Hello again!) Hope you liked the story about my new short program, and I think now is high time I passed on to the free one. 

My image in the free program, in my opinion, is a great contrast to the last season’s Chicago, let alone clownery. No one has ever seen me in such a role (except only for my sister when taking my things without permission). Well, so much for your being on the anxious seat… I am a witch! That’s how Olga Volojinskaya saw me in my new free program. I listened to the music for the first time at Worlds in Torino, where Olga Volojinskaya came as my choreographer. The morning after our arrival she and Alla Yakovlevna offered me to listen to a piece of music which we could possibly use for my new program. She had brought some other tracks with her, but didn’t play them to me, because she thought that the first one was the most advantageous. Before playing it she said: "I and Alla Yakovlevna were listening to it all night long”. On hearing the very first powerful chords I felt that it was my kind of music. While we were listening, Olga Algertovna was telling us what she would like to put into the program. The music is the soundtrack from the famous movie The Witches of Eastwick. After listening to it to the end I understood that we had hard but very interesting work ahead of us. We arranged to get down to it in the beginning of May.      

So, I had enough time, about a month, to watch the movie and prepare myself for the new image. Then Olga Algertovna arrived, and we started working on the very next day. I was grasping everything quickly and warming to my role heartily. I change from the beginning to the end of the program: now I’m compassing something evil, then I put on a wily and slightly romantic air, and finally turn into a really furious witch who spares no one. Olga Algertovna was pleased with me. It took us three practices to choreograph the program. Last year we worked faster, but you must admit that to play a witch convincingly is much trickier than to dance to the upbeat Chicago. The most difficult part for me was the step sequence, because owing to the new rules lots of things had changed, and we had to invent something original, but keeping in mind that it must comply with all the features needed to obtain the highest level. On the whole, the program is replete with transitions, vivid accents, and, of course, there is a surprise, too. I will not unlock all the secrets for the time being. Soon you’ll see everything for yourselves. Meanwhile, try to imagine me as a cunning little witch)))          

 

To smoothen things down for you, I will say a few words about the costumes. We had as many as 9 designs of the short program dress made. Finally we combined two of them, and I think no one has ever skated wearing such an original costume. Your spirits rise when you just look at it. The idea of the free program costume was proposed by Olga Algertovna. This four-color dress (the main color is, of course, black) is also very beautiful and its stile perfectly fits my new image. Each costume has a peculiar detail giving zest to it.  

I would also like to tell you a few words about the changes in the rules. In fact, the rules have become much more rigorous this season, especially when it comes to spins and jumps. Some jumps became more (and some less) valuable in terms of points. As for the spins, we’ve only recently found our bearings. Now you can use a position only once, all the repeated positions will not count. So, I and my coach had to thoroughly work on the spins, and finally we solved this problem, too. Both my programs became more difficult in terms of jumps. Now I’m working on 3+3 combinations with more difficult jumps and, of course, every day I’m learning how to put the edge on the Lutz where it belongs)))  

In conclusion I’d like to say that my new programs are by all odds more difficult as compared to the previous season’s ones (I got to move forward!) They are totally different from each other and at the same time they both suit me. No wonder, because I like trying new images very much! So, now you only have to wait for the first competitions, and I promise you that I will do my best to convey all the ideas of my choreographers. Surely, I want my programs to be the most vivid ones of this difficult upcoming season!) Keep your fingers crossed!)