ISU FOUR CONTINENTS CHAMPIONSHIPS

February 4 2009

A FIRST FOR NORTH AMERICA

Selected as the compulsory dance for the European Championships earlier this year, the Finnstep was performed, on the North American competitive scene, for the very first time, at the Four Continents championships. And... this may be the last time we would have seen this dance in competition!

Compulsory dances may disappear from the competition format. That would leave very few opportunities indeed to see this most exciting and magnificent creation of Susanna Rahkamo and Petri Kokko! For the skaters gathered to step onto the ice of the Pacific Coliseum, there was a sense of history and of a special moment.

Meryl Davis / Charlie White

Many of the skaters had learned the dance only a few weeks before. Both in Canada and the United States, the Finnstep could not be selected for the national championships because there was not enough time for distribution of learning material and preparation of coaches. However, at the Four Continents, skaters demonstrated great skills, their love for dance, and it was a real treat!

Tessa Virtue / Scott Moir

Kaitlyn Weaver / Andrew Poje

Kimberly Navarro / Brent Bommentre (center)

As Susanna Rahkamo explains, <<It is a light hearted dance and should be executed with joy as if the skaters are sipping sparkling champagne on a happy occasion>>.

We certainly got a lot of that, with an entertainment value worthy of the best episodes of <<Dancing with the Stars>>.

Winning this first portion of the dance event were Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir, closely followed by Meryl Davis and Charlie White who went on to win the overall event.

As expected, teams from the United States and Canada provided a strong field with three entries each.

Vanessa Crone / Paul Poirier

Tessa Virtue / Scott Moir

Meryl Davis / Charlie White

In the compulsory dance, all competitors execute the same dance with the same steps and the same pattern. Timing is strict. It can be argued that differences between skaters can more readily be observed and performance better assessed. A mistake in the compulsory can be very costly, but, usually, it is rare.

The draw at Worlds in Los Angeles will be between the Viennese Waltz and the Paso Doble. These dances have been established for a long time, they are very similar in character to the traditional ballroom dances.

The Finnstep is a very new addition. As such, it provides more of a challenge and it is something to discover.  Sandra Stevenson has written an interesting article about the current state of compulsory dances and the Finnstep, It can be seen here.

In third position was the Canadian couple of Vanessa Crone and Paul Poirier. Detailed results of this part of the event are available here .

Emily Samuelson / Evan Bates