Yu-Na Kim's Programs for 2009-2010

Yu-Na's MASTERPIECES.

1. Reflections : 2007 Worlds EX (Bigger Choreographies, Essence of skating)
2. Ben : 2005 Junior Worlds Ex (Angelic, Innocent)
3. Lark Ascending : 2006 TEB LP (Lyrical, Lovely)
4. 007 Medley : 2009 TEB SP (Entertaining, Perfect Acting)
5. Gershwin Piano F Major : (Regal, Joyful)
6. Dance Macabre : 2009 Worlds SP (Best Step Sequence)
7. El Tango de Roxanne : 2007 Worlds SP (Heroic, Explosive)

Unprecedented Performance !

What'll be NEXT???

SkatingAnalyst said:

Yu-Na's MASTERPIECES.

1. Reflections : 2007 Worlds EX (Bigger Choreographies, Essence of skating)
2. Ben : 2005 Junior Worlds Ex (Angelic, Innocent)
3. Lark Ascending : 2006 TEB LP (Lyrical, Lovely)
4. 007 Medley : 2009 TEB SP (Entertaining, Perfect Acting)
5. Gershwin Piano F Major : (Regal, Joyful)
6. Dance Macabre : 2009 Worlds SP (Best Step Sequence)
7. El Tango de Roxanne : 2007 Worlds SP (Heroic, Explosive)

Unprecedented Performance !

What'll be NEXT???

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Hmmm, I am a big Yuna fan - but if you are going to include exhibition programs I think Mao's are much better than Yuna's.

Last year's "Tango" and this seasons "Caprice" are among the best Gala programs I have ever seen. Even though they are exhibition programs most of today's skaters couldn't come close to skating them the way Mao does.

Like many, I don't understand why Tat is not giving Mao such beautiful and entertaining programs for competition.

SkatingAnalyst said:

Yu-Na's MASTERPIECES.

1. Reflections : 2007 Worlds EX (Bigger Choreographies, Essence of skating)
2. Ben : 2005 Junior Worlds Ex (Angelic, Innocent)
3. Lark Ascending : 2006 TEB LP (Lyrical, Lovely)
4. 007 Medley : 2009 TEB SP (Entertaining, Perfect Acting)
5. Gershwin Piano F Major : (Regal, Joyful)
6. Dance Macabre : 2009 Worlds SP (Best Step Sequence)
7. El Tango de Roxanne : 2007 Worlds SP (Heroic, Explosive)

Unprecedented Performance !

What'll be NEXT???

Click to expand...

Where does Scheherazade go?

For me, Roxanne and Lark were the best by YuNa, followed by Danse Macabre and Scheherazade.

The Gershwin program is actually interesting for me. There is something intangibly captivating about it, but somehow it lacks a unified form or theme. So I like it and yet wish it were a little different at the same time.

If pieces like Roxanne and Lark had been put together at this stage of YuNa's skating, I'd be dying. However, I love that the styles of her programs are varied and different. If YuNa stays around after this season, having a wide portfolio like that could be useful and mind-broadening. Plus, for us audiences, it lets us know that YuNa is versatile.

janetfan said:

Last year's "Tango" and this seasons "Caprice" are among the best Gala programs I have ever seen. Even though they are exhibition programs most of today's skaters couldn't come close to skating them the way Mao does.

Like many, I don't understand why Tat is not giving Mao such beautiful and entertaining programs for competition.

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Seriously, I have no idea why Tat did not turn Mao's Tango into a competitive SP. It's gorgeous and it showcases Mao's charms perfectly (personality and skating style. And she looked so happy performing it.)

(Tango > Caprice, IMO)

Yuna has a little bit trouble with 3Loop.
It was a smart choice to have several (three?)2As in lp.
There's no need for her to have another 3-3 jump.
A solid, clean program is good enough to make her win.

prettykeys said:

Where does Scheherazade go?

For me, Roxanne and Lark were the best by YuNa, followed by Danse Macabre and Scheherazade.

The Gershwin program is actually interesting for me. There is something intangibly captivating about it, but somehow it lacks a unified form or theme. So I like it and yet wish it were a little different at the same time.

If pieces like Roxanne and Lark had been put together at this stage of YuNa's skating, I'd be dying. However, I love that the styles of her programs are varied and different. If YuNa stays around after this season, having a wide portfolio like that could be useful and mind-broadening. Plus, for us audiences, it lets us know that YuNa is versatile.

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Pretty much agree with this. For me, Roxanne is the best Ladies SP ever. The precision, passion and musicality in that programme is what I had been dying to see all these years (enough with ballerinas.. ) I also love Scheherazade, that would be my 2nd pick, although it is way overused, she had wonderful choreography in there. Dans Macabre would be a close third.
'007 programme is very nice but I think instead of a soft sex kitten approach, she could've gone with "fierce dark Yuna" approach as in Dans Macabre and it would've worked wonders. I dont like her LP musically, I like her flowing skating but the music gives me nothing to work with in terms of emotions.. I'm hoping it'll get better over the season.

:agree: schiele

Looks like we have pretty much the same tastes, down to what we like best and would like to see more of.

I was away from following Figure Skating for a few years so I can't be sure, but I have this impression that YuNa's Tango set off the trend of tangos that came after. (Someone correct me if I'm wrong and burst this bubble.)

I don't mind that Scheherazade is considered "overused", it's an amazing piece of music and I only truly associate Michelle Kwan and YuNa with it as far as Figure Skating goes.

For the 007/Bond piece, I too would like to see something more dangerous and fierce incorporated into it; no smiles, just darts in the eyes. And then switch to the cute seductress at other moments. I love contrast.

But I actually agree with you most in your last paragraph. The Gershwin program leaves little by way of emotions. Actually, I just realized that a lot of the figure skaters' programs seem to lack emotional content... :no:

OK, this information is only remotely related to Yuna's programs. I'm just trying to squeeze it in somewhere, and this thread looks like a good one. I don't want to open another Yuna-centered thread.

I just finished watching Brian Orser's recent interview at Icenetwork. He mentioned that it was Yuna herself who suggested to change her 3F3T to 3Lz3T since she thought the latter format would garner more points for her.

The interview is here: http://web.icenetwork.com/video/
You need to register to view the clip, but it's free.

I enjoyed watching thie interview a lot. Orser spent half of it taking about Yuna and the other half talking about himself. He was really a great interviewee, very talkative and good at telling stories. I particularly like his story about how he landed 3A at Lake Placid when he was 40 years old in 2002.

hmmm...I for one really love the gershwin program...it was like looking at an impressionist painting or a body of constantly moving water, as if each second of her program was a fleeting moment that couldn't be repeated...the temporal nature of this program is what attracted me from the get-go...

If I could use the words 'intellectual' and 'brightly contemplative' for a program, this LP would definitely be one.

SusieH said:

I just finished watching Brian Orser's recent interview at Icenetwork. He mentioned that it was Yuna herself who suggested to change her 3F3T to 3Lz3T since she thought the latter format would garner more points for her.

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Except, base value wise, a 3lz3T, 3F, 2A is the same as 3F3T,3L,2A and we're just talking base value in the SP. When GOEs come into play, yes she would score more since she has gotten !s and e's on her flip.

gourry said:

Huh? Am I the only one who is crazy about her little posing in the middle of step sequences? Come on, fingers snapping lovers, join the club!!

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no worries, I'm in!!

DarkestMoon said:

Except, base value wise, a 3lz3T, 3F, 2A is the same as 3F3T,3L,2A and we're just talking base value in the SP. When GOEs come into play, yes she would score more since she has gotten !s and e's on her flip.

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Yea, I know the base values are the same, and that's why I felt perplexed when they announced they will change 3F3T to 3Lz3T back in the summer. What you suggest above, I believe, is exactly what Yuna was planning on when she decided to change the format. She made a right decision.

SusieH said:

I enjoyed watching thie interview a lot. Orser spent half of it taking about Yuna and the other half talking about himself. He was really a great interviewee, very talkative and good at telling stories. I particularly like his story about how he landed 3A at Lake Placid when he was 40 years old in 2002.

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:agree: I love to listen to Orser tell stories, too. Thanks for sharing

prettykeys said:

:
For the 007/Bond piece, I too would like to see something more dangerous and fierce incorporated into it; no smiles, just darts in the eyes. And then switch to the cute seductress at other moments. I love contrast.

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I couldn't agree anymore. That's exactly what I had anticipated and envisioned. She's one of the few top-skaters who can pull off a very fierce program. She has charisma, fire, power (those jumps, that 3T-3F) and unbelievable speed. She could do so much more with this 007 program, esp. the steps. The steps to Danse Macabre were breathtaking.

I guess I just can't forget Roxanne & Danse Macabre. The two had this precarious quality, esp. Danse Macabre. Kim performing it reminded me of someone on the brink of death, oscillating dangerously in between. When coming up with the choreography, I bet Wilson had in mind the beautiful skeletal girl of medieval lore, the one in a row of four dancing skeletons (the typical image for danse macabre). Danse Macabre is my all-time favorite, hands down. The quality that draws me to it is intangiable, although the conspicuous aspects of the program (performance, jumps) were amazing in their own way as well. There was just something very special about it. I hope you know what I mean. It's not as though I dislike Kim's new program. It definitely has fire, but it lacks that something I love most about Kim. I'm hoping the Kim Dream Team will resuscitate it by Olympic time.

I'm not sure about the poses. They're cute, I guess. When I first saw Kim's TEB performace, I immediately thought she had more than just the OGM in mind. She chose music that almost everyone recognizes, and she now performs more for the audience ("flirts" with them, more eye contact, the posing, etc.). While the audience for the WC and GPs is greatly limited, the Olympic Games are enjoyed by a large and variegated crowd. I actually think the Kim Dream Team just wants to reach out to more viewers. While watching the TEB performances, a lot of people commented on how effortless, seamless, like a gala performance Kim's performance was. While other skaters have armed themselves with more intricate steps and technically difficult jumps, often struggling through the programs as a result, Kim has chosen what will be pleasing to watch even for the casual observer, not just the figure skating experts and judges.

Well this is just my humble opinion. My reasoning may be way off. What do you think?

I was hoping Kim would go all ethereal for her LP because my favorite has always been Lark Ascending. I do, however, think Gerswhin has the potential to become a masterpiece once Kim can master it. Although she's nailed the technical elements, Kim still doesn't seem to understand the intricate music well enough. It was a challenge to start with, Gerswhin, but doesn't she need a challenge for once? I can't wait to see her SA LP and how she's grown into it.

babyalligator said:

hmmm...I for one really love the gershwin program...it was like looking at an impressionist painting or a body of constantly moving water, as if each second of her program was a fleeting moment that couldn't be repeated...the temporal nature of this program is what attracted me from the get-go...

If I could use the words 'intellectual' and 'brightly contemplative' for a program, this LP would definitely be one.

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Wonderfully put.

dlgpffps said:

Danse Macabre. Kim performing it reminded me of someone on the brink of death, oscillating dangerously in between. When coming up with the choreography, I bet Wilson had in mind the beautiful skeletal girl of medieval lore, the one in a row of four dancing skeletons (the typical image for danse macabre).

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Oh. My. You just shed light on something I never knew and which makes me interpret YuNa's program in a completely different way! Thank you!

I always assumed that "The Danse Macabre" was just a title for a musical piece; I did not realize there was lore behind the notion and a quick Google search revealed various images. I'm really grateful for this and I'm going to re-watch YuNa after this post.

dlgpffps said:

I do, however, think Gerswhin has the potential to become a masterpiece once Kim can master it. Although she's nailed the technical elements, Kim still doesn't seem to understand the intricate music well enough. It was a challenge to start with, Gerswhin, but doesn't she need a challenge for once? I can't wait to see her SA LP and how she's grown into.

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To you and both babyalligator on the Gershwin, "flowing water" was definitely my first impression of the program at TEB. YuNa is lovely. I still hold some reservations about the suitability of the music for competitive figure skating, but yes, if Team YuNa goes out on a limb and is up for the intellectual/creative challenge, I can imagine it becoming an illuminating, stunning piece. I suppose you think it is already babyalligator But something still feels amiss to me...maybe it's one that will continue to grow and improve bit by bit. I'm excited to see it today!

dlgpffps said:

Danse Macabre. Kim performing it reminded me of someone on the brink of death, oscillating dangerously in between. When coming up with the choreography, I bet Wilson had in mind the beautiful skeletal girl of medieval lore, the one in a row of four dancing skeletons (the typical image for danse macabre).

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Excellent imagery, though I think I remember David saying that he was actually imagining Yuna as a witch or sorceress bewitching the crowd. I can't remember where I read that though, so maybe I'm making it all up.

But seriously...someone in Hollywood ought to sign her for the next James Bond movie. :yes:

Disney on Ice: phooey. They should be doing Bond on Ice.

The only thing is, I can't figure out whether Bond should be Evan or Yu Na. Is she the villain or the heroine? She can't just be one of those inane sexpot girlfriends. It would help if I knew anything about the James Bond stories.