Nagasu: "I want to go back to my roots"

[VIETgrlTerifa]

Whatever the music choice was, although it may have been Mirai's first choice, she obviously didn't need to skate to it too much considering that she was willing to let it go and skate to Miss Saigon instead, which she seems happy about. I really doubt Max or anyone else forced her to change her music.

 

[jenaj]

I don´t understand why Mirai cannot use the same music as Max? They are not competing in the same discipline, after all...

It's probably because she wasn't locked into the choice. Since she had other options, it made sense for her to use something different. After all, they train and practice together. They might get sick of the music if both were using it!

 

[brightphoton]

seems disappointing for Mirai to go from her first choice music choice to Miss Saigon which

• she listened to Sun and Moon and said she liked it
• but Jeff Buttle isn't giving her any say in the musical cuts anyway, so what does it matter if she likes Sun and Moon
• or maybe Mirai doesn't want to be involved in the music cuts
• she hasn't even seen Miss Saigon yet nor does she know the synopsis beyond "I heard it's like Madame Butterfly"

I get the feeling she would have been much more involved if she had her first choice song. She'd probably know more about the song itself, its history, she might even be able to give Jeff suggestions for which cuts she wanted, or how she wanted to interpret it and express her program.

Then again, since Mirai's time with Tom Z, she's regressed to ignoring choreography and concentrating on jumps to get points. Even Max Aaron is not good at artistic interpretation. So maybe this is moot.

 

[bevybean]

Last year Icenetwork did that series of articles on Marai developing her long program. She said she wanted to skate to music from Avatar, but Tom Z said it wasn't "epic". That's when Jeff suggested the ABBA song that she went with. Not getting her first choice of music seems to be a thing for Marai.

 

[VIETgrlTerifa]

Last year Icenetwork did that series of articles on Marai developing her long program. She said she wanted to skate to music from Avatar, but Tom Z said it wasn't "epic". That's when Jeff suggested the ABBA song that she went with. Not getting her first choice of music seems to be a thing for Marai.

Now I'm curious as to how a program to Avatar would have been like. I would have loved it if Mirai meant music from Avatar: The Last Airbender animated series, but I doubt that was the case.

 

[Ic3Rabbit]

Last year Icenetwork did that series of articles on Marai developing her long program. She said she wanted to skate to music from Avatar, but Tom Z said it wasn't "epic". That's when Jeff suggested the ABBA song that she went with. Not getting her first choice of music seems to be a thing for Marai.

Sometimes Tom makes me , Avatars music is gorgeous and has it's epic moments, that would have been a spectacular program for her.

 

[Gullygirl84]

seems disappointing for Mirai to go from her first choice music choice to Miss Saigon which

• she listened to Sun and Moon and said she liked it
• but Jeff Buttle isn't giving her any say in the musical cuts anyway, so what does it matter if she likes Sun and Moon
• or maybe Mirai doesn't want to be involved in the music cuts
• she hasn't even seen Miss Saigon yet nor does she know the synopsis beyond "I heard it's like Madame Butterfly"

I get the feeling she would have been much more involved if she had her first choice song. She'd probably know more about the song itself, its history, she might even be able to give Jeff suggestions for which cuts she wanted, or how she wanted to interpret it and express her program.

Then again, since Mirai's time with Tom Z, she's regressed to ignoring choreography and concentrating on jumps to get points. Even Max Aaron is not good at artistic interpretation. So maybe this is moot.

I feel like you made some leaps with this, or at least my takeaways were different than yours in a few areas:

*She didn't just say she "liked" Sun and Moon, she said "Sun and Moon is me". Those have different meanings, at least to me..

*She didn't say that she has "no say" in the music cuts, just that she is "hands off". In her interview with the Skating Lesson, I believe that she inferred that she defers to the choreographers to have input into the music choice, as they are using someone's skating to create their masterpiece (not exactly those words, but my gist is that she puts trust in the choreographer to push her and make something beautiful. I suspect Sun and Moon will be in there). I think you make way too much of the "first choice" thing. If Mirai really wanted to skate to something else, she would be doing it. Max really have absolutely nothing to do with Mirai's music choices, and it's clear that they have a fun relationship.

*She said that she knows Miss Saigon is "based" off of Madame Butterfly, which she is very familiar with, and that she thinks of her Miss Saigon as a "rebirth", since she was never able to skate Madame Butterfly to her potential. You can argue that she should get more into the character and research it, but not everyone is going to make it a character piece. Though you can make the argument that it could help Mirai's interpretation. I remember Phil Hersh throwing some sketchy comments Mirai's way after she said (I think kind of offhand) that she can "relate" to the story of Madame Butterfly, so maybe she just doesn't share everything in public. Unfortunately, I don't think we can expect Mirai to become an Ashley or Evgenia type of storyteller at this stage of her career.

 

[OS]

Hah... so nice to see everyone appears to care more about her music than Mirai!!! (including me)

Perhaps Max should do 'Sun and the Moon' now instead of their original choice, for the sake of a goldenskate music video moment

[Mirai]
You are sunlight and I moon
Joined by the golden skate of misfortune
Midnight and high noon
Sharing the skate
We have been cursed, you and I

[Max]
You are here like a mystery
I'm from the world that's so quad like
From all that you are
How in the light of one season
Did we come so far?

[Mirai]
Outside day Jeff start to frown

[Max]
Your Tribune still floats on high

[Mirai]
The fans awake

[Max]
The stars shine too

[Mirai]
My feet still shake

[Max]
I breach for you

[BOTH]
And we meet in the starrrrr!

[Mirai]
You are sunlight and I moon
Joined here
Burning our skate
With the golden flame
Of fan luuurve

[BOTH]
Made of
Song lite
Bloomin fight!!!

Original track

 

[VIETgrlTerifa]

Hah... so nice to see everyone appears to care more about her music than Mirai!!! (including me)

Perhaps Max should do 'Sun and the Moon' now instead of their original choice, for the sake of a goldenskate music video moment

Original track

I would actually seriously pay to see that. Miss Saigon on ice starring Mirai Nagasu and Max Aaron would be compelling.

 

[brightphoton]

Now I'm curious as to how a program to Avatar would have been like. I would have loved it if Mirai meant music from Avatar: The Last Airbender animated series, but I doubt that was the case.

Oh, the Last Airbender would have been great for Mirai. It's

- Asian, maybe even Japanese from a standpoint?
- Iconic (maybe not to coach Tom Z, but enough people really love the show)
- Empowering source material
- New, ie, not the same half dozen Asian songs that choreographers recycle for their Asian skaters

 

[karne]

Hah... so nice to see everyone appears to care more about her music than Mirai!!! (including me)

Perhaps Max should do 'Sun and the Moon' now instead of their original choice, for the sake of a goldenskate music video moment

[Mirai]
You are sunlight and I moon
Joined by the golden skate of misfortune
Midnight and high noon
Sharing the skate
We have been cursed, you and I

[Max]
You are here like a mystery
I'm from the world that's so quad like
From all that you are
How in the light of one season
Did we come so far?

[Mirai]
Outside day Jeff start to frown

[Max]
Your Tribune still floats on high

[Mirai]
The fans awake

[Max]
The stars shine too

[Mirai]
My feet still shake

[Max]
I breach for you

[BOTH]
And we meet in the starrrrr!

[Mirai]
You are sunlight and I moon
Joined here
Burning our skate
With the golden flame
Of fan luuurve

[BOTH]
Made of
Song lite
Bloomin fight!!!

Original track

I'll have a front row ticket to this one please.

 

[frida80]

I think Miss Saigon will be far better than TWTIA. Jeff knows how to highlight Mirai's strengths like her balletic lines and classic skating moves like her Inu Bauer and spiral. Since she has her short done, she can focus on making her FP shine. Hopefully with a 3A. She just posted another one on Instagram.

https://instagram.com/p/BWeMrS_HwjM/

 

[ice coverage]

... Hopefully with a 3A. She just posted another one on Instagram.

https://instagram.com/p/BWeMrS_HwjM/

Good for Mirai :dance2:. I'm so excited for her.

[As an aside, Mirai's friend Max happened to be there to see her 3A and to applaud for her afterward. Lucky Max (who changed direction as soon as he noticed his friend Mirai was setting up for the jump -- he had no desire to be in her way or to crowd her).]

 

[surimi]

Sometimes Tom makes me , Avatars music is gorgeous and has it's epic moments, that would have been a spectacular program for her.

Seconded. I'm surprised skaters aren't using for example 'I See You' more often. I don't understand that particular suggestion of Tom Z, because Avatar sounds much more epic and suited to skating than most ABBA songs. Avatar was a very good idea for Mirai, and it's disappointing it didn't work out. I really want to see her skate to what she herself picks as her first choice... hopefully next season.

 

[Warwick360]

Jeff Buttle chose Miss Saigon and Mirai said she likes Sun and Moon. When asked if she chose the cuts, she says, no, she is hands off, Jeffery Buttle chooses all the cuts. She has not seen the show, Miss Saigon, but she heard it is like Madame Butterfly.

Thank god for that. Not sure who did the cuts for her James Bond and Great Gatsby program but both those program had atrocious segments and transitions in music.

Knowing Buttle as being the Buttle who's produced those amazing choreos, I really look forward to seeing what he'll come up with.

 

[skylark]

It varies wildly with choreographers and skaters. Ashley and Shae-Lynne both talk about this, in Jackie Wong's "Making of La La Land FS" video. Shae-Lynne loves the fact that Ashley makes her wishes known, because Shae loves a collaborative process, and in her words, Ashley is a skater who "makes people feel" something, so it's important that her thoughts and feelings go into it. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9u5Q1Xok1y4

Ashley alluded to the fact that other choreographers don't work that way. And in 2013 TSL interview, Jenny asked Ashley if she was going to wear any more headpieces and showed a years earlier clip. Ashley said no, and added that the clip showed her coach pinning the headpiece onto Ashley's hair. So when she was younger, Ashley pretty much followed what her coach said to do. That's understandable from the point of view of all skaters: they get good enough to be at the elite level by doing what the coach says! It's why years of experience turn them into much more complete skaters who know themselves and can live that out on the ice.

It's also true that a choreographer's eye for what a skater can do well can really bring out the best. I think Mirai's a skater who recognizes that; and Jeff Buttle has proved with the Chopin SP that he can envision great things for Mirai. I'm really looking forward to her Miss Saigon.

 

[Ic3Rabbit]

Thank god for that. Not sure who did the cuts for her James Bond and Great Gatsby program but both those program had atrocious segments and transitions in music.

Knowing Buttle as being the Buttle who's produced those amazing choreos, I really look forward to seeing what he'll come up with.

Cindy Stuart and Catarina Lindgren, respectively.

 

[skylark]

UHmmm probably too late now, but if she wishes to go back to her roots, perhaps she ought to also reconsider her US blockbuster Pirates of the Caribbean type of crowd-pleasing program, that can really energise her, and empower her to bring out her natural bubbly and charismatic presence, which she had in spades at Vancouver. Get the crowd on her side to really push her PCS and really shake/force/squeeze/emotional blackmail the heck out of these stingy judges. She has become a sort of people's skater after all these years, they should really take advantage of that. (Unless Miss Saigon = people pleaser?)

I really agree with you on this. I just resdiscovered her 2013 Nationals SP, and I'm really impressed by how much she was actually into her program. (Link: https://youtu.be/YWH1PtE8XTM )
Mirai is at her best as a performer with fun, upbeat music.

Wow. I just watched these two programs for the first time and I agree wholeheartedly. Her expression and her smiles genuinely came from the inside out. She didn't lay the smiles and performance on top, as i've felt in recent years. Thanks for these two posts and that link. I feel like I've finally seen why people love her.

 

[skylark]

Last year Icenetwork did that series of articles on Marai developing her long program. She said she wanted to skate to music from Avatar, but Tom Z said it wasn't "epic". That's when Jeff suggested the ABBA song that she went with.

It was David Wilson who choreographed the ABBA program. So I would think he suggested that music, not Jeff. I could be wrong; I read the articles series last year, but didn't go back to check just now.

Not getting her first choice of music seems to be a thing for Marai.

Mirai is a charmer. The two personality/character traits are not unrelated. And I don't in any way mean that to be a negative or that she's passive. Part of her charm is that she can pick up on the creative ideas of others, add her own quirks/ ideas/personality, and creatively make the choice her own. At least that's the way I see it.

Having said that, I would love to see what Mirai could do with Avatar. Maybe for the post Olympic season. But if it was great, that would be the very definition of bittersweet .

 

[Ic3Rabbit]

IMHO Mirai's most amazing choreo recently were those that were done by Adam Rippon.