Stephanie Nieminski / Jonathon Lauten

• She has a light blue skirt and he wore red

• Skated to violin music.

• First lift – rotational, followed by a serpentine footwork section. 

• They do a single position dance spin where he’s low and she’s in a camel.

• Very nice lift down the straight-away, he’s low on two feet going forward and she’s resting face down with her upper body on his knees and her feet arched back over her head – well done.  Music changes to Spanish guitar. Change of direction lift into rotational lift.  They stop and begin their diagonal footwork sequence. Overall they had several nice lifts.

Kellene Ratko / Collin Brubaker

• She has on a white sleeveless dress with black mesh and a wide black belt that sits on her hips.  He has on a form fitting suit with dress shirt and black tie

• Music starts off with strings, deep vocals and piano. Skate to “Come Together Right Now”.

• Very nice one foot lift with good speed - he’s going forward with leg extended in front and she’s up high on his chest facing back towards the judges and standing upright - very difficult and well executed.  Classic pairs spin, she’s in a camel and then kicks leg over his head while he’s spinning low – well done.  Rotational lift in which she’s in the splits with one leg over his shoulder, facing each other with his hands around her back. Lift started strong but got out of control towards the end and they both fell to the ice.  Picked up the program and went right into circular footwork section followed by a difficult change of direction lift where she has a catch leg.  The lifts are not only difficult but they are different and fascinating.

Brooke Huber / Karl Edelmann

• He’s in all black with deep V Latin type shirt and she’s wearing very bright blue/green & yellow skirt with many sequins. Appears to be a Latin number.  Asymmetrical skirt with small fringe on the shot side open back lots of nude material.

• Starts with him draped over her knee.  Great Latin dancing sets the tone. Looks like a mambo.  Serpentine footwork section contained many twizzles and they stayed mainly in waltz position.  The music changed to a slower rumba sound.  Dance spin - he’s in sit then changes position and she goes into a catch leg.  Change of direction lift – he’s in spread eagle and the goes into rotation, then forward low lift with both facing forward she had catch leg. Music picks back up after a second stop.  They go into their straight line footwork sequence.  It was very curvy with several big deep Choctaws. Finish with rotational lift where she changes positions midair.  Overall nice expression, definitely have the Latin hips down pat.  Nice edges.

Lindsay Cohen / Evan Roberts

• Yellow costumes, with orange, blue, green and purple highlights. many chiffon ‘flyaways.’

• Skating to Bond.  I think the song is Winter.

• He starts on one knee while she lays on his back leg almost touching the ice giving th illusion she is laying on the ice.  Lots of big long extensions with deep edges in the beginning, right into serpentine footwork.  Highlight move where they face away from each other, back to back and do spirals with their legs together and bodies outstretched.  The twizzle section happens right before the music picks up.  Low lift she rests on his knees and stretched out then into split, spread eagle lift.  Straight-line footwork sequence begins with a stop.  Then she starts skating down the rink and the he literally runs after her on his toes very furiously – nice effect.  Several highlights were followed by multi-rotational lift in which she’s off the ice holding onto one of his arms with 2 bent legs.  They do a  backwards one foot lift, very nice ending pose, he goes back onto one knee similar to the opening.  Overall, strong program highlighted by long deep edges with stong extensions,  excellent expression through their steps and body positions  This program will really be something once this team gets more power and practice.

Next warm up group

Amanda Loyd / Ashley Deavers

• black and bright pink costumes. 

• Swing Music

• Start with side by side dancing to set the tone. Then begin moving down the ice with ‘swing style’ walk-arounds.  They go straight into their serpentine footwork section, lots of change of positions.  Change of direction rotational lift, he is holding on with only one hand.  Then they do a pull through followed by a stop into their slow section.  They enter their dance spin separated with back crossovers facing each other.  It is very fast, he’s in a sit with his leg wrapped around hers. When they switch position she goes to camel position. Diagonal starts the final fast section. It has many Choctaws, twizzles and rockers.  Program finishes with her in the splits on the ice.  Overall, very fun program with interesting positions, they have great expression, and a nice spin.

Andrea Chong / Spencer Barnes

• They are wearing mostly black with yellow flowers, her dress has vertical corset-like yellow stripes and a layered skirt.

• interesting French music, almost carousel like at times.  Female vocals saying something like “baba salude”

• Start back to back rocking forward and backwards against each other. Goes right into quick one handed rotational loft, then twizzles with hands behind back - well done.  Nice serpentine section, deep edges.  Forward lift where he has two feet on the ice in low squat with her leg through his leg and she arches her back and looks up to audience. They have a cool section where he grabs her leg through his leg (she’s almost in a sit spin or shoot the duck position) and she whips down towards the ice with a pendulum action similar to that of a pull-through.  They are in hand and hand for their spin setup and they do matching brackets before entering the spin – excellent touch.  Spin is a catch camel spin, second position only 2 revolutions.  Lift where she has is not holding on with any hands and he’s in spread eagle.  Overall nice program.

Aanya Reiten / Duke Wensel

• She’s in blue and he’s in black.

• big band swing music - skating to black magic, and crazy little thing called love

• Twizzles section in beginning of program, he catches an edge and puts a foot down. Change of position dance spin.  Spread eagle split lift.  Pleasant highlight on end pattern where he does a spiral and she leans over is back and stretches her leg up.  Serpentine footwork section followed by low lift with her draped away going forward.  The music switches back to swing.  Diagonal footwork section with some nice twizzles, and cool tow runs. Rotational lift where she grabs leg.

Lisa Johnson / Joseph Scott

• This next team has folk costumes of sorts, he has a light shirt and she has a burgundy dress with lace over cream colored lining.

• Music is Irish opens with Irish fiddle, and they do some side by side Irish jig dancing. she has a great smile and is really playing to the audience.  Pleasant one handed pull-through into what I think was a circular footwork section.  Twizzle section well matched - second twizzle done with arms behind back, followed by a hydroblade catch leg lift.  Very open skating positions.  Great change of direction lift, where he is in a spread eagle and she is face up balanced on his left (forward) leg and he is holding onto her ankles (which are crossed) with his left hand and she is leaning out, counterbalancing against his hand.  Straight-line footwork sequence has very fast twizzles and they finish with one hand lift  where she is leaned over grabbing her leg, has a nice folk, or barn-dance feel that fits the music well.  Overall well skated, it’s a different program that no one else is doing, they had nice lifts, and good footwork, excellent expression.

Next warm up.

Madison Hubbell / Keiffer Hubbell

• Are wearing blue airbrushed tops with orange and light blue.

• skating to Italian techno opera piece

• Very nice introduction. He starts in a spiral and spins while she drapes over him and they wrap around each other creating shapes with their bodies.  Very nice hand holds, many holds behind the back – few open hand-and-hand positions.  Serpentine footwork section characterized by tight positions, many twizzles and rockers that were big and sweeping.  Low catch lift where the man is forward with his leg around hers.  This goes into a back spiral lift.  Spin is interesting first position where they are both in sit spins and hold onto each others legs which are crossed over each other.  Straight-line footwork with many synchronized twizzles.  Nice lift, change of direction where he stays in spread eagle.  Terrific hydroblade lift into ending.  He’s very low to the ice in the hydroblade with his body rotated towards the ceiling while she is in a spread eagle position leaning all the way over him with her full body weight on him.  I don’t think it’s considered a lift, just a highlight (or in this case, a lowlight).

• Overall the great unison and strength.  They have great close and closed skating positions, nice interesting lifts, and interesting spins.

Alexandra Nadeau / Charles-Edouard Bouthillette

• She has on a white dress with a triangular open back and long white gloves.  He has on fake animal fur draped over his shoulder and what look like a knife holder on his right leg, all dark brown. Her skirt looks like icicles.

• Very triumphant music

• They open the program with a behind the back neck drape.  Followed with a neck roll around each other and a lift.  Have an excellent lift where she holds onto his leg and flips upside down while he is in a squat and going fwd, then she flips onto his shoulder and links her legs around him and he proceeds to spin very, very fast with much force.  Circular footwork contains two sets of synchronized twizzles with each partner twizzling in opposite directions - nice touch.  Then the music slows down, good combo spin with him in a sit while she’s in a Biellman.  Next lift low across the diagonal she’s stretched out.  Good serpentine section – the one foot section is strong, she took a fall - tripped on a turn, but made a quick recovery.  She finished in spiral with leg on his shoulder and he’s on one knee.  Ultimately they pull off this genre of triumphant heroic music well.

Rachel Siegel / Kevin Miller

• Deep bright purple costumes, with slashes down the front and chiffon ‘flyaways’ on the sleeves.

• Skating to Moulan Rouge.

• Low lift with the man in a forward two food squat and she’s resting on his knees with her body facing the ice and arching her back up.  Lots of hand and hand skating.  Very fast circular footwork section followed by more hand and hand transitions.  Music speeds up and they go into a no handed lift with her leg kicked over his head.  Then into an upside-down forward one foot lift to a catch leg spin. Tripped into entrance of spin but they recovered.  Diagonal footwork sequence has deep long edges, and side by side twizzles. Powerful expression, well matched to the music.

Clare Farrell / Chase Fishpaw

• Purple outfits.  She has neat dress with chiffon and sequins. Torn looking layered skirt.  Her dress has a big open back.

• Side by side twizzle he missteps.  Have an interesting move where she kicks her leg over their hands while he’s in a lunge and then, with her leg over their hands, does a turn.  Straight-line footwork section has deep edges and is very twirlly.  Change of direction lift, spread eagle, into catch leg around his back.  Circular footwork in closed hold.  Low lift with her leg wrapped around his going backward with one hand holding her leg.