2011 LPIDC Program Notebook – Junior
Short Dance
Group A
Alicia Fortin & Matt Kleffman (CAN)
“Smooth”
Skated in the U.S. last year, but plan to compete in Canada this year. Good speed through the midline, nice expression from both. Not the most difficult program, but skated well. 38.14, 8th.
Abby Carswell & Simon Tanguay (CAN)
“Falling Star”
Opened with the Cha Cha pattern, looked strong. Nice elements, program seemed well-trained. Softer feel overall, accentuated by her fluffy peach dress. 43.44, 4th.
Lauri Bonacorsi & Travis Mager “
Chilly Cha Cha” & “Besame Mucho”
Lots of steam in the opening, great Latin hip action. Big Cha Cha pattern, and the rest of the elements were quite strong as well. Really seemed to feel the music. They look ready for the JGP. 48.71, 1st (2nd in TES, 1st in PCS).
Madeline Heritage & Nathaniel Fast
“To Make You Feel My Love” & “Rolling in the Deep” with a Latin beat
Interesting music choice for a Latin program, but it works with the beat! Much more mature look this year, seem more confident overall. Unfortunate fall, but they didn’t seem to let the mistake affect them and kept pushing through the program. Great job, aside from the mistake. 42.03, 5th.
Ramona Wright & Nicholas Taylor
New team, and she’s moved up quickly—was intermediate just 2 seasons ago. Music seemed a bit fast for them, and they had a rough skate. 26.66, 13th.
Rachel Parsons & Michael Parsons
She has come back quickly from an injury, but the program seemed ready and stamina was not an issue. Nice job! Strong showing at the junior level for last year’s novice champions. Would love to see them add more sassy flavor to the program as the season progresses. 41.89, 6th.
Victoria Hasegawa & Connor Hasegawa (CAN)
“Cha Cha Cha d’Amour” – Dean Martin
He’s wearing goofy glasses for this humorous take on the Latin rhythm. Cha cha pattern was excellent, and the elements were strong. His nerdy character is a bit of a risk—could be interpreted as sloppy in some places. Good choice for them, overall. Concept is similar to last year’s short dance interpretation. 48.51, close 2nd (1st in TES, 2nd in PCS).
Sarah Coward & Avidan Brown (GBR)
New team, not much of a height difference. Still working through the partnering, and had some trouble on the midline, but showed some good attack. Connection needs to develop more during the season. 37.09, 9th.
Kaitlin Hawayek & Michael Bramante
“Sway” + “Tequila”
Wow, what a statement in their move up to junior! Absolutely look ready to take on this level. Great smiles, solid skating, looked like they were having a great time. 46.50, 3rd.
Jenna Dzierzanowski & Vinny Dispenza
Santana/slow Latin
Need more connection between them and commitment to the rhythm, overall. Not their best skate this time. 31.83, 12th.
Laurence Fournier-Beaudry & Yoan Breton (CAN)
“Ritmo de Bom Bom”
She is wearing a huge feather on the top of her head. Really, a HUGE feather. Program has some jungle flair to it, I guess? Overall, the program was skated very precisely, but quite slowly. They had wonderful attack last season, and look like they’re not quite there yet this season. Great lifts, though. 40.30, 7th.
Sarah Clarke & Steven Clarke (CAN)
“Honkytonk in Mexico”
New look and new coaches this year. She’s now platinum blonde and he’s gone darker. New coaches are Allie Hann-McCurdy & Michael Coreno. Some improvements to their skating are starting to show, but they still need to work on generating more speed and attacking the elements. Looked like they were enjoying themselves. 32.73, 11th.
Mariève Cyr & Benjamin Brisebois (CAN)
Brisebois, especially, has the posture and attitude of a Latin dancer on the ice. Good skating, but it seems like they must have had some trouble with the levels. They can definitely make this program spicier. 35.15, 10th.
Group B
Elliana Pogrebinsky & Ross Gudis
Nice expression and good musicality. Smooth skating, but an unfortunate tumble on the twizzles really hurt their score. 32.80, 12th.
Danielle Gamelin & Alex Gamelin
Foot down on the twizzles will affect their level. Fun Latin program overall, both move so well and really feel the music. Sassy and energetic. 42.59, 6th (4th in PCS).
Mackenzie Reid & Joseph Johnson
Johnson has jumped to junior from the intermediate level in this new partnership. Not much connection between them, and seems like they are still gelling as a team. 31.69, 14th.
Cortney Mansour & Daryn Zhunussov (KAZ)
“Perhaps, Perhaps, Perhaps”
Some little stumbles, including during the Cha Cha Congelado pattern. Not too polished overall, but they have potential. Is it a rule that dance teams representing Kazakhstan have to be little firecrackers? This is another one! 36.51, 10th.
Andréanne Poulin & Marc-André Servant (CAN)
“Sittin’ on the Dock of the Bay” + Samba
Interesting take on the rhythm, feels quite refreshing after a whole group of Latin programs already! Congelado pattern looked very strong, seemed confident and prepared. Nice job on twizzles, which has been the team’s weakness in past seasons! 44.22, close 4th.
Élisabeth Paradis & François-Xavier Ouellette (CAN)
“Black Magic Woman”
Good ice coverage and strong steps on the Congelado pattern. Minor mistakes on some of the elements, but they have a good base to build from. Nice choreography, suits them well. 41.47, 7th.
Danielle Calthorpe & Paul Dredge (GBR)
“I Like It Like That”
New partnership. Twizzles were a rough spot, and they didn’t look quite together in the pattern—some pushing and pulling going on. Nice spark to their program. 32.24, 13th.
Lorraine McNamara & Quinn Carpenter
“Swish” (?)
Very cute program that suited them well, and then did all of their elements beautifully, too. Very enjoyable overall. Hard to believe they are not JGP-eligible yet. 45.34, 2nd.
Josyane Cholette & Simon Proulx-Sénécal (CAN)
“I Like It Like that”
Lots of teams “like it like that” this year! Very mature, sensual presentation from this team. Pattern could have been sharper and need more speed through the footwork, but the dance was fun too watch. 36.47, 11th (7th in PCS).
Jessica Mancini & Tyler Brooks
Her one-pant-leg costume was a little odd, but it did show off her extension because it drew the eye to her leg. On that note, it also made the moments when their legs did not match more exposed, too. Nice job with the pattern. 44.42, 3rd.
Vanessa Wade & JoeBen Wilson
“Dance with Me”
Problems on the twizzles, and the pattern seemed slow…wondering if it was an ice coverage issue, or if the tempo of the music was actually too slow. She, especially, looked like she was having a great time. 24.13, 15th.
Alexandra Aldridge & Daniel Eaton
“I Need to Know”
Class of the field, even with an error on the twizzles. Strong program, great commitment to the choreography, really connected to each other. Absolutely ready to take on the juniors of the world. 52.74.
Danvi Pham & Vu Pham
The Phams are back in competition this season after skipping Nationals last year, and they are with different coaches now. The change seems to have worked for them. Program was youthful and fun, and they did well. 42.76, 5th.
Cassandra Jeandell & Damian Dodge
“Sway” + “Let’s Get Loud”
A few minor problems, but solid outing overall. Some of their presentation comes off as over-rehearsed, would love to see them relax and feel the music a bit more to take their skating to the next level. They keep improving every year. 39.62, 8th.
Amanda Bertsch & Sam Kaplun
They have really grown as a team since last year, very well-matched. She had a fall near the end of the footwork, which seemed to stun them a bit. Quite a shame, as they were doing so well until then. 38.27, 9th.
Free Dance
Group A
Abby Carswell & Simon Tanguay (CAN)
Cinema Paradiso (I think? Forgot to write it down.)
They look great together. He missed last season, this is his first season on the junior level. She has a lot more experience, but they mesh well in this lyrical program. A few mistakes showed the newness of the partnership, including a fall on the circular footwork and a struggle through the twizzles. Strong lifts. 43.77, 12th.
Victoria Hasegawa & Connor Hasegawa (CAN)
Black Swan
Nice start with this program. They are very graceful and do a great job of bringing ballet to the ice, but they have an opportunity to bring more to this program by portraying the characters more dramatically. They’ve shown that they can do characters in the short dance; now they can bring it to the free dance. No major/noticeable mistakes, but the score seems low (and is lower than what Skate Canada wants from its JGP skaters), so possible level issues. 54.98, 8th.
Rachel Parsons & Michael Parsons
Got through twizzles well, and had just a small bobble in the circular footwork. Some rough moments in the transitions, but a good start overall, especially considering that she had time off the ice this summer. Program has moments of drama and nice lifts; they seem more comfortable in this area than in the Latin rhythm of the short dance. 61.45, 5th.
Lauri Bonacorsi & Travis Mager
“Close to You” – Sandra & Tony Alessi
The program is the dramatic, lyrical program that you expect from super-white costumes. Their free dance last year was fun and humorous, but they seem most comfortable with drama. Twizzles were solid, lifts were nice, overall presentation was lovely. It was a bit cautious, but the score still seems a bit low, so they probably have some levels to address before the JGP, but overall, they look ready to be one of the leaders of Team USA on the junior level. 63.78, 3rd (5th in TES, 2nd in PCS).
Madeline Heritage & Nathaniel Fast
“Mr. Pinstripe Suit” + “Minnie the Moocher”
Right off the bat, they created a lot of excitement with this fun program. Her swirly polka dot dress had the IDC photographers swooning. They had some rough moments, particularly a fall in the twizzle sequence and they really had to push through the spin, but the program has the potential to be a big hit by the end of the season. They are a versatile team, and the connection between the two of them is fantastic. You can tell that they have been partners for a long time. Her scrunchie flew off her ponytail in the last 5 seconds, so they did incur a costume deduction. 51.34, 10th (6th in PCS).
Mariève Cyr & Benjamin Brisebois
Twilight
The resident Twilight fans have interpreted that they are portraying Edward and Bella. Their twizzle level was reduced for touching a foot down, but aside from that mistake, the program was full of lovely moments, including an impressive straightline lift. Concept for the program is very good; it just needs a few more outings and some time to develop. 51.53, 9th.
Amanda Bertsch & Sam Kaplun
This team has really gelled after a year together! Solid lifts overall, including a great hydroblading one. No hesitation in their choreography, pleasant presentation, and skated quite well overall. They missed qualifying for Nationals last season by 12 tenths of a point, and it is fantastic to see that they stuck things out and have progressed so well. 60.39, 6th.
Alicia Fortin & Matt Kleffman (now competing for CAN)
Mojo Boogie
Program didn’t seem secure—they had quite a few small mistakes throughout, including on a footwork sequence, and then both fell on a transition between elements. Tough skate, technically, but they pushed through it. Looking forward to seeing this program again on a better day. Like Bertsch & Kaplun, Fortin & Kleffman also narrowly missed making Nationals last year in a tough junior field at Pacific Coast Sectionals. Glad both teams are back this season. 47.28, 11th.
Kaitlin Hawayek & Michael Bramante
Allegria
Very polished overall, just like their short dance. This team looks prepared and quite determined! As they look ahead to the next competition, we’d love to see more speed through the final footwork sequence, with a big push right through the end of the program. For a first time out, though, this was a fantastic skate. 64.77, 2nd.
Rachel Musselwhite & Christian Wilson
Tango
More speed needed throughout, as well as a better connection to each other and to the music. 35.23, 16th.
Lorraine McNamara & Quinn Carpenter
Techno version of “Four Seasons”
Wow, they have made big improvements to their speed and power, even though they are still among the smallest competitors in the field! Great ice coverage. Strong elements, solid twizzles, good lifts. Beautiful skate. High score is well-deserved. They could really make a splash next year on the JGP if they continue to improve like this! 67.97, 1st.
Ramona Wright & Nicholas Taylor
Carmen
Missed blade on the twizzles, so will not receive level four. Not quite in sync and need to work on matching their lines as they work through the beginning stages of this partnership. Overall, nice character and some good moments. Bounced back well after the short dance. 40.17, 14th.
Jenna Dzierzanowski & Vinny Dispenza
Again, much better outing than the short dance. Looked like they were having a lot of fun with this dance-y program. Some weak moments throughout the elements, but a solid performance. 43.72, 13th.
Laurence Fournier-Beaudry & Yoan Breton
“Be Italian”
Tons of character, drama, and passion in this program. The music suits their style well. They look so “French” on the ice, and I mean that in a great way! They have upgraded their lifts since last year and did a great job with them. Only noticeable mistake was a late blade catch on the twizzles. 62.59, 4th.
Sarah Clarke & Steven Clarke
Some definite improvements since last season are present. Her posture is better, and although it still has room to improve even more, it is clear that they have been working hard. Good commitment to the choreography. Some rough moments, but they should be able to smooth those out with a bit more time. 39.99, 15th.
Sarah Coward & Avidan Brown
Kill Bill
This program revealed some weaknesses of the new partnership as they were sometimes out of sync with each other and lost some speed through difficult elements, but it also had some strong moments. The twizzles were done well, and the program was fun. 55.98, 7th.
Group B
Andréanne Poulin & Marc-André Servant (CAN)
“Passion Nomad” (Spanish)
They definitely bring a passionate character to this dance! Good attack and strong skating. Great connection between them, as always. Unfortunately, her blade caught caught in her dress (big flamenco skirt) on the first twizzle, and she didn’t fall, but was unable to do the second set of twizzles in the sequence. Hurt their score, but not the rest of the performance. Great first outing, but in the future, would love to see even more fierceness and attack from them. 60.27, 3rd (4th in TES, 2nd in PCS).
Alexandra Aldridge & Daniel Eaton
Lord of the Dance
Well, they really knocked this one out of the park! So strong through the elements, and the emotion and performance was spot on. They were clearly having a great time out there, and the audience enjoyed being along the ride. Fantastic skate! 71.07, 1st.
Danielle Gamelin & Alex Gamelin
“Czardas”
Great performance level in this dance, too. Three in a row! Fabulous costumes, and the style works so well on them. She took a tumble on the twizzles and a few spots in the program looked a bit new, but they pushed through it and kept selling the choreography. 54.65, 6th (4th in PCS).
Elliana Pogrebinsky & Ross Gudis
Nice job on the twizzles after a rough go in the short dance. Great lifts, seem like they trust each other and have a solid partnership. Great skate, especially for early in their first junior season. 56.83, 5th.
Jessica Mancini & Tyler Brooks
Not as strong as in the short dance, unfortunately. Seemed a little more cautious overall, and a few minor mistakes started to add up, like a slip in the circular footwork and a unison break in the twizzles. Can definitely build from this, though. 52.59, 7th.
Élisabeth Paradis & François-Xavier Ouellette (CAN)
Elvis Presley medley
Freak fall on the spin was a tough mistake, and fairly costly. They recovered well, though, and got right back into the program. It seems like they really enjoy this dance and are having fun skating together. Very enjoyable to watch, aside from the mistake. Great lifts, as usual! 47.03, 9th.
Josyane Cholette & Simon Proulx-Sénécal (CAN)
“Rolling in the Deep” + “Don’t Stop ‘Til You Get Enough”
Kind of a random mash-up of songs, but both are great, so it was fun! Some struggles on the twizzle and the spin, but they sold the program well. Nice lifts. Can definitely build on this during the season. 47.76, 8th.
Cagla Demirsal & Berk Akalin (TUR)
Kind of a mix-up when they started…it seemed like they weren’t quite sure of the order. Adorable team! Small and smiley. They train in Lake Placid in the summer with Natalia Dubova and Oleg Voiko, so this was like home ice for them. Touched down early on the twizzles, but overall, fun to watch. 44.76, 10th.
Danvi Pham & Vu Pham
Another extremely solid program from the Pham siblings! They are definitely back. Spin was really done well, nice job on the twizzles. They’ve done a lot of dramatic programs in the past, so it’s been nice to see a lighter side this season. 60.89, 2nd (3rd in TES and PCS).
Danielle Calthorpe & Paul Dredge (GBR)
“Feeling Good” (muzak)
Were a little too close for comfort on twizzles with leg extended, but got through them well. Partnership is still building, would love to see more power and a better connection from them as the season progresses, but this was a respectable beginning. 41.26, 11th.
Catherine Culhane & Simon Mondor (CAN)
“Love Hurts” + “I Love Rock-n-Roll”
Shaky moments during the circular footwork, and he touched down early on the twizzles. Some good moments, though, including nice choreographic highlights and nice line-matching on some of the footwork. Good use of the whole ice. They are a brand-new team, and need to relax and have more fun with the second half. 37.29, 12th.
Cassandra Jeandell & Damian Dodge
Cabaret
Great expression on this fun, circus-y program! They looked like they were having a blast and really sold it. Good twizzles, cute spin, nice lifts that accentuated the character. Love this style for them. One of their best skates, hope they can harness this momentum and keep building! 60.24, very close 4th (2nd in TES, 5th in PCS).
Vanessa Wade & JoeBen Wilson
He let go of his blade on the twizzles, so they lost their level. Shaky moments on the circular footwork, but they got through it. She’s a good performer, but would love to see more from him in the future. 36.05, 13th.