GILLES / POIRIER (CAN) | Ice Dance Free Dance | GP Final 2023

Their coach, Caroline, says it feels that they are not skating a program when they perform this free dance, but rather creating brush strokes of a picture which only lives while they are skating. The brilliant Piper Gillis and Paul Poirier skating to withering heights. Really conscientious on the difficult turns within the diagonal step sequence. Relief for Piper Gillis here along with her partner Paul Poirier. Deliver a clean free dance, better than Cup of China. Back to the form that inspired and excited so many when they first performed this this season in Vancouver at Skate Canada. And this where, so interesting to see the judges opinions. Actually do not envy the judges at all because we are being treated to such brilliance and will be from the two teams yet to come based on a lifetime dedication to the craft of ice dance. Shame needs to be scrutinized and analyzed really under three program component scores and grades of execution. The idea in this Wuthering Heights is to explore the idea that love and hate are extreme forms of the same emotion and on one side is the passionate emotional female who wears her heart on her sleeve and on the other the brooding damaged male incapable of showing what he feels. Such intensity that they look forward to growing as the season develops. Something they couldn't do last year due to Piper's illness and in light of that I don't want to keep referencing it but it does make it all the more incredible that Piper delivering such athletic brilliance having suffered from stage one ovarian cancer within the last 12 months. As we see the transition this was stunning just so refined on the straight line left and here gosh Swiss timing responsible for the laptops there. I'm a little scared of what might happen but Piper so invested in the moment and taking the consideration for the screens in front of her she used that expression beyond the barrier remarked upon the difficulty of that change of edge entrance of Paul there and here choreographic hydroglide move that a new option for the skaters to choose from the choreographic elements and they do it so brilliantly I assume with maximum plus fives and the creative execution for many of the nine judges always gracious so it's 131 in skate canada it's 128 here not the elation we saw a few weeks ago in Vancouver satisfied reaction to taking the lead