. Gorgeous extensions, footwork, adagio lifts. Ridiculously low marks. Ah well, they are very, very young. 20 to 24th place - see ISU website... LADIES SPs: Rkoretzky - I hate to break your heart...Sasha Cohen blew it yet again, falling hard on her required solo triple (the flip, I think), after landing a perfect 3 lutz-2 toe for the combo jump. It took the wind out of her sails and the rest of the usually-magnificent 'Malaguena' program was flat, although the crowd stood up and cheered, to encourage her. Her superior artistic marks allowed her to remain in 4th place (tie with Vika Volchkova), leading up to tonight's finals, so she may yet earn a medal. Michelle Kwan all but locked up the gold medal with yet another stunning short program, to 'The Feeling Begins' (Arabic-flavored music by Peter Gabriel), igniting the crowd to frenzied cheers/whoops/hollers 30 seconds before the end of her program. It was so loud that the music could not be heard even as Michele was halfway down the ice during the fast-footwork segment!!! WHEEEEEEEEEEE!!!! Michelle's 3 lutz-2 toe combo was enough to earn her first place going into the finals. Not far behing, though, is Russia's new champion, blonde dazzler Elena Sokolova, who was one of only two women (among the 30 who competed in this phase) to land a 3-3 combo. The other lady to do so was Italy's tiny, reed-slim Carolina Kostner, now in 6th place. Despite a horrendous qualifier, Kostner skated well enough on Friday to pull-up to a spot in the elite group of the 'final six' to skate tonight's finals. What a thrill and surprise for Italy!!! Viva Italia!!!). So ladies SPs ended: 1. Michelle Kwan (USA) - see above; 'The Feeling Begins'. Her trademark spiral was fast, with deep edges, and traveled from one corner of the ice to the opposite!!! Wheeeeeeeee!!! We stood up after it, even though she still had a couple of elements to perform. We all held up the round signs with "6.0" that a sponsor had handed out before the event & chanted "Six! Six! Six!" 2. Elena Sokolova (Russia) gorgeous program to Saint-Saens Samson & Dalilah Bacchanale...I prefer this to her free skate, Notre-Dame de Paris. Elena looked cool, calm, relaxed...and she had to skate immediately after Kwan!!! WOW! Gorgeous beauty, this blonde skater from Moscow! She has it all - face, va-voom figure, femininity...yet super-powerful a-la-Slutskaya. Could be tonight's spoiler. Audience cheered politely...but tentatively. They know what Sokolova is capable of doing...THREE different 3-3 combos, as she has been landing in practices for the free skate. Only Carolina Kostner can match that technique. 3. Fumie Suguri (Japan) - delicate, artistic program, with clean elements, to Chopin piano music. She was in tears of joy at the end. Standing-o from audience. tie 4. Sasha Cohen (USA) - tentative 'Malaguena,' especially after hard fall from her solo triple tie 4. Viktoria Volchkova (Russia) - this beautiful, unpredictable lady -- Dick Button calls her 'Anna Karenina of the ice'...I guess that it's supposed to be a compliment --skated cleanly today. SUPER HIGH 3-lutz into 2-toe. 6. Carolina Kostner (Italy) - wheeee! surprise! Crowd went bonkers for her, giving her standing-o and yelling for sixes, after a real sparkler of a program to Pachelbel Canon. First 3-3 combo of the day, with everything else skated perfectly, brilliantly. Think a taller, blonder Tara Lipinsky. We thought that her meltdown in the qualifier had buried her in 18th place for the rest of the competition but, no, she hd the 3rd or 4th best short program and now finds herself among the top 6, who will be shown on live TV tonight!!!! Set your VCRs or watch it with is!!! 7. Elena Liashenko (Ukraine) - a very beautiful, always-dependable skater; skated all of her elements cleanly...brilliant footwork, fast spins, if not the greatest positions. It is so easy to sit back and watch her. 8. Jennifer Robinson (Canada) - another perfect skate! Was 2n in her qual group; dropped to 8th only because those above her were even better than she was yesterday. [it was one of those days when practically EVERYBODY -- except for Cohen and Onda -- skated their absolute best.] 9. Sarah Hughes (USA) - skated her elements perfectly...in her own sloppy current way, of course. So, on a day when everyone else did great, Huges' 'best' earned her 9th place going into the finals...so she will not be on live TV in the USA, a huge isappointment to her many fans (and network sponsors ;) ). 10.Shizuka Arakawa (Japan) - 'Swan Lake - Modern Version' to electronic re-mix of Tchaikovsky...wearing a cross between a white-feathered swan tutu and an S&M dominatrix get-up, with leather buckled straps down the sides of the torso and arms. Need I say more. 11. Yoshie Onda (Japan) - this powerful skater continues to disappoint here. At least one fall during the SP. She is lucky to remain among the top 12. 12. Julia Sebestyen (Hungary) - After an awful qualifier, with many falls, Sebestyen dazzled today with her trademark-high jumps and fast spins, to Brahms Hungarian Dance...then she took a spill doing simple back-crossoevers! 13. Dan Fang (China) - delicate, perfectly skated SP to 'Secret Garden.' Along with Carolina Kostner & Jenna McKorkell of UK (see below), this tiny, exquisite skater has captured the hearts of the audience!!! Clean elements, performed with sparkle...her low marks were loudly booed. 14. Lumilla Nelidina (Russia) - Did not even try her 3-axel...so there is only one more chance to see a 3-axel in this year's competition, should Nelidina try it tonight. Great jumper - little else. Stunningly beautiful face; very pale & blonde; super-duper slim. Skating fans around the world, on internet chat rooms, call her 'Retro-Hair Woman' due to her 1960s poodle shag haircut!! BUT....Nelidina's skating is so darn boring and lacking in style, one wonders if she really is Russian...I mean, can't the land of the Bolshoi and Mariinsky invest in a few ballet or gymnastic lessons for this poor gal, so that she can learn to stretch her legs, point her feet, and listen to the beat fo the music? 15. Galina Maniachenko (Ukraine) boring. nothing else to report. 16. Joannie Rochette (Can) Huge, huge potential. The 'total package' - jumps, spins, musicality, physical beauty...just bad luck at Wrolds this year, with freak falls (like Onda). 17 to 24. see ISU website...but I'll mention my winner for 'Nicest Surprise Skater' honors: in 20th place, Jenna McKorkell of Great Britain , for the sheer energy of her stroking, great basic skating, and high jumps. Clean elements. Crowd loved her. SEVERELY UNDERMARKED!!!!

This will be briefer than I had anticipated, as I have been too busy this am, prior to going to MCI at 1 pm for today's events (ladies SP and Dance finals). So back to a recap of yesterday's events at Worlds. DANCE ORIGINAL DANCE (Theme: "In a Grand Ballroom" - each team selects to use two of the following tempi: waltz, gallop or polka. Unique selections of music, costume, choreography.) Prior to this event, Canada's Bourne/Kraatz and Russia's Lobacheva/Averbuch (the reigning World Champs) were tied for 1st. The 'friendly sportmanlike rivalry' between these two nations is intense, here in DC...adding a unique undercurrent of politics to tonight's 'SKATE-FAIR' protest against the Int'l Skating Union, re. judging in recent past. ;) The protest JUST HAPPENS to be taking place immediately preceding tonight's Ice Dance finals. Thus, the fact that, yesterday in the OD segment, the Russian's pulled ahead of the Canadians...well, it just has added fuel to the fire, from what I have overheard in the corridors of MCI Center. Standings after the OD - 1. Lobacheva/Averbuch (Rus) - skated with intense speed and magnificent precision, especially the straight-line footwork across the length of the ice. WHEW!!! Shades of Grishuk/Platov, the 1998 Olympic champs, who excelled at speedy footwork!!! L/A also had the edge with body line and proximity of their skate blades. IMO, L/A's long-limbed balletic lines -- as opposed to B/K's slim but shortish-and-muscular -- give them the edge with most Eastern Euro judges, who are weaned on that 'Kirov-Thin' look. Just my dumb guess. 2. Bourne/Kratz (Can) - also magnificent!!! Best of the deep-edged movements, hydroblading glides and such. Evoke the spirit of grand ballrooms best, among the top two. However, they had a brief, yet obvious, unsynchronized moment during their fast-footwork run. And their blades were not quite as close together as those of the Russians. 3. Denkova/Stavitsky (Bulgaria) - Lovely, unique program set in a Baroque ballroom, to a gaillarde by Purcell. Well skated, although I find their footwork a bit less intricate that that of the other top teams. Loudest cheers from audience, after B/K's dance. I sure hope that ABC shows this routine as a prelude to its taped coverage of the Ice Dance finals...it may appear in the ESPN coverage from 6 - 8 pm, preceding the ABC coverage from 8 - 11 pm, all of this on Saturday. 4. Navka/Kostomarov (Russia) - After a weak prelim, N/K rallied with a sparkling CD to a military theme...MY FAVORITE fast footwork sequence of all, entirely set to snare drums. N/K tap-tap their way down the ice furiously, magnificently, totally in-synch. BRAVO!!! BRAVO!!! 5. Chait/Sakhnovsky (Israel) Like N/K, C/S are known for their fast footwork, and they did not disappoint yesterday. Gorgeous program, earning them 5th among a super-talented field. They should not be ashamed that they are in 5th, even though they were 3rd at Worlds last year. The top 6 teams are all brilliant. 6. Grushina/Goncharov (Ukraine) Also gorgeous...I lost my notes...sorry 7. Belbin/Agosto (USA) the 'mini-competition' between the two USA teams was won by this younger couple...energetic & youthful...although I prefered... 8. Lang/Tchernichev (USA) yes, I preferred them, due to taller, more elegant 'look'...but it is great to see that the USA has two teams in the top 10! 9. Delobel/Schoenfelder (France) 10. Dubreuil/lauzon (Canada) Among the lower-ranked teams, I loved the young Italians, Faiella/Scali, currently 11th, for their energy and charismatic quality (which Belbin/Agosto also have). MENS FINALS - [some of this is repeated from my reply on another thread post...to save time] As with the Pairs finals two night ago, this year's Men's Finals was among the best at any int'l competition in recent memory. Each and every man who skated in the final flight of six skaters skated well. This was one for the books. What a pleasure and honor to have been there...I an simply DYING to watch the TV tape to hear Dick Button and Company's comments! LOL!! 1. Yevgeni Pluschenko (Russia) - IMO, Yevgeni Pluschenko won fair-and-square, 100%, on artistry, as well as a huge arsenal of jumps that were landed...some saved through extraordinary...but no touch-downs, or falls. So each and every jump that he attempted counted. Kirill Simonov's choreography to the specially-commissioned piece of music, "St. Petersburg 300," was simply stunning, particularly the footwork, as well as the placement of spirals and spins. A great tribute to a great city by a great skater who refuses to abandon his country. (Neither does his coach, Alexei Mishin; along with Moscow's Tchaikovskaia, the only top coach from the old USSR who has not left.) A stellar moment for Russian sport, in this era of non-stop emigration from east to west. 2. Timothy Goebel (USA) - any other year, this free skate, to 'American in Paris', would have won the gold. Superior technique. Two quads, one in combination (if memory serves), and seemingly dozens of perfectly-landed triples. OK spins. OK footwork. More zip and personality than I've ever seen from TG...but still has a way to go on the artistic impression mark, compared to Pluschenko. Sorry, folks - the judges called this one right, IMO. Other high finishers - 3. Takeshi Honda (Japan) totally deserving of bronze with gloriously-speedy footwork to 'Riverdance,' in addition to solid arsenal of quad and triple jumps. crowd went crazy as he tore through down the ice!!! 4. Chenjiang Li (China) the best I've seen him skate. Charismatic...first time ever! Crowd loved him but was a bit subdued towards end of routine...I finally figured it out...crowd realized that Li was the one who could displace hometown hero Michael Weiss from a podium spot. uhh-uhh... 5. Michael Weiss (USA) skated 'Malaguena' cleanly, with class. Simply did not have the high difficulty/number of triples and quads as the four guys above him. 6. Brian Joubert (France) Ignited the crowd with his personality-plus 'Untouchables' routine. After a 'splatfest' of poor performances among the middle-ranked men, Joubert was able to show folks that the ice was not jinxed. Quad, triples, footwork reminiscent of Alexei Yagudin, suberbly-centered spins. This kid is going places! Too bad that he was in a lower postiion going into the finals -- not among the top six -- so he did not make the live ABC broadcast group. 7. Sergei Davydov (Belarus) Surprise! he made the top-six after the SPs and, thus, was shown on live TV in the ABC broadcast. Fantastic for a heretofore-unknown skater. And he skated beautifully to the soundtrack 'Criminal St. petersbirg.' He went down in rank by one place only because he did not do a quad...while Joubert did. 8. Emanuel Sandhu (Canada) lost my notes...but I recall that it was a gorgeous, artistic program...he put it together tonight 7 the crowd appreciated his creative moves! 9. Ilya Klimkin (Russia) total crap...awful program to awful music. Lots of falls. How the blankety-blank this was deemed the 11th-best free skate, among 24 men, is beyond me. 10. Stephane Lambiel (Switzerland) My Choice for "STAR OF THE FUTURE" among all the men!!! WOW! WOW! WOW! Super spins...the Biellman of men!! And decent triples. But it's the FACE! Ahhh.... All the women at MCI have fallen in love again!!!! ;) Other superb performances included - China's Min Zhang - Belgium's Kevin Van der Perren - Cezh Rep.'s 16-yr-old Tomas Verner - Germany's Silvio Smalun - most creative choreography & artistic 'look' after Sandhu.

Thanks for your kind words, mom2! I am working on the report of yesterday's events - men's Finals and Ice Dance Original Dance. As a preface - I agree with almost all of your observations re. men's finals, as you saw it on TV...except that, IMO, Yevgeni Pluschenko won fair-and-square, 100%, on artistry, as well as a huge arsenal of jumps that were landed...some saved through extraordinary...but no touch-downs, or falls. So each and every jump that he attempted counted. Kirill Simonov's choreography to the specially-commissioned piece of music, "St. Petersburg 300," was simply stunning, particularly the footwork, as well as the placement of spirals and spins. A great tribute to a great city by a great skater who refuses to abandon his country. (Neither does his coach, Alexei Mishin; along with Moscow's Tchaikovskaia, the only top coach from the old USSR who has not left.) A stellar moment for Russian sport, in this era of non-stop emigration from east to west. But just in case one reads 'Russian Jingoism' into these reports - If Michelle Kwan or Sasha Cohen outshine Elena Sokolova tomorrow...or if Bourne/Kratz outskate Lobacheva/Averbuch in dance tonight...I'll be the first fan waving the stars-and-stripes and the maple leaf, respectively! Just as I agreed 100% with the Chinese victory over Russia in pairs. I am now carrying flags of six nations - USA, Canada, Japan, China, France, and Russia. Some of you have seen me with my 'flag display' at various ballet competitions. My main objective in all of this is to have a blast and bring smiles to audience-members from all over the globe who are seated around me, while supporting great skaters or dancers!

Wednesday was a day of drama and intensity at MCI Center. PAIRS FINALS - The first medals were awarded in the Pairs event. Reigning champs, Xue Shen & Hungpo Zhao of China earned the gold in the climax of one of the most dramatic skating finals in the history of the sport...with the entire MCI Center audience screaming and yelling for "sixes" even before the music had ended. The powerful and dynamic Shen/Zhao drew to skate last among the top four pairs, heading into the finals. Their main rivals, Russia's elegant, long-limbed team of Tatyana Totmianina/Maxim Marinin, and the leaders after the short program, drew to skate next-to-last...so the set-up for a dramatic finale could not have been better. Earlier we saw a clean, perfect (if a tad tentative) performance by USA champs Tiffany Scott/Phillip Duhlebon, drawingthe first standing ovation of the night. In the end, that performance ensured that the USA would finish in the top ten, thus allowing two teams for that country in 2004 Worlds. [When all was said and done, S/D finished in 9th and fellow team members, Inoue/Baldwin, in 10th...so Team USA placed two couples in the top ten...a huge surprise!] The second standing ovation of the night was for a high-flying performance to 'Tosca' by Canada's Langlois/Archetto, prompting an ocean of maple-leaf flags in the audience. L/A ended in 5th place in their first outing at Worlds. The lyrical classists among the three brilliant Chinese pairs -- Pang & Tong, who must weigh about 70 and 100 lbs, respectively -- were up next. Dressed in pale grey chiffon costumes, skating to Rachmaninoff Piano Concerto no. 2, they sailed elegantly through their routine and, again, many in the audience rose from their seats and gave them a spirited ovation. They ended 4th; almost to the podium. They were followed by the Polish team, Zagorska/Siudek, known for their powerful and innovative lifts. A couple of minor errors, step-outs by Zagorska on throws, was enough to drop them from 5th to 7th overall. They were wonderful...but so many others were even better. It was one of those nights. Then came the youngest and most explosive of the Chinese teams -- Dan Zhang & Hao Zhang. Wearing gorgeous lilac costumes and skating a new program to the operetta 'Countess Maritza,' they performed yet another near-perfect routine (spins were their problem), garnering yet another rousing ovation from the audience. They ended in 6th place. Then the top four teams took to the ice. First up among the top four were 2000 World Champions, Russia's Maria Petrova & Alexei Tikhonov, a 'classic Russian' power-team who have always lacked a certain charisma and, in fact, had been dropping in technique since that gold medal three years ago. But tonight they finally regained some of the spark from 2000. Skating to music from "Chess" and wearing new, bright costumes, P/T tore through their program with near-perfection, faltering only on a couple of dismounts, but not falling. They had zip and speed; covered the ice well. Displayed the Russian trademark of precision and synchronization. BUT, alas, they failed to ignite the audience...still lack charisma. Thus, when judges marks flashed and put them into 1st place (at the moment), the audience booed like crazy. Some yelled "Thieves!" Emotions were running high..esp. in the area where I sat, among a Canadian tourist group that were a bit bitter over the earlier marks for Langlois/Archetto. Up next, the youngest Russian pair, 4th coming into the finals -- tiny blone Yulia Obertas, with Alexei Sokolov. Alas, their lyricism from the short program eluded them tonight. Their "Spirit Wind" martial arts-inspired program was riddled with obvious oerrors. Obertas took a hard fall from a throw triple...a fan in the audience yelled sarcastically: "Hey! A First-place program!!!" Sharks ready to bite judges who may hold-up any other Russians.... Thank goodness, Obertas/Sokolov earned relatively low marks, as were deserved, and they ended in 8th place. Whew! Next up, the Russian champs Totmianina/Marinin & in first place coming into the finals. A PERFECT, artistic program to "The Cotton Club" with spot-on jumps, throws, spins, their trademark lift with the man skating (not just gliding) as he carries the girl aloft and she switches positions on her own. Superior synchronization of each other's movements...flicks of the wrist, bend of the head, snap of fingers, intricate footwork...two skating as one. There is wild applause, standing ovation, near-perfect marks for T/M (5.8s and 5.9s). The audience is cranked up by the time that the next & final team take to the ice -- Shen/Zhao. Puccini's "Turandot" - a time-tested routine that every skating fan knows by heart, from last year's Olympics and Worlds. We skate the routine with them - knowing what is coming up. The HUGE triple throws, sending the girl five feet into the air and halfway across the rink, with picture-perfect landings! Clean side-by-side triples. Even their usually-lackluster spins are clean! With one minute left, the audience is ready to crown them the victors. By the time the routine ends, we are all on our feet, screaming "Six! Six!Six!" This time, judges got it right - Zhen & Zhao won!!! As much as I love Russia, I give this one to China, no doubt about it. There's enough other gold awaiting Russia later this week. LADIES QUALIFIERS, GROUP A - Forget the all-USA podium, folks. Olympic champ Sarah Hughes fell and slipped her way through an uninspired "La Bayadere", ending in 6th place in one of two qualifying groups. Most of the audience -- even Americans -- thought that Hughes deserved much lower. She was that awful. Tiny Dan Fang of China, who ended in 7th place behind Hughes, was robbed!!! Hughes was in the tougher, more talent-packed group, which included the other two USA ladies (Michele Kwan and Sasha Cohen) plus the Russian champ, Elena Sokolova. Kwan placed first following a musical, dazzling, clean "Concierto de Aranjuez" despite not completing a 3-3 combo (she did only one combination of jumps, a 3-2; in all, six triples, including the one in the combo). Audience adored her & she got a standing ovation, early in the morning. In second place was Russia's Elena Sokolova, skating two 3-3 combos...the magic formula that earned Sarah Hughes the Olympic Gold last year. Blonde sweet-faced Sokolova was charming, delightful, in her routine to 'Notre-Dame de Paris' overture. Eight triples, including those in the combos. Most in the audience were dumbfounded by the 3rd-place placement of Sasha Cohen, following a near-perfect performance of her "Rachmaninoff Piano Concerto no. 2" program. No 3-3 combos...but she did three different 3-2 combos...seven triples in all. And gorgeously-extended spirals and quick footwork. A dazzling presence. Musicality. On the other hand, not great coverage of the ice (her spirals traveled small paths, compared to Kwan and Sokolova); bit slow in sections; missed her first combo, doing only one 3 lutz, when she usually tacks on a 3 toe loop; near-fall just skating around one corner of the ice; aggressive posture of STABBING the ice with her toe-picks as she took to her opening pose, may have been a turn-off to some judges who may prefer 'ladylike' demeanor in their ice princesses??? Whatever the reason, Cohen WAS undermarked by some judges...even one 5.1 for artistic impression. But, IMO, she deserved 3rd place, compared to Kwan's perfection and Sokolova's much-higher technique/charming presentation. Audience disappointed. Japan's Shizuka Arakawa was a 4th-place surprise. (The other two Japanese skaters are in the other qualifier group; see below) Clean, speedily-skated performance to "Titanic" with six triples, including a 3-3 combo. Fifth place went to Ukraine's beautiful perennial champion, Elena Liashenko, whose deep edges & 'basic skating quality' are second to none, save Kwan's. Sixth - Sarah Hughes (see above) Seventh - Dan Fang of China (see above) Eighth - Alisa Drei of Finland...capable of 3-3 combos but not today. LADIES QUALIFIERS, GROUP B - This was a far 'easier' group, by the luck of the draw. 1. Fumie Suguri (Japan) - last year's Worlds bronze medalist won this handily, with only four triples, including one 3-2 combo. Stepped out of another triple; popped another; hand down on another. But it was good enough for first place in the group...so she goes into the short programs tied for first place with Michelle Kwan. 2. Jennifer Robinson (Canada) - for once in her life, a perfect qualifying program. 'DeFalla Suite' of Spanish music, charmingly delivered. Technically conservative but CLEAN. Canadian fans were delighted. She goes into the SPs tied for 2nd with Elena Sokolova...ahead of Sasha Cohen! 3. Viktoria Volchkova of Russia - She's lucky to have been in this weak grou, with this lethargic performance to Vivaldi's Four Seasons. Fall in her combo, after a good high 3 lutz. Step out of double axel. Still, she completed five triples cleanly. No combos. 4. Yoshie Onda of Japan - Disappointing skate, considering that she is supposed to be the strongest of the three Japanese girls and the one with best chance to make the podium, due to her huge triple jumps, including possible triple axel. But not today. Fell on one 3 lutz; touched down on the second attempt. Did five other triples well. 5. Lyudmilla Nelidina of Russia - a shocker, of sorts. She already has a consistent triple axel. Tried one here and did it, but with a slight two-foot landing, so it did not count. BUT it woke up the judges & they rewarded her with 5th place despite unpolished overall skating. A tall, untra-thin, long-limbed blonde beauty...so perhaps the judges are thinkinng in terms of future potential? Audience booed her relatively high marks. 6. Anne-Sophie Calmait of France - charming, fresh, energetic little redhead; lots of potential 7. Galina Maniushenko of Ukraine - lethargic; pounded out a few triples 8. Carolina Kostner of Italy - thin, long-limbed surprise from the Europeans...performed poorly here....not quite her time but she already has many fans in the audience A long day yesterday, as you can read. Today will be shorter. Nothing in the morning (Thank God, some rest). Ice Dance 2nd of three phases in afternoon. Then, tonight, the finals for Men -- showdown between Yevgeni Pluschenko (who is promising us a 4-3-3 combo..."and maybe even more!") and Americaa's 'Quak King' Tim Goebel. Takeshi Honda of Japan (now in 3rd) or China's Chenjiang Li (now 5th) could be spoilers. Then there is the unknown factor: Can Washington's own Michael Weiss rally from 4th place (after being in 1st place in round One) to earn that long-awaited ride to a celebration in Atlantic City, aboard a Hummer Limo? The answer, tonight!

This corrects/updates something I wrote on an earlier thread. Live and taped coverage of the 2003 World F.S. Ch'ps in the US is as follows: TONIGHT - Thursday, March 27 - ESPN-2 7 - 9 pm, EST Pairs and Mens Short Programs, taped from earlier in week ABC 9 - 11 pm LIVE coverage of men's finals; taped of last night's Pairs finals Saturday, March 29 ESPN (not ESPN-2) 6 - 8 pm Ice Dance 'Original dances - In a Grand Ballroom' and Ladies Short Programs ABC 8 - 11pm...3 hours LIVE coverage Ladies finals; taped Ice Dance finals Double-check your local area's TV schedules, for any possible variance where you live. Also, have your remote-control ready to switch to any of the other ABC-owned channels, in case war coverage pre-empts the live broadcasts (so, check ESPN, ESPN2 or Lifetime).

tutu14 and mom2 - I noticed Elvis down in the TSN booth...which is right beside the ABC booth, with Dick Button. I must say that it is WEIRD to be watching skating without the 'entertainment factor' of Uncle Dick's commentary. Every time I see a badly-positioned spin I glance down to see if he is yaking away with an angry face!! I am looking forward to seeing a videotape of the various ABC finals, just to see if my thoughts 'agree' with Dick Button & Peggy Fleming's comments!

Sorry for lack of detail...getting to my hotel around midnight...then up early for more. ICE DANCE AUSTRIAN WALTZ - Two qualifying groups skated through this year's compulsory dance, the quick-paced, lovely "Austrian Waltz". What a relaxing afternoon, just sitting back and enjoying the lovely motions and swirling pattern of this dance, performed by each couple! As expected, Russia's reigning World Champs, Lobacheva/Aberbuch, easily won their qual gp with a dance that was performed with great finesse and -- I could see, being here live, comparing all couples before them -- skating with their feet closest to each other, which is considered extremely difficult. These are the things you don't easily see on TV & what garners higher scores. Also as expected, Canada's Bourne/Kratz easily won the second group. They skated with the most stunning lean, deep edges, low-bending knees. Feet a bit farther apart than the Russians. Had everyone been skating in one group, I would have given this dance to B/K. THEY WERE ABSOLUTELY STUNNING - PORCELAIN DOLLS IN A MUSIC BOX!!! So...Gp A - 1. Lobacheva/Averbuch (Rus) 2. Grushina/Goncharov (Ukr) - gentle; elegant in white chiffon - OTHER SUBJECT, UKRAINE...everyone 'booed the infamous Ukrainean dance judge, Yuri Valkov, when he was announced to judge this event...he's the 'tap dancer' from the '98 Olympics...sending signals by tapping his feet 3. Chait/Sakhnovsky (Isr) - not as in-synch but good 4. Lang/Tchernishev (USA 1) - for once, well marked...deserved 4th, among these 4 Gp B - 1. Bourne/Kratz (Can) 2. Denkova/Stavitsky (Bulg) - WOW! WOW! I would have put them in second, above Russians, had all skated together. This is a TRUE ice-dance couple...so elegant & totally in-synch. I can't wait for their unusual OD tomorrow...everyone skates to theme "In a Grand Ballroom" - while everyone else chose the usual Strauss/Lehar, this pair is skating to Baroque ballroom music - Purcell!!! WAIT TIL YOU SEE IT!!! 3. Navka/Kostomarov (Russ) SO DISAPPOINTING TODAY...this is my favorite Russian dance team. She is ballet-thin and GORGEOUS! Both have perfect long lines. But, today, they seemed to be catching up to the music. At one point, she had a slight skid going around a corner...far from judges...wonder if they saw it? 4. Belbin/Agosto (USA) - a GREAT showing for them...even better than Lang/Tchernichev, the USA champs. MEN's SP - What a night! Russia's fave, Yevgeni Pluschenko, did not disappoint. He did what he had to do with his Albinoni Adagio sp - a quad-triple combo, a solo triple, then a super-high triple axel...but with an off-balance landing that he fought to save. FABULOUS choreography...flexible 'Biellman spin'...step sequence. Easily the most artistic skater of the night, IMO. 5.8s and 5.9s. Won the SP...easily in 1st place going into finals. However, the other fellow in 1st pl after qualifiers -- USA's Michel Weiss -- fell on the easiest of his jumps (the solo triple)...after doing a GREAT 4-3 combo...and a soaring 3 axel...he BLOWS the one jump he's done perfectly all his life!!! The entire audience sighed. Now Mike is down to 4th overall but, still, with good chance to medal. On the other hand, Tim Goebel ('Quad King') of USA rose to 2nd place overall with a FAB new program to Prokofiev's Romeo & Juliet - The Pillow Dance music, which is so powerful. The most artistic program to date by Goebel!!! Huge improvements in posture. AND three perfect jump sequences...even cleaner than those of Pluschenko. Yet, Pluschenko remains the top artist and, fairly, was judged slightly above Goebel. But the gold is no longer a 'lock' for Russia. In 3rd was afantastic Takashi Honda or Japan...putting it together with a clean SP when it mattered the most! Honda will be challenged by Weiss for bronze in tomorrow night's finals (to be telecast live on ABC...check your local schedules...if war preempts the skating, switch to ESPN, which has promised to take-over the ABC coverage at moment's notice!). 4. Weiss 5. Chenjiang Li of China - with the performance of his life! ...then the biggest surprise of the night... 6. unknown Sergei Davydov of Belarus!!! Magnificent young lad, skates 4-3 combo and all else cleanly. Got partial standing ovation. He caould not believe it...making the final group of skaters, to skate on live TV. The two Frenchmen weren't able to improve much on their bad-luck from the qualifiers. Canada's Emanuel Sandhu had one error - now in 10th overall, but audience gave him a partial standing ovation for his one-of-a-kind artistry! 3rd American man, Janhke, had two hard falls. Now down in 7th overall; was 3rd before. Still could make top 5 with a great free skate, if others falter. Other impressive skaters last night: reigning World Jr Champ Stanislav Tomochenko of Russia (12th place into finals); Uzbek Roman Skorniakov (only 17th place but had gt SP);, Georgia's Vachtang Murvanidze (19th place, but 9th best SP), Can Jeff Buttle (9th place but the 6th best SP); and youngest competitor of all men, at 16 -- Czech's Tomas Verner, who is in 21st place...with a perfect free skate and first standing ovation of night!

rk - I'm on way to MCI now. Will look for you at around 12 noon (or as close to 12 noon as possible, depending on when there is a break between the groups). See ya! Posting quick reports on what I saw yest'dy, on sep. thread.

The 2003 World Figure Skating Championships began last night, with the pairs short programs. Twenty-one teams skated 2.40-minute routines containing eight required elements. Although this phase counts 30% of the total scoring (with the final long program counting 70%), it is a fact that one simple error in a short program will USUALLY 'kill' a great competitor's chances of winning a medal. However, a glaring error in side-by-side sitspins by reigning World Champions, Shen/Zhao of China, did not keep them from landing in 2nd place, just behind their main competitors -- Russia's Totmianina/Marinin, who skated a PERFECT program to 'Peer Gynt', with brilliant elements and great speed. Undisputed winners of last night's phase. The 3rd and 4th spots also went to Russia. The 2000 World Champs, Petrova/Tikhonov, made a comeback of sorts with a short program that was cleanly skated, yet was lacking the speed of T/M and the charisma of S/Z. There was speed and bubbling charisma in spades from the youngest Russian team -- tiny blonde Yulia Obertas and partner Oleg Sokolov -- if less-than-perfect elements (almost a hand-touch-down on the triple throw..but, in the arena's replay monitor overhead, all could see that she did NOT actually touch the ice). So my white-blue-red flag of Russia was waved high last night! IMO, China was lucky with S/Z's 2nd spot, due to the sitprin error. Their two younger teams skated beautifully, partularly the long-limbed, lyrical Pang/Tong, in 8th place. The 3rd Chinese team, Zhang/Zhang, are in 7th currently. All Chinese pairs' throws seem to reach half-way up to the rafters of the arena! Television does not do justice to those throws. On the other hand, North American teams were not quite as lucky, with Canada's Langlois/Archetto faring best, in 6th place after an absolutely-perfect program...after which the judges marks were loudly booed. In fact every single North American pair's marks were booed and hissed. I agree only with the booing of L/A's marks. The other Canadian team -- their national champs, Lariviere/Faustino, currently 15th -- had a hard fall to the ice during one of the elements. The USA teams either had a fault (Scott/Dulebohn, currently 13th, with the guy messing up his side-by-side triple jump... a step-out) or skating cleanly but with minimal stretch and/or elegance. The newest USA pair team (Orcher/Lucacs, 14th) is in sore need of ballet training, they are so sloppy looking. The audience could not believe their low marks (4.2s and such) after a clean skate of perfect elements but, hey, the overall quality of skating, lack of speed, and lack of balletic finesse was so evident, it was clear as day for any BalletAlertnik! Best finish for the USA was 11th place for Inoue/Baldwin. LOTS of stretch and ballet training were in evidence for a young Japanese team that skated -- for me -- the most under-rated performance of the evening: an ice version of the Soviet pas de deux "Spring Waters"! WOW! WOW! WOW! It's obvious - their coach is none other than Tamara Moskvina of St Petersburg, coach of many a great pair of the past, including Berezhnaia/Sikharulidze. Watch our for this Japanese team to move up quickly, despite tonight's ridiculous placement of #12!!! They are the 'Sasha Cohen' of pairs, IMO. Also fantastic last night: Poland's Zagorska/Siudek (currently 5th)...for once, putting it together with a clean short program that was well marked. Their effortless, creatively-positioned lifts are the best of the bunch. All the scores & others stats on this competition may be found here: http://www.icecalc.org/events/wc2003/results/index.htm

Since there seem to be many cross-over skating-ballet fans & I know that several DC-area members will be attending some of the World Figure Skating Ch'ps in Wash, DC, I'm writing this post to save you a headache or two. BOTTOM LINE: PLEASE ALLOW ENOUGH TIME TO MAKE IT THROUGH SECURITY CHECKPOINT(S) AS YOU ENTER THE ARENA!!! If you are attending an event that begins, say, at 7 pm, please be at MCI no later than 6 pm to begin standing in line on the sidewalk, to ensure that you will have gone through security in time to allow you to see the beginning of the event. Last night, I barely made it to my seat on time to see the start of the Pairs short program. I made the (in retrospect) error of leaving the arena after the Mens Qualifiers 2nd group -- ended at 6 pm -- for a quick bite to eat at an area fast-food place. Was back at the arena at 6:45 pm, thinking that I'd make it back to my seat on time for the 7pm program. WRONG! I stood for over one hour, in line snaking around the arena, to get to the lobby, where pocketbooks have to be checked AND dropped into a box to see if it fits the dimensions allowed. (NO LARGE POCKETBOOKS OR KNAPSACKS ALLOWED, by the way! Your bag must fit into the box. Dimensions about 13" x 5 x 8" deep. A mid-size woman's purse.) Thank goodness the actual skating did not begin until 8pm, as the first hour was an Opening Ceremonies. Some people DID miss some of the skating, including top-ranked pairs who got an early draw. I cannot stress hard wnough how important it is to allow about one hour, maybe a bit more before Saturday's ladies finals, for security. Even if the doors reopen at 6:30 pm, you will want to be near the front of the line to ensure that you will make it to your seat by 7pm (in case of evening competitions). If you are attending a daytime event, prior to an evening event, I would not stray far from the arena...or simply stay IN the arena and eat a pre-packed sandwich right there, in between day & evening events.

rkoretzky - Ryan J. is in 3rd place following the qualifyers...fantastic for a first time at Worlds! All three US men are in good standing, leading into tonight's short programs: Michael Weiss is 1st (tied with Pluschenko, winner of the other qualifyer group); Tim Goebel in 2nd (tied with Honda); Ryan Janhke in 3rd (tied with the 'surprise kid' of this competition -- Stephane Lambiel of Switzerland). Everybody is talking, though, about the MAGNIFICENT 'Carmen' program of Pluschenko, with the 6.0s for his new-found artistry...much improved in one year. And the word is that he will skate to a totally-different long program for the finals...a tribute to the 300th anniversary of St. Petersburg, also choreographed by the Kirov-Mariinsky's Kirill Simonov!!! [i just hope that Pluschenko doesn't wear some funky Peter the Great costume... ] p.s. - The 'draw' for tonight's short program phase favors Michael Weiss, if all top skaters do well: Weiss skates last among the 30 men who have made it to this round. Judges usually hold back scores a bit, in case the last skater does better than anyone before him. On the other hand, Yevgeni Pluschenko got what some may consider the worst draw in the final group; he skates first.

My goodness! Men's Qualifying Group A is almost finished and it looks like Washington, DC's Michael Weiss has taken the first step on his way to a Hummer Limo ride to Atlantic City!!!! He is first in the gp, with last year's Worlds bronze medalist Takeshi Honda (Jap) 2nd and Ryan Jahnke (also from USA) in 3rd!! Russia's bronze medalist from the Grand Prix finals, Ilya Klimkin, is down in 4th place. And France's Brian Joubert and Stanick Jeanette are way down in 9th and 12th places, respectively; a huge disappointment. On the bright side, Jeanette just squeaked into the next round, as only the top 12 men in each of the two qualifyer rounds -- or a total of 24 -- continue to round 2. Qualifying Gp B includes Pluschenko and Goebel...but Weiss is in a great spot as one of two men who will head into Tuesday's short programs tied for first place. ***UPDATE Pluschenko skated a magnificent 'Carmen' long program -- chor. by Kirov-Mariinsky's Kirill Simonov! -- to top the second group, so he and Weiss go into the SPs tied in first place. 2. Goebel (USA) 3. Stephane Lambiel (Switz) 4. Sandhu (Can) 5. Buttle (Can). Pluschenko earned a 6.0 in artistry...unheard-of for a qual round! Qualifying Round counts 20% of overall score but it sets the stage and CAN make the difference, in the end. SPs are 30%. LPs are 50%.

Thanks for beginning this thread rkoretzky! [i'll clean out my box. I'll be at MCI all-day Wednesday, as will you. I'll be up in Sec 214 with my Russian flag, to be waved only if 'our' skaters do well...;) ] I just got into DC last night and will attend most of the events, beginning with tonight's Opening Ceremonies and Pairs short programs. Anyone attending, please feel free to post reports. Here's what I've heard from friends who have attended practices all weekend: MEN - The qualifiers are going on now. Pluschenko and Klimkin are medal faves, with Pluschenko an early favorite for gold. Alexander Abt is injured & has been replaced by young Sergei Timoscheno as the 3rd Russian guy on the team. The two Frenchmen -- Brian Joubert and Stanick Jeanette -- have been wonderful in practices. Takeshi Honda of Japan has been so-so but should still be a medal fave. The great news for USA fans is that Tim "Quad King" Goebel is looking great - much improved since Nationals, where he was 2nd to Michael Weiss...who has skipped the official practices, so nobody nows how he is doing. [The buzz is that he is very confident; so confident that he has apparently rented a huge stretch Hummer limo to take his family to Atlantic City on Thursday night, to celebrate his victory!] The 3rd USA guy, Ryan Janke, is also doing well. One of friends really loved the Canadians Jeff Buttle and, esp., Emanuel Sandhu, butmentioned that Sandhu was having trouble with his triple combos. Another friend told me that the Swiss, Belgian and Georgian guys are doing really well in practices. Of course, it's the competition that counts. We'll see results from the qualifiers soon. PAIRS - That begins tonight. Everybody is talking about a possible CHINA sweep - all three teams have been blowing the competition in practices with huge throws and perfect side-by-side triples!! The Russians have been a mystery, as they missed most of the practices but someone who saw Totmianina/Marinin (the Grand Prix and Euro championships winners) last night tells me that they were absolutely perfect and skated with the speed of the Chinese & 'prettier lines'. Petrova/Tikhoniv are 'so-so' but the youngest Russian couple Yulia Obertas and ???? could be the wild card. Obertas is teeny-tiny and looks like a ballerina. The two Canadian pairs are good but lack the synchronization of the Russians and Chinese. The Poles - Zagorska/Siudek - have magnificent lifts and the Czechs - Markuntsev/Dlabola - are powerful and have had perfect practices. The three USA teams are relatively young and rough around the edges, compared to others. DANCE - This begins tomorrow afternoon with the compulsory dance. The draw for this was between Tango Romantica and Austrian Waltz...the Waltz was selected so, between this phase and the second phase (an Original Dance...to waltzes also) we will be 'waltzed out; at MCI! Those in-the-know seem to believe that the Waltz will favor Canada's long-time-bridesmaids Bourne/Kratz over the Russian teamsm (incl World champs Lobacheva/Averbuch and Grand Prix silver medalists Navka/Kostomarov), as B/K excel in long dep edges over the crisp, quick technique of the Russians. BUT EVERYBODY SEEMS TO BE WAITING TO SEE WHAT THE ANONYMOUS JUDGES DO!!!! My friends who attended practices were especially impressed with the new Italian team (Faiello & ???). The USA has two strong teams, Lang/Tchernichev and Belbin/Agosto, who don't seem to receive the deserved recognition of judges (esp. L/T, though the years). The Bulgarians and Israelis should also be in the hunt for medals. LADIES - Ladies don't begin 'til Wednesday morning, with the qualifying rounds. The big mystery is 'Where are the three USA ladies?' as the Kwan-Hughes-Cohen Triumvirate has not shown up for weekend practices. [Cohen arrived in town last night; the other two are due to arrive sometime tomorrow.] These three have a good chance to sweep the podium but, according to practice-observers, it will not be easy, with challenges from Russia's Elena Sokolova (who had near-perfect practices for the past three days, full of 3-3 combos and lots of speed) and, especially, Japan's YOSHIE ONDA...the queen of the practices!! She does every triple, including, 3-axel, although this last one is iffy, usually landed on 2 feet and onten falls. Shizuka Arakawa is another strong japanese lady who will challenge for top-five. Alas, Japan's delicate Fumie Suguri is recovering from injuries and has had poor practices. On the other hand, there is a great chance that we will witness the first Ladies Triple-Axel in Worlds, in 12 years, this week...not from Onda but from Russia's youngest competitor, Lyudmilla Nelidina, who has landed her 3-axel at every single practice! Too bad that's about all that she can do, at this stage. Among the really young ladies, the most impressive are Italy's Carolina Kostner and Slovakia's Suzana Babiakova. Both can easily do a minimum of two 3-3 combos in their long programs.

I'm sorry to have missed you, too, Coda...have no idea what you look like, real name, etc. Sorry but NT was a real clown -- I could use less-politically-correct terms -- during that performance. There were many of us in parterre biting our tongues to stifle guffaws whenever he would make one of his hokey faces. Francoise et al inParis - I happened to see a tape of one of NT's POB performances & he was TONED DOWN considerably then...nothing likewhat he did at Mariinsky, where he was a total HAM...or, as I joked with a French friend during one intermission...LE JAMBON!!!! All this said, I am a long-time NT fan and was quite sad to see his quirky hystrionics during this particular performance! - Jeannie p.s. - I've been out on a family emergency but will post my final reviews when I return to Moscow. I have LOTS MORE to write about 'Pirlipat' and the final three performances. Thanks for all the feedback, reactions, etc.

No, I did not fall through the ice!!!! I was swamped through the final weekend of the festival. So....here is the very quick take on the final three performances of the Festival: Friday, Feb. 28: McMillan's MANON One of the most disappointing performances, all around, due to (a) Vladimir Malkhov not showing up (no reason cited...); (B) being replaced at the eleventh hour by an unprepared Ilya Kuznetson (who I've seen dance DesGrieux in much finer fashion than the sad display here); and © the grotesque and totally-unemotional Svetlana Zakharova in title role. The vivacity of the corps de ballet made me stay-on beyond the first intermission, through to the end. Saturday, March 1: SWAN LAKE & Maria Kowroski's Odette/Odile KOWROSKI WAS GORGEOUS, SPECTACULAR and Yes, Virginia - she won the audience with 32 fouetees!!! Seriously, it was one of the great joys of the festival to witness Kowroski's magnificent interpretation, with her eloquent arms & hands, strong technique, and -- best of all -- intelligent dramatic interpretation. She seemed truly in love with her Siegfried, Danila Kursentsov. The Act I pas de trois was memorable.. Anton Korsakov, Irina Golub, and, especially, Irina Zhelonkina in the first female solo. The Cygnets were picture-perfect in synchronization. Nobody beats the Kirov-Marrinsky's national dances in Act III. I adored the Spanish Dance, with Galina Rakhmanova as the most fiery of the back-bending females...and the unequaled Mazurka. Sunday, March 2: FINAL GALA in honor of Nureyev A weird evening...almost as long and bizarrely-paced as Thursday night's 'Pirlipat' world premiere. First it was NDT in Jiri Kilyan's modern dance 'Bella Figura' with its bare-breasted dancers, sparse scenery, manipulation of black drapes.....one wonders WHAT exactly comprised the 'offensive' stage setting that was held-up in Russian customs, as the only 'setting' are two coffin-like plexiglass boxes, each with a nude mannequin ...OK, I'm not prudish but is this really the wisest dance to feature on what is billed as a star-studded gala with well-heeled expatriates paying $100-plus a ticket for a night at the Kirov-Mariinsky Theater. Applause was bare & polite from the parterre...wildly cheering from the local dance connoisseurs in the cheap seats. Then came the first intermission of 45-plus minutes, followed by a classical divertissement by guest stars...BUT, WAIT! First we had to sit through half of the British-TV Nureyev video -- the one that commences by showing RN on his Mediterranean island -- plus a film of the Aussie 'Don Q pdd'...with 'locals' in the audience snickering at the exccentricities of Aussie ballerin Lucette Aldous' tomboyish interpretation. FInally, we saw live dancers, of which the most remarkable & wildly cheered were the Royal Ballet's Alina Cojocary & Johann Kobborg in 'Flower FEstival in GEnzano pdd' and 'Romeo & Juliet pdd' (McMillan version). Also memorable was Manuel Legris in Robbins' 'Suite of Dances' -- so musically sensitive & gracious! -- and some sizzling excerpts from Petit's 'Carmen/ by Diana Vishnyova and Legris. Then another 45 minute intermission before the final, magnificent Raymonda Act III, in the Konstantin Sergeyev version, led with high style by Agnes Letestu & Jean-Guillaume Bart. All in all, a lovely ten days of ballet in this Northern Palmyra! - Jeannie Szoradi St. Petersburg, Russia

Hi, Paul! Sorry for belated response... I walked, I saw, and the stage is, in fact, raked all the way down...so my old memories were wrong!!! So, yes, perhaps the rake effected Jock Soto's spinning exit. -Jeannie

I'm commencing this thread just for 'quick updates'on the final four performances of the festival - last night's 'Princess Pirlipat' world premiere (with 'Nutcracker'); today's 'Manon'; tomorrow's 'Swan Lake'and Sunday's final Gala In Honor of Nureyev...including NDT's 'Bella Figura'(as the permits from Russian customs came through for the set & costumes!!!!). I promise - SINCERELY PROMISE - the usual detailed reports early next week. You see, my friends & family are concerned that I have been up, writing on my computer, way too late at nights, then all mornings at the internet cafe, so I am literally being ORDERED to RELAX with ice fishing and banya at a dacha all-day Saturday. But we will be back at the Mariinsky in time for the all-important 'Swan Lake' Saturday night. ***** Last night's premiere of the one-act "Princess Pirlipat" ( a preamble to "The Nutcracker") was an enormous success!!! My God, what a masterpiece, replete with dancing -- yes, Marc, lots of dancing ;) -- choreographed by Kirill Simonov; a rich, tuneful score by Sergei Slonimsky; and drop-dead-gorgeous scenic & costume designs by Mikhail Chemiakin. The 'look' of the work is very similar to that of the Simonov/Chemiakin Nutcracker. Now'the Kirov-Mariinsky, in effect, has a three-act 'Nutcracker,' as 'Princess Pirlipat' relates the earlier sections of E.T.A. Hoffman's tale of the Nutcracker Prince. And what an evening of luxurious, intriguing, complex visual beauty on the stage...coupled with divine orchestral accompaniment to the baton of Valery Gergiev! The casting was a huge secret until the last minute. Even two days ago, when the posters went up announcing that the title role would be danced by one 'Ekaterina Kondaurova' and nobody knew who-the-heck was Ekaterina Kondaurova -- actually a little pupil from the Vaganova Academy -- balletomanes were scratching their heads wondering what was up. In the end Kondaurova danced only a couple of scenes as the infant princess...the TOTALLY UNANNOUNCED Natalia Sologub, in fact, danced the adult Princess Pirlipat. This made for an interesting juxtaposition with the heroine of the next ballet, Masha in 'The Nutcracker,'as Sologub was dancing THAT role, too. Sologub was her brilliant, elastic-limb, free-form dancing self, in both roles & was wildly cheered at the end of the evening! Andrei Merkuriev was a high-flying, likeable Nutcracker Prince in both ballets. Anton Adasinski was the most complex (devious, yet piteable) Drosselmeyer on record! There are many, many divertissement dancing passages in both ballets, giving demisoloists and character dancers of the Kirov ample opportunity to show-their-stuff. 'Pirlipat'includes some national dances by foreign guests to the Pirlipat court (or whatever it is called!)....Spaniards, Turks, Cossaks, Hungarians. All a tribute to Petipa's sort of ballet, which always included national dances. The main stage set of 'Pirlipat'' is a gorgeous trellised garden with Faberge egg motifs...baby Pirlipat's birth is depicted with her emergence from an aqua-colored Faberge egg! There is a Torture Garden for execution of rats...what sets the story of the rats hating the humans into motion...I'll cover all of this in my main review. The music is GORGEOUS, I am happy to report. The audience breathed a collective sigh of relief as the overture commenced with dreamy-sounding harps. Every main character has a leitmotif. Many of these tunes remind me of similar music in Aram Khachaturian's 'Gayane'...same sort of southern-Russian/Caucasus feel. Lots of violins; lots of solo oboe or clarinet. I am going to RUN to buy the CD when it comes out, it is that good. The very rare electronic beeps & pops happen when something bad happens on stage, e.g., Pirlipat turned into a monster-doll by the Rat Queen. LOTS of celebrities -- ballet world and otherwise -- in audience. A delighted-looking Boris Eifman and his wife were sitting a couple of boxes from me. (This is HIS sort of ballet, LOL! Lots of sexy innuendos...plus first-class choreography...in my very humble opinion. ) The only negative note last night: the length of the entire event. Curtain time was SUPPOSED to be 6pm - one full hour earlier than usual, at the Mariinsky. Yet we ended the night around 11 pm...one 45-minute ballet, followed by a two-act 'Nutcracker. 'How on earth was the night stretched, you may ask? Here's how: 6 pm - curtain time...but...doors to auditorium opened at 5:50 pm 6:30 pm - 'Pirlipat' ballet really begins 7:15 pm - Pirlipat ends; intermission one begins 8:45 pm - intermission 1 ends (1.5 hours!!); 'Nutcracker Act I begins 9:30 pm - Nut Act I ends; intermission 2 begins 10:05 pm - intermission 2 ends; Nut Act II begins 10:45 - Nutcracker Act 2 ends..the ballet ends...standing ovation/ applause madness begins 11 pm - curtain calls in front of the blue curtain begin & folks commence to leave theater. Perhaps the sponsors had a cocktail party between the two ballets? (I don't blame them...but I could have gone back to my flat to rest & eat for a while, had we been told...I did not have dinner, thinking we'd be out by 9:30 pmish...) Also, it was rumored that the at least one member of the Putin family was in attendance, incognito (as they often do at Moscow & StPete theaters... they are secretely snuck into a box as lights dim, so as not to cause fuss and necessitate extra security. ha-ha..there were cops with walkie-talkies all over the place but we weren't supposed to notice! Again, this is OK and I am really happy to see that the leader of a nation loves the arts...but still...my tummy was growling by 11 pm, as I managed to eat only one salmon hors d óeuvre and a glass of orange juice at one intermission...long, long lines!) Bigger review to follow, next week. BUT IT WAS A HUGE, TOTAL SUCCESS as a ballet - not just a pageant of luxury, which it also is. I hope that Washington, DC gets to see the complete 'Tale of the Nutcracker Prince' next December & not just the Tchaikovsky acts. - Jeannie Szoradi

And thanks to ALL of you for your kind words!! I'll be a bit slower in getting-off the last four reviews, due to family commitments over weekend, but I'll be sure to post them once I return to Moscow, on Monday. In meantime, I'm doing a couple of 'quick progress reports'just to let you know how the 'Pirlipat'premiere and Kowroski's Odette/Odile fare! Paul, re. the rake, I believe that this occured quite far downstage, where the rake levels off (very little incline, if none at all). I've actually walked (not danced...ha-ha) on that stage and seem to recall a flatter section. The rake most probably contributed to Kowroski's skate-and-skid incident as she ran to her opening pose for the 3rd movement in Rubies. She was halfway up the stage, where the rake is in full effect. Too, she may not have put enough rosin on her shoes... psssst...secret....I need to be backstage tonight, briefly, during one of the intermissions and I'll be sure to sneak a peak at the forward part of the rake for you, OK?? [similar, but unrelated...I got to say 'hi'to Assylmuratova backstage, last Wednesday, as the Vaganova kids were preparing to go onstage in the Paquita Mazurka. AA is still gorgeous! I'll miss her on the stage!!]

Francoise - Yes, he did them. Several of the POB dancers are scheduled to appear at Sunday night's final gala, as are the Royal Ballet and some of the NYCB guests...plus ABT's Malakhov. So sad, what you write about Dupont.

Paul - You make me laugh re the Jock Memorial Wing!! If any of us see the Kirov's production of 'Jewels,'with its unique "heavy-curtain" wings, we should take a minute to gaze at the very first audience-left wing...maybe look for an indentation or two. This happened as he was doing a dizzyingly fast series of turns off the stage...you know, the end of the "jogging boys"sequence, when the lead guy and the four demi-solo guys jog up and down the stage (Jock does a series of jumps as the guys jog around). What made this moment so dramatic was that Jock was cranking-up the speed purposely, so that he would be the fastest speed possible at the moment he got to the wings...we were all cheering and 'bravo-ing"as he was gaining momentum then - BANG!....he flops into the wing. We figured that someone was administering first-aid. It was incredible that he appeared a minute or two later, joining Whelan center-stage with the corps behind, for the final measures of the ballet. Little did "Mr. B"realize what he was setting-up when he choreographed those dizzying turns off the stage!!! Maybe that's why NYCB elected to NOT construct the wings portion of the designer's stage set. (The Kirov is the first company to fully realize the complete, intended stage setting plus Karinska costumes. For some reason, Mr B nixed the wings...) Dale - They seem to really admire Whelan's dancing style - so different from Vishnyova & Golub in the role (although they are pretty darn good too). Sure, there is a different look. But most folks in this town are super-polite and, if they would think the body-look odd, they would never say it. The comments I overheard at intermission, in the promenade lobby (where the audience walks counter-clockwise around a grand piano) was that Whelan & Soto were so very different in their approach - energetic & less concern about being 'pretty and correct'. They know well enough that the Balanchine style in America looks different.

Hey, Manhattnik! re. Fonteyn & Pavlenko, I'm referring more to face & 'generosity of spirit' (quality of looking like she is embracing and hugging the audience). Something that would have served her well in the 'human'segments of 'Bayaderka' with Tsiskaridze, the other night. ;) Soto's crash into the wing 'hurt' all of us...ouch!! I am counting the minutes & hours until Kowroski's Odette/Odile in the traditional Kirov version!! Wowee... Francoise - No, they did not perform the slow ending. The Kirov has never performed it, to my knowledge. To whoever asked about the raked stage in the new theater - yes, it is being planned as a raked stage. And, as someone mentioned elsewhere, the plans are now on hold, until a new exterior design can be agreed upon.

2003 MARIINSKY INTERNATIONAL BALLET FESTIVAL Mariinsky Theater – St. Petersburg, Russia February 26, 2003 Kirov-Mariinsky Ballet EVENING OF HISTORICAL BALLETS Individual numbers and casting, as follows, within main body of the review As a long-time Kirov-Mariinsky history buff & collector of historic books and films, I was particularly anticipating this evening’s program. The variety of rare numbers on the program, as well as the finesse of the dancers, fulfilled my desires, above and beyond expectations. I will follow a slightly different format for this review, as it entails multiple excerpts. Away we go…and enjoy the ride! I. ROMANTIC THEME ( Divertissement) Pas de Quatre (chor. Dolin, after Perrot/ mus. Pugni) Marie Taglioni – Yulia Makhalina Fanny Cerrito – Xenia Ostreikovskaya Carlotta Grisi – Elvira Tarasova Lucile Grahan – Maya Dumchenko This Victorian cameo of a ballet set the stage perfectly for a sequence of famous Romantic Era ballets. In long pale-pink romantic tutus, roses adorning their hair, four Kirov-Mariinsky ballerinas took us back 150 years ago & beyond. This little ballet was the original entertainment on the order of today’s ‘Three Tenors’…call it the ‘Four Ballerinas’ who danced in London at a Command Performance for Queen Victoria! Needless to say, it was quite a feat putting four dancing divas on the stage together. Dolin’s ballet perfectly recreates the steps, as well as the egos, of those grand dames of the dance, patronizing nods to one another and all! Yulia Makhalina, a glamorous senior ballerina with the company, captured the confidence of the most famous of them all-- the original ‘Sylphide’ Marie Taglioni. Young Xenia Ostreikovskaya was a bit too ‘northern’ in character to fully capture the fiery essence of Cerrito (Carla Fracci’s quintessential rendition comes to mind) but she finished her variation on a high – a clean triple pirouette. Sassy Elvira Tarasova showed crisp batterie in a series of cabrioles, while angelic Maya Dumchenko was an appropriately airy Grahan. Le Papillon pas de deux (Lacotte, after Marie Taglioni/Offenbach) The Butterfly (papillon) – Zhanna Ayupova Young Man – Igor Kolb Now the company’s most senior principal ballerina, Zhanna Ayupova continues to delight an audience with her unique charms and brilliant filigreed technique. She is a precious dancer with a doll-like face, who has always excelled in the Romantic and neo-Romantic repertoire…sylphs and nymphs and such. ‘Papillon’ is just the right vehicle with which to show-off her talents of quick feet and adorable mannerisms. She spun lace with her feet in tonight’s solo. Igor Kolb, as her partner, performed a high-flying solo with a Slavic flavor, crisply and cleanly. It’s a shame that the second set of solos of this pas de deux were not performed, due to lack of time. (See video of Kolpakova/Berezhnoi, to see what I mean…each dancer is supposed to perform two solos before the coda. ) Flower Festival in Genzano pas de deux (Bournonville/Helsted & Paulli) The Girl – Yevgenia Obratsova The Boy – Leonid Sarafanov I suddenly seem to have wandered into an IBC competition. Hey, it’s Leonid Sarafanov dancing Flower Festival once again, as in Budapest, Moscow, etc.! But seriously, Sarafanov is quite wonderful in such technical show-pieces, so more power to him! A recent hire to the Kirov’s soloist ranks, Sarafanov is an engaging dancer of nice long proportions, yet slight of frame. Thus, tonight he was paired with an up-and-coming tiny soubrette of a Kirov dancer, Yevgenia Obratsova, who danced Manu (from ‘Bayadere’) twice at this festival. They pulled out all stops – even though Bournonville purists would cringe, with both dancers’ 180-degree splits – and won the crowd, with the first volley of loud ‘bravos’ and sustained clap-in-time-applause of the evening. I admire them and don’t mean to belittle them but, to me, they spell ‘junior team.’ Le Diable Boiteux “Cachucha” (Lacotte, after Coralli/trad’l Andalucian music) Yulia Makhalina In the 1840s, Fanny Elssler captured the heart of St. Petersburg balletomanes with dances such as this…right across the street, at the long-gone Bolshoi Theater, where the Conservatory now stands. Elssler’s spirit came back to life tonight with this rare bon-bon of a Spanish dance. Kudos to Makhalina, who captured our modern hearts attired in Elssler’s famous salmon gown with black lace flounces, castanets in her hands and a huge ‘peineta’ in her hair. La Vivandiere pas de six, a.k.a. ‘Markitanka’ (Lacotte, after Saint-Leon/Pugni) The Lead Girl – Irina Zhelonkina The Boy – Anton Korsakov Four Demi-solo girls: ‘Mirroring Duet’ – Xenia Ostreikovskaya & Yana Serebriakova; First little solo (renverses) – Viktoria Teryoshkina; Second Little Solo (arabesque balances) – Yana Selina Irina Zhelonkina, a dancer of ‘Cojocaru proportions’ and dark-haired beauty, spelled ‘joie de vivre’ in this dance that includes many little leaps and tricky shifts of balance. Zhelonkina danced it as well as anyone I’ve seen do it, on par with the great Alla Sizova, for whom this piece was revived in the late 1970s. Anton Korsakov was a loving partner, once again displaying his signature high entrechats and a lovely series of double tours in opposite directions. II. FOLKLORIC THEME Coppelia Act I selections – ‘Ear of Wheat’ and ‘Variations on Slavic Theme’ (Vikharev reconstruction of 1884 Petipa, after Saint-Leon/Delibes) Swanhilda – Ekaterina Osmolkina Franz – Andrei Merkuriev Eight corps ladies as Swanhilda’s friends The full overture to ‘Coppelia’ prefaced two small and tantalizing bits of the Petipa choreography, as revived by Sergei Vikharev one year ago in Novosibirsk…so perhaps the Kirov-Mariinsky will one day delight us with the full production? It was a joy to see these bits of old-fashioned, elegant choreography, with very few ear-high developpes in sight…although, yes, Ms Osmolkina did perform one or two of these! (It is 2003 now, after all.) The ‘Ear of Wheat’ dance is, essentially, a pas de deux adagio, framed by the eight friends of Swanhilda. Osmoskina was but a light feather in the arms of Merkuriev, who had little to do in tonight’s bits. The ‘Variations on a Slavic Theme’ for Swanhilda and the eight girlfriends was a revelation, in that we can see how much of the original choreography has remained intact in the Royal Ballet/Ninette De Valois version, so very little has changed. Simple and pure. Little Humpbacked Horse ‘Hungarian Rhapsody’ (Gensler renewal of 1900 Lev Ivanov chor./Liszt) Two Lead Couples: Galina Rakhmanova/Andrei Yakovlev I and Polina Rassadina/Islom Baimuratov Twelve Corps de Ballet Couples What a treat to see, live on stage, this fiery Hungarian Dance, which was the favorite number of the last tsar…yes, Nicholas II would always ask for this number to be encored, whenever it was presented at the Mariinsky during his reign. And here we saw it, once again, in its entire splendor. The compositional genius of Lev Ivanov was still apparent in this, his final great creation before his death. Two lead couples in black/gold brocade with white fur sleeves are framed by a semicircle of twelve couples in orange/gold brocade. The lead couples’ ladies perform several deep backbends, a-la Swan Lake Spanish Dance. The slowly-accelerating movement echoes the increasing frenzy of the music. -III. SPANISH THEME Paquita Selections – ‘Children’s Mazurka’ - Vaganova Academy students (12 couples) – I have nothing to say about the Vaganova children that I have not written before; they are one of the wonders of the artistic world. To the manor born! and Grand Pas Classique (Petr Gusev & Lydia Tyuntina’s renewal of Petipa’s 1881 chor./Minkus) Paquita – Agnes Letestu (Paris Opera Ballet etoile) Lucien – Jean-Guillaume Bart (Paris Opera Ballet etoile) 1st solo, Little Humpbacked Horse ‘White Pearl’ – Irina Zhelonkina 2nd solo, Kalkabrino – Daria Pavlenko 3rd solo, Don Quixote Amour – Elena Sheshina 4th solo, Pavillon d’Armide, Armide’s variation (by Fokine) –Ekaterina Osmolkina 5th solo, Paquita ‘Harp Variation’ – Tatyana Amosova Star Ballerina, Paquita’s Jete Variation – Agnes Letestu Male Star, Lucien’s Variation to Coppelia Franz music – Jean-Guillaume Bart As the corps ballerinas made their frisky entrances, I could not help but think of the recently-departed Natalia Dudinskaya …Dudinskaya taught this pas to so many Kirov ladies! So I think of this as a tribute to a great lady, even though it was not stated as such in the programme. Letestu and Bart are a tall and elegant pair, giving Petersburg a taste of the full-evening ballet’s leading roles that both have danced in Paris to high acclaim. Letestu is an interesting combination of a thoroughly modern figure – that wondrously long torso! – with fine classical technique, particularly her soaring grand jetes tonight. Bart never fails to amaze in the crispness of his movements, for such a large and muscular man. He can hold Letestu high in presage-lift, causing gasps from the audience. The female soloists were all memorable: Zhelonkina in deep lilac tutu, eliciting ‘bravos’ for her delelope-renverse-attitude turns; Pavlenko, in aquamarine, floating through a dreamy solo with lovely poses in arabesque; Sheshina, in gold, breezing through the Amour variation; Sologub in pink, charming her way through Fokine’s ‘Pavillon d’Armide variation to the accompaniment of a celeste; and stately Amosova, in deep blue, dancing the ‘harp variation’ that usually goes to the lead ballerina (Paquita). Tonight’s Paquita, Letestu, opted to dance the fiery jete variation…then wowed us with 32 fouettes in the coda (single-single-double all the way to the end). Petersburgers LOVE their fouettes and Agnes Letestu did honor to France with her performance of this move. The same can be said for Jean-Guillaume Bart, whose final move of double-tours in opposite directions won over the audience. Never a dull moment at the Mariinsky. So now we move on to a world premiere on Thursday night – ‘Princess Pirlipat’ – the prologue to ‘Nutcracker.’ There is much anticipation in this Northern Palmyra. Jeannie Szoradi St. Petersburg, Russia

Don't worry, Odette. This is not a replacement but, rather, an additional theater, across the canal. Same as they did in Moscow - an additional stage right next-door to the old Bolshoi. Think of it this way: more venues means more nights of ballet (ballet and opera can play simultaneously)!

Marc et al - I just checked over on the Mariinsky site's forum (Russian-only) &, apparently, folks are up in arms about some of my reviews!! I make no apologies - I call ém as I see ém!!! I'm going to try to meet some of these Kirov 'regulars'to assure them that I do like the Kirov-Mariinsky & have been attending performances here, regularly, since 1994 (not to mention seeing them on tour since mid-80s). Isn't the world amazing? I'm pleased that I have stired things up a bit. We care - that's what matters. - Jeannie