Gabriella Papadakis and Guillaume Cizeron: “We don’t want it to be easy, because it’s not exciting, for anyone” [Inside Skating]

[Yatagarasu]

 

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…so the coaches were like: “This is really what you wanna do? Because this is gonna be hard! And you’re gonna have to take the responsibility of your choice and of your failure if it doesn’t work”.

…and we said: “Yeah! We wanna do that, we wanna take the risks!” The risks are actually the reason why we chose this music. Because we wanted to challenge ourselves, and we wanted to put ourselves in a difficult position.

So that was in the summer. And, of course, when we started competing, it wasn’t that easy anymore. When we started having struggles and everything, we had to remember this moment when we said: “We take the responsibility of the struggle we’re gonna have!” It was hard, but we don’t regret the decision.

And I do remember the faces of people when they first heard the music… “Uuuuh!”

 

This interview is many things. But it’s mostly the story of Gabriella Papadakis and Guillaume Cizeron’s free dance for the season that has just ended. That intense, emotional free dance that had people on their feet in Helsinki’s Hartwall Arena, at this year’s edition of the World Championships. That consuming performance that left them completely drained, hands on their heads, catching their breath – but happy, proud, relieved they made this program, and its music, work. Because with these two, skating is always about challenge – they do challenge themselves, and people watching; it’s about authenticity and flow; about ice dancing, and not just dancing on the ice. You’ll see that for yourselves: Gabriella and Guillaume’s work philosophy is easily traceable between the lines – they question, analyze, they search for butterflies, excitement; and they don’t ever take the easy way.

by Florentina Tone/Helsinki

 

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Really wonderful read, some interesting thoughts about the Short, how they handle pressure; Latin dances on ice and how they do (not) translate, their absolutely wonderful Free this season, next season, etc. Very much worth your time 

[wildstrawberry]

3 hours ago, Yatagarasu said:

 

 

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Really wonderful read, some interesting thoughts about the Short, how they handle pressure; Latin dances on ice and how they do (not) translate, their absolutely wonderful Free this season, next season, etc. Very much worth your time 

Thanks for this interview,I'm going to read it tomorrow because now it's late and it's a long one! They are my favorite ice-dance team,and I think Yuzu likes them too.Was it discussed on here that Yuzu went to see their practice in Helsinki ? I used to think that their style must appeal to him a lot and I was wondering if he watches them or if at least Tracy/Brian suggested him to watch them,and then I was really happy when I found out that he actually went to watch them (and only them!) at their practice for the FD,and I had my theory confirmed.

[xeyra]

16 minutes ago, wildstrawberry said:

Thanks for this interview,I'm going to read it tomorrow because now it's late and it's a long one! They are my favorite ice-dance team,and I think Yuzu likes them too.Was it discussed on here that Yuzu went to see their practice in Helsinki ? I used to think that their style must appeal to him a lot and I was wondering if he watches them or if at least Tracy/Brian suggested him to watch them,and then I was really happy when I found out that he actually went to watch them (and only them!) at their practice for the FD,and I had my theory confirmed.

 

Wait, really? Where did you find this out and... is there video? 

[wildstrawberry]

3 minutes ago, xeyra said:

 

Wait, really? Where did you find this out and... is there video? 

Yes!

The video is over 2 hours long,but skip to circa 2:07:30 when P/C start.Yuzu is by the boards (right side of the screen).He was not there before and he left after they finished (people are also mentioning this in more detail in the comments of the yt video).So obviously,I concluded that he is their fan 

[EisElle]

I'm still very new to FS, and ice dancing even more, but out of the few ID pairs I've seen P/C are those who really impressed me. What stood out the most to me is how light and delicate they are, how the flow they create embraces them both so they are a whole even without touching. The interview is very interesting and I like their challenging attitude  .

I confess I've watched maybe only 3 programs of P/C  Actually I'm refraining from start digging for more because I'm already stressed out enough following Yuzuru, I'd like to be able to root for P/C in a more relaxed way

[beki]

Ice dancing is probably the most challenging discipline to understand; I can't pretend that I do. But I like watching. I'm a fan of many couples but I don't uber anyone since Davis and White r****d. I was very curious to see how I would rate P/C and V/M against each other in Helsinki. 

 

I can't justify it, but in person I felt V/M are still ahead technically. And over the years they have demonstrated more versatility.

 

What P/C have is that they are effortlessly fresh and modern. It's a little shocking to read them talking about Latin programs being cringeworthy and not working, but at the same time, I understand exactly what they mean. They are the only ice dance couple I've seen who completely refuse to play along with the corny side of figure skating. It feels like you could show their programs to anyone on the street without apologizing. They view themselves as artists, and they are true and convincing ones.

 

The funny thing is that Tessa and Scott have done Latin programs that I actually like. It would be wonderful if Gaby and Guillaume grow enough to grab the gold. But if V/M do, they've made a case for GOAT status. I probably like P/C a little more at this point, but I'm not obsessed. I can relax :) Only Yuzu will drive me to drink. Hopefully they will be around for a while, as they are still quite young.

[Altie]

I didn't know about Yuzu attending P/C's practice in Helsinki !

The fact that my favourite skater may be a fan of my favourite ice dance pair makes me sooo happy, thank you for this vid !  :)

 

I absolutely love their style - and yes, them and Yuzu have this kind of surreal fluidity in common, and also something almost poetic in their free skates.

[kaaaaaaat]

Thanks for the link, will read later!

 

P/C's free dance this season was just incredibly breathtaking. The first time I saw it I cried. Still did when I watched them perform it in Helsinki. Something about it just tugs in the heart and doesn't let go. Definitely poetry in motion.

[sallycinnamon]

It was worth reading, thanks for posting.

 

I'm just a very casual fan of ice dance, and I think this is the most difficult discipline to understand, at least for me. But I still like to watch it and over the years I developed some observations - which may be subjective and maybe it isn't have anything to do with reality 

But:

Probably I'm in the minority when I say that I am not a big fan of Gabriella and Guillaume's skating. The only thing I love about them is their flow on the ice and the lightness of their skating. I think that is all.

 

As many others I really loved their Mozart FD two seasons ago, because it was a gorgeous program, and after the Olympic season, they brought something new to ice dance. But since then, two seasons have passed, and this one was already the third year when they repeated the exact same style in their FD, which, to me became repetitious and anything but challenging or risky. I don't doubt they had a radical vision a couple of seasons ago, but now? 

I don't think their music choice for the FD was risky either. It was maybe unusual, but not risky or even interesting - though I like it, it's a nice piece of music, both in the first of second half of the program.

 

Their short dances have always been weaker than their FDs, which became more significant this season than before, and not only because of V/M's return. It was interesting to read what they think about it: they said it's the pressure, and that it's easier to skate better when they are 2nd. They know that they have to work on that, because it will be even more difficult than before - it's the Olympics season + Latin is not their favourite type of dances, to say the least:

 

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Gabriella: I think it’s such a different dynamic in the body that cannot really be translated on the ice, so it’s always gonna look kind of… cheap…

Guillaume: Cliché…

Gabriella: Cheap and cliché, Latin dances on the ice.

Guillaume: And it’s not stiff – and skating is always about flow, and curves, and… nobody wants to dance on a straight line.

 

I kind of disagree with this anyway. That dynamic can be translated on the ice and some of the former ice dancers or even current ones are able to do it beautifully without looking cheap and cliché. Also, I love their fluid style, but in ice dance, I think stiff skating is necessary here, unlike in singles skating. I love classic ice dance - many different dance holds, and some stiffness. Cappellini/Lanotte are my favourites when it comes to this.

 

It'll be really difficult against V/M, not only because of the Canadians SDs are usually strong and Latin is definitely their style as well - but also because if they make no major mistakes in the FS, they would be hardly beaten. And as we saw, even a major mistake won't hurt if the gap between the two teams in the SD is big enough.

 

To me it also seems that Guillaume is a much better ice dancer than Gaby. Sometimes Gaby skates like as if she only follows Guillaume on the ice, and she skates not with him together but rather 'after him' (I hope it makes sense). I don't really see their unison, or feel chemistry between them (yet). Sure, they are elegant and they skate delicately, which is nice and pleasing to watch, but it feels...empty to me. They mentioned V/M and that they work a lot on their relationship hard. I am sure many teams work on that aspect of skating, too, but it doesn't look as natural as V/M's. 

 

I just hope Gaby and Guillaume will search for different styles after PyeongChang, because they are young, talented, and they showed us that they were capable of excellent versatility in their junior years. If that happens they could be the strongest team in the next four years. I wish them good luck for that. 

[Elaine]

16 hours ago, wildstrawberry said:

Yes!

The video is over 2 hours long,but skip to circa 2:07:30 when P/C start.Yuzu is by the boards (right side of the screen).He was not there before and he left after they finished (people are also mentioning this in more detail in the comments of the yt video).So obviously,I concluded that he is their fan 

 

Thanks for sharing! Wow I didn't know about it but I am over the moon nowSide thoughts, I could remember who had commented (probably TAT) that P/C is like ice dance version of Yuzuru Hanyu (not exact words; hope I am not making up here

[Pamigena]

On 17.5.2017 at 0:05 AM, xeyra said:

Wait, really? Where did you find this out and... is there video? 

 

On 17.5.2017 at 0:15 AM, wildstrawberry said:

Yes!

 

The video is over 2 hours long,but skip to circa 2:07:30 when P/C start.Yuzu is by the boards (right side of the screen).He was not there before and he left after they finished (people are also mentioning this in more detail in the comments of the yt video).So obviously,I concluded that he is their fan 

 

yeah, eehhhmmm...... I think there actually is a fan cam of this?

 

 

 

[xeyra]

25 minutes ago, Pamigena said:

 

 

yeah, eehhhmmm...... I think there actually is a fan cam of this?

 

 

 

 

OMG this is so amusing. He's just in his own little world, doing choreo I don't even know of what. 

[wildstrawberry]

33 minutes ago, Pamigena said:

 

 

yeah, eehhhmmm...... I think there actually is a fan cam of this?

 

 

 

Thanks for sharing. I think the ideal for me would be a hybrid of the two vids,in which one can see P/C practicing (like in the 1st vid) and also a more clear view of Yuzu(like in the 2nd vid)

[Smultron]

1 hour ago, xeyra said:

 

OMG this is so amusing. He's just in his own little world, doing choreo I don't even know of what. 

 

This video is such a gem! 

Sometimes his hand and head movements just fit the music that is on surprisingly well. (Oh this gives me ideas... imagine Yuzu skating to this piece?  ) 

 

 

[sallycinnamon]

I love his shuuu paas in the video