Dance

Final Results

Compulsory Dance

The compulsory dance skated at this competition was the Silver Samba. World Silver Medallists Barbara Fusar Poli & Maurizio Margaglio of Italy took the lead in the Compulsory Dance with a clean and fast performance. They got first place votes from six of the seven judges. "The Silver Samba is probably our favorite compulsory dance", said Fusar Poli.  "We like Latin rhythms!"  Margaglio added: "We are happy with how we have skated at this point of the season. We didn't have much time to prepare the compulsories, because we have new programs and there are new rules, so there was not much time left for compulsories."  Lithuania's World Bronze Medallists Margarita Drobiazko & Povilas Vanagas finished second. "I like the Silver Samba much better than the Waltz" (which they skated at Skate America), smiled Drobiazko.    Shae-Lynn Bourne & Victor Kraatz (CAN) received one first place ordinal, but came in third.

Original Dance

Ice Dance The Original Dance saw a  few switches in placements after the Compulsory Dance. The decision for the judges was difficult, because the top four couples all delivered strong performances.  Italy's World Silver Medallists Barbara Fusar Poli & Maurizio Margaglio came out on top. Their fast and classic "Puttin' on the Ritz" (Quickstep and Foxtrott) won them marks up to 5.9. "It was perfect", said Fusar Poli. "We felt better than at Skate America, because we could breathe!"

World Bronze Medallists Margarita Drobizuako & Povilas Vanagas finished a solid second with an exciting Charleston and Quickstep. "We did very well today. The audience was fantastic. It's a small arena, but the public is very knowledgeable."

To the delight of their home crowd, Kati Winkler & Rene Lohse (GER) pulled up one spot with a funny Charleston and Quickstep set to "Cabaret".  "This result really encourages us", said Winkler.  "It proves that no one is miles away from us". The couple also seemed to feel that the Original Dance was their strongest part of the competition so far.

Canada's Shae-Lynn Bourne & Victor Kraatz dropped to fourth in spite of a difficult and entertaining Quickstep and Foxtrot, "Jumping Jack" and "This Business of Love" (from "The Mask").  "First of all we are happy to be back skating", said Kraatz, referring to Bourne's knee injury that kept them out of Worlds last season. "We are happy with how we've skated. The most important thing is that thejoy of skating is back."

Reigning World Junior Champions, Natalia Romaniuta & Daniil Barantsev (RUS), moved up one spot affer a strong Foxtrot and Quickstep and the are now sitting in fifth before the Free Dance.

Free Dance

In the Free Dance the 12 ice dance couples presented a great variety of different styles and music.

Kati Winkler & Rene Lohse of Germany, third after the compulsory and original dances, chose to skate to Gospel music. The German National Champions portrayed farm workers in their program they named "Message of Hope".  The dance featured good steps and original moves, but it wasn't enough to medal this time. The marks reached 5.6 for technique and presentation, and the couple dropped to fourth overall.

Shae-Lynn Bourne & Victor Kraatz (CAN), who had lost the Original Dance to the Germans, came back on the ice on Sunday determined to fight for a spot on the podium. Their powerful "March with Me" (by Vangelis and performed by Montserrat Caballe) revealed their technical abilities, especially their synchronized footwork and twizzles. Compared to last season, the Canadians seem to have bumped up their speed.  The judges awarded them marks ranging from 5.2 to 5.7 for technique and from 5.6 to 5.7 for presentation. Thus, the four-time World Bronze Medallists moved up one spot and captured the bronze medal, which was their second medal of the season. "We are very happy with how we skated the whole week in practice and competition", commented Bourne. "Coming here, our goal was to skate strong, to skate a 100 percent. We are happy with the changes we've made and we keep going."

Margarita Drobiazko/Povilas Vanagas of Lithuania presented their "Tango" routine (to 'Tanguero" and "Tus Ojos de Cielo"), and the performance was a step up from their first competition at Skate America. The dance contained difficult footwork at constantly high speed and spectacular lifts. "We are pleased with how the competition went for us", said Vanagas. "We realized that we can compete with everyone with this program, and that makes us happy." Drobiazko explained: "When we started to work on this program, we weren't sure if we'll last through the four minutes, because it is very difficult. Now we are confident that we can do it."   The World Bronze Medallists got straight second place ordinals from all seven judges and stayed in second overall.

Last to skate were the World Silver Medallists Barbara Fusar Poli & Maurizio Margaglio (ITA). Their dramatic program to the powerful music from the "Romeo and Juliet" soundtrack ("Oh Verona" and "Mercutio's Death") featured innovative lifts and elements, as well as good footwork. All judges voted for first place for the Italian team, and they won their second gold this season. "It is a great pleasure for us to have won this competition in Gelsenkirchen, because we competed here for the first time. The competition was very tough", Margaglio said, referring to the strong competition in the field. "I'm happy, especially because we did better than at Colorado Springs (Skate America)", Fusar Poli added.

Fusar Poli/Margaglio took home another 12 points in the Grand Prix standings. They are currently leading the Grand Prix results in ice dance and are the first couple to have qualified for the Final taking place in Tokyo next February. Drobiazko & Vanagas scored 9 points and will skate for points at the NHK Trophy in Japan.  Bourne & Kraatz have 14 points after their two competitions and will have to wait now to see if this is enough to reach the Final.

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