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Belbin, Agosto dance into fourth place in compulsories

VANCOUVER - Tanith Belbin's face told one story when the judges' scores were revealed last night and another a few minutes later, when she unleashed her dazzling smile.

VANCOUVER - Tanith Belbin's face told one story when the judges' scores were revealed last night and another a few minutes later, when she unleashed her dazzling smile.

"We were happy that we broke 40," Belbin said. "We hadn't done that internationally before. We were happy with the way we skated. This is how we want to skate all three portions of the competition."

Belbin and partner Ben Agosto, who train in Aston, Pa., tangoed their way to 40.83 points in the compulsory dance. That put them in fourth place going into tomorrow's original dance.

"We were sixth after compulsories in Torino," Belbin said. "So at least we're two places higher here. We had a limited time to prepare for this, so we're happy."

"In compulsories, you want to have a strong start," Agosto said. "You never want to be in a position of having to dig yourself out of a hole with the rest of the competition. We love our original dance."

The younger American contenders, Meryl Davis and Charlie White, were in third place with a surprisingly strong 41.47 score. Unlike Belbin and Agosto, the first-time Olympians focused on strengthening their tango performance by working with the creator of the dance, Elena Tchaikovskaya.

"I think we did her justice," Davis said.

Russians Maxim Shabalin and Oksana Domnina, who also train in Aston, and whose free dance theme and costumes have angered some Australian and Canadian Aboriginal groups, finished the compulsory dance in first place with a 43.67 score. As they waited for the judging results, they draped themselves in blankets presented them during a meeting with Canadian First Nation leaders.

"They were very friendly," Shabalin said. "They say the blankets will cover our heart and keep us from any bad things. We were very pleased with that and we hope we will become friends."

Canadians Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir finished the night in second place with a score of 42.74.

All 23 couples performed to the song "Tango Romantica," selected by draw before the Olympics. Fortunately for the eardrums of the fans in Pacific Coliseum, several different recordings of the song were used throughout the evening.

The choice of a tango created a challenge for Belbin and Agosto. They were forced to rush order new costumes from a designer in Brooklyn. That would be no big deal but for the record snowfalls in the Philadelphia area. The costumes had to be brought down by train and arrived just in time for Belbin and Agosto to bring them to Vancouver.

One of the highlights of the night was the performance of French pair Isabelle Delobel and Olivier Schoenfelder. They posted a score of 37.99, by far the highest of the 15 couples who danced before the final eight pairs - the serious contenders. The total kept them in first place until Davis and White received a 41.47.

Delobel gave birth to a daughter on Oct. 1. Having already missed competitions before her pregnancy due to a shoulder injury, she and Schoenfelder had a few months to compensate for a very long hiatus. That they did it was a triumph in itself. That they skated so well was a cause for celebration.

"We do not succumb to nerves," Schoenfelder said, "but it is always difficult to come back to competition. But we did great. It was important to get the points. I think [this experience] will make us better over the next few days. We'll be more relaxed and have more fun."

As the Winter Olympics become more about extreme sports and limb-risking stunts, ice dancing seems ever more quaint. Especially the compulsory dance, which sees every pair (23 of them, in this event) perform the same basic routine to the same song.

With a growing emphasis on drawing eyeballs to the TV coverage of the Games, an event that glazes eyeballs over is on the endangered list. There is some buzz that the compulsory dance could be modified or even scrapped.

"I'm a little saddened by it," said Cathy Reed of Warren, N.J., who skates for her mother's native Japan. "Compulsory dance is part of the essence of ice dance."

"I will be sorry to see it go," Italy's Anna Cappellini said after leading off last night's program with partner Luca Lanotte. "Compulsory dance might be boring to watch, but it's very important. It teaches you exact techniques and steps. It teaches an ice dancer how to be an ice dancer."

"Everyone does the same steps, and does them well, so it's all about putting personality into it," American Emily Samuelson said.

"If that's the last time, then awesome," Belbin said. "Good riddance."

As it is, ice dancing is the only figure-skating discipline with a three-part format. Men's, women's and pairs events all have a short program and a free skate, with winners determined by a combination of scores.