Tuesday, March 25 - Ice Dance Compulsory Dance Practice
Scenes of a Morning Dance Practice
Yesterday, at the MCI Center, in addition to losing my purple pillow, I also believed that I had left my make-up bag there. In the process of the pouch searching that they do in purses for clearance to the center, I thought I had taken the make-up bag out and not restored it. So, I had already planned that I needed to go to the local CVS and buy new make-up before I could be seen anywhere in either center. So, the CVS opened at 7 a.m., and I knew I would be a little late to the practice. The funny thing is I don't wear make-up everyday at home. Maybe once a week and for special occasions. And, full make-up with foundation, I probably hadn't worn in a year or so. But, such is the way of being at a skating event. I held on to an idea in my head of how it should be. Get this: a few days later, I found my original make-up bag by digging deeper in one of my suitcases.
It turned out that I didn't miss too much of the Compulsory Dance practice at the Convention Center. When I arrived, I discovered that the dance Groups 1 to 6 had been thrown out the window, and practices would now be grouped by order of the draw in the next event of that discipline. The next event would be the Compulsory Dance to be held later that afternoon. The trick is I had no start order as those were generally made available inside the MCI Center only a few hours prior to the event's start.
In the far, least populated by spectators corner, Tanith Belbin and her idol Shae-Lynn Bourne talk and laugh. Benjamin Agosto is with them as they do jumps and stretches off ice.
Weina Zhang and Xiangming Cao can also be found doing stretches off ice on the side of the rink.
Coaches Evgeny Platov and Nikolai Morosov just walked past me into the stands. So did Ukranian judge Yuri Balkov. He seems to be making notes of the practice. He was the only judge I saw, but then again he probably is the only judge I would recognize, given the TV coverage we receive of 'judging scandal' and the like.
Patrice Lauzon, Isabel Delobel, Pamela O'Connor and Jonathan O'Dougherty gather backstage. They all train with Muriel Zazoui.
Then, Patrice jogs around to the far corner where Marie-France is loosening her neck and stretching. They look at each other and smile. They have dated for about six years, and the relationship is very genuine even when the cameras are not rolling. They slip an arm around each other and position almost like in a foxtrot dance hold and start dancing to Virtual Insanity by Jamiroquai. It appears the music tracks from MCI Center are over here, too. They bounce the opposite arms from the hold that are extended and clasped at their sides to the beats of the music.
Galit Chait is climbing the stairs in the aisle next to me to sit in the stands and watch the practices.
Maya Usova walks by with hot cup in hand and is wearing yet a different long coat. This one is a brown leather coat.
Yuri Balkov walks by again with an envelope. He seems to be walking to the backstage area and back to the stands in between every practice group.
Some girls ask Natalia Linichuk for an autograph. She seems happy to oblige.
Kristin Fraser leaves the backstage area and passes directly in front of the stands pulling her tote bag on wheels at a brisk pace.
Pamela O'Connor and Jonathan O'Dougherty are now in the stands watching the practices.
Agnieszka Dulej and Slawomir Janicki are dancing off ice in training clothes to the Austrian Waltz music that is playing on the sound system.
It's interesting how the skaters can practice any move off ice that they can on ice - pirouettes, turns, spins, you name it. All of this done without the flow and speed the ice facilitates.
Maxim Shabalin is sitting a few rows behind me watching the practices. I'm tempted to ask for his autograph since we couldn't get him to do so the other day, but I'm not bold enough.
Albena Denkova and Maxim Staviyski do stretches in training clothes behind the coaching tables, on the near side of the barricade in front of me. Albena doesn't lose her concentration and is always in motion. She pulls Staviyski by the hand away from his conversation with Shabalin, who has just returned to the backstage area from the stands. She has something to tell Staviyski.
On the ice surface, Tanith Belbin and Benjamin Agosto just came awfully close to Tatiana Navka and Roman Kostomarov. Both teams were in closed position holds and could not really see each other. At the coaching table for Tanith and Benjamin are Igor Shpilband and Marina Zoueva.
Maxim Shabalin migrates to talking and laughing with Julia Golovina and Oleg Voiko. Oksana Domnina joins them and gives Julia a brief hug. Maxim Staviyski seems to be a flirt. He jogs up, now in costume, to Domnina and gives her a kiss on the cheek. He shakes hands with Oleg and gives Julia a little cheek kiss, too. An elderly couple goes up to the barricade and asks for Shabalin's autograph. He is signing today.
Shae-Lynn Bourne leaves the backstage area and walks directly in front of the stands with her carry-on bag in tow. I guess she is attempting to leave practice through the main spectator entrance. She poses for a picture with a girl and her friends. She tells her, 'Hi, again. You're a trooper. You're here every day.' Other fans stop her on the way out of the arena. She walks a few feet and stops. Walks a few feet and stops again. She smiles and says, 'of course' when they ask to take her picture. The same girls also catch Victor Kraatz near the exit to backstage to take a picture with him. They tell him that they hope he wins. Victor says, 'I hope so, too. It's our last one.' It looks like he came out for the purpose of greeting them and taking a picture because he returns backstage and must be exiting the Convention Center another way. Shae-Lynn is still only halfway down the main walkway talking to fans.
Tatiana Navka and Roman Kostomarov stand rinkside with coats on and carry-on bags beside them as if they are preparing to leave. They can't resist the urge, so together they fall into the waltz position and dance to the catchy music that is playing on the sound system, coats and all.
How is Muriel Zazoui able to walk? She wears high heels, and the width of the heel is equivalent to the size of the inside tube in a ballpoint pen. The heel portion is clear like glass. Takes better skills than I have.
Yoshie Onda and her coach Machiko Yamada exit from the backstage skater area and enter the stands to meet a friend. The Ladies Short Program practice is up next. Yoshie returns to backstage a few minutes later and is seen through the partitions getting her legs stretched out by a trainer.
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