
Bradie Tennell: A magical statue in a garden, as the seasons go by. And not just any statue: Le Penseur/The Thinker by Auguste Rodin
To tell you the truth, we’ve become very attached to this particular way of showing you photos from the Grand Prix circuit – those photos that speak to us, and hopefully speak to you as well.
…and if statues could speak, if they could come to life and start wandering through their gardens, their parks, their alleys in the museums, they would maybe resemble Bradie Tennell in her free skate this season.
Bradie is Auguste Rodin’s Le Penseur – she was created as “the last defense against the climate crisis”, waking up “after being asleep since the beginnings of time”, as the skater herself pointed out in a recent interview for Skate Info Glace.
With a concept imagined by Benoît Richaud, and Vivaldi’s Four Seasons arranged by Cédric Tour, Bradie enters a journey of contrasting emotions and, at the end of it, when the crisis has been solved, and the world’s equilibrium has been restored, she comes back to her usual self, the sleeping statue of Rodin, until the end of time.
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With stops in Norwood (USA), Mississauga (Canada) and Angers (France), we’ve now reached Sheffield, for the newly inaugurated 2022 MK John Wilson Trophy.
And we’re asking you to join us in being in awe with the performing qualities of the skaters taking part in the fourth Grand Prix event of the season.
Are you ready to #feel?
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Irma Caldara and Riccardo Maglio: Eyes like Iron. Woodkid’s Iron.

Oona Brown and Gage Brown: Engaging dance, literally, to Cha-Cha rhythms

Mai Mihara: A snowflake flying in the air and then landing on your forehead. Can you feel it?

Marjorie Lajoie and Zachary Lagha: Abandoning themselves to The White Crow’s story

Young You: A winter fairy

Roman Sadovsky: Opening new paths / Angel flying

Alexia Paganini: She’ll tell you a story, and then another story, and then another story – because she is Scheherazade

Alicia Fabbri and Paul Ayer: Remembering someone they loved

Sara Conti and Niccolò Macii: Tenderness / Una sombra más

Daniel Grassl: Struggling Brain, his opening music says, and he embodies it to the fullest

Gabrielle Daleman: Contagious charm while skating to “Dark Eyes”

Charlène Guignard and Marco Fabbri: Creating intriguing, almost gothic shapes in the air

Gabriella Izzo: As is she were a petal flying in a storm of petals

Koshiro Shimada: The beauty and the quietness, the soft arms in the air – as if he were a feather

Koshiro Shimada and coach Stéphane Lambiel: Grateful for the beauty of the moment

Letizia Roscher and Luis Schuster: Boldness, openness – and a very successful debut on the Grand Prix circuit

Lilah Fear and Lewis Gibson: How is that even possible? So effortless it feels – and, yet, so difficult to do

Young You: The exquisite lines of a tango danced in Buenos Aires

Shun Sato: Those fingers moving in the air, creating a moment by themselves

Natálie Taschlerová and Filip Taschler: Emphatic skating, contagious skating

Nicole Schott: Red-and-black layback spin, as if Nicole were an eye-catching spinning top

Alexa Knierim and Brandon Frazier: On the wings of time

Edward Appleby: Ready to leave those scars behind and head for the sky

Maria Kazakova and Georgy Reviya: Hello, she said

Deniss Vasiljevs: A sign from The New World / Who else to skate to Symphony No. 9?

Ekaterina Kurakova: I’m a balloon, a dream and a surprise / Catch me if you can, and I will bring you joy

Alicia Fabbri and Paul Ayer: Represent, represent Cuba!

Irma Caldara and Riccardo Maglio: Don’t Be So Serious / All in for this gorgeous pose

Isabeau Levito: Can you feel the gratitude? We can – we surely can

Haley Sales and Nikolas Wamsteeker: Look at me there / Look at my swagger

Julia Sauter: Flying with the wind

Irma Caldara and Riccardo Maglio: The trust, the confidence, the beauty of this lift

Gabrielle Daleman: Diamonds’ Delicacy

Deniss Vasiljevs: Allowing a part of his soul to travel with the free skate

Natálie Taschlerová and Filip Taschler: Commitment to big causes

Shun Sato: The Red Violin

Christina Carreira and Anthony Ponomarenko: Eyes on her, eyes on them

Isabeau Levito: Red flying petals on her back / Una noche más

Maria Kazakova and Georgy Reviya: Can’t escape those eyes

Jimmy Ma: As if he were, indeed, a volcano erupting

Young You: Breathing power

Letizia Roscher and Luis Schuster: Explosive debut / This has been a terrific season for these two

Lilah Fear and Lewis Gibson: Stamina and strength to keep up with the boldness of their skating

Tomoki Hiwatashi: Lines in the air

Charlène Guignard and Marco Fabbri: Pantera en Libertad

Mai Mihara: Casting a spell on us while skating to El amor brujo by Manuel de Falla

Marjorie Lajoie and Zachary Lagha: Don’t you dare look away / We don’t, we won’t

Alexia Paganini: The way she makes us feel

Christina Carreira and Anthony Ponomarenko: Follow me, she said

Irma Caldara and Riccardo Maglio: Eyes are pleased with this soft palette of colours in their costumes

Julia Sauter: Passionate green bird wandering in the forest

Mariia Holubtsova and Kyryl Bielobrov: Leaning on each other

Young You: Grace and gaze, and flowing red layers

Alexa Knierim and Brandon Frazier: You feel they’re putting everything into their skate

Daniel Grassl: A Silhouette in blue

Anastasiia Metelkina and Daniil Parkman: Eyes – hers, his – are telling a story

Isabeau Levito: Pursuit of Happiness

Jimmy Ma: Trusting those edges, making them work

Charlène Guignard and Marco Fabbri: Drama, their arms say

Tatsuya Tsuboi: Finding the way

Haley Sales and Nikolas Wamsteeker: Jumping into the story, the Phantom of the Opera’s story

Koshiro Shimada: Pure excitement

Natasha McKay: Gifting us with her skating

Oona Brown and Gage Brown: Arms heading for the (Big) Sky

Roman Sadovsky: The ice might be Cold, but his skating isn’t

Anastasiia Metelkina and Daniil Parkman: Aspirations

Gabriella Izzo: You can’t stop her

Corey Circelli: Pulling an imaginary curtain and entering the big stage

Isabeau Levito: Almost a straight line-spiral – and so comfortable presenting it

Natálie Taschlerová and Filip Taschler: For the Planet

Tatsuya Tsuboi: High-strung, the music says, his posture says

Isabeau Levito: A flower-pirouette

Alexa Knierim and Brandon Frazier: I’ve got this, we’ve got this

Lilah Fear and Lewis Gibson: Born This Way

Young You: Stop from whatever you are doing – and look at me

Sara Conti and Niccolò Macii: Enchantment

Anastasiia Gubanova: Slumdog Millionaire

Ekaterina Kurakova and Lorenzo Magri: Arms full of toys / Signs of love and appreciation

Nicole Schott: Arms, feathers, wings

Tomoki Hiwatashi: That split though!

Mai Mihara: Embodiment of gratitude this season

Alexa Knierim and Brandon Frazier: Victorious

Lilah Fear and Lewis Gibson: As if they were Jennifer Lopez and Marc Anthony

Natasha McKay: Eyes, power, focus

Young You: Letting it go, abandoning herself to this gorgeous Ina Bauer (which is almost a Korean trademark by now)

Maria Kazakova and Georgy Reviya: The world may be mad – but we are trying our best to live it

Mai Mihara’s arms to the sky, now that’s an image of hope
[Photos by Alberto Ponti at 2022 MK John Wilson Trophy in Sheffield
Selection by Inside Skating]
SEE MORE:
Photos that you feel: 2022 Skate America