"Changed music three times"
The tournament of show programs was a bright end to the season for current skaters and an opportunity to once again take to the ice for those athletes who have already completed their sports career. One of the masterpieces of acting was the number of the winner of the competition Alexey Yagudin. His sad clown, who chases a ray of light, made the audience stand up and the jury give a standing ovation. And even the song Ne Me Quitte Pas sounded in a new way. At the same time, the Olympic champion decided to perform a triple toe loop with a sore knee and did it magnificently.
The program was staged by choreographer Ilya Averbukh. And according to the expert, despite all the ease of perception of the work, everything was born in great torment.
"We changed the musical composition three times. The main idea is a ray of light, behind which we all go and will go endlessly, strive to have it inside us. I wanted to make a sentimental number with a dream and a desire for a ray of light, "Match TV quotes the words of the specialist.
As it turned out, at first Yagudin tried to dance to the music from the film "Euphoria", then - on themes from Chopin. Everything turned out nicely, but did not cause the necessary emotions.
"It is clear that Alexey is not in such a sports form as in 2002, but at the same time, over the long years of our work, he has become a great actor on the ice. Therefore, we tried to find the right pace in which he could reveal himself as an actor ... It was important for Yagudin to make a triple jump when it was performed - only tears in his eyes from delight, from how he dissolved, "Averbukh added.
Absolutely everyone was delighted with Yagudin's performance. Two-time world champion in ice dancing Maxim Stavisky noted the difference between his skating and the rentals of existing athletes. According to the skater, their movements are clear, confident, but not so emotional.
"No one could compare with Yagudin. When he went to the toe loop, I was worried with him and almost didn't do this somersault with him. It's all fascinating: his face and the image in which he both walked out of the locker room and walked in. It was amazing! Alexey won the first place not because Ilya Averbukh staged the program or Tatyana Tarasova is his long-term coach, and not because it was his birthday, although they undoubtedly made efforts to Yagudin's success. He's irresistible. Actor! He made all the key movements that are his calling card, not for a second leaving the image, "Sport24 quotes Stavisky.
The Olympic champion in ice dancing Natalia Bestemyanova also agrees with the specialist. In her opinion, Yagudin showed young skaters that they still have a lot to learn.
"I really enjoyed the show! It was very beautiful and interesting. Everyone skated so freely and beautifully that it was breathtaking. Yagudin showed a level that is still difficult for young athletes to show. They can't feel the music like Alexey did," Bestemyanova said.
Other compositions staged by Averbukh also stood out. So, Mikhail Kolyada climbed the stairs from umbrellas to the sky to the cover of "Je suis malade", and Elizaveta Tuktamysheva performed the tango "Kumparsita" paired with a ballet machine. At the same time, according to the athlete, she was nervous before the start.
"Honestly, it is unusual and exciting to perform, because it seems that you understand: this is still a competition, and somewhere on the unconscious you already begin to worry a little, and it seems that there is almost no show, where there is usually almost no excitement, there is only inspiration and joy. I had a number with a machine, and I was initially worried that something would happen to him or to me. But when I went out on the ice and the music played, I allowed myself to fully surrender to it and really enjoy the moment, "Tuktamysheva wrote on social networks.
"Hello to all well-wishers"
The compositions of Anna Shcherbakova and Victoria Sinitsina with Nikita Katsalapov turned out to be very lyrical. This genre turned out to be especially close to the judges, because it was these skaters who were on the podium along with Yagudin.
The dance duo chose a medical theme. Katsalapov appeared on the ice in the guise of a doctor and throughout the performance saved Vika from death. As the coach of the athletes Alexander Zhulin explained, Sinitsina was the soul of the person who is undergoing surgery.
"It ends on a positive note. Nikita stands with his head down, he realizes that everything, nothing happened. And Vika is a soul who has resigned herself to the need to fly away. But the latest chords make it possible to understand that a person is alive, and Nikita is a good surgeon, "the specialist said.
Shcherbakova demonstrated the number "17 Moments of Spring". The figure skater embodied the image of Stirlitz's wife on the ice. Touching music, video from the legendary film, magnificent skating of the Olympic champion could not leave anyone indifferent.
If we talk about the rest of the pupils of Eteri Tutberidze, then the most successful compositions were made by Kamila Valieva and Sofia Akatyeva. The first acted as a shaman and caused rain, and the second came down to earth in order to give people love. Both received special prizes from the jury and the audience.
The biggest criticism was Alina Zagitova, who finished the tournament and should have put a bright point in it, but could not. The Olympic champion appeared in the image of Marilyn Monroe, which did not suit her at all.
"Sorry, but no...", — wrote in social networks columnist Elena Vaitsekhovskaya, posting a photo of the girl.
In addition, the only jump did not work out: instead of a triple toe loop, the audience saw a butterfly. However, the skater did not get upset because of the failure. In her opinion, in life you need to try everything.
"In general, guys, I gathered, calmed down, collected all my thoughts in a heap and am ready to share them with you. I am very happy, because I showed a completely new image for myself. I think many people were unaccustomed to looking at me like this, but I need to try something new, move on. As for the fact that I don't like the number... Well, hello to the well-wishers!", — said Zagitova in a video on social networks.
"The jury did not know who Vetlugin was"
Several performances of figure skaters, according to experts, were underestimated. Most of the controversy was caused by the production of Matvey Vetlugin. The figure skater made a parody of Alina Zagitova, Elizaveta Tuktamysheva, Evgeny Plushenko and Yagudin, choosing their most memorable numbers: "Don Quixote", Toxic, Sex Bomb and "Winter". According to Vaitsekhovskaya, the judges' points were the main failure of the tournament.
"And only because in the judging team none of the masters (thank you, Polina Krutikhina, for the sign) seems to have entered at all, what is it about and how unique the idea was," the RT columnist wrote.
Alexander Zhulin, in turn, explained the low scores of the athlete by the fact that the referees simply did not know the young pupil Alexei Mishin.
"If we talk about Vetlugin, the judges did not understand the criteria for grading. Apparently, the jury was still unclear who it was. Plus he skated in the beginning. I believe that this tournament can become permanent. A very unusual format that the audience liked, "Zhulin told RIA Novosti.
Coach Inna Goncharenko noted the artistry of the figure skater. So, the athlete not only performed the elements of Zagitova from "Don Quixote", but also showed how the girl prepares for the start, tapping herself on the legs.
"I was amazed by Matvey, who can still be called inexperienced, how much he appreciates the experience of his predecessors - the next generation knows them and remembers them, there is continuity. This is very cool, I consider it very important, "TASS quoted the expert as saying.
At the same time, Averbukh believes that Vetlugin should not be upset in this situation, since he still has everything ahead of him. The same can be said about Peter Humennik. The figure skater performed under the "Bolero" in a leather vest, under which there was a turtleneck with a heart pattern, and at the end of the composition he performed a part on the piano. Bestemyanova especially liked this.
"I agree with the judges on the issue of the distribution of points in the first three places, but it seems as if they forgot about the second section: in the first one there was a beautiful, charismatic guy who also played the piano live. Too bad they didn't appreciate it properly. But otherwise it was a great show, "Sport24 quotes the words of the specialist.
Anastasia Mishina and Alexander Gallyamov could have had a slightly higher rating. The Olympic champions took to the ice in the form of Zenit and performed almost all the elements with balls tied to the skaters with ropes. Everything looked very dangerous, as the couple could easily fall by running over or getting tangled in the props. However, in terms of energy, athletes were inferior to more experienced skaters. Perhaps that is why the judges gave such points.
However, skaters who had long since completed their sports career skated primarily for themselves, and not for the sake of victory. According to Maxim Trankov, who, together with Tatiana Volosozhar, reminded the audience of the story of "Samson and Delilah", he missed old emotions.
"It was very hot in the stands. We have already seen all those forgotten banners dedicated to us. It's worth a lot. We never skated to please the judges. We have always skated for each other and to make our love you feel. So thank you very much for your support, respect. I'm high on you. The support is generally frenzied, thank you. To tears, very cool and, I hope, you liked our number with Tanya," Trankov said in his Telegram channel.
In general, everyone was satisfied with the tournament. Although the judging and criteria for evaluating the numbers, according to Zhulin, has yet to be worked on.
"We will draw some conclusions. If you see a top ten from two judges, and from one five - it's somehow completely illogical, although again, why not - a person can say: "I completely did not understand the number, what they were talking about." This is a mistake of the performers and choreographers, which means that it was necessary to make sure that everyone understood. The art of evaluating is very difficult - someone is delighted with Marc Chagall, and others do not understand why square people fly in the sky, "the coach summed up.