{"id":28373,"date":"2022-02-15T23:38:42","date_gmt":"2022-02-16T04:38:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ice-dance.com\/site\/?p=28373"},"modified":"2022-02-17T12:03:08","modified_gmt":"2022-02-17T17:03:08","slug":"recap-2022-winter-olympics-free-dance","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ice-dance.com\/site\/recap-2022-winter-olympics-free-dance\/","title":{"rendered":"Recap: 2022 Winter Olympics Free Dance"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

by Anne Calder | Photos by Melanie Heaney<\/em><\/p>\n

The 2022 ice dance competition is history. The pandas have been distributed and the medals awarded.<\/p>\n

The podium included: Gabriella Papadakis & Guillaume Cizeron (FRA) gold, Victoria Sinitsina & Nikita Katsalapov (ROC) silver and Madison Hubbell & Zachary Donohue (USA) bronze. Teams four through six: Madison Chock & Evan Bates (USA), Charlene Guignard & Marco Fabbri (ITA) and Alexandra Stepanova & Ivan Bukin (ROC).<\/p>\n

Papadakis & Cizeron\u2019s dance to \u201cElegie\u201d by French composer Gabriel Faur\u00e9 was mesmerizing. Their twizzles, combination spin and straight line and curve lifts earned level 4, while the rotational lift and step sequences were level 3. The four-time World champions received 26 perfect 10.00 scores for the Program Components. The duo received a season best 136.15 for the dance and a personal best\u00a0 <\/span>226.98 total.<\/p>\n

Papadakis spoke about their work ethic since winning silver, not gold in 2018. \u201cFor years this was the only medal that we wanted. The past four years were just about that moment. We worked a lot, and it was very hard. We are here now. I feel like I am watching a movie about my life.\u201d<\/p>\n

On their performance, Cizeron noted \u201dHonestly, I don’t remember much.\u00a0I don’t know, it’s like time stops. You kind of get through it and then it’s over. We just relied on our trust, and we borrowed the energy of all of our teammates and coaches. It’s memories, it’s eye contact that I will never forget.\u201d<\/p>\n

The ROC team, Sinitsina & Katsalapov, chose fellow countryman Sergei Rachmaninov\u2019s Second Piano Concerto for their dance. The twizzles, spin, and lifts earned level 4; the midline and one-foot step sequences were level 3. The program scored a personal best 131.66 and 220.51 total.<\/p>\n

Sinitsina spoke about winning silver. \u201cThis means everything. It\u2019s an athlete\u2019s dream; it\u2019s something they work all their lives for. I am very proud of Nikita and myself for achieving this result.\u201d<\/p>\n

Katsalapov added, \u201cI was absolutely shocked. I couldn\u2019t believe it. I was so hungry, so focused. I feel I brought forward all of my best qualities to make this performance as successful as it was.\u201d<\/p>\n

Americans Hubbell & Donohue combined power with finesse in their dance to \u201cDrowning\u201d by Anne Sila.\u00a0 <\/span>The spin, lifts and twizzles earned level 4; the step sequences were level 3. The two-time Olympians received a timing deduction for the SlLi4+RoLi4 element after going over the 12 second limit. Their program scored a personal best 130.89 and total 218.02.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Hubbell noted, \u201cWe were really emotional. I tried my best to stay very focused on the performance and told myself that as soon as I was done, I would take it all in during the bow. That\u2019s what we did.\u201d<\/p>\n

Donohue added, \u201cIt was a really emotional performance for us, and it took a lot of focus, drive and it just hasn\u2019t really sunk in yet.\u201d<\/p>\n

Reigning US National Champions Chock & Bates placed fourth with their uniquely creative program to music by Daft Punk. A\u00a0 <\/span>message of acceptance and eventual love manifests itself when an astronaut meets an alien in outer space. It scored 130.63. The total 214.77 placed them 3.5 points behind the bronze medalists. Both were personal bests.<\/p>\n

Bates explained the message they wanted to bring to the Olympic stage with their dance.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat we\u2019re going for [in the program] is an evolution of at first being uncertain of one another and having a guard up. Then we have conflict and resolution. Then it\u2019s like a beautiful anthem. In the end, it\u2019s all about learning to find love and acceptance for people who look different than you or people who are from a different place than you.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cOur costumes reflect our characters.” Chock added. “The choreography is very intricate and fast as we\u2019re skating to electronic music. We put a lot of time and thought into it and also worked with dance specialists. It\u2019s very special to us.”<\/p>\n

Guignard & Fabbri of Italy moved up two spaces to fifth place with an emotional dance to \u201cAtonement\u201d and \u201cLittle Sparrow\u201d. The program scored 124.38, bringing the total to 207.05.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is the program we built last season, but we didn\u2019t want to throw it away,\u201d Fabbri said. \u201cWe wanted to skate it at the Olympic Games because it\u2019s a program we really feel from the depth of our hearts.\u201d<\/p>\n

The 2022 European silver medalists, Stepanova & Bukin were sixth with music from \u201cWe Have a Map of the Piano\u201d by Mum and \u201cA Time For Us\u201d from Romeo & Juliet. T<\/i>hey scored a total 207.05.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe were a bit more nervous today than the rhythm dance,” Bukin said. “We did almost all of our elements. The ice was good.”<\/p>\n

Piper Gilles & Paul Poirier (CAN) 2021 World Bronze Medalists slipped to seventh place after a rare misstep with their Combination Curve lift. \u201cToday wasn\u2019t the skate that we wanted. It\u2019s definitely hard.\u201d<\/p>\n

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