Unlike last season, the Shibutanis and Weaver & Poje didn't make to the final. But let's have a look at how well the qualified teams did in the circuit.
Meryl Davis & Charlie White
The dynamic north american duo has won four medals in past editions of the grand prix final. In 2008/2009 they won the bronze in this event and have since then collected three gold medals (2009/2010 + 2010/2011 + 2011/2012). Looking at how well they did during the two grand prix events they've won this season and at how polished their programs already look, I dare saying that these two are the red hot favorites to win gold in 2012/2013. Their short dance to "Giselle" is very well constructed. It has a balletic touch that suits them well despite the fact that Davis & White are more recognised by their enourmous speed and incredible attack. I have to say that they seem to be charaters from a Disney story or something. Meryl resembles Belle and Charlie is a perfect prince. Just take a look at this picture
"Giselle" has paid them very good dividends. At Skate America, Meryl and Charlie scored 71.39pts and they suffered 1 point of deduction. At the NHK Trophy, their short dance scored less but still managed to get 69.86 point, also suffering a point deduction. Those deductions had to do with extended lifts.
The Free Dance they've chosen for this season is to "Notre Dame de Paris". Meryl and Charlie seem to be on form and sharp already at this point of the season. In the NHK Trophy they had tremendous +GOE and scored 108.62pts improving their score in about 3,73 points when comparing with what they've achieved at Skate America.
Tessa Virtue & Scott Moir
While their big rivals Davis & White made a big impression straight away in their first grand prix event, Virtue & Moir showed very interesting programs but they still looked a bit heavy and not so sharp at Skate Canada, where they actually committed some uncharacteristic mistakes. At Skate Canada they scored 65.09pts at the short dance and at the free dance they got 104.32pts. At the Cup of Russia they significantly improved their short dance score by getting 70.65pts but in the free dance their score was lower (103.34pts) than at the canadian grand prix. Virtue & Moir free dance is skated to "Carmen" and their interpretation is not conventional. There are touches of modern dance to it and it is very intense from an emotional and physical point of view. The lifts they have in that program are very difficult indeed and that difficulty is easy to spot even by someone who doesn't know that much about ice-dance. At Skate Canada it all looked like a bit laboured but let's see if in the grand prix final Tessa and Scott will perform it with more flow.
Interestingly Tessa and Scott have never won gold at the grand prix final. They've won the silver medal twice in this competition: 2009/2010 and 2011/2012. Will they finally get this title?
Here are some pictures of their free dance that illustrate why it can be known as "The Hot Carmen" :P
Nathalie Pechalat & Fabian Bourzat
The super cool french duo decided to surprise us all this season by using a Rolling Stones medley as their free dance music. It's a tribute to that mythical band. I really love this idea cause Nathalie and Fabian are able to interpret this sort of music with the right cool attitude. This style fits them like a glove. The judges seem to have been appreciating the french team effort and the scores for the free dance have been good for them in the two grand prix events they participated in. At the Cup of China they got 100.58pts and at the Trophée Eric Bompard they were rewarded with 100.42. In both events they had a point deduction in the free dance because of extended lifts. In what concerns the short dance, they scored 69.15pts at the Cup of China but failed to improve their scores at the Trophée Eric Bompard where they got 68.48pts (nevertheless I think the judges were a bit harsh on them in the french grand prix event). If we look just to the Short dance scores, we can conclude that Nathalie and Fabian are not that far behind of Virtue & Moir and Davis & White. Nathalie and Fabian really do have one of the best short dances of the season in terms of choreography and interpretation.
This french team is yet to win the grand prix final but they already have won three medals in this competition in previous seasons. In 2009/2010 they got the bronze medal, in 2010/2011 they got the silver and in 2011/2012 the bronze again. I am really curious to see how they will do in this year final.
Ekaterina Bobrova & Dmitri Soloviev
Everybody was curious to see how this russian team would react after a dissapointing time at the world championships last season where they finished behind their compatriots Ilinykh & Katsalapov. During the off season, Ekaterina and Dmitri switched coaches to Alexander Zhulin and have transformed themselves. They had a strong start to the season by beating Weaver & Poje in their both grand prix events. This russian duo won the silver medal at Skate America and at the Cup of China. Their lovely short dance got them 62.91pts at Skate America and at the Cup of China they improved their score to 64.32pts.
This season's free dance allows us to see a completly different side of Bobrova & Soloviev. It has nothing to do with the more classical approach they had last year. This combination of "Man with a harmonica" and "Tosca" really helps them to expand their interpretation skills and it works great for them. At Skate America they got 97.04pts for the free dance and at the Cup of China they earned 95.14pts. Alexander Zhulin has told the russian press that Bobrova & Soloviev have been working in their short dance in order to include more content and improve it. I wonder about what changes are being made and if we will be able to see them in the grand prix final.
Ekaterina Bobrova and Dmitri Soloviev have previously made it to the final in 2010/2011 where they finished 4th and in 2011/2012 where they finished in 6th place. Considering that the GPF will take place in their home country maybe these two will be able to get a little bit of extra inspiration and be contenders for a medal. Nevertheless I really don't think they'll make it to the podium.
Elena Ilinykh & Nikita Katsalapov
The young russian duo qualified for the grand prix final for the first time in their career. They won the silver in the two grand prix events they participated in. In the Cup of Russia, their beautiful short dance got 65.70pts but in the NHK Trophy it was only scored with 59.65pts. In Japan, Elena and Nikita were punished with two deductions in their short dance (time violation and extended lift) and didn't get as much points for +GOE as they did in the russian event. For the short dance, this team opted for something different: they chose a traditional Uzbek type of music that is reflected in some of the moves they do and on their costumes. I praise them for choosing something that makes them stand out from the pack. Elena and Nikita's free dance is also very interesting. They opted for a medley of music from "Ghost" but some people have expressed their dislike for the use of dialogues over the music and also for the fact that the skaters play to the lines of the dialogue. I personally find it appealing and I believe that it shows that Elena and Nikita are out there doing their own stuff and trying new stuff. Kudos for them for going for it. At the Cup of Russia their free dance was scored with 92.76 (eventhough Elena had a fall during the program) and at the NHK Trophy that scored was improved to 96.66 (suffering a one point deduction for an extended lift). It will be thrilling to see how they well they will do against Bobrova & Soloviev...
Anna Cappellini & Luca Lanotte
This will be the second time Cappellini & Lanotte will compete in the grand prix final. In 2009/2010 they qualified and finished in 5th place. Their programs seem to be very well constructed and the choreographies are very captivating. The italian duo competed in two grand prix events having won the silver medal in both occasions. At Skate Canada they scored 65.08pts in the short dance and at the Trophée Eric Bompard they got 66.18pts. For the free dance they received 94.98pts at Skate Canada but due to a big mistake in the twizzles during the Trophée Eric Bompard they only got 87.08pts. They were also hit with a point deduction in the free dance in the french grand prix. It's already a big achievement for these two to be able to take part of the grand prix final and the other couples should watch out cause I am sure Cappellini & Lanotte will give them a fight :)
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