October 4, 2003
VIKTORY FOR KIDS
by TopCocoGirl
Part 1:
Hi all,
A lurker, but I was at the show so thought I'd post a review.
Katia looked amazing. She wore a black unitard with some white stitching on the front. She
is incredibly tiny and very fit. All muscle, but thin muscles. Her program was the third
to last one. She faultered on the landings of both her jumps, but otherwise it was a very
intense, excellent program. She got a huge response from the crowd at the beginning of the
whole show when the cast was introduced.
But for some reason, they didn't applaud much when she came out for her number. I don't
know why. And her program was very subtle, but very intricately choreographed. It wasn't a
matter of skating to that corner and doing a jump and then skating to this corner and
doing a spin. She had amazing moves at all times. Seemed to be very Ilia influences in
terms of being very innovative. It was almost like a modern dance on ice. She is so smooth
and graceful, no stumbles (except for her jump landings) no issues with balance. And she
skates soooo fast. But she didn't do well on her jumps. And it wasn't a play-to-the-crowd
number, so they didn't applause much after her number.
Ilia ended the first half (I think). And he was spectacular. The crowd loved him. He
really played to audience. He is so smooth on the ice.
Daria was very cute. She sure does love being in front of an audience. Much more
comfortable being in the spot light than Katia seems to be.
She opened the second half. She is very much a dancer and has a LOT of stage presense.
Artur Jr. skated after her. He is soooo adorable. He's so tiny and skinny -- it's hard to
believe he's HUGE Artur's son.
Anyway, later in the second half when other skaters were skaking, you could see Daria and
Artur at one point running behind the seats (well outside of the rink, not at all
disturbing to the skating or to those watching it) to go to the front lobby. They were so
cute together . They seemed like best friends.
And during the finale, the skaters waited on the ice as each new skater came out to bow.
And Daria was dancing up a storm in her own corner. She and Artur jr. and two other young
skaters were the first to take bows.
After the show, the skaters were hanging out on the ice for pictures and stuff. And Brian
Boitano and Daria skating together. They skated in a big circle side-by-side a few times
and then went into a spiral.
Also, Katia's parents were there and they brough Liza out. She is soooo cute. I was
expecting to see a baby, I don't know why. But she is actually more than 2 and she looks
it LOL! She has Ilia's face. No Katia whatsoever. So delicate and sweet looking. Seems
very reserved for a 2 year old. Not at all rambunctious like her older sister.
By the way, Katia's mother is stunning!!!
Let's see, what else...
Oh, during the opening number, again, the skaters waited along the circle of the ice after
they had been called while other skaters came out. Ilia and Katia ended up standing not so
close to each other. I saw Ilia move toward Katia. Then Katia moved a bit toward Ilia.
Then finally Ilia moved all the way toward Katia until they were touching. Very cute.
Also, during the group photo at the end. Katia stood in front of Ilia and he wrapped his
arms around her hips and he held her hand. Very cute!
As for other skaters... Evgeny Plushenko was fantastic. So was Viktor. Fumie skated very
slowly. Don't know why.
If I think of other things, I'll let you know.
Part 2:
One more thing...
I'm not so sure about the white stitching on Katia's costume. It could have been something
else. I just remember it being a black unitard.
Ilia wore black pants and that blue long sleeved funky shirt he's worn several times.
Daria wore a yellow dress (very pale yellow)
Artur jr. wore a black unitard with long sleeves.
Tim Goeble work his American Pie costume, and skated that number.
Evgeny Plushenko wore the costume he wore the previous night at the Campbell classic
(which he won) did the same number too. (Yes, I was at both. Lucky me!!!)
Part 3:
Thanks, all. Glad you like the review. Su-jan, yes, you can post it on your site. Feel
free to cut & past it all together, I know I've added lots on to the original report.
I haven't developed my film yet, but if there's anything good, I'll post it.
Just a bit more. I forgot to mention that Katia skated with a red scarf! That seems pretty
important. Sorry! Anyway, at one point she dropped it, actually, it kind of fell off her
as she had wrapped it around her hips. But she got it back quickly and resumed the number.
Also, it wasn't a ribbon, but a rectangle shape. I would say about 18" x 25".
Also, I can't stress how intricate her program was. This show isn't going to air on
national tv -- just CT, I think. So I'll try better to describe it. It was very intense.
The music had no words but was also very intense. There was an understated power to her
number. And her movements and steps and the way she worked with the scarf was extremely
intricate. She was always doing something. And all the movements flowed naturally from one
to the next. It never looked like, "let's do a trick with this scarf." I really
don't think many other skaters could have skated this program -- probably Ilia, and maybe
some ice dancers. But it was not a traditional singles program. And she did lots of moves
I've never seen before, because they were in connection to the scarf. Like at one point
somehow the scarf was wrapped around her leg and she was doing a spiral but then swung her
leg around so it was in front of her -- all the while holding onto the ends of the scarf.
Okay, I know that sounds really awkward and clunky, but it wasn't it all.
It's tough to describe the number because it was so unusual. It was one of my favorites of
the night. Probably because I'm such a fan, but also because she's a really amazing skater
and it showed in this number. She has total control over her body and her skates, unlike
some skaters who even though they are really great, they don't always seem to know what is
about to happen next.
For me, the highlights were Katia, Ilia, Evgeny, and Viktor. I thought the L&T program
was kind of boring and kind of a rehash of a lot of what they've already done. Though I
loved Naomi's dress -- long and white.
Some non-skating stuff...
Elizaveta has light hair with a reddish tone. It's not blonde the way Daria's was (and
is).
What I liked about this show was that it was so casual and intimate. Like after Fumie
skated, she put on her leather jacket and sat in the audience to watch the show until the
finale.
Also, about a half hour before the show started, I went out to the lobby and almost ran
smack into Peter Tchernechev (I'm sure I spelled that wrong). Boy is he good looking.
Though no one has a better smile on the ice than Ilia. And he was smiling a lot during his
number. He really enjoyed himself. He seemed so relaxed. And his number was great.
Beautiful jumps. And he moves soooo well!!! I bet Ilia and Katia look great on the dance
floor.
Oh, in the finale, as I said, the skaters waited along the ring of the ice as more skaters
took their bows. At one point, Brian Boitano leaned over to Katia and gave her a big hug.
That's it for now. I think!
TopCocoGirl
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