Rhythm Dance
Laughter isn't typically associated with the tango, an intense dance that calls for smoldering glances and, often, a bit of aggression. But
Madison Hubbell and Zachary Donohue don't always do things the ordinary way.
So when a mishap occurred at the very end of their rhythm dance to a familiar Astor Piazzolla medley – when Hubbell is supposed to sit on Donohue's bent knee and gaze intently into his eyes -- all they could do was chuckle.
"Well, basically at the end of program, I sit on top of Zach, and I leaned forward to his face a little more than usual maybe," Hubbell said. "And he also leans back at the same time, so our weight just tipped a little backwards."
"We tried to hold it, so they would count it as if we finished, but no such luck," she added. "Zach put his hand down, and I promptly stepped on it."
Hubbell and Donohue sustained two points in deductions: one for Donohue's fall and the other when fabric on Hubbell's skirt was sliced off. There was no deduction for the slice taken out of Donohue's finger. Â
"I skinned it, I potatoe'd it," Hubbell said.
"She turned into Sweeney Todd," Donohue protested. "I have bones and muscle, I don't need skin."
Even with the deductions, Hubbell and Donohue earned 78.43 points, enough for a 3.42 point lead over Charlene Guignard and Marco Fabbri of Italy. Russians Jonathan Guerreiro and Tiffani Zagorski sit third with 73.30 points.
A lot of teams could use a laugh after performing the required two sections of the Tango Romantica, this season's required pattern dance, last competed during the 2009-10 season. It takes up nearly one minute of the rhythm dance, which runs about three minutes total. Scores for the two Tango Romantica sections are based largely on key points, or how well the skaters perform various proscribed steps and turns.
"It's definitely challenging, it's very long and intricate," said Quinn Carpenter, who with partner Lorraine McNamara sits fourth. "You take it step-by-step, you really focus on that precision, listen to the music, skate to the music. That's how you get those key points."
It's the first time Hubbell and Donohue, who teamed up in 2011 and train under Marie-France Dubreuil and Patrice Lauzon in Montreal, have competed the Tango Romantica or any type of tango. While the couple gained Level 4's (the highest level) for their twizzles and lift, one of their Tango Romantica sections earned just Level 2. But the judges liked the World silver medalists traditional, sensuous program, awarding high marks for program components and Grades of Execution.
"We tried a bunch of different styles on the ice, because Zach and I had never performed (tango)," Hubbell said. "And we just found that a classic, very Argentine style suited our skating. We felt like this classic piece of music had a lot of variation in it, to show our power and sensuality and also moments of sharpness."
McNamara and Carpenter, the 2016 World junior champions who placed sixth in the U.S. last season, took a different approach. They combined a waltz with the tango; both pieces of music are by Orquestra Color Tango de Roberto Alvarez.
The resulting lighter, softer program had excellent flow and was highlighted by a freewheeling closing rotational lift. McNamara and Carpenter gained 72.44 points, including five Level 4 elements, the most of the event.
"Our first piece of music is a waltz, I think it adds an interesting flair to it and it really brings out the Tango itself," McNamara said. "Also it shows we are capable of doing both."
"We really didn't want to just do a tango, and we liked both pieces of music and they matched extremely well, so we just put them together," Carpenter added.
Competing in their first-ever Grand Prix event,
Karina Manta and Joseph Johnson showed flair, combining the required tango with flamenco rhythms in a program choreographed by 2006 Olympic silver medalist Ben Agosto. The Colorado Springs-based team lost points on the Tango Romantica sections, but gained high levels for their twizzles and lift. They placed tenth with 51.89 points.
"We kept our energy up through the end," Manta said. "We hope to keep building on these scores."
"We have to get more consistent, especially with the tango key points, because they make or break your score," Johnson added.
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Ladies Short Program
Consistency helped carry
Bradie Tennell to the 2018 U.S. title and the Olympic Winter Games PyeongChang 2018. It deserted her for a moment on Saturday night in the short program at Skate America.
The 20-year-old from Carpentersville, Illinois, singled the back end of her opening triple Lutz-triple loop combination, which cost her several points and likely a chance to win the event.
"I'm a little disappointed obviously," Tennell said. "The combo is something that I don't ever miss. It was a little bit of a shock to me, but I'm human and I'm dealing with that and I'm ready to come back tomorrow."
Tennell, who won her first Grand Prix medal – a bronze – at 2017 Skate America, said she hesitated for a brief moment between the two jumps: "It kind of threw off my timing."
Despite the miscue, Tennell appeared locked in to her dramatic program to "Rebirth" by High Finesse.
"I love this program and I'm very proud of it," she said.
Tennell's score of 61.72 places her fifth heading into Sunday's free skate that starts at 1 p.m. locally.
"It's like a new chapter of a book," she said. "I can't dwell on the past."
Japan's Satoko Miyahara, the defending champion at Skate America, leads the event with 73.86 points. She's followed by Japan's Kaori Sakamoto with 71.29 points and Russia's Sofia Samodurova with 64.41 points.
Boston-area's
Megan Wessenberg proved to be the biggest surprise for the U.S. in the short program. The freshman at Northeastern University delivered a strong performance to "You Don't Own Me" by Brenda Whittaker. Her score of 60.20 was more than eight points better than her previous best this season. She sits sixth in the 11-competitor field.
Except for putting a hand down on her opening triple Lutz, Wessenberg was dialed in to her entertaining routine, which included a solid triple toe-triple toe combination.
"I was happy I was able to move on from that little mistake at the beginning," Wessenberg said. "I thought the best part of the program was my performance. I felt like I sold my program the best I could; the crowd was amazing and they helped me get into character and put on a great show."
Crowd favorite
Starr Andrews of Los Angeles hit a couple of snags in her program to "Summertime." A fall on her double Axel derailed what was shaping up to be one of the night's top programs.
"It was a good experience," Andrews, who is competing in her first Grand Prix event, said. "I had a lot of fun. I wished I could have done the double Axel because it's not the hardest jump in my program, but other than that I think I did pretty well."
Andrews, who is ninth with 56.03 points, said she aims to "skate better" on Sunday, put out a strong performance and make an impression.
