#TWIZZLE ICE DANCING FREE#

#TWIZZLE ICE DANCING FREE#

And they hope for nothing different at Worlds.Victoria Sinitsina, Nikita Katsalapov of ROC, Gabriella Papadakis, Guillaume Cizeron of France and Madison Hubbell, Zachary Donohue of the United States (from L to R) pose after the figure skating ice dance free dance match of Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics at Capital Indoor Stadium in Beijing, capital of China, Feb. In the middle of their free dance twizzle sequence at nationals, the Shibutanis could sense how well it was all going, how they appeared perfectly in synch. вЂњIf you lose focus for a split second, then youвЂ™re finished,вЂќ says Maia.ДЄlex adds that it all happens so quickly вЂњthereвЂ™s no room for mental errors at all.вЂќ When it comes to the mental side of the twizzle, Maia repeatedly emphasizes the importance of staying in the moment, because when skaters think too far ahead, it often goes badly. вЂњBut with our two programs this season, after our twizzles, the audience always really reacts well, so that gives us more energy for the rest of the program.вЂќ вЂњFor us, itвЂ™s just another element in the program, because staying in the moment is important,вЂќ says Maia. But we will be able to tell you afterwards that it might have been a little bit different.вЂќДЄt TD Garden, the вЂњFix YouвЂќ program and its twizzle sequence should be a crowd-pleaser and a judge-pleaser again. If Maia notices that IвЂ™m going off one way, sheвЂ™s very skilled and talented to follow me.

вЂњStrong teams are able to adjust, to make self-corrections. вЂњThere are things that you can do,вЂќ says Alex. WeвЂ™re skating at a really high level right now.вЂќ вЂњWe knew we had several weeks to go home and really improve and progress, and weвЂ™ve done that. And that first ISU title was a huge accomplishment for us. вЂњWe took a lot of confidence from nationals into Four Continents. вЂњThereвЂ™s no pressure that we feel,вЂќ says Alex, who was born in Boston and remains a devoted fan of local sports teams.

Then in February, the siblings earned their first major international title at the Four Continents Championships and posted personal-best scores for an international competition with their short dance and their вЂњFix YouвЂќ free dance. In January, they took home their first national title, defeating defending ice dance champions Madison Chock and Evan Bates. It also helps that they have been on a winning streak. That confidence is one reason the Shibutanis will be strong contenders for the ice dance title at the Figure Skating World Championships this week at TD Garden. In both their programs, the Shibutanis go beyond the minimum twizzle requirements and pile on the rotations because, Alex says, вЂњIt shows a confidence level you have with the element, and we like doing twizzles, so weвЂ™ll do more.вЂќ This season, the guidelines for the short dance require skaters to perform one set of sequential twizzles, which means they must incorporate two separate spins across the ice with one step in between.Д®ach free dance needs to include at least one set of sequential twizzles with two or three separate spins that move across the ice with up to three steps in between. вЂњYou have to try and make sure that youвЂ™re precise for the unison to be right on.вЂќ вЂњIn order to have really strong twizzles, you need strong individual skating skills because youвЂ™re not holding on to each other,вЂќ says Maia. Meanwhile, Maia adds that skating ability, music cues, and choreography all play a role, too, helping the Shibutanis stay in sync with each other. вЂњIt goes to show just how detailed and how down to the nitty-gritty the synchronization on twizzles gets.вЂќ вЂњWe could often times hear the placement of each otherвЂ™s feet based the sound that our blades were making on the ice,вЂќ says Davis.

Davis and White have been partners for nearly two decades. Meryl Davis and Charlie White, who won gold at the 2014 Sochi Olympics and at World Championships in Moscow in 2011 and London in 2013, agree that practice time and experience skating together are the keys to successful twizzle sequences. вЂњIвЂ™d also like to think that thereвЂ™s natural twizzling ability.вЂќ

Twizzle ice dancing