#scott is a ballet boy and thats just the facts

[tutuandscoot]

Can you talk about how Scott's dancing changed when VM moved to IAM from Canton?

LONG POST AHEAD

I sure can!!

I’ve wanted to do a post for so long about more generally how they changed during the comeback bc I think it’s so fascinating. But I’ll focus on this part of it for now.

This is just my feelings and speculation and thoughts on what they’ve said so don’t take any of this as pure fact.

Comparing environments: Canton/MTL

I can only make presumptions on the training environment in Canton based on limited footage (I take the stupid show with about 15 grains of salt) but it just feels like there was less of a safe environment to explore and create- for them at least with the intimate nature of their chemistry and storytelling, it seemed very technical and competitive (in a way that wasn’t the most conductive for creative expression in the way MTL was). A number of things may have contributed to this; them being younger and growing up in that environment from juniors to seniors- so not being the top team when they arrived, (coming to MTL, even being away from comps 2 years it was like ‘the goats’ have arrived and they got to contribute immensely to that being a really positive and creative environment pushing everyone to be their best). The coaching style in Canton (they’ve said M+I were strict.. Russians so its on par), a lot of teams were training there but also it seems other skaters as well from other disciplines, their perspective through that 10-14 quad, T’s injuries,having to prioritise her health, etc. Also with different training environments often you don’t know that there is better or something that is better suited to you out there till you leave your current school, so I’m sure for a long time they were really happy and felt they were thriving.. until they weren’t and often you realise too late.. (they have kinda talked about that in their book. From Tessa.. it’s quite confronting to hear her say that she really didn’t want to go for the 2014 games at one point because she had lost almost all faith in Marina.. desperately want more info on all of that). With Marie and Patch now it was so obvious what a safe and nurturing little circle of trust they had with them (literally their circle of trust at every comp) and when Tessa says when they came back they wanted to be with people who truly loved them.. i think that shows. They could go out and do what they loved together and the people they would see immediately before and after they knew loved them, that would give him (both of them)…. that matters a lot when you are putting your heart on the line. TS do that for each other, but knowing they had people who would loved them no matter what supporting and encouraging their vulnerability would’ve meant everything to them, Scott getting very choked up at his hometown star speech talking to Patch about how much he had done for him.. i think that tells you everything about the role model and male confidant Scott needed and forget dance but just as a person he evolved so much.

Skating style and gender roles

With the comeback them moving away from more traditional in hold skating a bit as well as more traditional ice dance styles (ballroom) there was much more space for them to explore movement both together and apart in complementary to each other. He was always fabulous in that leading man role throughout.. really all their programs, probably Pink Floyd being an obvious exemption and to an extent Carmen (but largely still that male/female dynamic with a lot of in-hold partnering) but in their comeback programs (latch/prince) it wasn’t so much reliant on the fact they were male and female, they were just two people dancing, which allowed them to really explore how they can convey a relationship that isn’t constrained by gender identity for the necessity of the story. I’m sure it was scary for him, having always grown up dancing next to Tessa and being compared to her, the thing with traditional styles is you are dancing with each other, not so much next to each other, so now really choreographically and as adults exploring that.. still always dancing WITH each other but choreographically more separate-and not always unison moments. He just seemed more relaxed, I don’t want to say he was self conscious before the comeback but there was just a slight more stiffness in him in the canton days, where as comeback it felt as though he (both of them actually) were just freely moving. On the matter. Of gender roles, i don’t know if this was something they considered/discussed/wanted to explore in especially Latch, but I love watching it that way. Latch is so obviously their story- their actual story told as so emotionally raw with incredibly painful moments as well as jubilation. None of that in the abstract way they are telling it relies on the fact they are opposite genders- it is just about two humans who need each other and have gone through everything together. Only choreographically in the sense of lifts does it become occupationally obvious it is a man and a woman. Whether they ever did explore that (not literally exploring gender fluidity but unlike FF or MR or SFTD where the relationship they where portraying was a heterosexual one, the emotions in Latch are genderless).. anyway,, thats for another post.

Becoming the dancers they always wanted to be

In Canton, specifically after 2010 they’ve said they felt they had to be the team everyone wanted them to be but now in MTL they could just be themselves, their true, pure emotions were able to come through their movement rather than trying to fit a mould, which is ironic since IAM started developing a bit of a mould and style which makes it hard for teams to differentiate themselves- but even if VM were skating now I don’t think that would happen to them, they stood out no matter what even with compulsories.

Dance training

The way they have discussed their training in MTL it seams they weren’t doing as much ballet - i can’t recall them saying they did but i’m sure they did do some occasionally, instead they were working with Sam a lot with hip hop through their pro career pre-comeback and as they returned, during 2017/18 they worked with their ballroom person (Gigi?), then I’m sure there was some contemporary in there as well.. i know we all like to keep record of everything they’ve shared (on socials) and think thats exactly all that happens but theres A LOT that they didn’t share (how could they possibly share all of it) so just because we didn’t see stuff.. they worked 6 days a week about 11 months a year they can’t share everything so the record painted on social media is not a comprehensive one. I don’t know their full training schedule obviously but all these things would be in there and be essential to them. Then of course intense gym training, Pilates etc.. if they were doing less ballet, pilaties is essentially the next best thing- it works a lot of the same muscles and is specifically a form of exercise that lengthens your body which is what makes great dancers when they are so strong but their lines are to die for (literally ALL -BOTH their lines in Moulin Rogue at the Olys). (I wouldn’t be surprised if Scott ended up doing a lot of Pilates leading up to the olys with the way his lines were perfected).

(Sorry i’ve kinda been talking abut them more generally rather than just Scott but it’s so hard when they are so intwined with each other- i see them as one).

Mental approach and comeback psychology

More than anything though their mindset they took into their comeback was the biggest thing. I know, that shouldn’t have much to do with how his dance ability/style changed.. but its incredibly important. That comeback trailer is incredible because its really them marking their return to the ID world: and under no uncertain terms will they do anything that doesn’t. 100% come from their hearts. “This time its going to be for Us”.. that is everything to me. That is such a powerful and liberating statement. They will only be dancing for themselves and each other. Once you let go of the idea that you ‘should’ do this for someone else or for some other reason that doesn’t align with your values, you dance lighter and with less tension. Thats why they thrived- because while they were dong this for each other, it wasn’t because they felt they ‘should’ be doing it. T’s injures in 2009/2010 essentially left her as having to keep fighting for Scott, she didn’t really have a choice- she didn’t give herself that choice, even though she wanted it just as much..there was a matter of having to do it despite the pain she was in. Now… one of the most powerful things about their partnership is they didn’t have to worry so much about wanting it for themselves, looking after themselves in that respect, because they are doing that whole heartedly for each other- they were protecting and nurturing each other’s dreams, so even on the hardest days.. when they may not have the power to do it for themselves, they will always do it for each other. 😭😭😭

Specific dance notes

I don’t know if he could’ve done Prince anytime before the comeback. I think he needed that freedom to shake off his exquisite ballroom/leading man/Fred Astire-esk persona he always had through all their previous competitive programs so he could really just groove and let go, while of course maintaining beautiful posture, charisma, and being the best partner in the world. Latch I would say some of his arm lines could’ve been better. I will forever be mad at him for always rolling the sleeves up on his costume because it made him look like he was wearing a boys’ ballet exam unitard with half sleeves. At the first two competitions i felt his arm lines were much better but it might have been the full length sleeves. He could’ve stretched though his hands a bit more, this was the same pre-comeback for a while he would often hold tension in his hands (go watch Valse Triste at 2007 worlds and MR olys and watch his beautiful balletic hand lines.. in between these times they sometimes got a bit unfinished) either in a tight almost fist position or sometimes too energised in a splade-finger/jazz hands position. Its very hard to see from a distance but its those small things i pick up on. This remained both throughout MR until really Nationals and then the olys his hands were STUNNING.. i don’t know what he did to fix it but omg just about any picture from the olys THAT MAN HAS THE EXTENSIONS OF A BALLERINA AND I LOVE HIM FOR THAT!! (Sometimes i thought i could see at the boards as he often did his lil bouncy squat warm up, Marie gently placing her hands on top of his and idk but i can just picture her working tirelessly with him getting to release the tension in his hands.. i like the thought of that so i’m gonna go with it). I also found he had a bit of tension in his posture through the comeback year that (almost) immediately went away by their return for the oly season. I put this down to an obvious change in his physicality- he became more broad and muscular in his back- before this he always had a more petite frame. Just that change and getting use to dancing with a different figure can take time- this may have contributed to his shaky twizzles in 16/17. It wasn’t anything bad but just between 16/17 and 17/18 it was something i noticed. His acting had always been exquisite.. really from Funny Face onwards. I will defend that program till my dying day it did wonders for both of them but especially him- where Carmen was T’s break out role Funny Face was his. From there on every heavily characterised program (Carmen, DALD, MR) he was spectacular. I love at GPF 2013 after the SD the besp uncles say ‘you could take him straight to HollyWood’ becuase he is so natural and genuine and never once distracts from Tessa. That kind of performance confidence he carried through every single program they ever did after that. Latch isn’t a program you would say is a “acting” heavy program.. but the emotion he exudes both through movement and expressively legitimately makes me cry. I can’t help myself i bring it up every time but the outside stuff he was dealing with that season.. I don’t know if he did or not but using that deep emotion in their performances.. inevitably, he is such a beautifully emotionally available person i’m sure it was there a bit, and although it was awful for him (and Tessa did such a wonderful job of looking after him), took Latch from a stunning, modern free dance to a heart achingly beautiful human experience playing out on an ice rink. That kind of connection with deep, real emotion i feel was his moment of release of any, even unconsciously self imposed constraints he had on himself as a dancer. He took that through next season to MR and… i mean he is undoubtably one of the most exquisite male performers (specifically dancers) i have ever seen.

So more and more, at this highest of high levels they reached by the end but were always at compared to the rest of the field since they won in 2010 (i will confidently argue watching worlds 2007, they have best performance and pure dance quality of any team there- doesn’t mean they should’ve won, but their burning talent was clear as day, they just had to wait for everyone else to realise it and the scoring to catch up to them), their technique they trained so hard for everyday and were never satisfied, that was brilliant, they are brilliant dancers. Specifically brilliant ice dancers- off ice is very different because their lower bodies are trained to do completely different coordination/steps on the ice. So no i would not be throwing them onstage with the Royal Ballet corps, but in their own right, in their own unique way they are incredible and the best in their SPORT. They both improved immensely through every stage of their career but for Scott especially, the sweet little darling just wanted to always do his best for his best friend and never let her down. He wanted to be the best partner he could for her. Dance was not something he trained specifically for at a young age like T had so that was his thing to work 10 times as hard at.. probably as he would say just to not look bad next to her, but in his own way became this stunning artist who had a way with expressing movement that moved you like nothing else.. i hope he knows how special he is in that respect.

[tutuandscoot]

Me using Scott as an example of exemplary technique to my ballet and Pilates students 🙂