2009-2010 Ice Dance: Part Three

2009-2010 Season In Review: Part 15 of 16

Ice Dance: Part 3 of 4

Federica Faiella/Massimo Scali. Current World Ranking: #7

[top: Olympics, bottom two: World Championships]

 Compulsory Dance

These costumes don't really inspire a lot of passion in us, except for Faiella's dress from Worlds. When we posted this a few weeks ago, this costume was all Bee could think of. She loves it.

Original Dance: Italian Folk Dance: Tarantella Tamurriata Napoletana / Tarantello Pizzicata Calabbria

We're surprised by how non-ugly these are, for Original Dance costumes. We don't know if we're relieved or disappointed but we actually kind of like them. But seriously, how does Scali keep his hat on his head?

Free Dance: Gli Emigranti by Nino Rota 
Bee wishes we could post forty-nine photos of this costume instead of all of the other ones in this post. Like Savchenko's free skate dress, Faiella's is something she'd totally wear in real life. Elle likes these costumes too, but thinks Massimo looks a bit like a grandpa.

Sinead Kerr/John Kerr. Current World Ranking: #2

[top two: Olympics, bottom two: World Championships]

 Compulsory Dance

The Olympics costumes are pretty unfortunate. John Kerr is wearing too many sparkles. And this is from the people who have Johnny Weir on their banner. We understand that this is ice dance, but you don't need sparkles all over your shirt, belt AND pants. Sinead's dress is worse. Usually we think ice dance seems like a fun discipline, but does asymmetrical black lace really make the judges like you more than, say, a black tea dress? If so, ice dancers must lead sad lives. The Worlds costumes are at least an improvement, although they look a little bride/groom, which isn't a good look for a sibling team.

[top: Olympics, bottom two: World Championships]

Original Dance: I've Been Everywhere by Johnny Cash OR Scottish Dance: Erin Shore / Auld Lang Syne by Rabbie Burns

We might be biased against the first costumes because we loved the Samuelson/Bates costumes that were along the same lines, but we really don't like them. As Emily Samuelson demonstrated, there is a way for ladies to do American folk/country without going for the Daisy Dukes and tied-up shirt. That said, twizzles look so great when they're both wearing kilts. We love that, in the kilt costumes, John is showing more bare leg than Sinead.

Free Dance: Krwing by Linkin Park 
Elle doesn't mind that John Kerr is covered in paint, since it's obviously relevant to the story they were portraying, but Bee thinks he should have left the jeans alone. Bee really likes Sinead's dress, and Elle agrees, but she thinks the color makes it not grungy enough to go with John's costume.

Jana Khokhlova/Sergei Novitski. Current World Ranking: #9

[Skate America]

  [Cup of China]

 [Olympics]

 [World Championships]

Compulsory Dance

There are so many things we don't understand about these costumes. First of all, why are there so many? They seem to have changed their costumes every time they got bored, and the changes don't make any sense. The Skate America costumes are our least favorites. We don't understand Novitski's white suit with the choker. Their Cup of China costumes are pretty generic, but we're okay with them. Then, at the Olympics, they got it right. We love Khokhlova's hair piece and these costumes are really classy and nice. So why on earth would they change them for Worlds, and not only that, but switch out Novitski's perfectly nice tux for a grape Kool-Aid Willy Wonka suit with matching purple boot covers? Bee likes Khokhlova's dress, but Elle is not convinced.

[Skate America]

[Olympics]

 

 [World Championships]

Original Dance: Russian Folk: Vdol po Piterskol

We were so excited to write about these costumes, because they fill us with affection and joy. When skaters wear ugly costumes, we usually feel alarmed or sad. But when they wear costumes that are this balls-out crazy, we can't help but love them. Those Skate America costumes are like an intricate symphony of bad decisions. (Although Bee admitted she might like the tights if they were worn with a black dress.) Removing the tights for Worlds was definitely a good decision, even if it was less entertaining. The choice to switch to green for the Olympics is just confusing. 

[top: Skate America, middle: European Championships, bottom: Olympics] 

Free Dance: Firebird by Igor Stravinski

We're almost speechless in awe. Khokhlova and Novitski have really pushed ice dance to a new level. It's innovators like these that really keep the sport moving forward. We cringe thinking of how long it must have taken Khokhlova to get out of that mesh bodystocking to pee. 

Nathalie Pechalat/Fabian Bourzat. Current World Ranking: #5

[top: Trophee Eric Bompard, middle: Olympics, bottom: World Championships]

Compulsory Dance

Our biggest concern with these costumes was actually Bourzat's bowtie. Like, why is it untied? Why is it just hanging out there? How does that work? What a weird artistic choice. 

Original Dance: American Country: Thank God I'm a Country Boy by Roy / Rivers and Dolly Parton / It's Not Over Now by Dale Watson

Our new tradition of focusing only on one aspect of a costume continues with these.  These costumes look fun enough, but Pechalat's boot covers? AMAZING. We've discussed fun boot covers before a few times and every time we do, we get just as excited. These ones are so cute.
 

 [top: Skate America, bottom two: Olympics]

[Worlds]

Free Dance: Kika by Ezekiel / Requiem for a Dream (soundtrack) by Clint Mansell OR La Notte di Favola by Nicole Piovani / La Marche des Gladiateurs / Jonglage by Maxime Rodriguez

Bee can't stand any of these free dance costumes, but Elle thinks they fit the dances. She thinks the clowny ones are colorful and cute and the clock ones are interesting and kind of cool. Bee thinks they should have tried harder to make costumes that actually coordinated with each other.

Alexandra Zaretsky/Roman Zaretsky. Current World Ranking: #8

[top: European Championships, bottom two: World Championships]

Compulsory Dance
We don't want to talk about the costumes they wore for most of the season, but we love Sasha's dress from Worlds. Let's concentrate on how nice that is and ignore the other ones.

Original Dance: Jewish Folk Dance: Hava Nagila
Bee thinks these costumes are alright, Elle really likes them. We don't have any specific complaints.

Free Dance: Schindler's List (soundtrack) by John Williams 
No. These look like Hot Topic rejects. We are so over ripped and shredded costumes.



[Photo Credits: Faiella/Scali CD1&3, OD2, FD1; Kerr/Kerr CD2&3,OD1,2,&3, FD2; Khoklova/Novitski CD1&3, OD1-6, FD1; Pechalat/Bourzat CD1&2, OD2, FD2,4,&5; Zaretsky/Zaretsky OD1, FD2: Getty
Faiella/Scali OD1; Kerr/Kerr CD1&4, FD1; Khoklova/Novitski CD6, FD2; Pechalat/Bourzat CD3&4, OD1, FD1; Zaretsky/Zaretsky CD1-3, FD1: Reuters
Faiella/Scali CD3; Khoklova/Novitski CD2,4,&5, FD3 Pechalat/Bourzat FD3; Zaretsky/Zaretsky OD2: AP]