One of my favorite freedances in recent memory is Meryl Davis and Charlie White's 2008-2009 freedance to music from "Samson and Delilah." That season was a breakthrough one for Davis/White (also referred to as "Marlie" by ardent skating fans) as they won their first international title at Skate Canada, finished third at Cup of Russia, third in the Grand Prix final, first at the U.S. Nationals (even though their main rivals, 5-time defending champions Tanith Belbin and Ben Agosto were not there due to an injury to Ben's back) and fourth at the World Championships in Los Angeles, missing out on a bronze medal by the slimmest of margins.
The following season, "Marlie" continued their hotstreak, and in fact, got even hotter, as they by won both their Grand Prix events, the Grand Prix final (a major victory over eventual Olympic Champions, their Canadian training mates, Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir), won their second consecutive U.S. title for the first time over Belbin and Agosto, and performed brilliantly at the Olympics and World Championships to finish second in both events.
This season, "Marlie" have struggled with their programs as they got a late start to training because of their tour schedule with Stars on Ice last spring, and are breaking new ground as they are striving to challenge themselves both technically and artistically with a new look this season. Even with some bumps in the road, they have still won every event they've entered this season, though it should be noted that Virtue/Moir, their greatest competition, has been out all season with injury. Meryl and Charlie are heavily favored to claim gold at the upcoming World Championships at the end of this month in Russia. If they would do so, they'd become the first American ice dancing team in history to win the World Championships. Virtue and Moir are scheduled to skate, so it should be a very competitive event as both teams are very determined to win gold. I rooting for "Marlie" to make history!!
This "Samson and Delilah" program is worth noting because it helped to catapult "Marlie" into the upper echelon of world championship ice dancing. The opening is a beautiful, soft piece of music that complements Meryl and Charlie's deep edges and supple knees, and then escalates into a grand, passionate segment that suits their speed, technical virtuosity, and in the case of Charlie, reckless abandon. Meryl is also very expressive and adds drama and intensity to the performance. Together, they're absolutely terrific, and I'm so happy to be sharing this first-rate ice dancing program with you.
Enjoy Meryl and Charlie's "Samson and Delilah"!
If you enjoyed this, check out another great performance by Meryl and Charlie at the 2008 U.S. Nationals to "Eleanor Rigby" by the Beatles:
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