Michelle Kwan's best performance?

[Blades of Passion]

SP - East of Eden (2001)

LP - Aranjuez (2003)

Exhibition - Fields of Gold (2002), specifically at the Olympics

[evangeline]

After watching her fantastic performances at Ice All Stars, I think that it's a good time to join the Michelle Kwan gush thread

SP: 1998 Rachmaninoff at US Nationals; 2005 Spartacus at US Nationals (mainly because of the spiral sequence there)

LP: Salome at 1996 Worlds; the Red Violin at 2000 Worlds

EX: Fields of Gold at 2002 Olympics, for obvious reasons

[christinaskater]

She is truly amazing! I love her Carmina Burana and Winter Song!

Her best Free

Salome 96 Worlds LP
Lyra Angelica 98 US Nationals LP
Ariane 98 World Pros LP
The Red Violin 00' Worlds LP
Song of the Black Swan 01 Worlds LP
Scheherazade 02 US Nationals
Aranjuez 03' Worlds and Nationals
Tosca 04' US Nationals

For the SP

Romanza: Worlds 96
Rachmaninoff Nationals 98
Carmen 99 US Nationals
East of Eden 01 US Nationals and Worlds
The Feeling Begins 03' Worlds and Nationals
Sparctacus 05' US Nationals

[amateur]

Song of the Black Swan, 2001 Worlds, is the one that stays with me most, for some reason.

[christinaskater]

Song of the Black Swan is like coming from behind and laying down a perfect program!

She delivered a program with technical and artistic perfection

[Olympia]

Song of the Black Swan is a favorite of mine both for the skating and the music. The Dvorak trio that makes up most of it is a gorgeous piece, both joyous and mysterious. The made-in-Heaven blend of Lori Nichol's choreography and Michelle's technique and interpretation brings me right into the music. The fact that she did the only triple-triple among the top ladies and took the gold that day is almost incidental in comparison to the effect the skating has on me!

Another piece I hadn't seen for awhile and looked up the other day is the Lament of Ariane.I don't love the music quite as deeply, but Michelle's skating is a marvel to behold. She makes everyone else look half-finished by comparison. Isn't it interesting that we remember nearly all her pieces by the music instead of "the 2001 Worlds long program"? That says something about what Kwan did for skating.

And I agree with those of you who said that the piece she just skated is a favorite...for its own sake and for the joy of seeing her skating again!

[Kwanford Wife]

Without a doubt the best performance for me was today's. I really thought I would never see her skate again when she walked off the ice last to get her surgery. To see her able to skate so beautifully today - well it is almost magical and unreal. For me she lights up the ice like no other skater. Her passion and love of performing just radiates from every fiber in her body. I thought her injury took this gift away - and it hasn't. I am happy for her - and for me that I was able to see her skate like this again.

Oh Kathy... you are so right... she's simply the GREATEST. OF. ALL. TIME. Its been such an honor to watch this remarkable young woman grow from a jumping bean that was all knees and elbows in a bright yellow dress to a stunning and smart woman with the power to bring tears to my eyes... she is all that is right with sports and an excellent example of what a true champion is all about...

As for my favorite programs by my favorite skater...

Long Programs
1996 Salome @ Worlds - Kwan's coming out party
2000 Red Violin @ Worlds - Kwan at her greatest
2003 Worlds - Kwan at her chip eating best
2004 Tosca @ Worlds & Nationals - Kwan at her arrogant best... ""think you can beat me? Please. I'm Michelle Kwan!"
2005 Bolero @ Nationals - awful program, awful costume but she sold it and we bought it... anybody else? I think not...

Short Programs
The Feeling Begins - the perfect combination of technical, artistic and simply sex appeal I've ever seen on ice. I always thought Katt did the whole sex kitten thing the best until this program... I will never forget my husband's face while she skated - he was simply drooling and looking silly

Expos
Song for You @ Marshalls... I didn't care that she didn't jump. I actually perferred it because she really is in a class by herself when it comes to simple skating skills & technique.

Could watch her all day... and have been known too... The current and future generations have a lot to aspire to and I wish them luck because she's a hard act to follow...

[iluvtodd]

Competitively - Salome - 1996 Worlds, but I also love Lyra Angelica (1998 Nationals)

East of Eden, Winter, Hands, Dante's Prayer, and Pocahontas - love them all!

[Kindertotenlieder]

I love every long program from 96-01, and she nailed them all at least one, so it's hard to pick just one. The Red Violin from 99 Skate Canada wins artistically, hands down. So many nuances, such haunting music.

Hmmm, for best overall performance, I'll go with 2000 and 2001 Worlds. They were both power-Kwan performances.

For the short program? 2002 Skate America, The Feeling Begins. Another powerful skate, her jumps looked a bit bigger than usually, it was fresh, she moved with greater freedom than before. Pure awesomeness.

[Spirit]

Fields of Gold, 2002 Olympics exhibition. Lovely in so many ways.

[shine]

1998 US Nationals LP.

Also loved her Dream of Desdamona SP from the 96 Ultimate Four (her best performance to her best short program ever, IMO), D'Arianne LP from 1998 World Pros, and The Red Violin from 1999 Skate America. I really loved most of her stuff from 1996 to 2001.

[Dee4707]

Its been such an honor to watch this remarkable young woman grow from a jumping bean that was all knees and elbows

I have a video of her at 12 or 13 I think, possibly even younger with long skinny legs and arms. Every now and then I put the tape in to watch this child that looks like a little colt trying to take its' first steps...and then I put a later tape in and it is just awesome to see how beautiful this child grew into an artist.

[Kwanford Wife]

I have a video of her at 12 or 13 I think, possibly even younger with long skinny legs and arms. Every now and then I put the tape in to watch this child that looks like a little colt trying to take its' first steps...and then I put a later tape in and it is just awesome to see how beautiful this child grew into an artist.

I know, right? She had sparkle even then... And that's why I struggle so much with the newbies... none have that sparkle that demands being watched.

And this isn't a Kwan gush (well, with me its always a Kwan gush fest...) - Sasha had that quality, NNN did as well. BeBe had it and still does - but rooting for her has become too painful.

Who since then? They are either jumping machines, bendy straws or have interesting back stories that doesn't match up with the actual skating. Or they shine for half a season and then its all over...

Oh well. I'm probably just spoiled *shrugs*

[Olympia]

I agree that we were spoiled during those years. Of course I'm biased toward Kwan, but I also have to mention the longevity of several other skaters, including Slutskaya and Cohen. The result was that we got to see several instances of the creative arc of kids becoming mature artists, which is always a pleasure and which doesn't regularly occur in singles skating, especially ladies' singles.

Kwan's work particularly stays in our mind like the works of great artists in other fields. Every Fred Astaire fan can cite favorite dances: the Dancing in the Dark duet with Cyd Charisse, Let's Face the Music and Dance with Ginger, the jazz clarinet version of Begin the Beguine with Eleanor Powell. The same is true in ballet. In skating, this is less common. Other skaters whom I associate with this are Kurt Browning and Torville and Dean. But with most other skaters, what we remember is the medals they won, not what they skated to in order to win them.

I know that a lot of you (I as well) can supply the names of other skaters of whom this is true. The point is that if you make a list of such names, you'd have to put Michelle's on it, whether you're an uber-fan of hers or not. That's quite a legacy to leave!

[Jiarry]

2003 worlds lp