#elena ilinykh

[olyphantastic-world]

Elena Ilinykh 🇷🇺

#elena ilinykh #elena polunina #figure skater #figure skating #black swan #russia

[sunskate]

was thinking of Davis/Smolkin competing their Swan Lake at Budapest Trophy this weekend, and about how high the bar is with this music -- one of Sasha Cohen's most gorgeous performances ever -

the spiral! the footwork, the spins, her artistry (the Badgley Mischka dress)

and the most famous of the ice dance Swan Lakes, from Sochi - Elena Ilinykh was a beautiful dancer and skater

#Youtube

[beautifulstorms]

some thoughts on ice dance from lombardia:

g/f: rd is mediocre but redeemed a little by the campiness of the jumpsuit and also their quality as skaters, fd is one of their better ones from the last couple seasons. they still have beautiful quality of movement and challenging and gorgeous lifts! charlene is very regal if a little boring

mrazeks: i don't remember anything about the rd except some questionable lyric choices for a sibling team. mixed feelings on the swan lake fd - the skirt silhouette is bad, the gloves are bad, their posture is questionable for a ballet program, BUT their extended free leg twizzles that cover half the rink in seconds capture the Spirit Of The Bolshoi like nothing ive seen since elena ilinykh, and their dramatic posturing and general cuntiness fit swan lake better than it would other ballets. the lifts are very cool but terrifying, rlly makes you think on how effortless vm's goose lift - *gunshots*

bratti/somerville: unfortunately (as a determined ian somerville hater) i like both of their programs. ian is rock solid as always, and emily has either gotten much more comfortable as a performer (or ian's partnering better? probably both). prince lgc is one of the only tracks ive heard so far in rds this season that Actually Work with the silver samba. their ne me quitte pas fd is probably actually very ehh but i love the music too much to judge it objectively. now if these two actually projected any kind of connection between them during their skates.. i would be worried for b/s domination

gpa: i really, really want to like their fd and i think i will if they manage to really polish it through the season. but like, their strength is their control of movement (especially wrt caroline's core) so they're very good at highlighting complex accents or stillness in their music. but both their fd and their rd music calls for like, simple speed and flow and dynamics across the ice... either they'll reach that later in the season, or i think both their programs will always feel like they're missing something. also for the fd they need to set it apart from the Other contemporary abstract body shapes fd they did only two seasons ago, which is why i feel like they should be more Fluid with this fd. but i like caroline's fd dress a lot

my favorite set of dances so far this season is still cpom!! but I'm hopeful for l/l to bring something good. unfortunately ice dance still has a chokehold on me

#i also really really really liked grimm/savitsky programs from last week but thats Juniors

[macaroni-rascal]

Hey, just saw your ranking of skaters...

Are you really sure JLB is better then ZachD? How does JLB compare to Gui?

How would you rank Elena Ilinykh?

I know it is different fields, but just skating skill wise,who do you think is more naturally gifted / talented, Tessa or Yuna?

100% Jean Luc has better skating skills than Zach, JL’s rise and fall of the knee and ease across the ice is so stunning. I think Zach is a better lifter and appears more powerful than Jean Luc just because of size, but there is no doubt on pure skating skills, Jean Luc Baker comes out on top.

Gosh, I haven’t watched and of Elena’s skating in so long. Lemme go watch a program and I’ll be right back.

Okay, I’m back.

I watched the short dance from Sochi, and I gotta say I remember her being better. Nice knees, and solid edges in the midline, but the finnstep was deeply mediocre, and her feet can get quite messy sometimes, it’s like she goes in and out of caring about what her feet/legs are doing and she loses tension only to get to back a few seconds later. She’s definitely a very good ice dancer, but I wouldn’t say an amazing one.

Tessa Virtue, no contest.

#konner talks skating

[jovialdragonstrawberry]

Moon River: Sergei Polunin & Elena Ilinykh 🖤✨🦢

#moon river #i have a dream #indimenticabile #romantic #youtube #espresso

[malenastefano]

Choreographer Lyudmila Vlasova (R), Elena Ilinykh (C) and Nikita Katsalapov (L) seen at a training prior to the 2011 World Figure Skating Championships.

#russia #lyudmilla vlasova

[missnoirr]

love people realising nikita katsalapov sucks in the year of our lord 2022. elena ilinykh has been SAYING this 

#like welcome to the party but how did it take you this long to arrive.

[little-lynx]

even though I knew you are from russia- i had no idea you were following figure skating too!! but it totally make sense and if you ever do a painting on that please share it on tumblr too :D

also your paintings are amazing, basically the only reason I check tumblr some days!

Heeeey! ❤️ this post was in my drafts for foreeeeever 🙈

Well, yeah, THG and figure skating (ice dance in particular) are my main fandoms ;) actually my tumblr looked like ruslena’s fan page back in 2014 😅 (ruslena = elena ilinykh/ruslan zhiganshin, my forever favourite ice dance team, unfortunately not existing anymore). I was a little obsessed with them, haha. Ok, not “a little”. Ohhh…. My heart is forever broken because of them.

I try not to become very attached to any ice dance team anymore after ruslena’s split (that still hurts) but I do really like two teams right now.  Russian Aleksandra Stepanova/Ivan Bukin (Sasha is extremely beautiful 😍)

And US team Madison Chock/Evan Bates (they are so sweet! And give me everlark feels all the time)

Gifs by @findthatsynchronicity​ , illustrations by me ;))

It’s Olympics now so if you have time please watch Stepanova/Bukin and Chock/Bates programs, especially free dances, both are amazing! 

#figureskating #figure skating #ice dance #ruslena #elena ilinykh #ruslan zhiganshin #stepanova bukin #aleksandra stepanova #ivan bukin #chock bates #madison chock #evan bates #lynx figure skating

[kittyprincessofcats]

No seriously, fuck you if you still support Plushenko. Dude is literally out here promoting a war and spreading Putin’s propaganda. There’s no excuse for this.

(And the amount of people trying to make excuses is a bit frightening. I’ve seen everything from “The government’s probably forcing him to make those posts”, “Yana [his wife] is probably influencing him”, “He’s probably scared to lose his skating school” to “He probably doesn’t know better / doesn’t realize what Putin is doing” and “This is the west’s fault for putting sanctions on Russian people, of course that’ll make them side with Putin”.)

STOP. Plushenko is 39, not a baby. He’s not being forced into anything. He could have just kept quiet but he CHOSE to make and like those posts. He’s been loudly and proudly supporting Putin for years. This is not a secret. He knows what he’s saying. Stop trying to blame anyone but himself for this.

He is out there putting “likes” on disgusting Russian propaganda posts that try to paint Urkrainians as nazis and Russians as the victims (I really don’t want to repeat the exact posts because they make me sick to my stomach). He’s saying “I trust my president”. He put the “Z” (symbol of the Russian invaders in Urkaine) in front of his hashtags, making it clear he supports what’s going on in Ukraine. Face it: He’s not being forced into anything, he just agrees with Putin.

(Also, to those who are confused about his “I want peace” and “stop genocide” statments, let me clarify: He means “peace” in the sense that Putin will bring the peace to Ukraine. That’s made very clear by how “I want peace” is followed directly by “I trust my president” in that post. And when he says “genocide”, he means the non-existent genocide against Russians in Urkraine, that the war is supposed to stop - this is Russia’s state propaganda version of what’s happening.)

This is also a good moment to remind people that Plushenko:

- was literally a politician for years and knows that many other Russian athletes go into politics, making his whole “But sports and politics should be separate” statment twice as hypocritical.

- is good buddies with Kadyrov, the head of Chechnya who’s putting queer men in concentration camps.

- has employed Elena Ilinykh, a literal Nazi, in his school.

- is okay with his wife hitting their son and therefore is a child abuser.

So yeah: FFS figure skating fandom, stop supporting Plushenko; I’m so done. I don’t care if it’s Fanyus who keep talking about how Plush supports Yuzu or if it’s fans of Sasha and/or Kosto saying they wish they’d go back to him or if it’s literally anyone else - STOP SUPPORTING PLUSHENKO.

This is deeply serious. This isn’t just him “being cancelled” for saying something shitty. This isn’t like Nathan’s homophobic statements, Shoma’s misogyny, or Javi bad-mouthing his friend on live TV. This is much more serious. This is someone who literally supports a war, supports a warmongering dictator, supports a politican who puts queer men into concentration camps, hires Nazis, and hits his son.

PLUSHENKO IS A FASCIST. STOP SUPPORTING HIM. NOW.

#Evgeni Plushenko #Figure skating #Russia #Sports #Ukraine #Russia's war against Ukraine #Russia's invasion of Ukraine #Vladimir Putin #Ramzan Kadyrov #Chechnya #Gay men in Chechnya #Child abuse #Yana Rudkovskaya #Elena Ilinykh #Nazism #Fascism #fyi I'm a fanyu and kosto fan myself - but the way some of my fellow fans still glorify plush makes me sick #long post

[icedanceupstarts]

Elena Ilinykh & Nikita Katsalapov || 2011 World Championships

#fskateedit #ice dance #elena ilinykh #nikita katsalapov #ilinykh and katsalapov #season: 2010 2011 #team russia #split

[strappingyounggoddess]

Haven’t posted anything in forever...Here’s some Sergei Polunin wisdom for ya. From the movie “Dancer”.

#sergei polunin #dancer #ballet #russia #ukraine #art #quotes #hozier #murder on the orient express #take me to church #red sparrow #the white crow #elena ilinykh

[olyphantastic-world]

«Rasputin» Tour 2022 - Moscow

#rasputin #rasputin tour 2022 #elena ilinykh #sergei polunin #alexey lyubimov #jonah cook #ballet #mir polunin #mine

[figureskatingconfessions]

“Elena Ilinykh is so incredibly stunningly beautiful.”

#figure skating #elena ilinykh #retired #team russia #ice dance #choreographers #coaches #support #fans #personal lives? #off ice #appearances #aesthetics #looks #opinions #feelings #examples #other

[wanderlustinwonderland18]

Elena Ilinykh: “There Are No Limits”

I remember how you told me that you would become a mother. You just found out that you are expecting a baby, and your eyes burned so bright, just like in Sochi!

Elena: Well, that’s because I told you (laughs). I was so happy at that moment! I had my own fears. I wanted a child and was afraid that something might not work out because of the sport. I thought that 25 is a very good age to become a mother for the first time. Thank God, everything went well for me, fears remained fears, and I have a child now... This is the biggest miracle, completely indescribable feelings. Of course, at this stage of my life, this is my most important victory.

Are you ready to repeat? To have the second baby right after this?

Elena: Right after? I don’t know, I am so happy that this happened. Of course, I’m ready for this joy again. Children are from God, so as God willing, I’m ready (laughs).

So Mir has a Russian passport, American by the place of birth, and I heard that Seryozha would also like to think about Ukraine and Serbia because he has passports of these countries?

Elena: Ukrainian is already registered, and yes, we will think about Serbian too.

Mir is a citizen of the world.

Elena: Yes, 100 percent! We have already laughed so many times about this! Just yesterday, I talked with my mom, and she said: “I see it in his eyes that he should study at MGIMO (Moscow State Institute of International Relations).” I said: “Well, in principle, everything is set for this” (laughs).

Wait, MGIMO? You told me that the Mir has ballet feet!

Elena: Well, yes, he definitely has ballet feet and ballet arms. He will have all the makings of creative person, but Seryozha and I think that two creative people in the family is enough (laughs). In fact, it’s too early to think about it. We will listen and observe his development.

Your romance with the ballet began long before Seryozha, because when you and Nikita (Katsalapov) did Don Quixote, the Bolshoi Theater sewed a tutu for you.

Elena: Yes.

At that moment, did you know that it will lead to a ballet love story?

Elena: Of course not. I always watched ballet with pleasure, to look for new lifts or new costumes... But I did not know anything about the dancer Sergei Polunin. As it turned out later, photos from his Spartacus were saved on my phone! It is a habit of mine to save ballet photos.

Well, if you and Dima Soloviev resume a career, one program is already clear.

Elena: Dima and I have slightly different plans for the free dance (laughs).

So, is a career resumption possible?

Elena: It’s very difficult to coordinate all this right now. I really had a conversation with Dima, we discussed everything. When I began to skate with Dima, Katya Bobrova, who was pregnant during that time, came to our first training session and showed me some elements. I thank her so much for that! She was already with a belly, and after the training she said: “that’s all, I’m going on maternity leave, it’s your turn now.”

Did you touch her belly?

Elena: Yes, she she let me (laughs).

Now everything is clear. She passed the baton.

Elena: (Laughs) I think so. Everything went so well with Dima in the show. Surprisingly, we get along both in character and on the ice. We began to talk a lot and realized that we have a chance to do what we haven’t done in figure skating yet... That we haven’t fulfilled our careers, and that we need to continue.

I was so sure that you were born in Moscow, and to my surprise...

Elena: I was born on the shore of the Caspian Sea, in Aktau (Kazakhstan).

Have you been there since birth?

Elena: Yes, of course. My dad lives there, my grandmother and grandfather on my father’s side too. I visit them in Astana. The city has changed so much!

It could have been Elena Ilinykh from Kazakhstan, but so far, the world of figure skating only knows Elizabet Tursynbaeva.

Elena: Yes, a very good and talented girl. By the way, I’m pleased that they write about me in Kazakhstan... People over there say yes, she represents Russia but this is our girl! She was born in Kazakhstan! My dad sent me texts from newspapers, that they were proud of me back home, cheered at competitions. It is very pleasant and important for me.

Another surprise for me is that you apparently skated with Ivan Bukin...

Elena: Well, no, let me crush this myth. I don’t know where it came from but these are untrue stories. I started in ice dance with Nikita. We were both single skaters in the group of Dubinskaia. Videos of our performances are even available on YouTube. A little later, our mothers decided to put us in a pair, switch to ice dance, and go to Ilya Averbukh and Irina Lobacheva. We were the very first students to go there. On the very first day, Nikita dropped me from a lift and I had a huge black eye. After that trial, we started to work as a pair (laughs). Not long after, we went to Alexander Zhulin. We competed, skated for a year, and then we had a short break up.

And you went to America to train with Zueva and Shpilband?

Elena: Yes, just after the first break, I went to America... But before that, I was still in Moscow for two months. It is these two months they say that I skated with Vanya and left him. No, no, no! Since I was temporarily left without a partner, I was looking. With Ivan, we only had a try out. In my understanding, to be a pair is to perform in at least one competition. With Bukin, we didn’t have a single joint program. We tried to skate together, tried to do different joint exercises, but these were just try outs, only two months. So there can be no talk of any joint partnership. At first, his dad coached us a little, then we went to the group of Svinin and Zhuk... But they did not take me seriously at that time. They had a strong group and I was completely unnoticed there. You know me, everything was boiling inside, I needed attention.

So what happened?

Elena: During that time, Igor Shpilband and Marina Zueva invited me. I don’t remember how it happened, but I was taken to the United States. That’s all. Vanya and I didn’t take part in any competitions, we have never performed together. I sometimes read that people are not happy with me, because I left Vanya... But we couldn’t have anything, I was made to understand that I did not fit the role of Vanya’s partner.

And you went to Zueva and Shpilband, who had the paradise of ice dancers.

Elena: I was like WOW the whole time! Little Shibutanis were there, Belbin and Agosto, Davis and White, Virtue and Moir, Chock and Bates. These teams developed there. In general, it was an incredible experience. There really was a system. It’s probably not good to reveal some inside secrets, but Marina with Igor – it was incredible.

What did they have that we didn’t?

Elena: Healthy competition... Everyone is determined to work, to win, but there was no bad blood. It seems to me that Russian athletes have a little bit.

One of the most popular questions: Does Ilinykh communicate with Katsalapov?

Elena: Well, I can’t say that we communicate because we both have completely different lives now... But we have a good relationship, we congratulate each other on holidays. Vika congratulated me on the birth of my child. It’s not our problem that people come up with the idea of conflict between us. I cheer for Nikita, for his partnership with Vika. There is no hostility between us. I am grateful to Nikita because together, we achieved the main goal in our career – Olympic gold and bronze. Nikita chose a different path, and now he strives to reach new goals. I have different values, I walk my own path. Maybe there is some kind of internal female bitterness, but this is solely my problem and not the problem of our relations.

You started as a single skater. If we imagine you in the group of Tutberidze, do you think that you would succeed?

Elena: (Laughs) Yes, I think so. At one of the training camps, Julia Lipnitskaya and I watched some of my old videos, and she joked that it’s good that I switched to ice dance, because otherwise, we would have competed against each other in Sochi. She appreciated the technique of my double axel, which at that time, was very cool for my age (laughs). Now, of course, the bar has risen, but I always liked single skating. I love the strict approach, this tough approach is just what I needed. Therefore, if I were in Tutberidze’s group, I’m sure I would succeed under her guidance.

Which of Tutberidze’s skaters do you like the most?

Elena: Sasha Trusova. I’m a fan!

Why?

Elena: I don’t know, she’s so cool. I really like her. I always worry about her the most. I appreciate the qualities of all the girls, they are all great, but for some reason, I like Sasha the most. She reminds me very much of Julia Lipnitskaya, with her character.

I remember you telling me that two weeks after the birth of Mir, you would return with Dima Soloviev.

Elena: Yes. If it strikes me that I’m coming back, I will accept this challenge and work hard. There are no limits.

#QUEEN 👑 #Elena Ilinykh #Figure Skating #Ice Dance #Interview #Olympics #Julia Lipnitskaya #Elizabet Tursynbaeva #Sergei Polunin #Dmitry Soloviev #Ivan Bukin #Nikita Katsalapov #Eteri Tutberidze #Belbin Agosto #Davis White #Virtue Moir #Ballet #Dance #Skating #Russia #Kazakhstan

[figureskatingbirds]

I'm not a fan of Plushenko but I have to admit that he was really fucking smart by bringing in two of the most promising new coaches in Russia.

Finally the partner that Elena deserves

#figure skating #elena ilinykh #sergei rozanov #hot sergei #talk about a power couple #i could write an essay about how happy I am that people are finally giving them the recognition they deserve #!!!

[problematic-mila]

How much do you want to bet Yulia Lipnitskaya is going to join Elena Ilinykh in coaching Plushenko’s angels after maternity leave?

Some of Aliona’s spins already look like they have some of her influence in them.

#figure skating #yulia lipnitskaya #rostelecom #angels of plushenko #team plushenko #elena ilinykh #yulia #eteri girls #eteri tutberidze #team russia #ladies’ skating