Chapter 74 Sochi Free Dance
◎Stand high and call for miracles◎
The 20 free dance contestants were divided into four groups according to their short dance scores. After the first two groups warmed up, they went into the competition one after another according to the order of the draw within the group.
"Ah...it seems like many players from European and American countries take the competition very seriously and dress up very gorgeously." As the competition progressed, some Chinese audience members in the audience whispered.
"Of course. This is the Winter Olympics. Don't you have to turn over all your assets?"
“Why haven’t I seen such gorgeous costumes in other figure skating events?”
"The costume for ice dancing is the most demanding of the four events. Not only can the skirt be longer, but there is also a lot of freedom in hairstyle and accessories. The most important thing is to match the theme of the performance."
"Hmm, Tiantian and Tangge's looks are not as gorgeous and eye-catching as those of European and American contestants. I feel like they are at a disadvantage in this aspect..."
"Oh, really, I have no idea what kind of score they will get this time. It feels like they will easily lose at the starting line because of their attire and race..."
A sense of unease flows among Chinese audiences.
At this time, Ji Tiantian was standing on the edge of the ice waiting for other players to finish their competition.
The first two groups were the contestants ranked 20-11 in the short dance. The step sequence of these two groups was basically around 2 to 3, accompanied by mistakes in lifting or twisting. The free dance scores were mostly around 80, and no combination reached 90.
Just like how few combinations get over 60 points in the short dance, it can be seen that 90 points is a watershed in the free dance.
But Ji Tiantian is very sure that this watershed will be broken by the third group of contestants.
Soon, the contestants ranked 6 to 10 in the third group of short dances finished warming up.
"Next up are Canada, Mia, and Lucas."
Accompanied by the cold broadcasting voice, Mia and Lucas, the first pair of the third group, came to the ice hand in hand.
The audience cheered when they saw them appear. Mia Lucas was the vanguard of the Canadian aircraft carrier. Everyone could sense that they would take the game to a new level.
Mia and Lucas were dressed in classic red and black. After they took their opening pose facing each other on the ice, their background music - "The Age of the Cathedral" from the musical "The Hunchback of Notre Dame" - began to play.
As with the youth group, the music they chose was powerful and impressive, making up for Lucas's lack of performance and emotion.
Lucas still lacks in performance, but his skating is very smooth. The gap between him and the first two groups is visible to the naked eye. They finished the game and came to the equal zone.
Soon, their scores appeared on the display screen.
The technical score was 49.50, the program content score was 50.65, and the free dance score was 100.15. Together with the short dance score of 69.21, the total score was 169.36, ranking first for the time being.
Ji Tiantian stood silently at the edge of the ice, staring at the display screen. The Canadian team's free dance had two sets of step-by-step dances at level three, and the other difficult movements were all at level four. The completion was good, and it was worth it to get this score.
"Mia! Lucas!" There was a cheer from the audience.
"Wow, it broke through the 100 mark directly." Ni Chuan looked at the score display screen and couldn't help but slap his thigh hard.
He was silent for a moment, then turned to ask Feifei beside him: "It seems that Sister Tiantian and Brother Yi have never achieved such a high free dance score, right?"
"Yeah." Feifei nodded nervously, "I think Tiantang's goal this time should also be to break the 100 mark."
The third group of three pairs did not perform as steadily as Mia Lucas. There were mistakes in the lift and twist that led to downgrades, but the two sets of step sequences were basically stable at level three, with scores around 90.
"I think China's Ji Tang's free dance score should be around 100 this time, about the same as Mia Lucas's." A senior foreign ice fan in the audience commented, "If they don't make mistakes, their rating will be the same as Mia Lucas. If they make mistakes, then they will be rated lower, around 90 points."
"That makes sense." The audience around him nodded. "That's about the same score as their Japanese race."
"Next up are Canadian Judy and Jayne." Along with the cold voice of the radio, the fifth pair of the third group, Judy and Jayne, skated onto the ice one after another.
Ji Tiantian had seen their free dance at the Japan station before, and the theme was "Gone with the Wind".
Judy and Jayne imitated the male and female protagonists in the movie and wore 19th century American costumes. Judy wore a long skirt with a fluffy waist, while Jayne wore a straight suit. Even without looking at the accessories, just looking at the layered skirts, you can tell that this Canadian couple spent a lot of money on their outfits.
To the familiar movie soundtrack, Jayne took Judy's hand and began to skate on the ice.
Ji Tiantian noticed that Judy's knife-toothed small steps were more skillful than when she stood in Japan. After the small steps, Judy flew into Jayne's arms, and Jayne held Judy for a quick small lift, and then entered their follow-up steps. The two of them moved flexibly, and their grips kept changing. Judy's skirt flew up in the rotation, making their figures more eye-catching.
"The skirts of this group of women are so beautiful!" a Chinese audience member exclaimed.
“Although it looks complicated, it is very light and spins beautifully when twisted, like one of those lace umbrellas.”
"Yes, yes. Oh, it's so gorgeous and light. Such fabric must be very expensive. When will Tiantian be able to wear such a beautiful dress..."
Soon, Judy Jayne's "Gone with the Wind" ended. Judy bowed to the audience with a bright smile on her face.
Amid the enthusiastic applause of the audience, Jayne led Judy off the ice. When putting on the hard blade sheath, Judy quickly glared at Jayne. Just like in the Japanese race, they made mistakes in the twist and lift just now. Judy thought it was all Jayne's fault.
But it doesn’t matter, they performed the other moves well, which was worthy of the previous free dance training.
And Judy is very confident about her free dance outfit, after all, it almost maxed out her credit card, which should leave a good impression on the judges.
After some thought, Judy felt extremely confident that they would definitely be able to defeat the Chinese team that was ahead of them in the short dance.
Judy looked at Ji Tang, Aurora, and Ivanov who were preparing for the fourth set of warm-ups, then walked towards the waiting area with her chin held high.
Not long after, Judy Jayne's free dance results came out.
The technical score was 48.50, the program content score was 53.78, and an additional point was deducted for the lift timeout, so the score was 101.28. With the short dance score of 69.31, the total score was 170.59, surpassing Mia Lucas and temporarily ranking first.
Judy was very satisfied with the score and gave her coach a warm hug in the waiting area. Jayne also wanted to hug her, but she glared at him.
Ji Tiantian looked at the scores and silently estimated that Judy Jayne's two sets of step sequences were rated level three, one lift had a mistake and was downgraded to level three, and the other difficult moves were all level four.
"As expected of the fifth place in last season's World Championships, the program content score is so high." A Chinese audience member expressed emotion.
"Although there were mistakes, the score was still over 100 thanks to the program content. Alas, the fifth place in the World Championships is not that easy to beat. I wonder if Tiantang can surpass them."
"Wow, I'm so worried."
"Shh, don't talk, they are coming."
"Ah, here it comes! Come on, sweetie!"
The fourth group of five pairs of skaters came on stage and warmed up for five minutes. These five pairs of skaters were also the top five in the short dance. The audience began to boil, and ice fans from various countries waved their national flags.
"Ji Tiantian! Tang Yi!"
Amid cheers, the male partner held the female partner's hand and slid onto the ice one after another.
Although it was just a warm-up, Ji Tiantian subconsciously treated it as a competition, trying her best to perform every move. As she frequently switched her feet, she felt the pain in her injured leg getting worse.
It’s okay, it’s almost the end. Ji Tiantian encouraged herself in her heart.
After the warm-up, Ji Tiantian went off the ice and rubbed the injured part of her leg. Jiang Lin saw this and immediately asked Tang Yi to help Ji Tiantian sit down and give her a massage. Tang Yi helped while Xu Chi watched. No one spoke at this time. They all hoped that Ji Tiantian could reduce the pain as much as possible before the official performance.
"The next pair to appear are from Russia, Aurora and Ivanov." A cold voice came from the radio.
Aurora in a light yellow dress and Ivanov in a shirt and black pants came on stage next.
Their soundtrack comes from the movie "The Great Gatsby", the song is called "young and beautiful".
Will you still love me
Will you still love me?
when I'm no longer young and beautiful
When I grow old and my face fades
Accompanied by a sad female voice, Aurora danced in the hands of her male partner. They began to step in succession. Aurora gently switched her foot to the blade and then raised her floating leg.
Perhaps because she comes from a ballet powerhouse and has received rigorous basic ballet training, Aurora's ballet leg control posture is very beautiful and clean.
When her floating leg stopped steadily at her side, her upper body was still flexible. Her lower body was stable and her upper body was soft, which made her a very good dancer. While gliding, she stretched her upper limbs and exchanged arms and eyes with her male partner, with a sad look in her eyes.
In this free dance, Aurora plays a rich girl who indulges in parties, and Ivanov is her wealthy husband. The rich girl knew that she would not be happy in this marriage that was based on equal status but lacked emotional foundation. But she did not resist and silently accepted all the misfortunes in life. No one can stop the passage of time and the aging of beauty.
Aurora spun lightly on the ice, her graceful movements tinged with a lingering sadness.
"What a great dancing skill." Ji Tiantian couldn't help but comment as she looked at the ice.
"You still have the time to look at others?" Jiang Lin glanced at Ji Tiantian, "Hey, I really admire your mentality."
Ji Tiantian looked at the ice and couldn't help but smile.
From all aspects, the Winter Olympics is an extremely difficult task for her. However, the team competition has dispelled most of the anxiety and tension in her heart.
Soon, Aurora and Ivanov finished their free dance and headed to the waiting area.
Aurora and Ivanov ranked fifth in the short dance. Their scores were displayed on the display screen. The technical score was 51.30, the program content score was 53.36, and the total score was 104.66. Together with the short dance score of 70.63, the total score was 175.29, temporarily ranking first.
"The technical score is so high!" a Chinese audience exclaimed.
“From this perspective, it should be a set of connecting steps to level four.” A senior ice fan replied.
"Ahhh, the legendary and extremely difficult to obtain level 4 connection step? Oh my god! There is really no way that Tiantang can beat them!"
“Ahhhh I’m going to be overtaken! Wuuuuuu no!”
"Ah... Although I think that being ranked fifth is pretty good... I still feel really bad!"
"Is their footwork... good enough to be rated level 4?" Jiang Lin looked at the display screen, then whispered to Xu Chi beside her, "I don't think they are much better than Mia Lucas."
"Maybe they think their dancing postures are particularly good and fit the theme of the performance." Xu Chi thought for a moment, "Performing The Great Gatsby in a ballet style...maybe it can also be considered innovative?"
In the waiting area, Aurora hugged her coach with a satisfied smile.
She can estimate the level of her own technical movements. In the free dance, one of the two steps was at level 4, the other at level 3, and the lift and combined rotation were both at level 4.
Although she made a mistake in the twist and was demoted to level three, it didn't matter, as the level four step sequence was enough to widen the gap between her and other players. This rating was also within her expectations.
In the free dance, if you continue to step up a step, it means that the overall score will go up a step. The step method determines life and death.
Although the Chinese group was unexpectedly strong, it would still be difficult for them to reach 100 in the free dance.
Her comeback was complete.
"Aurora! Ivanov!" Cheers broke out from the audience.
Aurora waved to the Canadian audience with a victorious smile.
"Next up, America, Rita Thompson." A cold voice came over the radio.
Rita Thompson joins.
Their soundtrack also comes from this year's movie, the theme song of Pacific Rim. With the powerful electronic music, the two players wearing futuristic high-collared costumes glided and spun on the ice like a gust of wind. There was no mistake in the set of movements.
They were also very satisfied with their performance and hugged each other on the ice after the free dance. Then, they walked to the waiting area to wait amid the cheers of the American audience.
Rita Thompson's technical score was 52.56, program content score was 54.30, and free dance score was 106.86.
The technical grading of one set of step sequence was level 3, one set was level 4, and the other technical movements were all level 4. Together with the short dance score of 73.19, the total score was 180.05, temporarily ranking first.
"Ah, it's so high." Ni Chuan couldn't help but sigh in the audience.
"After all, it's ranked third in the world." Feifei nodded.
In the waiting area, Rita and Thompson kissed each other on the cheek and then went to the small house nearby.
"You can see this makeshift little house through the live camera." The host of the TV station in the motherland live broadcast room was explaining to the audience watching the live broadcast of the free dance competition, "The top three contestants are currently sitting inside to watch the performance of the next contestants. If a contestant with a higher score than them appears, the group with the lowest score among them will have to give way. This is also the sense of ritual of Winter Olympic figure skating. The three pairs of contestants sitting in the little house are Judy Jayne with a total score of 170.59, Aurora Ivanov with a total score of 175.29, and Rita Thompson who just finished the competition. Their total score is 180.05."
The host paused, suppressed the excitement in his voice and continued speaking: "The next players to take the stage are our contestants, Ji Tiantian and Tang Yi! I hope they can get the ideal score!"
At this time, all the non-Winter Olympics athletes from the national figure skating team in the Chinese capital gathered in the auditorium next to the practice field to watch the live broadcast on TV, including Wei Xiao and Chang Yu.
"Tiantian! Tiantian and Tang Yi are coming!" Chang Yu shouted loudly.
The athletes who were dozing off immediately sat up and looked at the TV.
In the audience of the Ice Skating Palace, Katerin, Qian Xiyue, and Ji Tang's relatives and friends all sat up straight, looking nervous. Liu Hui and Zhang Lilian tightly grasped each other's hands.
"Don't make mistakes... Don't make mistakes..." Chen Yusheng subconsciously hugged herself tightly, "Tiantian, come on, you are the best..."
"I always felt that the first two free dances... were not particularly touching." A foreign audience member in the audience commented.
“For the contestants at the back of the first echelon, the most important task at the moment is to maintain their ranking. As for the content score... well, they also know that the judges will definitely not give it low, so they don’t really care whether it is touching or not.” Another audience member gave a more objective evaluation.
"Well, it seems we should still look forward to the first two groups. Are they about to arrive?"
"There is still no comparison with the Chinese group."
"Well, the performance of the Asian group must be bad. I hope they finish the competition quickly, so that we can watch the two most powerful groups compete against each other."
The game was about to begin, Ji Tiantian and Tang Yi stopped at the entrance to the ice.
They wore gauze costumes, Ji Tiantian wore a pink backless dress, Tang Yi wore a blue shirt with black pants. The costumes of both of them were different from the previous ones, not only without accessories such as tassels, but also without sequins and rhinestones, just ordinary, very plain. Ji Tiantian's hairstyle was also very simple, just an ordinary ponytail.
Tang Yi turned his head and looked at Ji Tiantian with an inquiring look.
Ji Tiantian gave him a calm smile. The injury still hurt, but not as much as during the warm-up. Jiang Lin's massage was useful, and of course, the most important thing was that she was eager to play.
This desire is enough to cover all the pain.
"Next up, China, Ji Tiantian, Tang Yi." A cold announcement came from the radio.
Ji Tiantian took a deep breath. Finally, the final battle, let's go!
She and Tang Yi stepped onto the ice without hesitation, skating on one leg with their hands raised high.
"Ahhh Tiantang! Tiantang!" The Chinese audience began to scream and waved the five-star red flag enthusiastically.
"Tiantian! Take care of yourself! Don't work too hard!" Feifei put her hands to her mouth and shouted loudly.
"In our eyes, you are the strongest!"
“Come on! Come on!”
On the ice, Ji Tiantian and Tang Yi got into position for their ready dance, and then their free dance selection, "When You Believe," began to play.
The cheers from the audience immediately faded away. Everyone held their breath and stared at them in the middle of the ice.
Zhang Lilian suddenly turned her head away and didn't dare to look, but Liu Hui used force to turn her face away.
"Look." Liu Hui's voice rang in her ears, "Your daughter's most dazzling moment."
Ji Tiantian hung her head on the ice, looking weak. Tang Yi put one of her hands on her shoulder and skated side by side with her in the swallow style.
They acted as two travelers on a long journey, who could only rely on each other no matter what happened.
"Ah, what is this performance? Their costumes and dancing moves are so simple." Some foreign audiences expressed dissatisfaction.
"Shh, don't talk!" his companion warned, "Don't you think their performance is very story-telling? Don't interrupt me!"
Tang Yi held the weak Ji Tiantian and lifted her up lightly. Seeing that Ji Tiantian's condition had not improved, he lowered his head and covered his face with one hand, showing a painful expression.
Then, unexpectedly, Ji Tiantian suddenly regained her energy and reached out to hold Tang Yi's face.
As if she didn't want her companions to worry, she tried hard to put on a bright smile.
They held hands and began the hand-holding direct step sequence required for this season. They stared at each other, took powerful and tacit steps together, and then completed a beautiful joint rotation together. Although the road is bumpy, we have each other and we will not give up.
"Ahhh, I know, the next step is the synchronized twisting!" an audience member said excitedly.
"You definitely can't play for five weeks? You didn't even play in the team competition..."
On the ice, Ji Tang jumped together and started a twist.
There can be miracles
Miracles will happen.
When you believe
As long as you believe
One week, two weeks, three weeks…done in five weeks!
There was a burst of surprised applause from the audience.
"Ahhh, it's a rare five-week twist!"
“The synchronization rate is touching!”
"This is the first time we see them do a quintuple twist this season!" The audience cheered with delight.
"Come on! Come on Sister Tiantian and Brother Yi!" Ni Chuan shouted loudly.
The first set of twists is completed, and the next step is the connecting dance steps.
Ji Tiantian opened her arms on the ice, with her injured leg raised to her side. She looked up and smiled at the stadium. Because of the pain and intense exercise, her young and beautiful face was covered with sweat. However, there was no pain on her face.
I formed the soil with my blood and sweat, allowing the miracle flowers to bloom.
She and Tang Yi entered the second set of twists together.
Their floating legs are sucked onto the sliding leg's knees, and their hand gestures keep changing with the rising and falling rhythm, completing another set of dazzling four-way twists.
Soon the last set of quad twists was completed.
Five twists, four twists, four twists, the most difficult twist combination they've ever done returns to the ice.
They used their strength to tell the world that they did not give up.
There was warm applause from the audience.
"Tiantang! You're in good shape!" An audience member shouted excitedly, "Steady! Keep steady!"
"The combination with a similar ranking to Tiantang has never done the five-week twist that they have done." An ice fan thought thoughtfully.
"Other groups have focused their energy on step sequences," said one ice fan. "But it's great that they have a strong point in twists. All the audience watching the Winter Olympics will remember them just for this move!"
Next comes the combined lift which is a combination of two short lifts.
Ji Tiantian did a two-week twist and jumped onto Tang Yi. Tang Yi spread his legs and slid in a straight line, squatting down and bending backwards to do a low-back abalone step.
Ji Tiantian faced Tang Yi, wrapped her legs around Tang Yi's waist to stabilize herself, and at the same time leaned back, the two of them forming a blooming flower.
Their postures are graceful and tenacious, like miracles blooming in the desert.
Then Ji Tiantian stepped on Tang Yi's thigh and carried out the next arc lift. Her vision suddenly rose, and in the wind brought by the sliding, she seemed to see many faces.
Qian Xiyue, Wei Xiao, Chang Yu... Although she didn't see them in reality, she knew very well that they were paying attention to her at this moment.
She couldn't have come here by herself. She stood on top with the help of others. Pain and misunderstanding could not bring her down.
With the help of so many hands, she will stand firm.
With Tang Yi's help, she straightened her legs, bent her upper body backward, and raised her hands high.
Who knows what miracles
Who can know?
You can achieve
What miracles can you achieve?
Amid the melodious singing, she clenched the fingers of both hands into powerful fists, and her whole body seemed to be calling out loudly.
I suffer, I am happy, I give, I am proud.
Her expression was painful yet happy, her posture almost pious. No matter what I go through, I will stand on a high place and call for a miracle.
She does not need gorgeous clothes to decorate her, because she herself is a dazzling flag. On the flag, everyone's wishes are engraved.
Her fists opened into palms, and Ji Tiantian's arms stretched out at her sides.
"Ahhhh!" A scream came from the audience.
Many foreign audiences followed suit and applauded and cheered enthusiastically.
"Tiantian! Tiantian!" Zhang Lilian and Chen Yusheng couldn't help but shout out loud, shedding tears at the same time.
Ji Tiantian changed her posture, lying sideways in Tang Yi's arms, spinning twice and landing on the ice, then waltzing with Tang Yi and entering the connecting steps.
"Dear viewers, Ji Tiantian and Tang Yi are performing a set of serpentine step sequences required for this season." In the live broadcast room, the host was explaining to the audience in front of the TV, "Serpentine step sequences require the players to skate three or two large arcs along the long axis of the ice. Let's see how they perform!"
Step sequence is a difficult move that tests the use of the edge and the competition mentality, and it is very delicate. It is not easy for ice dance veterans to challenge high-level step sequence.
Ji Tiantian and Tang Yi held each other with the forward-facing KILIAN grip, changing their footwork to various levels of difficulty. At the same time, they smiled at each other.
She thought of the night she spent at the Japanese oden restaurant.
In the warm little shop, her heart was filled with joy of having just won a medal, and she was studying the step sequence with her dance partner.
Their fingers moved flexibly on the tabletop. So light and smooth. At that time, she was full of joy and infinite expectations for the future.
At this moment, joy and anticipation filled her chest again.
Never forget that dancing is fun.
She came to her senses and switched to the foxtrot hold with Tang Yi, performing a long series of single-leg steps without changing feet.
Then they separated their hands, twisted them twice quickly, and then came together again to hold hands. They did three difficult steps, while quickly changing positions.
From Tang Yi on the left and Ji Tiantian on the right, to Ji Tiantian on the left and Tang Yi on the right, then they separated again and twisted.
As they twist, their floating legs stretch gracefully at their sides. They spread their wings like a pair of geese flying over the desert.
Hope is still a resilient voice
Hope remains a strong voice
Says love is very near
Tell you love is near
After the twist, they held hands again and performed a shoulder-to-shoulder single-foot sequence. While gliding along the arc, they completed a beautiful "8" shaped sliding trajectory together.
They repeated their previous slides, holding hands and changing steps, switching positions, and twisting... They wove one "8" after another in their serpentine trajectory.
There was a loud applause from the audience. Many viewers who did not understand the step sequence also applauded excitedly as they watched the complicated sliding tracks left by Ji Tiantian and Tang Yi.
Their dancing is graceful and charming, and at the same time, they leave behind fascinating gliding tracks that are like works of art.
"Amazing! From this angle, we can definitely see that the Chinese duo has amazing steps! The figure-eight trajectory is very beautiful!" A foreign ice fan who was sitting high up and looking at the entire ice surface said excitedly, "They have improved even more than before!"
"Yes, it's really amazing. The footwork is flexible and there are so many turns... It's incredible!" responded another foreign ice fan.
"If I remember correctly, the step-by-step techniques include bracket step, inside hook step, outside hook step, choctaw, mohawk, two-step twist... Actually, there are not many. But they give me the feeling that they use a lot of footwork!"
"I'm so curious, aren't they worried about colliding when they skate on such a complicated track?"
“I think they have realized it.”
"What enlightenment?"
"To defeat the opponent, you have to constantly challenge various difficulties. Even if you fall or get hurt, it doesn't matter... Because if it's not like this, they have no chance of winning." Foreign ice fans took a deep breath and looked at the ice surface, "Do you want to bet? I bet they can continue to step onto level 4 this time!"
Ji Tang on the ice began to enter the final difficult posture, a choreographed lift newly added this season, which was both in line with the music theme and had a sense of design.
Tang Yi squatted down and skated, his legs one in front and one behind. Ji Tiantian supported his legs with her hands, her legs stretched straight behind her, parallel to the ice surface.
Tang Yi held Ji Tiantian's cheeks with both hands to give Ji Tiantian a fixed force. They stared at each other at a close distance.
Although there are many difficulties ahead, and although there is no end in sight for this journey.
But I still believe we can do it, her eyes seemed to say.
Yes, we can do it, his eyes responded.
In the gliding wind, he held her cheek, and couldn't help but touch her forehead. She gently closed her eyes. During the gliding, they maintained their respective postures, motionless, like two monuments in the desert.
Just believe
As long as you believe
You will when you believe
As long as you believe in miracles, they will happen
The audience applauded enthusiastically.
The music is coming to an end.
Tang Yi knelt on one knee on the ice and hugged Ji Tiantian to his legs. In fact, like her, he had already consumed most of his strength in the long trek, and now he finally couldn't hold on.
But even at his weakest, he still wanted to be her help.
Ji Tiantian stood on one leg, with the other leg stretched out backwards. She stretched out one hand high, as if holding up hope.
She raised her face, and her whole face was filled with a bright smile, as if it was covered by the light of hope.
The singing of "When You Believe" ended here.
"Ji Tiantian! Tang Yi!" After a moment's silence, the field was filled with enthusiastic cheers and thunderous applause.
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