here's a montage just for tessa, the birthday girl!
montage by yana8792
song: shewolf
Thursday, May 16, 2013
Wednesday, May 8, 2013
"i won't give up on us" montage
i won't give up on us, even if the skies get rough. i'm giving you all my love. i'm still looking up ...
montage by jpenelopest
song by jason mraz, "i won't give up"
off season articles, videos, etc.
featured: today's bride on set video
tessa at fashion week in audience
tessa at fashion week with elisha
ice revue 2013 at ilderton skating club
kozy shack contest winner photo shoot
tessa and scott's agent at img retires
article on their career winding down + today's bride article mention
tessa and scott win provincial team of the year
skaters hit victoria with sochi in sight
today's bride on set video
tessa and scott meet a former canadian ice dance champion + soi news
tessa at fashion week with elisha
ice revue 2013 at ilderton skating club
kozy shack contest winner photo shoot
tessa and scott's agent at img retires
article on their career winding down + today's bride article mention
tessa and scott win provincial team of the year
skaters hit victoria with sochi in sight
today's bride on set video
tessa and scott meet a former canadian ice dance champion + soi news
Monday, May 6, 2013
guest of scott moir
as the tip of my pen hovered over the document i had to sign to acknowledge that i had received my stars on ice pre-show pass, i took the time to read what it said and grinned. i glanced up at the curly haired-air canada centre teller and told her, "this is so cool". she laughed. clearly written on the envelope were the words, "guest of moir".
a few days before that, i'd arrived home at midnight to find an email from stars on ice, which said that the registration for the toronto meet and greet closed at 5 p.m. i raised my dark eyes and stared out my window, wondering what to do because i wanted to meet tessa and scott. most the time, they're in another country, but on friday, they were going to be in my city, nine rows away, under the spotlight. i refocused and sent a reply to stars on ice, explaining who i was, what i did and why i wanted this chance. "is anything possible?" the next day, an img exec sends me an email saying that his team will leave a pre-show pass for me at the will call booth and "tessa and scott will try to catch up with you then." but as i stood in front of the booth, i was just so surprized to see the pass attributed to scott. i was kind of stuck on the try part. a meeting wasn't exactly guaranteed but with this neat little personal touch, i started to feel like maybe, just maybe it was possible.
still, at the even the slightest chance that i could meet the greatest canadian ice dancers of all time, i knew that i had to do something, for them and for their other fans. i typed up a post on fsu, letting everyone know what was going on, and finally pressed submit, giving fans about 36 hours to write something and submit it to me. i tagged certain people on twitter and linked them to the post. i knew that that would be enough to spread the word. and then cherub was inspired to finish her epic quote collection. basically, we know that tessa and scott have fans, not only in the audience, but in their figure skating community. fellow skaters, coaches and journalists have praised them over the years and she has been collecting those quotes for months. eventually, you'll get to read it here on the blog, but we wanted to give it to tessa and scott. the editor in me knew that it'd be best to keep both projects separate so i did. i ended up creating a book of letters and a book of quotes.
this project, from the get-go seemed like a pretty big job, a worldwide endeavour with fans done in the shortest possible time. i actually gave 24 hours notice at first, but that seemed cruel so i extended it until i was working on the books till the last minute. but i just couldn't not share. that said, i didn't put as much pressure on myself as i could have. i didn't end up saying that i wanted to record what was going on. i knew that i'd try, but i wasn't exactly sure if it'd work. i only had a camera on my phone and for the life of me, i couldn't figure out how to connect my android to my computer. and no associate at telus knew how. two days before stars on ice, i went to a session with a telus learning specialist and made it happen. i experimented with recording things all morning on friday, but when you watch the videos below, keep in mind that i've a way with words, not cameras -- at least not right now. i also made sure to clear the memory on my phone because who knew how much this would take and i charged it the night before. my phone at least was ready.
still, as i walked out of the tunnel that connects the historic union station with the air canada centre and stood in skinny jeans, flats and a trench coat to stare for a second at the billboard of glowing lights which announced that stars on ice would be playing tonight at 7:30, i didn't know what would happen in the pre-show. but no matter what, i'd make sure tessa and scott would get the two books. i adjusted my bags and moved my hair out of my face before going to the right, where the will call booth is located.
about an hour later, i walked down the concrete steps in the arena and looked out to the ice, where the first set of skaters were warming up. i immediately saw tessa skating by, looking focused. scott was at the other end. i also saw an immediate problem: i'm here. they're there. and, according to a security guard, row 11 was as far as the fans were going to get. i looked at what was going on around me and realized that it wasn't going to just happen so i focused on what i wanted before taking a few people aside, shaking a few hands and talking to more people to follow up ... in the end, i think i ended up talking to someone from img, which was great because the stars on ice team didn't know anything about this. he assured me that once tessa and scott were done with their practice, i'd get to see them.
for the next ten or so minutes, i sat in my chair, legs crossed with my bags at my feet, fiddling with the camera on my phone as the practice went on. my camera recorded when i thought it wasn't. it didn't when i thought it did. the footage i did get looked dark and far away when i reviewed them ... i resolved to get this filming thing together before i saw tessa and scott, but i did manage to capture these moments:
a few days before that, i'd arrived home at midnight to find an email from stars on ice, which said that the registration for the toronto meet and greet closed at 5 p.m. i raised my dark eyes and stared out my window, wondering what to do because i wanted to meet tessa and scott. most the time, they're in another country, but on friday, they were going to be in my city, nine rows away, under the spotlight. i refocused and sent a reply to stars on ice, explaining who i was, what i did and why i wanted this chance. "is anything possible?" the next day, an img exec sends me an email saying that his team will leave a pre-show pass for me at the will call booth and "tessa and scott will try to catch up with you then." but as i stood in front of the booth, i was just so surprized to see the pass attributed to scott. i was kind of stuck on the try part. a meeting wasn't exactly guaranteed but with this neat little personal touch, i started to feel like maybe, just maybe it was possible.
still, at the even the slightest chance that i could meet the greatest canadian ice dancers of all time, i knew that i had to do something, for them and for their other fans. i typed up a post on fsu, letting everyone know what was going on, and finally pressed submit, giving fans about 36 hours to write something and submit it to me. i tagged certain people on twitter and linked them to the post. i knew that that would be enough to spread the word. and then cherub was inspired to finish her epic quote collection. basically, we know that tessa and scott have fans, not only in the audience, but in their figure skating community. fellow skaters, coaches and journalists have praised them over the years and she has been collecting those quotes for months. eventually, you'll get to read it here on the blog, but we wanted to give it to tessa and scott. the editor in me knew that it'd be best to keep both projects separate so i did. i ended up creating a book of letters and a book of quotes.
both books, right after they were created
this project, from the get-go seemed like a pretty big job, a worldwide endeavour with fans done in the shortest possible time. i actually gave 24 hours notice at first, but that seemed cruel so i extended it until i was working on the books till the last minute. but i just couldn't not share. that said, i didn't put as much pressure on myself as i could have. i didn't end up saying that i wanted to record what was going on. i knew that i'd try, but i wasn't exactly sure if it'd work. i only had a camera on my phone and for the life of me, i couldn't figure out how to connect my android to my computer. and no associate at telus knew how. two days before stars on ice, i went to a session with a telus learning specialist and made it happen. i experimented with recording things all morning on friday, but when you watch the videos below, keep in mind that i've a way with words, not cameras -- at least not right now. i also made sure to clear the memory on my phone because who knew how much this would take and i charged it the night before. my phone at least was ready.
still, as i walked out of the tunnel that connects the historic union station with the air canada centre and stood in skinny jeans, flats and a trench coat to stare for a second at the billboard of glowing lights which announced that stars on ice would be playing tonight at 7:30, i didn't know what would happen in the pre-show. but no matter what, i'd make sure tessa and scott would get the two books. i adjusted my bags and moved my hair out of my face before going to the right, where the will call booth is located.
about an hour later, i walked down the concrete steps in the arena and looked out to the ice, where the first set of skaters were warming up. i immediately saw tessa skating by, looking focused. scott was at the other end. i also saw an immediate problem: i'm here. they're there. and, according to a security guard, row 11 was as far as the fans were going to get. i looked at what was going on around me and realized that it wasn't going to just happen so i focused on what i wanted before taking a few people aside, shaking a few hands and talking to more people to follow up ... in the end, i think i ended up talking to someone from img, which was great because the stars on ice team didn't know anything about this. he assured me that once tessa and scott were done with their practice, i'd get to see them.
for the next ten or so minutes, i sat in my chair, legs crossed with my bags at my feet, fiddling with the camera on my phone as the practice went on. my camera recorded when i thought it wasn't. it didn't when i thought it did. the footage i did get looked dark and far away when i reviewed them ... i resolved to get this filming thing together before i saw tessa and scott, but i did manage to capture these moments:
practising the split lift in "stay"
taking a break during practice
tessa
"misha," the stars on ice coordinator called out from a few rows down. i looked up as she waved me over. i saw tessa behind her, stepping off the ice and unto the on-ice platform, ready to talk to me. once i reached that area and i put my bags down by a chair, i straightened up and saw that tessa was just staring at me with a smile on her face, so calm. i smiled back and said, "hi! i'm a big fan". she smiled brighter. "is it misha or mischka?" she asked, curious about how to say my name. "misha," i replied. i shook her hand and told her that i've been a long time fan. i knew about them back with valse triste and i've followed them ever since. tessa seemed delighted. i thought that, in the end, i would only talk to tessa, but then scott skates over, steps off the ice and gives me a hug.
i think scott was the one who asked if i figure skate and that's why i keep the blog. i told him, no. so they wondered how i became interested in figure skating. the answer is relatively simple. i've long followed canada's ice dancing greats. first, bourne and kraatz then dubreuil and lauzon and now them. then they started to tell me how amazed they are with my blog. i know more about them than they do. they consult it sometimes when they have to remember something. they couldn't imagine the amount of hard work that goes into it. amused, i told them that now, because they introduced me to rihanna's "stay", i use it as a soundtrack while i work. they laughed. we chatted a bit more, but i'm standing there, looking at them in disbelief. first, they're really tall, especially in skates. i'm not a short person and i felt like i was looking up to them, literally. also, they look exactly like how they do in photos. that should seem obvious but as i looked at them, it felt like i was looking at an off-ice photo. they looked picture perfect (photoshop perfect, really) but this time, the image was actually real. and my god, they're absolutely gorgeous. picture are true to form, but pixels on a screen can't really do them justice. they were radiant. they were also incredibly articulate and relaxed, with each other and me.
i grinned then looked at the books in my hands. glancing up, i told them that when i knew that i had even a chance to meet them, i couldn't keep it just to myself. i worked with other fans so that we could have something to give them. their faces just lit up. tessa received cherub's book of quotes and scott received our letters. i know this moment wasn't just for me so i took my camera and started to record their reaction. i hope they're used to this ... that someone can't just talk to them as tessa and scott. they've become a hero for many and capturing their moments of joy and appreciation becomes really important because all the people who'd want to see this aren't standing here with them.
tessa and scott when they first received the books
once again, they couldn't believe that i'd put something so special together for them. scott was impressed with the book of letters. i told them about the 2011 finlandia photographs i'd chosen for the cover and they gushed about the photographers from finland. tessa and scott already know how amazing they are. tessa deeply appreciated the book of quotes and i told her who was responsible for putting it together. "wow. that's really special. thank you for taking the time to do that." then i told them about the questions. i had put a page full of questions at the end of cherub's book and we turned to that section. i asked them if there was a question they wanted to answer now. tessa thought about it and said that the "stay" question was okay. so i asked if i could record them answering it. they agreed. scott was pretty excited for this, waving to the camera. he's as loveable and fun loving in person as he seems on camera.
q and a with tessa and scott
tessa loved the costume question so picked it next. though she knew scott's answer, she couldn't think of one costume she regretted. scott said that she probably regretted the ones other people made her wear, but when she creates them herself, "you pretty much have a good sense of style".
tessa then answered the question about what it's like to work with jean marc généreux. they met him initially ten years ago when he and his wife, france, did a seminar in waterloo. "they made such an impact on us. i remember just taking to heart all the little lessons. and at that time for us, learning about leading and following." but tessa, laughing, said that she didn't think she learned that lesson very well. scott teased her, saying that she learned how to lead from jean marc and he learned how to follow from france. tessa loves his energy and recounted how special it was to work with him now. she then explained how jean marc puts together a program. "he has a great vision. it was also neat to work with him because, first things first, we wanted to figure out what costumes? who's your character? what kind of hairstyle do you have? is it late at night? are you walking in the park? are you inside or are you outside? where's the music coming from? all those questions before we even started moving. he really painted a picture before he saw the movement come together. that was kind of fun and different for us."
tessa then wanted to answer the gift question: "what's the gift given by the other that you like the most?" scott once gave her a marvin the martian body pillow for christmas gift, which he had wrapped in newspapers. they used to spend a lot of time in the car so she took that thing everywhere with her. "in training, we often reference marnie mcbean and she talks about filling your jar of rice. so every good thing you do, you're adding rice to the bucket." that metaphor, which marnie explains in her book, "the power of more", is described here as something that happens "beginning early in the process -- that is, in our preparation for a task. mcbean likens preparing for a goal to filling a cup with grains of rice, with each grain representing some time and effort that we contribute toward that goal. the contributions could be in the areas of physical conditioning, mental awareness, emotional well-being or health. the more grains of rice we add to our cup, the greater the likelihood of meeting our objective." tessa continued, "sometimes, when you have bad days, you're not necessarily taking rice out, but you're not adding any ... but you still have the bowl of rice."
when she brought up the a three-time olympic champion in rowing and her advice on adversity, i had to ask about how they deal with it. scott answered: "it's the path that makes us so strong ... i always think back to tessa's surgeries as really dark times but now that we've come through it, it's given us a lot of strength. we needed it definitely this year, going back, what to look for in terms of something to give us strength in the hard times and we were lucky that we were able to come together and do that." then tessa goes back to her rice analogy and the strength they needed to handle the 2012 worlds. "before the world championships last year in nice, my doorbell rang and i went downstairs and there was no one there, but there was this ginormous bucket full of rice. it was from scott and it basically said, look at how much rice we have kiddo. we have so much training behind us and we knew that we were ready. i thought that was probably the best gift that anyone has ever given me."
my dark brown eyes linger on the video for a moment, right now. i find it fascinating that they indicated how tumultuous the last two worlds were for them, but said it with such grace and perspective, getting to the point without belabouring it. when they finished, you understood their strength and their will to win ... and their determination to hold on to each other and preserve their own relationship in the midst of it all. these two have one of the longest lasting partnerships in figure skating.
now at this point in our meeting, i'm fascinated by tessa. i feel like having some fun so i decide to tell her about the recent polls for the best female ice dancer at fsu, that she wins them all and we all sit down to write down exactly why she's amazing. we mention it in the books they now have but i want to tell her right now. i know tessa is hard on herself when it comes to her skating, but i was surprized at how shocked she became but i wasn't surprized at how proud scott looked. i then looked at him, telling him how much we adored him, on ice and off. i stopped filming then, but immediately after scott started to tease me about why only the ladies get a poll. i paused to think of when we've had that poll last, while tessa laughed and scott grinned, "you don't have to answer that!"
around this time, i felt like i just wanted to put down the camera and talk to them. i also realized that they probably stayed for a long as they could. i asked them a few last questions, including what they were doing next and scott said that they'd finish the tour and get back to training. he could have said something about a vacation, but i don't recall that he did right then. anyway, they're quite serious about getting back to training. i took a few photos and then they were gone.
tessa as she's about to leave
scott as he's about to leave
i made my way back to my seat and spent the next half hour replaying those videos. i wanted to see if i could hear anything. i hoped i could. then i realized that you could hear me on the playback and threw my head back in embarrassment before brushing a dark lock of hair from my face. honestly, i wish i'd just let them talk on the videos and then spoke to them privately. i wondered if i could have asked better questions or mentioned more interesting things. i started to wish that i'd actually prepared to meet them on a personal level, not just put together a literary project while in the middle of a million other things. i would have done a few things different, like let them choose another and final question themselves. maybe i could have worn heels and stood high enough to look them straight in the eye.
i was so caught up in my little world that didn't even pay attention the second group of practice skaters, though that included kurt and patrick. but even i had to notice that long after every other skater had left, patrick was still out there, practising his "i need a dollar" exhibition. he's repeating moves over and over, making sure they're perfect. then my phone beeped and lights came on to tell me the battery was nearly dead. i turned it off, tucked it away in my bag and went out to the concourse, the show an hour or so away. i've a few thoughts on it, but i'll save that until another time.
to end this, though ... i'd like to thank the team at img who made this possible. stars on ice, as well. and, of course, tessa and scott. thanks for taking the time to come and talk to me. you seemed as fascinated with me as i was with you. as i stood and looked around the air canada centre, random people passing by, i couldn't help but think of all the other fans who were a part of this and, tonight, i hope that this gave you what you had hoped for.
Saturday, May 4, 2013
memories from stars on ice toronto
it's been more than a week since i sat in the stands and watched the stars on ice toronto show. of course, the highlight for me was meeting tessa and scott in the pre-show. you can read about it here. still, other things caught my eye ... unfortunately, too much time has elapsed for me to string the review into a narrative. so, below, you'll find the memories that remain vivid.
- i saw javier fernandez dash out of the air canada centre. of course, he was mobbed by fans who were waiting for the pre-show but he graciously stopped for photos before jetting off.
- i also managed to see the back of marie-france dubreuil, but only because i turned around a second too late.
- while sitting in row 9, i had a good view of the staircase that led to a lower level. once, i looked down randomly and saw kaitlyn weaver, tiffed out with her golden hair streaming around her face. andrew was by her side. they stared out at the ice for a few moments with a smile on their faces before waving at the skaters.
- kurt browning came out after the pre-show practice in shorts and slid over the ice in his sneakers. i think he was looking to retreive something. a few fans caught up with him and he stopped to pose for a few photos with them. the spotlight of the flash lit up that area of the rink.
- patrick chan was obsessed with his hat. he focused on catching it in various positions during his practice before executing various sections of his exhibition. skaters need to be off the ice by at least 5:30 p.m. to prep for the show and at 5:15 p.m., he was still the last skater gliding over the ice.
- the way the cast used their entire bodies during their opening number to gotye's "somebody that i used to know" was fascinating. backs were arched so far backward that i think skaters had to recalculate where their centre of gravity came from. tessa opened the routine with high, backward kicks. quirky, indeed and no one broke character even as they left the ice.
- joannie has obviously grown as a performer and her individual routines were lovely, but to me the only one who can hold their own while skating against jeff buttle is kurt.
- tessa actually said her lindt lines with relative ease this year.
- the movements in "stay" are small. when i saw this in the first fan video of this new exhibition, i was disappointed, which is why i was originally not too impressed with the 2013 tour. but after watching all the other ladies perform, especially the other female ice dancer, sinead kerr, i can say that tessa demonstrates more musicality when using the tips of her fingers than other ladies show when using their whole body. in one scene, tessa jumps back and moves arms, bending it only at her elbows. yet there was such flow, such understanding of the character, the notes and the simplicity that was needed that i sat there impressed. they and jennifer swan stripped ice dance and the song to their cores and with honest and simple movements, conveyed what it's like to be vulnerable, disturbed and a moment too late when it comes to love.
- i came for "carmen", but left stunned by "stay" -- but i just have to point out that the isu needs to rethink their costume rules. the catsuit created such a different mood than the two carmen dresses that tessa wore over the season. it was a great performance, but if i had the chance to see one version of carmen, i'd be in the stands at 2012 skate canada practice. even icenetwork continues to prove my point: that this debut was the stuff of legends.
- i saw javier fernandez dash out of the air canada centre. of course, he was mobbed by fans who were waiting for the pre-show but he graciously stopped for photos before jetting off.
- i also managed to see the back of marie-france dubreuil, but only because i turned around a second too late.
- while sitting in row 9, i had a good view of the staircase that led to a lower level. once, i looked down randomly and saw kaitlyn weaver, tiffed out with her golden hair streaming around her face. andrew was by her side. they stared out at the ice for a few moments with a smile on their faces before waving at the skaters.
- kurt browning came out after the pre-show practice in shorts and slid over the ice in his sneakers. i think he was looking to retreive something. a few fans caught up with him and he stopped to pose for a few photos with them. the spotlight of the flash lit up that area of the rink.
- patrick chan was obsessed with his hat. he focused on catching it in various positions during his practice before executing various sections of his exhibition. skaters need to be off the ice by at least 5:30 p.m. to prep for the show and at 5:15 p.m., he was still the last skater gliding over the ice.
- the way the cast used their entire bodies during their opening number to gotye's "somebody that i used to know" was fascinating. backs were arched so far backward that i think skaters had to recalculate where their centre of gravity came from. tessa opened the routine with high, backward kicks. quirky, indeed and no one broke character even as they left the ice.
- joannie has obviously grown as a performer and her individual routines were lovely, but to me the only one who can hold their own while skating against jeff buttle is kurt.
- tessa actually said her lindt lines with relative ease this year.
- the movements in "stay" are small. when i saw this in the first fan video of this new exhibition, i was disappointed, which is why i was originally not too impressed with the 2013 tour. but after watching all the other ladies perform, especially the other female ice dancer, sinead kerr, i can say that tessa demonstrates more musicality when using the tips of her fingers than other ladies show when using their whole body. in one scene, tessa jumps back and moves arms, bending it only at her elbows. yet there was such flow, such understanding of the character, the notes and the simplicity that was needed that i sat there impressed. they and jennifer swan stripped ice dance and the song to their cores and with honest and simple movements, conveyed what it's like to be vulnerable, disturbed and a moment too late when it comes to love.
- i came for "carmen", but left stunned by "stay" -- but i just have to point out that the isu needs to rethink their costume rules. the catsuit created such a different mood than the two carmen dresses that tessa wore over the season. it was a great performance, but if i had the chance to see one version of carmen, i'd be in the stands at 2012 skate canada practice. even icenetwork continues to prove my point: that this debut was the stuff of legends.
- the introduction to the world champion number was highly effective. the announcer would call out a name with the label "world champion" and the spotlight would hit that skater. you can see how much tessa has accomplished because out of the current crop of canadian world champions, she was the only lady. she held her own because, as the only lady, the focus was on her and many moves depended on her. fans noted how she held amazing body lines in lifts with no one really supporting her in key areas. she's only up there, back arched and toes pointed, because of her ability to control her body in the air.
- the cast numbers weren't as cohesive as last year's. for the 2012 tour, the group numbers were all clearly done for the theme of "love n' life". this year, there was no discernable theme, but they were still enjoyable.
- this tour used a lot of water. whether it was the rain pouring over kurt in his "singing in the rain" exhibition or it was a bucket of water being thrown on a skater, the ice was soaking wet in places. unfortunately, ashley wagner fell in one of these puddles, making the fall worse.
- when i left the arena, i found lindt staff standing there, waiting to give chocolate samples to everyone leaving each gate. i did take one of the milk chocolate packages and joined the crowd as we all went in the direction that would take us home.
galleries from stars on ice
featured: meyers' gallery from stars on ice hamilton
the whig's gallery
peace, love and music's "stay" gallery
peace, love and music's gallery
images on ice's gallery
danielle earl photography's gallery
meyers' gallery of stars on ice hamilton
meyers' gallery of stars on ice london
emi's gallery
donna rutherford's gallery
kurt files' gallery
mondays with mac's gallery
saskwc's gallery
Friday, May 3, 2013
videos from stars on ice
world champion number to "wonder" by naughty boy + emile sande
promo
ctv atlantic
lindt chocolate commercial
cast numbers
actual opening of stars on ice + gotye's "somebody i used to know"
cast number to gotye's "somebody i used to know"
world champion number to "wonder" by naughty boy + emile sande
world champion number to "wonder" by naughty boy + emile sande
world champion number to "wonder" by naughty boy + emile sande
world champion number to "wonder" by naughty boy + emile sande
finale, cast number to one republic's "marching on"
cast number to "come together" by the beatles/eurythmics/a.skillz
cast number to "come together" by the beatles/eurythmics/a.skillz
tessa and scott numbers
first video to rihanna's "stay"
better version of "stay"
another good version of "stay"
glowing version of "stay"
brief glimpse of "carmen"
another version of "carmen"
another version of "carmen"
practice clips, "stay" and "carmen" set to a montage
other
music video to somebody i used to know (whole cast)
reviews of stars on ice
"Tessa is amazing. I know, we already knew that. But the world champions number was a real highlight for me. The choreography was tough for everyone, but let’s face it, being the only woman means having a lot of the attention and Tessa more than handles it. She shines."
meyers' review
ceg15's review
n_halifax's review
tsskate's review
meyer's review
my review
puglover's review
kurt files' review
meyers' review part 2 (champion number)
kateanderson's review
the accordion's review
kwanfan's review
jl22aries
Monday, April 8, 2013
carmen going on tour!
Spring is in the air, which can only mean one thing for us: Investors Group
Stars on Ice presented by Lindt Tour is just around the corner! It’s time to
leave the competitive season behind and switch gears. Can’t wait!
It’s always both exciting and challenging choosing music for show programs. This year, it didn’t take us long to figure out what songs we wanted to use. After practicing our free dance of Carmen all season long, we just weren’t ready to say goodbye to the program yet. So, we’ve made a few slight modifications and we’re thrilled to have the opportunity to perform it 12 more times. Additionally, we both fell in love with Rihanna’s song Stay featuring Mikky Ekko, so we’ve choreographed a new number to that piece with Marina Zoueva and Jen Swan. Now, we’re most anxious to get to Halifax and learn the fabulous group numbers!
We are extremely pleased and honoured to be included in the Investors Group Stars on Ice family, as it is truly a magnificent cast and crew. This year, not only do we get to join some of our good friends and favourite skaters again like Jeff Buttle, Joannie Rochette and Kurt Browning, but we also have the opportunity to tour with Patrick Chan and Sinead & John Kerr. We competed against Sinead and John for many years, so it will be fun to get to know them better without the pressure. This will be "Chiddy’s" first tour, so it will no doubt be entertaining to introduce him to the numerous Stars on Ice rituals :) (Chiddy = Patrick).
Thanks for your continued support of this wonderful tour. We promise to do our best to put on a fabulous show for our fans!
With love,
Tessa and Scott
stars on ice announcement
#mustgettickets!
i have tickets to stars on ice toronto!
It’s always both exciting and challenging choosing music for show programs. This year, it didn’t take us long to figure out what songs we wanted to use. After practicing our free dance of Carmen all season long, we just weren’t ready to say goodbye to the program yet. So, we’ve made a few slight modifications and we’re thrilled to have the opportunity to perform it 12 more times. Additionally, we both fell in love with Rihanna’s song Stay featuring Mikky Ekko, so we’ve choreographed a new number to that piece with Marina Zoueva and Jen Swan. Now, we’re most anxious to get to Halifax and learn the fabulous group numbers!
We are extremely pleased and honoured to be included in the Investors Group Stars on Ice family, as it is truly a magnificent cast and crew. This year, not only do we get to join some of our good friends and favourite skaters again like Jeff Buttle, Joannie Rochette and Kurt Browning, but we also have the opportunity to tour with Patrick Chan and Sinead & John Kerr. We competed against Sinead and John for many years, so it will be fun to get to know them better without the pressure. This will be "Chiddy’s" first tour, so it will no doubt be entertaining to introduce him to the numerous Stars on Ice rituals :) (Chiddy = Patrick).
Thanks for your continued support of this wonderful tour. We promise to do our best to put on a fabulous show for our fans!
With love,
Tessa and Scott
stars on ice announcement
i have tickets to stars on ice toronto!
Sunday, April 7, 2013
carmen
"you cannot go out the first time and perform a program like that error free. the risks that they have in this program -- oh my goodness, i am blown away by it. yeah, a little bit rough in places but i don't think i've ever been as excited by a free dance as i am by this carmen."
i feel like we need to start by watching carmen so that you can understand the program at the heart of this discussion. the above quote comes from tracy wilson, an olympic bronze medalist in ice dance in 1988 and a highly respected commentator today. there are other versions that i like, but i highlighted this one because it's their first performance -- their original vision
piecing together what happened to carmen
i've been creating this new blog series for a while now. a few weeks ago, i decided that i needed to reread how carmen was received at its debut because, though it went out with a whimper at worlds, i could have sworn people declared that it was epic. my blog has a pretty comprehesive archive of tessa and scott articles at skate canada, so i poured through that section, first just curious. but after i finished reading, i sat up, put my hair into a bun to take it off my face and started copying, translating, analyzing and writing ... piecing together the reaction to carment's debut, which really was epic.
when i was done, five hours later, i became inspired to do the same for every competition. yes, every single competition this season. i was relatively obsessed with figuring out how carmen was initially received in the press, and by extension, in the figure skating community, and how that narrative changed over the season. it's a fascinating story, one that'll make you proud and sad ... but it's worth it to read each post.
skate canada
the debut of carmen
marina's comments on carmen at skate canada
rostelecom cup
carmen's reception in russia
marina's comments on carmen at rostelecom cup
grand prix final
in defence of carmen at the gpf (includes marina's comments)
nationals
carmen vulnerable at nationals
4cc
carmen cramping at 4cc
worlds
indifference to carmen's loss at worlds
marina's comments on tessa and scott losing worlds
my commentary on the free dance articles
make no mistake about it, carmen was highly respected in the figure skating world. senior skaters, olympic champions, seasoned commentators, professional photographers, coaching legends, dance experts ... they stood in awe of carmen and tessa and scott for pulling it off. if they were on the ice practising when tessa and scott did a runthrough, they stopped to stare. they stood by the boards, overwhelmed with emotions as they saw the choreography unfold. they lept to their feet when scott fell on tessa, destroyed, to give a standing ovation. but something went wrong. the initial praise was forced to get defensive halfway through the season before that voice became strangely quiet by the end. but as the season finished, the narrative against carmen took off until you could only hear those voices. even their coach marina zueva, who started with the season positively glowing about her students and widly optimistic about what carmen could achieve, ended the season not really caring about carmen's losses.
i was going to write about the marks separately, but i realized that i appreciated the juxtaposition. it's fascinating to literally see tarasova, a skating legend, declare the cup of russian carmen phenomenal and then see it earn such a relatively low score. i began to feel, though, when i started to think about the scores, that these low marks stung not just because carmen always scored lower than notre dame de paris, but because it never even reached tessa and scott's normal scoring range. think about it, carmen never even earned these two a personal best even though it was their best program to date.
the reception of carmen is as complex as the program. it was scandalous, really -- and not just because of where scott placed his hand on tessa's thigh. and though i have many quotes recorded here, the drama goes far beyond that ... but if you know the real story of carmen, the rebellion, the danger, the betrayal, the passion, the fine line it walked between morality and immortality, then you almost begin to feel like what went down this season was kind of fitting. no polite responses here. but before we judge whether it was worth it, i almost feel like we have to see how the olympic season is going to go down because you just know that all of this was because of that. we'll also have to see how it affects tessa and scott, their confidence, their vision and their goals during their last season.
notes
heartfelt thank you to my russian translators: alexandra, quiqie, pani and tabhka. alexandra, especially, was so sweet and accomodating when i sent her request after request. she translated most of the marina articles. thanks also to all the fans who found and posted these articles at various forums. thank you again to lucía and laura, tessa and scott fans from spain, for teaching us about carmen during the off-season.
when i was done, five hours later, i became inspired to do the same for every competition. yes, every single competition this season. i was relatively obsessed with figuring out how carmen was initially received in the press, and by extension, in the figure skating community, and how that narrative changed over the season. it's a fascinating story, one that'll make you proud and sad ... but it's worth it to read each post.
skate canada
the debut of carmen
marina's comments on carmen at skate canada
rostelecom cup
carmen's reception in russia
marina's comments on carmen at rostelecom cup
grand prix final
in defence of carmen at the gpf (includes marina's comments)
nationals
carmen vulnerable at nationals
4cc
carmen cramping at 4cc
worlds
indifference to carmen's loss at worlds
marina's comments on tessa and scott losing worlds
my commentary on the free dance articles
make no mistake about it, carmen was highly respected in the figure skating world. senior skaters, olympic champions, seasoned commentators, professional photographers, coaching legends, dance experts ... they stood in awe of carmen and tessa and scott for pulling it off. if they were on the ice practising when tessa and scott did a runthrough, they stopped to stare. they stood by the boards, overwhelmed with emotions as they saw the choreography unfold. they lept to their feet when scott fell on tessa, destroyed, to give a standing ovation. but something went wrong. the initial praise was forced to get defensive halfway through the season before that voice became strangely quiet by the end. but as the season finished, the narrative against carmen took off until you could only hear those voices. even their coach marina zueva, who started with the season positively glowing about her students and widly optimistic about what carmen could achieve, ended the season not really caring about carmen's losses.
i was going to write about the marks separately, but i realized that i appreciated the juxtaposition. it's fascinating to literally see tarasova, a skating legend, declare the cup of russian carmen phenomenal and then see it earn such a relatively low score. i began to feel, though, when i started to think about the scores, that these low marks stung not just because carmen always scored lower than notre dame de paris, but because it never even reached tessa and scott's normal scoring range. think about it, carmen never even earned these two a personal best even though it was their best program to date.
the reception of carmen is as complex as the program. it was scandalous, really -- and not just because of where scott placed his hand on tessa's thigh. and though i have many quotes recorded here, the drama goes far beyond that ... but if you know the real story of carmen, the rebellion, the danger, the betrayal, the passion, the fine line it walked between morality and immortality, then you almost begin to feel like what went down this season was kind of fitting. no polite responses here. but before we judge whether it was worth it, i almost feel like we have to see how the olympic season is going to go down because you just know that all of this was because of that. we'll also have to see how it affects tessa and scott, their confidence, their vision and their goals during their last season.
notes
heartfelt thank you to my russian translators: alexandra, quiqie, pani and tabhka. alexandra, especially, was so sweet and accomodating when i sent her request after request. she translated most of the marina articles. thanks also to all the fans who found and posted these articles at various forums. thank you again to lucía and laura, tessa and scott fans from spain, for teaching us about carmen during the off-season.
the debut of carmen
i still remember the first time i saw carmen. i had actually been hoping to hold off until the free dance, but after opening the first skate canada practice link for the sake of this blog, i let the video play and found myself watching what would become my favourite version of the dance.
between the command with which tessa and scott entered their starting pose, the intensity on her face as she ran her hand over his spine and the piercing opening notes, i was stunned. this ... this was the type of program that i had only heard was possible. i sat there as a fan, so proud—and really, i stood because after scott's eyes grew dark and he kicked the ice with such force that he sent that massive note blaring through my speakers, i literally jumped up and gasped, "oh my god!". this dance was so hot, so intense, so raw that i couldn't stop watching. when the runthrough was done, that video was on repeat for the rest of the night and the more i rewatched this perfect combination of modern dance and bladework, the more my amazement grew. even the little choreographic moments blew me away, like the way scott turned a simple dance hold into an act of control and bondage, binding her wrists together, before tessa snapped them out of his hands and regained control, timing her move to a beat in the music that could have been easily overlooked. in her i realized in carmen's real feminine power, one that could destroy even the strongest man.
during this time, they weren't the only ones on the practice ice. if you watch the video i'm referring to, you'll see kharis ralph and her partner on the ice with them. in fact, it seems like they had just finished their routine before tessa and scott settled in to skate. kharis later tweeted this about the experience:
elena vaitsekhovskaya, a russian journalist, said here (translated here on fsu by quiqie) that the competition version of carmen blew her mind. to her, you had to empty yourself of carmen stereotypes, "red dress, skirt flapping, foot stomping", because you were not going to find any of that here. elena actually had to rewatch the video to truly take it in.
she went on to write: "the famous hollywood director zalman king, who directed the scandalous 'wild orchid' more than twenty years ago, once said in an interview something along these lines: a true passion in real life rarely looks attractive to the audience. and the most difficult [thing] for the director planning to portray a love story is to make erotic scenes look beautiful and authentic. the line between beautiful and vulgar in art is too thin. the dance choreograped by zoueva is balancing on this line from the beginning to the end. it is packed with non-random gestures and the most complex, unexpected, specially contrived elements, that will became stronger and stronger as the program gets more mileage. now one cannot fully appreciate it—there are too many little mistakes, but i have no doubt that virtue and moir's carmen will became a main event at the world championships in london, canada."
she continues, "only now, after the premiere, it's clear that for many years zoueva masterfully led tessa and scott to their carmen as an experienced director leads already established big actors for the main role in their lives. such programs usually make you think with mild annoyance: 'why now? why not in the olympic year?' perhaps there is also hidden reasoning behind. i can, of course, be wrong, but i believe that in case of perfect skate of such a great program no other ice dancing team in the world could came close to the canadians. and in this case, it is unlikely that judges will have any doubt as to who should become a world champion this year and win the olympics the next."
looking back, "immediately after shpilband and zoueva had parted, most voiced-in-the-press comments boiled down to the conclusion that the termination of their collaboration will negatively affect the skaters. and thanks to that, others will get a chance to close the gap to the leaders. carmen, choreographed by zoueva for the olympic champions, suggests rather the opposite. that if a strong and confident woman wants to prove something to somebody, she will do it. no matter how much effort it will cost. in fact, the dance that has shaken up the world of ice dance [tessa ands scott's carmen!] is about this, too."
pj kwong, writing for the cbc here, said "technically very intricate and artistically off the charts, tessa and scott credit modern dance choreographer jennifer swan along with marina zueva with helping them shape their vision. the happy by-product is that this program is so good that we now won't be able to think about carmen without imagining virtue and moir. i'm hoping this music will be ruined for anybody else's use in skating like bolero [because of torvil and dean], love story [because of jamie and david] and casablanca [because of kurt] have been. talk about killing two birds with one stone!"
alexandra stevenson at ice skating international wrote in this event summary that "tessa virtue, 23, and scott moir, 25, canada, presented a wonderfully intense four-minute-ten-second mesmerizing creation that edged their skating to new heights in audience communication. their interpretation was on a heated, heightened emotional plateau that almost melted the ice."
an italian journalist called this carmen "gothic", "innovative", "sublime", "senusal" and "explicit". i wasn't able to get a proper translation, but i surmissed from google translator that the journalist mentioned how much care was put into the program and admired their desire to be different.
praise even came from the upper echelons of the ice dance patheon. maxim stavisky, a two-time world ice dance champion with albena denkova, said in an articled entitled maxim staviski: only with pure skating it is possible to fight against refereeing (translated for me via email by my twitter friend alexandra) that "i like their free dance based on carmen. there have been many attempts to present a classic theme in certain modern way. such things are not always acceptable, especially when we're used to the classics and any other interpretation looks, let's say, unusual. it gets uncomfortable. but in the canadian's choreography, you can see their own approach and their own vision. it has maybe more sexuality, more rough movements for tessa and unnatural positions in dance [than we're used to]. it was a very interesting dance to watch. and i can't even say that virtue and moir performed all elements as they should be done. i consider them the leaders today. they are strongest in choreography and skating."
"you cannot go out the first time and perform a program like that error free. the risks that they have in this program -- oh my goodness, i am blown away by it. yeah, a little bit rough in places but i don't think i've ever been as excited by a free dance as i am by this carmen." tracy wilson
"wow. from the oft, she was carmen. ... sensuous, languid, tempting, seductive. i forgot to watch the elements. the difficulty and the danger of those elements going wrong. a couple of glitches perhaps, but my god they acted the part. she's spectacular in this. it's the best carmen on ice i've ever seen." eurosport guys.
and let's not forget the way the practice video ignited the forums. other tessa and scott fans were fanning themselves, positively giddy, because this carmen was so, so hot. over at fsu, sarahararainfall cried, "oh my. sweet mother and child" and bue was stunned: "holy hell, the last minute of the program! the lifts!" golightly pointed out that, "steaminess aside, this is a SOUND program. carmen is destructive lust and pure madness. you cannot hint at things with carmen, you must do them. it is complex as hell and the movements just show you that. i know it is tough not to focus on the characters, but let's talk about the step sequences? so glorious." and varbar wrote, "finally a program which is choreographically worthy of tessa and scott's talent and skills. i'd been waiting for it to come up ever since umbrellas and pink floyd." many forum commentors who had previously complained that tessa and scott could only skate to romantic schtick were thoroughly and completely satisfied. that night was epic and i can't help but grin when i recall it.
yes, there were critics, like sonia bianchetti garbato writing for ice skating international, who wanted those stereotypes that elena wrote of, namely the carmen and don josé that anna and luca portrayed. but even she had to tip her hat to tessa and scott's undeniable mastery. "there is no doubt that the canadians technically were superior but from the artistic point of view, i must say that for me anna and luca were the best. anyhow, i found them both breathtaking."
not only do i remember my original thoughts about carmen, but i also remember the original reaction. and i want to make note of it. actually, i want to underline it, circle it and tap my pen against this white scroll for emphasis. lest we forget, when people saw first it with fresh eyes and had nothing guiding their opinions but their emotions and expectations about what the highest level of ice dance requires, this was how they reacted. even in its early season rawness, fellow skaters, photographers, figure skating fans and journalists gave it unequivocal praise. to them, it wasn't a mistake nor was it anything short of brilliant.
between the command with which tessa and scott entered their starting pose, the intensity on her face as she ran her hand over his spine and the piercing opening notes, i was stunned. this ... this was the type of program that i had only heard was possible. i sat there as a fan, so proud—and really, i stood because after scott's eyes grew dark and he kicked the ice with such force that he sent that massive note blaring through my speakers, i literally jumped up and gasped, "oh my god!". this dance was so hot, so intense, so raw that i couldn't stop watching. when the runthrough was done, that video was on repeat for the rest of the night and the more i rewatched this perfect combination of modern dance and bladework, the more my amazement grew. even the little choreographic moments blew me away, like the way scott turned a simple dance hold into an act of control and bondage, binding her wrists together, before tessa snapped them out of his hands and regained control, timing her move to a beat in the music that could have been easily overlooked. in her i realized in carmen's real feminine power, one that could destroy even the strongest man.
during this time, they weren't the only ones on the practice ice. if you watch the video i'm referring to, you'll see kharis ralph and her partner on the ice with them. in fact, it seems like they had just finished their routine before tessa and scott settled in to skate. kharis later tweeted this about the experience:
melanie hoyt was also at the practice arena and later wrote over at ice-dance.com, in a post entitled brought to you by insomnia, that "i have to mention tessa virtue and scott moir first, since i had definitely been a bit of a skeptic in regards to their carmen free dance. [really, everyone was shocked that they had picked this music since it was so overused.] friends, i am not a skeptic anymore. even just seeing pieces of that program from the 'wrong' side of the rink, i think that program is going to be incredible. i can definitely [see] the influence from an outside choreographer—they have a lot of new movements in this piece—and the lifts are mind-blowing." after seeing carmen in competition and hearing the reactions around her, she wrote another blog called a day of free skates to tell us that "everyone is talking about tessa virtue and scott moir’s free dance, and all i have to add is that they really surprised me. i wasn’t expecting to like their free dance, but i think it’s fantastic. it needs more time and perhaps a few tweaks (and some colour on her dress, please?), but what a way to start the year."elena vaitsekhovskaya, a russian journalist, said here (translated here on fsu by quiqie) that the competition version of carmen blew her mind. to her, you had to empty yourself of carmen stereotypes, "red dress, skirt flapping, foot stomping", because you were not going to find any of that here. elena actually had to rewatch the video to truly take it in.
she went on to write: "the famous hollywood director zalman king, who directed the scandalous 'wild orchid' more than twenty years ago, once said in an interview something along these lines: a true passion in real life rarely looks attractive to the audience. and the most difficult [thing] for the director planning to portray a love story is to make erotic scenes look beautiful and authentic. the line between beautiful and vulgar in art is too thin. the dance choreograped by zoueva is balancing on this line from the beginning to the end. it is packed with non-random gestures and the most complex, unexpected, specially contrived elements, that will became stronger and stronger as the program gets more mileage. now one cannot fully appreciate it—there are too many little mistakes, but i have no doubt that virtue and moir's carmen will became a main event at the world championships in london, canada."
she continues, "only now, after the premiere, it's clear that for many years zoueva masterfully led tessa and scott to their carmen as an experienced director leads already established big actors for the main role in their lives. such programs usually make you think with mild annoyance: 'why now? why not in the olympic year?' perhaps there is also hidden reasoning behind. i can, of course, be wrong, but i believe that in case of perfect skate of such a great program no other ice dancing team in the world could came close to the canadians. and in this case, it is unlikely that judges will have any doubt as to who should become a world champion this year and win the olympics the next."
looking back, "immediately after shpilband and zoueva had parted, most voiced-in-the-press comments boiled down to the conclusion that the termination of their collaboration will negatively affect the skaters. and thanks to that, others will get a chance to close the gap to the leaders. carmen, choreographed by zoueva for the olympic champions, suggests rather the opposite. that if a strong and confident woman wants to prove something to somebody, she will do it. no matter how much effort it will cost. in fact, the dance that has shaken up the world of ice dance [tessa ands scott's carmen!] is about this, too."
pj kwong, writing for the cbc here, said "technically very intricate and artistically off the charts, tessa and scott credit modern dance choreographer jennifer swan along with marina zueva with helping them shape their vision. the happy by-product is that this program is so good that we now won't be able to think about carmen without imagining virtue and moir. i'm hoping this music will be ruined for anybody else's use in skating like bolero [because of torvil and dean], love story [because of jamie and david] and casablanca [because of kurt] have been. talk about killing two birds with one stone!"
alexandra stevenson at ice skating international wrote in this event summary that "tessa virtue, 23, and scott moir, 25, canada, presented a wonderfully intense four-minute-ten-second mesmerizing creation that edged their skating to new heights in audience communication. their interpretation was on a heated, heightened emotional plateau that almost melted the ice."
an italian journalist called this carmen "gothic", "innovative", "sublime", "senusal" and "explicit". i wasn't able to get a proper translation, but i surmissed from google translator that the journalist mentioned how much care was put into the program and admired their desire to be different.
praise even came from the upper echelons of the ice dance patheon. maxim stavisky, a two-time world ice dance champion with albena denkova, said in an articled entitled maxim staviski: only with pure skating it is possible to fight against refereeing (translated for me via email by my twitter friend alexandra) that "i like their free dance based on carmen. there have been many attempts to present a classic theme in certain modern way. such things are not always acceptable, especially when we're used to the classics and any other interpretation looks, let's say, unusual. it gets uncomfortable. but in the canadian's choreography, you can see their own approach and their own vision. it has maybe more sexuality, more rough movements for tessa and unnatural positions in dance [than we're used to]. it was a very interesting dance to watch. and i can't even say that virtue and moir performed all elements as they should be done. i consider them the leaders today. they are strongest in choreography and skating."
"you cannot go out the first time and perform a program like that error free. the risks that they have in this program -- oh my goodness, i am blown away by it. yeah, a little bit rough in places but i don't think i've ever been as excited by a free dance as i am by this carmen." tracy wilson
"wow. from the oft, she was carmen. ... sensuous, languid, tempting, seductive. i forgot to watch the elements. the difficulty and the danger of those elements going wrong. a couple of glitches perhaps, but my god they acted the part. she's spectacular in this. it's the best carmen on ice i've ever seen." eurosport guys.
and let's not forget the way the practice video ignited the forums. other tessa and scott fans were fanning themselves, positively giddy, because this carmen was so, so hot. over at fsu, sarahararainfall cried, "oh my. sweet mother and child" and bue was stunned: "holy hell, the last minute of the program! the lifts!" golightly pointed out that, "steaminess aside, this is a SOUND program. carmen is destructive lust and pure madness. you cannot hint at things with carmen, you must do them. it is complex as hell and the movements just show you that. i know it is tough not to focus on the characters, but let's talk about the step sequences? so glorious." and varbar wrote, "finally a program which is choreographically worthy of tessa and scott's talent and skills. i'd been waiting for it to come up ever since umbrellas and pink floyd." many forum commentors who had previously complained that tessa and scott could only skate to romantic schtick were thoroughly and completely satisfied. that night was epic and i can't help but grin when i recall it.
yes, there were critics, like sonia bianchetti garbato writing for ice skating international, who wanted those stereotypes that elena wrote of, namely the carmen and don josé that anna and luca portrayed. but even she had to tip her hat to tessa and scott's undeniable mastery. "there is no doubt that the canadians technically were superior but from the artistic point of view, i must say that for me anna and luca were the best. anyhow, i found them both breathtaking."
not only do i remember my original thoughts about carmen, but i also remember the original reaction. and i want to make note of it. actually, i want to underline it, circle it and tap my pen against this white scroll for emphasis. lest we forget, when people saw first it with fresh eyes and had nothing guiding their opinions but their emotions and expectations about what the highest level of ice dance requires, this was how they reacted. even in its early season rawness, fellow skaters, photographers, figure skating fans and journalists gave it unequivocal praise. to them, it wasn't a mistake nor was it anything short of brilliant.
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