Since I just did a long review for the Toronto show, I'm combining both the Hamilton and Kitchener stops for this review.

Opening: "Black Betty" and "Lady Marmalade"
I think they must have had an extra rehearsal in Hamilton (possibly a dress rehearsal for the cameras) because the opening looked a little tighter and more in unision. The number does suffer similar to las year in that the men outnumbre the women so at times some of the men are just dancing by themselves. (and there's where you could really see who has good natural ability and who doesn't ). Kitchener however was more off than Hamilton in some parts, with at least two skaters having obvious stumbles or falls in their section. For the ladies solo section I have to say that Shae-Lynn is the class the the field - she really had those slinky movements down. In fact I was impressed by Shae in every one of the group numbers - it looked like she really spent a lot of time getting the movements down right. Kudos to her for that.

Orser, Browning, Yagudin - "Tango"
The lack of rehearsal time really shows on this number. In Hamilton it was tighter, but in Kitchener it was all over the place. With a number that is designed to have all 3 men doing exactly the same movement at exactly the same time, you can't just hope it will all come together. Each of the men lookede good on their own, but as a group there were noticible unision problems. Some parts had Brian and Kurt in unision with Alexei off, others it was Brian or Kurt who was off. It's a great concept piece, I just wish they'd have been able to pull it off better.

Eldredge - "Lord of the Rings"
Todd turned in two more clean performances of this number and was very impressive to watch. Neither night got a real standing ovation, but I think that's more because this is a rather dark musical selection that doesn't have a good build to it so it doesn't encourage standing. THat aside, Todd's performances were great and in Hamilton the 2 triple axels were just huge! I'm malso very fond of some of the in betweens for this program as there are some different movements then we've seen from Todd in a while.

Bourne & Kraatz - "Michael Jackson Medley"
Shae & Vic turned in two fantastic performances of this number, and it really is a much better show program than free dance. Shae had a small stumble in Kitchener and their final rotating kick-type lift was really unstable, but otherwise the performances were great. It's an excellent high energy piece to get the audience right away.

Browning - "Guitar"
I think every time I see this program there's something different aboout it, or maybe that I just notice different things. I'm really amazed at how fluid Kurt seems to be with this whole piece of music - as if he's made of rubber and just bending right around for the whole program. In Kitchener there was a bobble on the landing of one of the 2 axels, but Kurt went down on one knee and sort of spun around and honestly if you didn't know he wasn't supposed to have done that you'd have thought it intentional - it was rather cool looking.

Yamaguchi - "Gold"
Same ol' same ol'. Kristi took a crash on the 3lutz in one show and doubled in in the other. It's a nic eenough program, just not my cup of tea.

Meno & Sand - "It Takes Chair To Tango"
Cute program, but nothing different to report from any of the previous outtings.

Brasseur & Eisler - "Never Tear Us Apart"
Since I was prepared for the ugly costumes, I was able to get right into the program both of these times, and I do really like it - too bad they're not doing this on COI. THe back spiral and pairs spin are right on, and while they have their usual adagio mves in this program, it feels more like a true pairs program than we've seen from them in a while. It's very effective.

Yagudin - "Overcome"
Alexei was much more on in these two shows than in Toronto - he must have caught up on some sleep :) This program is really one of Alexei's best, and both performances were top-notch. I was amazed with the amount of hang time he gets on his 3axel - there's just such a delay before he hits the ice - wow!

Orser, Browning, Sand - "Vanity Tango"
Ok, the word from backstage is that both Brian and Todd are rather bruised and sore from this number and I for one wish they'd ditch the program. One of my friends commented that the problem is that they lookk like they're skating scared, and I think that's right on. Todd and Brian loook very uncomfortable and unsure of themselves and tht even effects Kurt because he can sense that. And honestly with Todd's bad back and Brian not being the tallest guy around, I don't think they were snmart choices for this routine at all. Kitchener though was the worst and this Brian fan got a nast fright. In the aprt where they're supposed to spin the tables 3 times and then release them around the circle to the next guy, the second time they did this Todd released his after only 2 spins and sent the table flying toward Brian who happened to have his back to the table. Thank god he turned around in time or that would have been awful! Then, the next time around Todd held his for 4 spins so Brian was standing there laughing like "where the hell is my table" They laughed it all off, but I couldn't help having visions of this damn vanity knocking Brian out.

Ensemble - "Can-Can" and "Because We Can"
This tour is really being hurt by the short rehearsal time - the girls were just terribly out of unision for their part of the program and it just looked sloppy. When the men came out though it was pretty amusing. After not wearing his corset in Toronto, Viktor is now wearing his around his leg like a giant knee brace. ANd of course Lloyd's is still suggestively tied around his hips. They men looked like they were having a blast though so it was a fun number in that sense.

Ruh - "Hurting Each Other"
Beautiful spins, but a rather bland program - it just doesn't hold up to repeat viewings that much. And I wish they'd given her a costume with some color.

Meno & Sand - "First Time Ever"
Jeni and Todd really shine in this number, though in Kitchener you could tell that Todd had obviously hurt his back as all their lifts looked a little tentative. Sort of a "one more lift to go and we're done" sort of feel. Didn't really hurt the overall performance too much though. This is really just a perfect program for them.

Orser, Browning, Yamguchi, Ruh - "Oh Yeah"
Timing - timing - timing. It seems the cast is having troubles hitting the switches (they're supposedly rather stiff) in the right time. But it's a fun filler sort of number. I really wonder how they can see to skate when Lucinda spins with that light - it's a wonder none of them end up in the audience

Brasseur & Eisler - "She Ain't Pretty"
After 4 viewings, this number does wear a little thin, but B&E were really on each night, so it's not the performance level that falters, just the viewer's endurance I guess. The airplane lift is really pretty good, and in Hamilton, Lloyd's throw single axel was huge!

Eldredge - "Your Song"
Other than a doubled loop in Hamilton, Todd's performances were high quality! This program has a great build to it and it's very poweful in feel. I really like how the programs first move is a death drop right on the crescendo - it's an interesting way to open the program. Again, this is a program that's got some nice in-between movements to it that are a bit different from his earlier work. ANd of course I loved the long spiral :)

Bourne & Kraatz - "Sadness"
The Kitchener performance had a few slips, but Hamilton was definitely on. Not too much more to say that I haven't said before, other than to repeat that I think this is one of their best ever exhibitions. Very creative!

Orser - "Somewhere In Time"
Turns out that Brian came down with a vicious cold right before the Hamilton show, but other than a rushed delayed axel, you'd never have known it from the program (well ok, i did, but that's my hang-up for just seeing the program too many times ). In Kitchener he was back to better health and the program had a bit more pop to it. I just love how this program takes a guided tour through skating history - the delayed axel followed by the double axel is very effective. It's truly a program that features some great honest skating, and that's such a beauty to watch!

Yamaguchi - "Trust"
Yes, Kristi can dance, but the program is just not really a great skating program.

Yagudin - "Winter"
Alexei turned in two excellent performances of this number, and in Kitchener I actually got to see it from an angle I hadn't seen before which was really nice. The highlight for me is always the circular footwork - it's just so breathtaking!

Browning - "Elevation"
In Hamilton Kurt had one of the worst performances I've ever seen him give, with 3 falls and several points where he had trouble getting back up to speed. Well, when retakes came, Brian accounced that Kurt had split a lace just into the program, and that explained how everythign fell apart. Kurt later joked that to all young skaters, you skated better when your laces were done up. I was actually a little suprised that given it was being taped that once Kurt realized the problem he just didn't completely stop the program. I can't imagine trying to continue with all that complicated footwork when you know tht you have no support on one foot. He did redo almost the entire program for the retakes though and he was obviously much better with his boot fully laced up :) No idea how he found the energy to do it all over again like that - and he looke totally exhausted at the end!

Finale: "Carpenter's Medley"
Pretty much the same thoughts as my Toronto review, so there's nothing more really to add. I still wish Brian got a better section of the finale than just skating after Shae-Lynn, but at least he did what he got well. Alexei's facial expressions on his bit with Kristi were just adorable! Todd of course gets featured quite a bit since for all the jumps he has to go the opposite way and therefore stands out quite a bit. The real highlight though is the bit with B&E, M&S and B&K - I used to love it when SOI had multiple pairs and dance teams who could do numbers like this. It's just so effective to see each team do some variation of a high lift, then a low lift - variations on a similar theme and just great to see.

Post show I managed to pop backstage for a quick visit with Brian which was fun, even if the extra time, only guaranteed that I'd caught his lovely cold. Photos will be coming as soon - hopefully I can start scanning them this weekend :)