Innovation From, Uh, Mexico
Day two of Four Continents and I’m giddy! I’ve seen some splendid skating thus far. Highlights include Dube and Davison’s free skate and Cynthia Phaneuf and Patrick Chan’s short programs. More to come on this later.
Midway through the women’s short, two Mexican skaters performed one after the other, Ana Cecilia Cantu and Michele Cantu. I found these sisters from San Pedro captivating. I was taken with them not because they had great jumps, but because their choreography and style was so unique. Ana Cecilia skated to the soundtrack from Beetle Juice (unusual music and costume to say the least) and interpreted it with complete dedication to her character. It was more like watching a mime than a figure skater. Plus, she performed a variation on a sit spin I’ve never seen before, spinning not on the ball of the foot but much further back on the heel. It may sound a little odd, but it was rather mesmerizing. Kudos to these skaters for pushing boundaries and making their own mark on the sport.