Vocalise

My all time favorite routine is Vocalise. This piece was choreographed by Marina Zueva, who also choreographed a great number of G&G's routines. They refer to it as "the Rodin number" because it was based on the sculptures of Auguste Rodin. It was set to the music of Sergei Rachmaninov, who was one of Zueva's favorite composers. Of this number, Katia says "it was all new, different, hard, but also quite interesting." Katia says she never got tired of skating this program...every night it was as if she heard the music for the first time. Sergei and Katia skated this piece while they were professionals in 1994, as an artistic program. (Photo copyright J. Barry Mittan)

Moonlight Sonata

Another of my personal favorites is Moonlight Sonata. After applying for reinstatement as amateurs, Sergei and Katia skated this during the 1994 Winter Olympic Games for their long program. The music is a very famous piece composed by Ludwig Van Beethoven. Katia says that Sergei particularly liked this number. Zueva created a theme for G&G, that of "man celebrating woman as the mother of all mankind." Katia says, "If you listen to the Moonlight Sonata, the music can only represent a man and a woman's life together." The beginning of the program is very soft. "The Moonlight Sonata is for older people who have experienced in real life," she says. "It expresses what changes love can bring about in people." (My Sergei, 1996). Gordeeva and Grinkov's costumes for this piece came to be known as "the preist outfits"; a solid dark blue outfit with a single white stripe and collar. "It's almost like you were preparing your whole career for this program," said Marina Zueva. With this program, Gordeeva and Grinkov won another Olympic gold medal at the '94 Olympic Games in Lillehammer. In 1988, they won a gold for the Soviet Union, but this time, they won for each other.

Romeo and Juliet

This piece was skated in 1990 as a long program during their amateur years. They chose the Tchaikovsky version over Prokofiev, and went to the Romeo and Juliet ballet to get idea for choreography. Katia says that during the creation of this piece, she felt like they had reached the next level in their skating. "Romeo and Juliet, that music was about love," writes Katia. They skated this program at the 1990 World Championships.

Spanish Folkmusic (Flamenco)

Gordeeva and Grinkov performed this program as their short (technical) program in Lillehammer at the 1994 Winter Olympics. Katia and Sergei wore flame red outfits, to match the fiery mood of Flamenco. In G&G's technical at Skate Canada '93, they did a flamenco that was so fast and furious, Ekaterina finished the routine with the trim on her red ruffled dress ruined. "Sergei's buttons caught it," said Ekaterina, who said she noticed the trim trailing behind. However, the liveliness of this piece is part of the reason that it make the 'Favorites' page! (Photo copyright J. Barry Mittan)

The Man I Love

This piece is set to a George Gershwin tune sung by Ella Fitzgerald, skated during their professional years. Ekaterina and Sergei wear costumes that look like what ballroom dancers might wear. The Man I Love was a very classy number, where Katia looked much like a professional dancer on ice rather than a skater. Gordeeva and Grinkov skated this in 1994 during their first Stars on Ice tour. (In December of 1994, they won the World Professional Championships for the third time, skating another Gershwin number, called 'Crazy for You'.)

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You're listening to "Vocalise" by Sergei Rachmaninov

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