Zingas/Kolesnik Fan Thread - They Have “It”

[TanithandBenFan]

It’s about time Emilea and Vadym had their own fan thread! I’ve been so impressed by these two since they first teamed up. Their energy and spark really come across in all their performances. They have the “it” factor in spades. Here is their RD from Nebelhorn today. This program had my heart racing!

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[Bigbird]

Thank you for this.

 

[AngieNikodinovLove (ANL)]

I was just coming here to post it also this very moment as well

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If this team does not get minimum second at this year’s US nationals, there’s gonna be some explaining to do

They are the fastest, most energetic, most uplifting US team, and they have the most excitement and I haven’t even gotten to her hairography yet

 

[AngieNikodinovLove (ANL)]

This team makes me want to watch ice dancing. So engaging, so fast, so quick so explosive. I don’t understand how they are not solid the second place for US nationals even last season.

 

[TanithandBenFan]

This team makes me want to watch ice dancing. So engaging, so fast, so quick so explosive. I don’t understand how they are not solid the second place for US nationals even last season.

They made mistakes at a lot of competitions last season. They look very confident here, so I’m hoping all that is behind them!

 

[vireo]

Here is their RD from Nebelhorn today. This program had my heart racing!

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Really enjoyed that. Thanks for posting the link.

 

[nuge]

They are great and I really enjoyed the RD but I couldnt help but watch him most of the time.He's fantastic and I thought he overshadowed her a bit.I loved the costumes his blue against the gold.whereas watching Christina and Anthony they were more the same but I liked both couples.

 

[ice coverage]

High praise from Ben Agosto:

ZINGAS/KOLESNIK -USA- RD​

WOW!! Insanely good. The clarity of movement with that tempo is incredible. So many intricate details. She was slightly chasing her balance on Tw (reflected in GOE). I thought F/G Chor RS was awesome... this was even better! 1st IMO​

#NebelhornTrophy2024​

​

https://x.com/Ben_Agosto/status/1837508524542251443​

(From Ben's delayed coverage of final RD group, which he was unable to watch live yesterday.)

ETA, Ben's reaction to their FD:​

ZINGAS/KOLESNIK-USA-FD​

Nailed it! First half of program is stunning. Lyrical, calm, fluid... showing off thier range. Second half is powerful, fast, sharp... more similar to what they are doing energy-wise in RD. So much explosive power. Bravo!​

194.34 1st​

#NebelhornTrophy2024​

​

https://x.com/Ben_Agosto/status/1837526104229257355​

 

[TanithandBenFan]

Their FD from Nebelhorn. STUNNING. They are such natural performers, and nothing feels forced. I love how this program moves from soft to powerful so elegantly.

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[BlueRidge]

What is the music they are skating to? I found the FD breathtaking.

 

[TanithandBenFan]

What is the music they are skating to? I found the FD breathtaking.

"Epilogue" by Olafur Arnalds and "Lost It to Trying" by Son Lux

 

[BlueRidge]

"Epilogue" by Olafur Arnalds and "Lost It to Trying" by Son Lux

Thank You!

 

[Wyliefan]

Cute clip from the Nebelhorn gala -- they played the wrong music and Vadym improvised. https://x.com/kagiyamas/status/1837571918179733802?t=x3qFDHGxXyZnlYdOKo-y5A&s=19

 

[Laura4]

I just love this team! Vadym is so smooth, strong and secure, and Emilea is coming along quite nicely. Haven’t seen their Rhythm Dance, but their FD is very strong and I think they are going to give Chock and Bates a run for their money this season.

 

[viennese]

They do have the It Factor.
I remember seeing Zingas skate singles and being entranced by her style.
'm so happy that she made the leap to ice dance. This team has impressed me.

I wondered what would happen when one or two of the USA's big three teams of the last many years retired. It's nice to see a new team staking its claim for medals

 

[PRlady]

It is so past time for C/B to go. If they are going for another World championship in Boston, I get it, but I hope our three Oly spots go to the younger teams. An embarrassment of riches there.

 

[jlai]

THe i

It is so past time for C/B to go. If they are going for another World championship in Boston, I get it, but I hope our three Oly spots go to the younger teams. An embarrassment of riches there.

I get the sentiment. That said, until another team comes along and can place top five at world on a regular basis, C/B will be needed to guarantee the third spot.
We have a lot of good teams that can place 6th-15th but they need an "anchor", for lack of a better term.

 

[PRlady]

THe i

I get the sentiment. That said, until another team comes along and can place top five at world on a regular basis, C/B will be needed to guarantee the third spot.
We have a lot of good teams that can place 6th-15th but they need an "anchor", for lack of a better term.

Purely based on yesterday, if the top three teams retire, the only team that should beat CarPon regularly (and we haven’t seen some yet this season) is LaLa. Fear/Gibson do now but hopefully not forever. As US#1 they would be top 3-4, especially with all the domestic competition which has been making US teams better for ten years now.

 

[jlai]

Purely based on yesterday, if the top three teams retire, the only team that should beat CarPon regularly (and we haven’t seen some yet this season) is LaLa. Fear/Gibson do now but hopefully not forever. As US#1 they would be top 3-4, especially with all the domestic competition which has been making US teams better for ten years now.

But that is just it. The top three are not retiring, rightly or wrongly

 

[ice coverage]

ETA:​

Update: When I tuned in to the live stream, the line-up of participants had changed somewhat. In any case, I am glad that I watched.​

Vadym Kolesnik is scheduled to participate in a podcast tomorrow -- it will bring together Ukrainian National, Olympic & World Champion skaters to talk about the ice rink in Kharkiv that recently was destroyed.
Mon Sep 23, 12 noon Eastern time, 5 pm UK time.

Oksana Baiul, Lolita Yermak, Oleksii Shumsky, Mariia Holubtsova, and others also are listed as participants.

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[TanithandBenFan]

It is so past time for C/B to go. If they are going for another World championship in Boston, I get it, but I hope our three Oly spots go to the younger teams. An embarrassment of riches there.

They’re going for an individual Olympic medal and they have a good chance. Can we keep this to a Z/K fan thread and not bashing other teams?

 

[Karen-W]

But that is just it. The top three are not retiring, rightly or wrongly

Look how long it's taken LajLag to move past FBSoer as the #2 Canadian team. I despair of them being able to displace GilPoir as much as I despair of any US team (CarPon, ZingKol, GreenP) being able to displace ChoBat before Milano-Cortina, regardless of whether they're actually better skaters than those top 3 teams.

But, I'd say this is a discussion more suited for the Dance Hall thread.

I don't want to diss hard on ZingKol - as I said elsewhere recently, apart from CarPon, my opinions of US ice dance teams shift every season based on their material.

I was one of the few who liked their BatB FD last season. I'm indifferent to their FD this season. It's basic, lyrical contemporary snot and it doesn't even have a music edit or clarity of movement and vision that elevates it the way GreenP's Oly season FD raised them above the froth of US mid-top 10 teams. I feel like it is "we're two pretty people, skating to pretty music, making pretty pictures on the ice, and we have pretty vacant thoughts in our heads while looking pretty." It's superficially pleasant, but there's nothing compelling. Slap any other piece of pretty, lyrical instrumental music on it and would the program look or feel any different? Nope. With BatB, I felt like they were bringing something fresh and interesting to the music and the story. This is just... Nothing.

 

[Tinycities]

If you’re not a fan of them, why are you commenting in their fan thread with something negative? Just let it be a space for fans.

Also, there was thread earlier today about how comments towards skaters can come across as beyond criticism, and become mean spirited, your comments are crossing into that territory.

 

[TanithandBenFan]

If you’re not a fan of them, why are you commenting in their fan thread with something negative? Just let it be a space for fans.

Also, there was thread earlier today about how comments towards skaters can come across as beyond criticism, and become mean spirited, your comments are crossing into that territory.

Thank you. I’ll never understand why people need to wander into specific fan threads just to post nasty stuff. There are PLENTY of other threads to express negative opinions. GTFO of here with that.

 

[Karen-W]

If you’re not a fan of them, why are you commenting in their fan thread with something negative? Just let it be a space for fans.

Also, there was thread earlier today about how comments towards skaters can come across as beyond criticism, and become mean spirited, your comments are crossing into that territory.

LMAO!

I didn't say I wasn't a fan of them. All I said was that I wasn't an uber and that my opinion of them, along with any other US ice dance team not named Carreira/Ponomarenko, shifts each season depending on their material.

It's good to know that you want to live in a nice, little, siloed echo chamber of nothing but glowing, rave reviews of any of the material they produce every season, rather than let this be a space where people can say "nope, this material is as basic, vanilla, pumpkin spice latte" as it comes. Perhaps as this nascent fandom matures and grows it will evolve into a more thoughtful space where people are allowed to say "nope, this doesn't work."

As I stated in my post, I liked their FD last season and thought it was original and interesting. This season, it's a big miss and does not set them apart from any number of other teams who will choose lyrical, contemporary snot-themed programs.

But I'll just show myself to the door and go back to the CarPon fan thread where we can actually offer up some critiques of our fave team without worrying we might hurt someone else's feelings.

 

[Karen-W]

Also, just want to drop the tidbit in here that DL commented on TSL today that Vadym is on track for US citizenship by next fall, so that's good news for them!

 

[TanithandBenFan]

LMAO!

I didn't say I wasn't a fan of them. All I said was that I wasn't an uber and that my opinion of them, along with any other US ice dance team not named Carreira/Ponomarenko, shifts each season depending on their material.

It's good to know that you want to live in a nice, little, siloed echo chamber of nothing but glowing, rave reviews of any of the material they produce every season, rather than let this be a space where people can say "nope, this material is as basic, vanilla, pumpkin spice latte" as it comes. Perhaps as this nascent fandom matures and grows it will evolve into a more thoughtful space where people are allowed to say "nope, this doesn't work."

As I stated in my post, I liked their FD last season and thought it was original and interesting. This season, it's a big miss and does not set them apart from any number of other teams who will choose lyrical, contemporary snot-themed programs.

But I'll just show myself to the door and go back to the CarPon fan thread where we can actually offer up some critiques of our fave team without worrying we might hurt someone else's feelings.

There’s a difference between offering constructive criticism and calling their program “lyrical snot.”

 

[Karen-W]

There’s a difference between offering constructive criticism and calling their program “lyrical snot.”

Lol. Okay... "lyrical basic" or "basic contemporary" or "bland, elevator music" or "muzak" - take your pick. They're all the same and asserting it is INSULTING to use a fairly innocuous phrase used commonly on FSU to describe a certain, boring, vanilla program style and music in a fan thread is hypersensitive.

It would be one thing if I was behaving like our fave Canadian dance troll and came in here crapping on ZingKol the way that person does on any team not named LajLag. I didn't. I point blank stated that I liked ZingKol's FD last season and WHY I liked it as opposed to their program this season, which seems to be a regression. I rewatched it today and it still left me with no lasting impression or memory.

The same cannot be said of the other four teams in the final group at Nebelhorn. That impression, or lack of, is NOT a good thing and it leaves ZingKol vulnerable to being surpassed by a team like GreenP should they have better material. Will that happen? Who knows? GreenP have struggled with finding good material and programs since they moved to MIDA, so I tend to give ZingKol the edge, but their programs aren't homeruns and don't give them an edge by being distinctive or particularly interesting and memorable.

 

[TanithandBenFan]

Lol. Okay... "lyrical basic" or "basic contemporary" or "bland, elevator music" or "muzak" - take your pick. They're all the same and asserting it is INSULTING to use a fairly innocuous phrase used commonly on FSU to describe a certain, boring, vanilla program style and music in a fan thread is hypersensitive.

It would be one thing if I was behaving like our fave Canadian dance troll and came in here crapping on ZingKol the way that person does on any team not named LajLag. I didn't. I point blank stated that I liked ZingKol's FD last season and WHY I liked it as opposed to their program this season, which seems to be a regression. I rewatched it today and it still left me with no lasting impression or memory.

The same cannot be said of the other four teams in the final group at Nebelhorn. That impression, or lack of, is NOT a good thing and it leaves ZingKol vulnerable to being surpassed by a team like GreenP should they have better material. Will that happen? Who knows? GreenP have struggled with finding good material and programs since they moved to MIDA, so I tend to give ZingKol the edge, but their programs aren't homeruns and don't give them an edge by being distinctive or particularly interesting and memorable.

Well that’s your opinion but it’s not what I’m seeing from the majority. I’ve seen a lot of reactions to their FD from people in the skating world and they’ve been overwhelmingly positive and in many cases glowing. I’ve grown tired of so many of the lyrical programs the past few years, but this one stood out to me from the first note. The emotion of the music combined with their authentic performance ability and the impactful choreo makes it special. I don’t think they’re going to have any problem standing out in the crowded US ice dance field this year with the programs they have.

 

[PRlady]

It’s funny. @BlueRidge and I were giving thanks that the era of everyone trying to be lyrical Pap/Ciz is over. And then Z/K started to skate with those long flowy strokes and we were transfixed. We both stood up to give them a standing O in my living room (the cat was highly annoyed) - so at least here that program was a huge hit. Who did the choreo?