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Free Dance

jyshin

On the Ice
Joined
Mar 25, 2004
No, they don't, but Mahler's music is essentially serious and melancholic, therefore Tessa's description of it as "colourful, it's really joyful" seems incongruous to me. The choreography is absolutely stunning, and they skated it beautifully, but only Scott's expression was pitched correctly to match the tone of the piece. It felt strange to watch Tessa smiling at the beginning. The facial expressions should interpret the depth of this serious classical symphony throughout. Umbrellas of Cherbourg-light-frothy-romantic-young-love (which I adored) it isn't . This is a far more mature piece of music and style of routine, and both their performances should match it. I hope they do. It will then be a masterpiece.

Gustav Mahler wrote this particular movement as marriage proposal to, then, Alma Schindler. So, it is the love story of the Mahlers.
However, they had personality issues: Gustav was a super artistic, introvert and Alma was totally the opposite... liberal, out-going (especially with artists). Alma never seemed to understand Gustav... At least to me she did not have that kind of depth as a person (Let's give her a break... she was 19 years younger than him). From Gustav's point-of-view, Alma was some sort of fire that he could not quite handle... she left a huge burn mark in his heart, despite of which he could not help but loving her... She was his source of inspiration as well as absolute desperation.
Tessa's smile and her jolly description of the music reminds me so much of Alma Mahler and your uneasy feeling makes so much sense because the music is desperately compelling. It doesn't matter if her expression is too light for the music, because this irony seems the essence of Mahler's later music, especially in the symphonies.
 

vmfan89

Rinkside
Joined
Sep 13, 2009
I really love V/M`s new FD. I think the coreography is breathtaking and that it shows a higher of level of maturity than the Umbrellas of Cherbourg (which I also loved). I think this program will get them an olympic medal. It`s a difficult program to skate, but they make it look easy. I also love love love Tessa`s dress, makes her look so elegant.
 

nevergonnadance

On the Ice
Joined
Jul 22, 2009
Tessa's dresses rock the house this season, IMO, I love them all. They strike the perfect balance between maturity and freshness - the designer, IMO, is brilliant. When she did her hair up for Valse Triste there was a bit of teen playing dress-up about it, but now she looks like a genuinely mature young woman. Also, love the make-up she's wearing in all three programs.
 

vmfan89

Rinkside
Joined
Sep 13, 2009
Tessa's dresses rock the house this season, IMO, I love them all. They strike the perfect balance between maturity and freshness - the designer, IMO, is brilliant. When she did her hair up for Valse Triste there was a bit of teen playing dress-up about it, but now she looks like a genuinely mature young woman. Also, love the make-up she's wearing in all three programs.

Completely agree! She is just so classy and elegant. Usually when they skate, he always catches my attention more, but this season it's different. He's still amazing, but she's really stepped it up I find.
 

Tinymavy15

Sinnerman for the win
Record Breaker
Joined
Dec 28, 2006
I
No, they don't, but Mahler's music is essentially serious and melancholic, therefore Tessa's description of it as "colourful, it's really joyful" seems incongruous to me. The choreography is absolutely stunning, and they skated it beautifully, but only Scott's expression was pitched correctly to match the tone of the piece. It felt strange to watch Tessa smiling at the beginning. The facial expressions should interpret the depth of this serious classical symphony throughout.

My thoughts exactly. I really don't see where she is hearing "colorful" and "joyful" in that piece. There is joy, yes, but it is mixed with a certain sorrow, bittersweet. If that is really Tessa's opinion of the music ten Marina Zueva must be reconsidering her music choice for them. I love, love, love the music, and the chreo is good, but If Tessa will keep smiling through the whole thing then the effect is ruined. I realize that it is the first time skating it this season, but the lifts looks sloppy, as they did last year. They need to work on those.
 

Charlotte Elizabeth

On the Ice
Joined
Sep 25, 2009
Tessa's dresses rock the house this season, IMO, I love them all. They strike the perfect balance between maturity and freshness - the designer, IMO, is brilliant. When she did her hair up for Valse Triste there was a bit of teen playing dress-up about it, but now she looks like a genuinely mature young woman. Also, love the make-up she's wearing in all three programs.

Comletely agree. They appear as classy elegant pair with a very good taste in music and clothes. :love:
 

astimegoesby

On the Ice
Joined
Aug 8, 2003
But Zueva is not kidding when she says they remind her of Gordeeva/Grinkov, is she? :biggrin: Both the Mahler piece and the Flamenco she used for G/G/Katia as well...

As much as I loved V&M's new FD, I couldn't stop myself from seeing images of Katia's Celebration of a Life tribute to Sergei during certain parts of the music. :cry: I know V&M aren't using the exact same cuts of music as Katia and their interpretation of the music is completely different, but I couldn't help comparing them just the same.

Ironically, Katia said in "My Sergei" that Marina Zueva had always loved this particular piece of music, but never used it for G&G or any other skating couple because Marina only saw it as a skating solo. I'm impressed V&M managed to change Marina's mind on this point, but I imagine choreographing this program must have been an emotional experience for Marina.

That being said, I still loved V&M's new FD and I'm confident I'll be able to enjoy it in its own right once I've seen it a few more times...and I hope this music will give me much happier memories in Vancouver! :)
 

nevergonnadance

On the Ice
Joined
Jul 22, 2009
Tessa isn't interpreting this music in a void, the program is a collaboration among Tessa, Scott, Igor and Marina, according to the skaters. According to Marina whenever she hears this music she thinks she's going to have a wonderful life. She, too, sees it as joyous and remembers it as a Mahler's proposal to his 'girlfriend'. Girlfriend is Marina's word.

As we all know, been said many times, there is no one interpretation of music as there is no fixed interpretation of a classic role in a play for instance. Marina talked about it. She said for Mahler it was considered by his girlfriend a proposal. For Katia, Marina says, it wasn't funeral music, it was about Katia using the music to rediscover the energy to go forward into a new life. For V&M it's a joyful romantic piece. There's a lot to most classical music and unless its attached to a book (i.e., an opera) often it can be applied successfully in unexpected ways.
 

mycelticblessing

Final Flight
Joined
Nov 9, 2007
V/M have a great FD this season. I am so glad that they went back to their usual 'style' after trying something different last season.

I hope they get rid of that lift where she jumps of his back though. It looks spectacular, but it doesn't fit into the overall mood of this program
 

lmarie086

Medalist
Joined
Jan 23, 2008
Finally found Samuelson/Bates FD. When, oh when are they going to get the right FD? This still isn't it! They are such a young, team and this music just seems heavy, especially so when considering their youth. Maybe I'm alone in this but I think once again they've chosen music that doesn't really go anywhere, it was a bit one-note IMO.

The postives: maybe I don't remember their old programs well, but it looked like there was more variation in their step sequences. Their spins have improved a lot I think, and I also liked seeing new lifts. Some lifts were a bit similar to their old ones, but I appreciate that they weren't the exact same.

Emily and Evan...please get yourselves to an outside choreographer. I'd love to see them go a more modern route; their FDs always seem so...old fashioned to me.
 
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cornell08

Final Flight
Joined
May 10, 2009
My thoughts exactly! They have so much potential and didn't they score the highest TES more than once last season? The music seems too old and cliche for such a young and promising pair. Emily's dresses also need to change-- it just varies slightly each season with color....the shredded skirt thing is so last decade.

I can see why one might think Tessa smiles too much or this program is too 'joyful,' especially given the literature on Mahlers piece and Katia's performance.....but I think it works here. If I didn't know any of the background connected to this piece and I just heard the music, I would think that it was about young love. The pair, the look, the music, the choreography just fit together so well here that I think I'm going think back to this program whenever I hear this piece in the future. They nearly brought me to tears!

Oh, and Marina Zoueva is a goddess :bow:
 
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nevergonnadance

On the Ice
Joined
Jul 22, 2009
I LOVE the no-hands besti-squat lift and my only real disappointment in the free dance was Tessa didn't hit the one foot dismount. I like it because I do think it fits - I think her light as air dismount (when she gets it) is an incredible moment emotionally, technically and choreographically/musically. I like the piece as well because there's a slight undertone of edginess - it's lyrical but with a sort of sneaky subtle contemporary skew and I think that move helps with that.
 

i love to skate

Medalist
Joined
Dec 13, 2005
I've watched V/M's free dance a number of times now and I just can't quite get into it as much as I would like to. It is a beautiful program but something is just...missing. I don't know if it's the music or what. I love their lifts but agree that they need to be cleaned up - the first one Scott really struggled with. I guess you could say I'm a bit disappointed with it - hopefully it picks up steam throughout the year!
 

lmarie086

Medalist
Joined
Jan 23, 2008
Found the Kerrs as well. I like it! It doesn't resonate with me as strongly as last years did right away, but it'll grow on me. Though there were a few points that seemed somewhat disconnected from the music, I thought it was well done overall. I suspect that disconnect will disappear for me with repeated viewings.

I love how much more confident they seem since moving to Platov. I truly think he's done wonders for them. I'm rooting for them to win silver at NHK!
 

1795

Final Flight
Joined
Sep 6, 2006
Finally found Samuelson/Bates FD. When, oh when are they going to get the right FD? This still isn't it! They are such a young, team and this music just seems heavy, especially so when considering their youth. Maybe I'm alone in this but I think once again they've chosen music that doesn't really go anywhere, it was a bit one-note IMO.

The postives: maybe I don't remember their old programs well, but it looked like there was more variation in their step sequences. Their spins have improved a lot I think, and I also liked seeing new lifts. Some lifts were a bit similar to their old ones, but I appreciate that they weren't the exact same.

Emily and Evan...please get yourselves to an outside choreographer. I'd love to see them go a more modern route; their FDs always seem so...old fashioned to me.

so true, i feel that they are "stuck"in this generic genre of programs. nonetheless, they did improve. theyve matured greatly from the first time i saw them at 08 nationals.
an outside choreographer would be nice to mend their really rigid and strong posture to a more expressive and personal style
 

Tinymavy15

Sinnerman for the win
Record Breaker
Joined
Dec 28, 2006
I LOVE the no-hands besti-squat lift and my only real disappointment in the free dance was Tessa didn't hit the one foot dismount. I like it because I do think it fits - I think her light as air dismount (when she gets it) is an incredible moment emotionally, technically and choreographically/musically. I like the piece as well because there's a slight undertone of edginess - it's lyrical but with a sort of sneaky subtle contemporary skew and I think that move helps with that.

I really don't like that move at all...it looks like a trick "look at us...no hands" and does not seem to fit the emotional romantic mood.
 

Wicked

Final Flight
Joined
May 26, 2009
Really enjoyed the Kerrs and NavBoms. Watching V&M, at first I was a bit bored. It wasn't grabbing me. But as it went on I liked it more. I enjoyed the voids from P&B!
 

Kinga

Medalist
Joined
Feb 15, 2008
Tessa isn't interpreting this music in a void, the program is a collaboration among Tessa, Scott, Igor and Marina, according to the skaters. According to Marina whenever she hears this music she thinks she's going to have a wonderful life. She, too, sees it as joyous and remembers it as a Mahler's proposal to his 'girlfriend'. Girlfriend is Marina's word.

As we all know, been said many times, there is no one interpretation of music as there is no fixed interpretation of a classic role in a play for instance. Marina talked about it. She said for Mahler it was considered by his girlfriend a proposal. For Katia, Marina says, it wasn't funeral music, it was about Katia using the music to rediscover the energy to go forward into a new life. For V&M it's a joyful romantic piece. There's a lot to most classical music and unless its attached to a book (i.e., an opera) often it can be applied successfully in unexpected ways.

ITA with you!
 
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