French ice dancers win gold in rookie JGP season
Logrono, Spain hosted the sixth event of the 2015 Junior Grand Prix Series. The competitors included 17 teams from 12 countries.
SHORT DANCE
Marie-Jade Laurialt & Romain Le Gac (FRA) danced the Starlight Waltz and polka to music performed by Dutch violinist, Andre Rieu and earned level 4 for the twizzles and rotational lift. The Quebec, Canada-based team’s Grade of Execution marks were all +1, +2, and +3. The patterns received level 4 and 3. The 61.83 score was a personal best.
Betina Popova & Yuri Vlasenko (RUS) performed their short dance to the soundtrack music written for the Russian television mini-series, The Master and Margarita. The reigning JGP Final bronze medalists earned level 4 for both patterns and the straight-line lift. The 60.40 score was a personal best.
Elliana Pogrebinsky & Alex Benoit (USA) used Eugen Doga’s waltz from the film My Sweet and Tender Beast to earn level 4 in both pattern dances and the straight-line lift. The 59.13 score was a personal best.
Anastasia Shpilevaya & Grigory Smirnov (RUS) opened with a foxtrot to the Frank Sinatra vocal, “Somewhere My Love” (Lara’s Theme from Dr. Zhivago) followed by level 3 for both waltz patterns. The twizzles and straight-line lift earned level 4. The 57.15 score was a personal best.
Chloe Lewis & Logan Bye (USA) skated to Finnish composer Jean Sibelius’s signature piece, Valse Triste (Sad Waltz). The twizzles, rotational lift and first pattern earned level 4 for the third year JGP competitors. The second pattern and footwork were level 3. The 57.03 score was a personal best.
Mackenzie Bent & Dmitre Razgulajevs (CAN) danced the waltz and foxtrot to “Time After Time” and La Grande Valse – Happy Ending. The rotational lift, twizzles and first pattern earned level 4, and the footwork and second pattern received level 2. The 55.76 score was a personal best.
FREE DANCE
Marie-Jade Laurialt & Romain Le Gac (FRA) won the gold medal with a free dance to the moody tones of a Beatles medley. The program blended their strong technical skating with unique lifts and edge-driven footwork to produce a 90.89 winning personal best score. The team in its first JGP season scored a personal best total 152.72. The duo partnered in 2014 after Le Gac moved to Quebec to continue training with his coach, Romain Haguenauer.
Betina Popova & Yuri Vlasenko (RUS) skated to “Crazy in Love” by Beyoncé and placed second with a personal best 90.54. The spins, twizzles and lifts earned level 4. The Moscow-based team competed at the 2013 and medaled at the 2014 JGP Finals. Their total 150.94 was also a personal best score.
Elliana Pogrebinsky & Alex Benoit (USA) won their first international medal – bronze – with a personal best 83.72. The free dance was choreographed to selections from the Romeo and Juliet film soundtrack and the French musical by the same name. Their light and lyrical interpretation was rewarded with level 4 for the lifts, twizzles and spin. The two footwork sequences earned level 2. The total score of 142.85 for the reigning US National Junior bronze medalists was a personal best.
Anastasia Shpilevaya & Grigory Smirnov (RUS) were fourth in their JGP debut with a free skate to vocal music from the1964 French film, The Umbrellas of Cherbourg. The program included a rarely seen stationary lift and a unique closing choreographed spin. The lifts, spin and twizzles earned level 4, with a level 2 for both footwork sequences. The team competes again at the final series event next week in Croatia. The140.39 total score was a personal best.
Chloe Lewis & Logan Bye (USA) earned fifth place with a personal best 81.19. The tango free dance used selections by violist Gidon Kremer in his homage to Argentine composer Astor Piazzolla. The spin, twizzles and combined straight-line and rotational lifts earned level 4. Their TES was the third highest of the 16 teams. The total 138.22 was a personal best.
Mackenzie Bent & Dmitre Razgulajevs (CAN) scored 75.94 with a free skate to music from the Ben Hur soundtrack and remained in sixth place. The Colorado Springs JGP silver medalists earned level 4 for the spins and lifts, but they struggled with the footwork. Both competed in JGP events with different skaters, but 2015 is the inaugural season for the new partnership. The total score was 131.70.
Marie-Jade Laurialt & Romain Le Gac (FRA) and Betina Popova & Yuri Vlasenko (RUS) qualified for the JGP Final. Each team scored a total 28 points.