2010 U.S. Nationals

Senior Dance

Photos copyright 2010 by George S. Rossano

Belbin & Agosto were the first of the top couples to skate the Golden Waltz, skating third in the first warmup.  They were fast and powerful, though seemed to lose just a bit of speed in the second pattern.  There skating was clean and secure with good expression.  Their component marks averaged near nine, setting the bar high for the couples yet to skate with a score of 45.02.  There has been a lot of talk before the event about Belbin's state of mind and whether it would affect the couples performances here.  Thus far, from her appearance in practices and in the competition today, she has appeared focused and determined.

Following Belbin & Agosto it was along wait until the last warmup which the three other top couples drew to skate.

Samuelson & Bates skated second in the last warmup .  They set the bar for Bommentre & Navarro with a score of 37.36.  They skated with fairly good speed and power, though did not fly through the dance as did Belbin & Agosto.  Their performance was precise and smooth, with quiet feet, but was a bit cold emotionally.  Their components were mainly in the mid sevens.

Davis & White skated two spots later in the start order.  They skated with moderately fast speed and good power, with decent expression.  It was a cleanly skated performance with good extension.  Their component marks also averaged near nine, and they slipped past Belbin & Agosto into first place by 0.40 points with a score of 45.42.

Last to skate were Navarro & Bommentrey.  Their performance was moderately fast with fairly good power, perhaps a bit stronger in these than Samuelson & Bates in our view.  Their expression was also warmer and more outgoing.  Their skating, however, was not as tidy as Samuelson & Bates.  In components they were scored in the mid sevens and they ended up receiving 37.60 points, just 0.24 points ahead of Samuelson & Bates.  

The Compulsory Dance segment ended with Davis & White and Belin & Agosto in a virtual tie for first place, and Novarro & Bommentre and Samuelson & Bates in a virtual tie for third place.  Given the point spreads at this point these ties could go either way as the competition progresses.  Our crystal ball says this tight grouping will hold up through the Original Dance, and the event will be decided by the Free Dance.

In the race for the third Olympic Team berth Samuelson & Bates overtook Novarro & Bommentre by scoring 2.00 points ahead of Navarro & Bommentre in the Original Dance.  They now hold third place by a margin of 1.76 points.

The results in the Original Dance were determined entirely by the quality of the elements and the component scores as the top eight couples all executed programs with the same base value of 25.70 points.  Each of these programs contained one lift, one set of synchronized twizzles and two step sequences, with half of the elements called level 3 and the other half level 4.

Three of the top  four teams skated in the second warmup, leaving Samuelson & Bates to twist in the wind until the middle of the third warmup.

Belbin & Agosto led off the second warmup with a Moldavian themed program.  After the event Belbin described that the couple extensively researched the style of the folk dance on which their routine was based and had received supportive feedback from fans in that country.  Davis & White also describe a similar effort for their Indian themed routine.  [Apparently that was not the case for the controversial aborigine routine created by Russian couple Dominina & Shabalin.  From the comments coming out of Australia and the look of the absurd costumes they wear, most reports from Euorpeans have it that their routine is a ludicrous parody of a dance from the culture they have chosen for their Original Dance.]

Belbin & Agosto's performance was skated with good speed and flow with an energetic expression.  Their GoEs were all +1s through +3s.  In components the judges got on the international bandwagon of giving huge marks to competitors a country expects will be competitive for a medal.  Their components averaged in the low nines, with some individual marks going as high as 9.50.

Two couples later, Davis & White performed their Indian themed routine.  They too received GoEs ranging from 0 through +3.  Their total element score slightly exceeded Belbin & Agosto's by 0.50 points.  In components, the judges again when to the nines, with some individual marks as high as 9.75.  Their PCS was 0.72 points ahead of Belbin & Agosto, and all nine judges favored Davis and White over Belbin & Agosto.  So though the point margin was small, agreement was unanimous that this was the best Original dance of the group.

Skating last in the second warmup, Navarro & Bommentre presented an African routine which was skated with decent speed and power.  There elements were cleanly performed with GoEs from 0 through +3, the majority being +1s.  The routine was enjoyably energetic with component marks averaging in the low sevens.

The last of the top four couples to skate was Samuelson & Bates, in the middle of the third warmup.  Their U.S. western routine was very well skated to the delight of the audience.  Their expression and development of character was very good.  Skating in chaps and a somewhat oversized hat Bates comes across as a little goofy, but perhaps that is the intent.  In any event, the crowd loved it as did the judges who gave component marks averaging in the low sevens, besting Navarro & Bommentre by 1.56 points in TES and 0.43 in PCS.

One aspect of the dances that struck us towards the ends of the competition was that there were two types of dances presented in the Original Dance.  For a small fraction of the couples the dance presented actually had choreography and movements that evoked the culture chosen.  For the remainder of the couples only the music and the costumes indicated the source culture for the dance.  For many of the couples, without the music and the costumes to help one would have no idea what culture as being represented.  The best examples of the former were the dances presented by the top three couples in the OD. 

With the results from the OD in, the tea leaves for the Dance event seem to be a little clearer.  Davis & White and Belbin & Agosto will be sent out with marks in the nines bearing the mantle of Olympic contenders.  Belbin & Agosto can still overtake Davis & White, but the expectation is the result will remain close (in the current order) so not to compromise the chance of either couple making the Olympic podium.  For the third place spot, Samuelson & Bates at this point appear favored.

2010 Senior Dance Medallists

Tanith Belbin & Benjamin Agosto, Meryl Davis & Charlie White, Emily Samuelson & Evan Bates, Kimberly Navarro & Brent Bommentre