That was before. Now, I'm hooked. Or I was hooked, during the ice dancing competition. I'm sad it's over. Why the change? Maybe it's because now that I'm older, I can see more of the intricacies and artistry at work in ice dancing that distinguish it from pairs. Maybe it's because this year's ice dancers were more talented than in previous years. Yes, I think that's it. Most of the ice dancers still bored me, just like old times, including the much-ballyhooed Belbin/Agosto and Dominina/Chabalin. But there were two couples who I could not stop watching: Canada's Virtue/Moir and America's Davis/White.
I got hooked on Virtue/Moir right from the start, when I saw their compulsory dance (here). Davis/White grew on me with their funky Indian original dance (here). Both of their free skates (here and here) were a glorious joy to watch. I didn't even care who won the gold - I was so happy for both pairs.
In the end, I was slightly more glad it was Canada who won because I think there was one thing that set them a (tiny) notch above the American pair: Moir's facial expressions. I know that seems ridiculous and insignificant, but it made a big difference. With White, I felt like his friendly face said, "Hello! I am an ice dancer and I am ice dancing!" Moir's face, on the other hand, was always so...intense. Like he couldn't be bothered to tell us what he was doing. He just did it.
Another thing about ice dancing, and maybe this is just me, but did anyone else keep expecting the dancers to kiss each other at the end of their routines? If I've learned anything from Hollywood, it's that after performing an amazing dance like that, you're supposed to kiss the person you're dancing with. It was jarring to be proved wrong every single time. I never got used to it. Virtue and Moir came the closest to kissing at least once during each of their routines and I think that's another reason why their routines were so believable. In fact, they were more than believable - they made you want to believe them.
Maybe that's all part of the act. Maybe it's all an illusion. Maybe these pairs really hate each other off the ice. But for now, I'm just thankful for the beautifully entertaining show they put on during these Olympics.