A Confounding Moment

As a young American boy, I did not comprehend the magic or intricacy of ice dance during my elementary years. I was first introduced to ice dance via the gold medal winning performance of Marina Klimova and Sergei Ponomarenko. Their striking program and look was rather frightening for a mama's boy like myself. Frankly, Marina had a Dracula vibe going on that caused me to hide under the pillow like I did when the Nazis raided the convent in The Sound of Music.

"Freidrich, stop!" "Marina, stop!"

One of the most frightening and confusing moments occurred at the World Professional Championships. While Olympic ice dance was difficult to grasp, professional competition were beyond comprehension. Initially glad to recognize a team, I was startled to see Marina and Sergei's rendition of "Romeo and Juliet." Why were there candles?! Why is the man with the long red hair dominating the other one?! Why doesn't this program ever end?! Why does watching this program make me feel like I'm lost in a run-on sentence?! Years later I'd learn about Marina's failed drug test and everything made sense. I also did not realize that they were merely giving an homage to the Globe Theatre production where feminine boys portrayed all of the female characters.

Known for their lifts, Marina and Sergei spend so much time lifting one another that it is difficult to see the story of the program. Juliet sure spent a lot of time falling on top of Romeo during the last few minutes. The girl was leaning like it was last call at a club after having been bought far too many drinks. Juliet's death is so drawn out that I believe this program is still being performed somewhere, incapable of reaching a climactic ending.