Canto Alla Vita

I somehow discovered Josh Groban's "Canto Alla Vita" just yesterday (yes, I'm behind) and immediately thought about how great a FD set to it could be. I sort of imagined Emily Samuelson & Evan Bates skating to it, since the song has a similar feel to their "Luna" (2007-2008) and "Amazonic" (2008-2009) free dances. But before my non-existent career as a choreographer could take off, I realized that Madison Hubbell & Keiffer Hubbell had already had the same idea, back in 2006-2007. Sigh. :)

Unfortunately, WMG was stupid enough to claim copyright on the song, leaving this program without music. I suppose it's possible to play the music as you watch it, although it's unlikely that they chose to use the full song all the way through without any cuts. Honestly...

Aside from that, though, this program by Madison & Keiffer really shows how far they have come in these past few years. This is their FD performance from Trophée Bomphard earlier this season:

Their edges are surer, they're skating much closer together, their twizzles are spot-on, and their speed is not even comparable. Even if they will never challenge for a National or World title, their improvement is really amazing and I have a newfound respect for their skating.

Given that comparison, I'd really like to see another FD set to "Canto Alla Vita," this time at the senior level... and although I mentioned Emily & Evan earlier, I think Tanith Belbin & Ben Agosto could pull off a great one. (Speaking of which, are they retiring at the end of this season or sticking around for yet another four?) Their "Ave Maria" FD this season has the same intensity, and it seems like there would be a lot of potential there.

But hey, what do I know. My choreographing career is still on indefinite hold.