ICE STYLE.....Cup of China 2012: Ice Dance

Cirque du Soleil, Can Can, Two-Steppin' Dancing Queens and Princes...Say Hello to Ice Dance:

Can Can Love: Nathalie Pechalat and Fabian Bourzat of France skating their Short Dance, ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating 2012/2013 Cup of China, Shanghai China

If you've been keeping up with my little ol' blog here, I've been recapping the Figure Skating Costumes at this past weekend's ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating 2012 Cup of China, which happened at the Shanghai Oriental Sports Center in (you guessed it!) Shanghai China. I've discussed the Men HERE, the Pairs HERE, the Women HERE and now, it's time to give my "Nick Two Cents" on the Ice Dancers, always one of the most fun disciplines when it comes to fashion and costumes.

Ekaterina Bobrova and Dmitri Soloviev of Russia: When I first saw these costumes, I thought, "Are they skating to a Disney film?". Then after a little research, I found out that for their "polka/waltz" Short Dance, they actually skated to "Say a Word About the Poor Hussar" by Andrei Petrov and music from the Air Crew soundtrack by Alfred Schnittke. Now,  I was still a bit perplexed because I had no idea what these songs were from. More research and I found out that the second "Air Crew" one is from a Russian film about an airplane crash (Ummm, OK...) but then I found out that the first song (Hussar) is from a Russian comedy/drama historical/period TV movie:

BINGO! That's why they are dressed liken that!! Yeayyy...

He was the officer and looked dapper, polished and strong. I especially loved the bold red stripes set against the white pants which made for nice lines to look at as they skated and especially, when extending his legs.  She was the ultra soft, feminine counterpart and looked romantic and pretty.

For the Free Dance to "Man with a Harmonica" from the Once Upon a Time in the West soundtrack by Ennio Morricone, they went the polar opposite of what they wore for their Short Dance--modern, contemporary looks that seem to be quite the trend with a lot of Ice Dancers as of late; they do the "costumes" in their Short and go a little more contemporary for their Free.

Madison Chock and Evan Bates of USA:  For their "Polka/Waltz" Short Dance, these two cuties from the US skated to Selections from Quidam by Cirque du Soleil:

On the IceNetwork.com site, it says that Madison designed the costumes for both the Short and Free Dance for this season. I liked these "Cirque" costumes. The colors were impacting, vibrant and perfect for the dance. Like Joshi Helgesson of Sweden, it is a bit over the top, but she looked sexy and still "Soleil" fun. I also liked Evan's slim. fitted velvet midnight blue-colored costume, although I'm not a huge fan of the "all-in-one" costume. While I think it works with Madison's costume, it is a little "Costume Store" looking for my taste.

For their Free Dance, Chock and Bates danced to Selections from Doctor Zhivago composed by Maurice Jarre. I like the striking black and white colors but I am always afraid of white dresses with figure skating especially when the makeup rubs up against it. I think they look clean and safe with their costumes here, I only wished they might have "punched" them up a bit more; these costumes need a little more "pizzazz". His especially--it looks like a weird hybrid of a Roman toga/Russian soldier. Again, I think they wanted to go a bit softer, especially after what they showed for their Short Dance. And, as I stated above, they certainly are on trend with the more minimal, modern aesthetic of the Free Dance. I just wish they were a little less minimal and a bit more modern.

Charlene Guignard and Marco Fabbri of Italy: OK, let me get this out of the way: LOOOVE! When I saw them step into the ice to do their Short Dance, I think I quietly exclaimed "Now, these are Costumes!". For their Short Program, they skated to a Waltz sung by Luciano Pavarotti and a Polka by Strauss. These two looked like they came out of a Vienna Austria dinner theatre and straight onto the Shanghai ice! These costumes blend camp, color, and actual historical period costumes and do it superbly.

I especially love the back "lace up" detail of her intricate corset and how the gold was brought back to his ensemble in the trim. Well done Italia!

For their Free Dance to "Summer" and "Winter" from The Four Seasons by Antonio Vivaldi, Guignard and Fabbri they went the semi-contemporary route (Che Sorpresa!). It was a nice counterbalance from their previous Short Dance costumes. I like the sequined multicolored butterfly motif in her dress. It looks like a pretty DVF cocktail dress but still seems costume-y enough for a dance like this.

Victoria Sinitsina and Ruslan Zhiganshin of Russia: Let's see, I wonder what type of music these two kids skated to?? I hope it wasn't Tchaikovsky "Swan Lake"....And I was right (not a difficult guess!), Sinitsina and Zhiganshin skated their "Polka/Waltz" Short Dance to "Tennessee Waltz" by Eva Cassidy and "Country Polka".  I always love when another country does "US Country and Western" and takes it to a whole other level! These outfits were fun, "Line Dancing"-festive and impacting with the colors and details; such as her ribbon lacing on the sides, puffy sleeves and her ombre dyeing effect. I also love his faded denim vest and jean look. He looks pretty HOT and I would warn him to be careful if he ever mistakenly ends up at a Gay Rodeo. He will be MOBBED!

Nathalie Pechalat and Fabian Bourzat of France: Pechalat and Bourzat won the Gold Medal at this past weekend's Cup of China 2012 and Congrats to them. For their "Polka/Waltz" Short Dance to "Gaite Parisienne" by Jacques Offenbach and "Sous le ciel de Paris" performed by Yves Montand. They went Can-Can Fab with their costumes, giving a cheeky homage to their home nation, but at the same time looking like a pair of extras in a Clint Eastwood Western Movie. I liked the fuchsia and black color contrast. Notice how they used a little bit of her fuchsia on his vest's welt pockets. I also like his turned-down French Cuff.  Good clean "Can-Can" Costume fun.

For their Free Dance--once again like may of the other Ice Dance competitors--they went "Anti-Costume" and donned more contemporary looks. Pechalat and Bourzat skated to "Miss You," "Angie," "Symphony for the Devil" and "Start Me Up" by The Rolling Stones. Their "costumes", if you could call them that were what I would call "Boho Hippie Chick Meets 'Survivor' Reality Show Contestants". It was a bit of a mish-mash.

She wore a cami-like tunic top (or was it a dress) that was a teeny bit short and her black panties kept showing whenever a turn or a lift occurred. The panties were cute but..it was still  distracting to say the least. She had accessories on her forehead and a long dangling necklace that I guess were there to reiterate the "Hippie" part but they looked a bit contrived. He looked like he belonged in a "Jesus Christ Superstar" revival. To sum it up: I wasn't a fan. But who cares, they got the Gold! Although, let's just say, I really, really miss this:

Pechalat and Bourzat's costumes from last season's "Mummy and Pharaoh" themed Free Dance. I so wish there was a way to bring these back! S'il vous plaît