Honk If You LIKED Kwan's Tosca Program

I posted this in the "Campbell's Thoughts" thread:

About 75% of people seem to have seen nothing good in Kwan's program and I must be missing a whole lot since I enjoyed it very much. TV isn't a good judge, but she appeared to have good speed, her jumps with the exception of the lutz were textbook, and that footwork sequence was wonderful, with turns in both directions, her presentation was appropriately dramatic and there was no silly "I've got a headache THIS BIG" moves. No, it isn't perfect, but I don't expect it to be. As programs go, I thought it was the one with the most potential out of all the ladies we saw (piss on ABC for chacking Suguri) and I am looking forward to seeing it when Kwan is more comfortable with the program and boots.

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Reading some of the responses to my post, I see there are a few other lone wolves. If we seem TOO happy about the program, it might irritate some people, so I decided to start this thread so those of us who liked it can share what they liked about it.

Honk honk honk

Actually I'd say there are quite a few out there who like this program. On MKF is well liked (surprise surprise) but certainly got better reception from big Kwan fans than Scherazade.

Overall, I think the negativity has more to do with dislike of the skater than the program. Selective perception if you will.....

HONK HONK HONK

I *loved* it. That spiral definitely gave me lots of chills, and the footwork choreographed by Morosov was amazing! More can be found here.

HONK!!

Jimmy Hoffa--I was one that replied to your original post and just had to reply to this one.

After downloading Tosca Sunday night I have watched Michelle's performance many. many times! Each time I view it I see more and more of what this program will become and I can't wait for Dec. 5th and then Nationals. Michelle's Tosca already leaves me breathless in spots. When it gets to "fighting form" I'll probably need an oxygen tank by my side, lol, and a crate of tissue for the tears that will undoubtedly be running down my cheeks!

HONK HONK HONK

Coming out of lurkdom to HONK!!!

HONK HONK! Can I say tons of potential. Michelle just needs to utilize of options.

Just wanted to add that I'm a huge Kwan fan who never like Sherz and never will.

Definitely ... HONK HONK HONK HONK HONK!!!

What did I like about Tosca? I think most of all I love the drama. Her facial expressions were just right, IMO. They showed just the right amount of passion/angst. I love that it is a woman's program ... not a young girl's. Her body movements just exude emotion and passion.

As far as the elements go ... I thought her jumps were wonderful. Her problems with the lutzes to me were just that she wasn't 100% yet, and with the boot problems ... that explained alot to me. That is probably why she didn't even attempt the loop. Why put something in that is difficult enough for her under normal circumstances.

I completely love the footwork ... it's bold and powerful. Can you imagine it come January? YIKES!!!

I fully expect there will be other changes too. I didn't feel nearly this good last year after my first glimpse of Aranguez ... but by Nationals I was totally sold.
Michelle is the best I have ever seen at pacing herself. She is in such fine tune with her body. By January we will definitely see her "A" game. Bank on it folks!!!

And thanks Jimmy Hoffa for starting this thread!

Another HONK for Tosca! I did like the passion, the music IS beautiful, and I loved the footwork. Looking forward to seeing it polished...It is a very mature performance and it did flow well...

eliza88

HONK for TOSCA!!!

HONK!!!

I just think it is not mearly about people not liking this program. I means some of these so called critics also are some of the same people who said after last years worlds that they would have scored it as:
1 Elena
2. sasha
3. Michelle
so obviously they have no credtibility whatsoever. Kwan was Clearly head and sholders above anyone that night. Anyone who was there in DC and vouch for that.

Kwan is the most popular contempary skater out there now, bar none. Some people don't like to hear that but it's true. She has huge following and is loved and admired as the goddess of skating by many skaters, coaches, parents, former judges and officals, causal skating fans and hard-core skating fans.
There is just this SMALL, hard-core, exteram, mostly on-line minority that dislike her for whatever reason. I call them the "Playa haters!! Why is it so hard for them to be proud if Michelle's long career and contributions she has given to this sport especially at the critical time she bust unto the scene when the sport was at it's height of populairty. I mean look at the facts 5 world titles, 7 US titles, 2 olympic metals. If her name was Denice Roberts instead of MIchelle Kwan would her acheivements mean any less to me. NO!! Her record stands for itself....unmatched. Michelle has been invaluable to the USFSA the past 10 years and all accolades, championships, and awards she has is a result of a combonation nof her tireless work ethic the heart of a champion she has. Michelle is just gold on and off the ice.

this post was badly needed after the almost constant anti-kwan garbage I get on-line. Well one thing is damn sure even if one was to believe that Michelle should quite skating know this Michelle's true power is that off the ice she is soo loved by the public, even not winning the olympics couldn't change that. Skating fans have her in their hearts and history will remember that.

HONK

Honk?

I really liked the program, too. I realize it needs improvement, but I enjoyed it.

Laura

Can I give half a honk for potential? I would love to see Michelle do a pull-out-the-stops dramatic piece and I love the music. I saw it live at Campbell's and of course on tape. I think the overall structure of the program is excellent--highlight moves at great points in the music, well balanced, great jump content, nice footwork sequence. Watching it closely on tape, I felt "Tosca" was in better shape than "Aranjuez" was at the same point last year. Like "Aranjuez," "Tosca" seems to have sections between jumps that right now are mostly stroking, but I think that is the working approach Team Kwan has purposefully chosen. That is, get the overall structure in place, get the feel of the music and jumps, premiere it at Campbell's to see how it feels in front of an audience, then start working on the details. In the coming months, I think there will be some in-betweens added or changed and that the footwork sequence will become even more intricate and difficult. Performance-wise, with repetition, I think Michelle will get deeper into her knees, more relaxed and expansive in her arms and upper body, and will develop the character to make it her own much the way she developed the "menacingly sexual" quality she did for "The Feeling Begins."

My hesitancy in giving a full HONK! is that this is Michelle's follow-up season to what I thought was a wonderful season of transformation. Now nobody laugh (okay, ROFLYAO, lol), but the changes in Michelle's skating, coach, training, and choreography reminds me of the changes John Travolta went through when he did "Pulp Fiction." It's not a perfect analogy since Travolta's career was kind of stagnating prior to "Pulp" whereas Michelle's was still going great guns prior to last season, she just made a lot of changes. Where I see the similarities between them is that in both Michelle and Travolta, many people saw them as having a whole new range of artistic expression. Some people had always seen it, but after "Pulp" for JT and "Aranjuez"/"TFB" for Michelle, virtually everybody saw it.

Anyway, after Travolta did "Pulp" he got a lot of A-list scripts, which included "Get Shorty." Travolta did not want to do "Get Shorty" because he didn't think it was right for him, but he liked the script. So he called Quentin Tarantino and talked to him about it. Tarantino told Travolta, "The movie you do after 'Pulp' is even more important than doing 'Pulp.'" So I feel that what Michelle does this season, now that she has established herself as having even more depth, range, movement ability, technical strength, etc. than she already had, is even more important than what she did last season. She has to live up to her own new standards. It can be very difficult to recreate that magic since people will be expecting a lot, whereas last season Michelle was coming off "Sheh" and a repeat of her "Rach" SP, so the "new" Michelle of "Aranjuez" and "TFB" was a wonderful surprise to many (again, I know many of you believed in her all along).

So I like the structural outline of "Tosca" and would love to have unmitigated faith that Michelle and team will do with it and her new SP what they did last season with "Aran" and "TFB." The main source of my hesitancy is not Michelle, but actually Morosov. Last year he seemed to put his whole focus and heart and soul into Michelle's programs. This season he's working with a lot of skaters. I just hope he doesn't get full of himself and see his success with "TFB" and his contributions to "Aranjuez" as merely a stepping stone to establishing his own reputation. I hope Morosov will still push himself to make "Tosca" as full, innovative, and interesting as what he did for Michelle last season. I have no doubt Michelle will take care of the performance end of things and that may indeed be enough. In short, right now I see "Tosca" has having the possibility to go either the way of "Sheh," which I felt did not fulfill its potential, or the way of "Aranjuez," which I felt was a very strong program in which Michelle was able to expand herself into new ways of moving and a new level of performance. Let's say I'm honking for "Tosca" to go the way of "Aranjuez," and that it will be like Travolta's performance in "Get Shorty."
Rgirl

Honk!

I haven't actually seen it yet but it must be good if Michelle is doing it!

Honk for Kwan

NO HONK for Tosca.

Two years ago there was so much praise for Irina choosing Tosca even before anyone saw her skate to it. At the time, I was curious as to what the splicing of the music would be and if Irina was going to send me off in praise while emoting the title role. For me it didn't happen. Tosca has few light moments in it. It is a heavy handed piece. For Puccini, I would have suggested Turandot (S&Z) or Boheme (light lyrical), for any skaters.

So where Irina did not get to me, I am willing to wait and see if MK can.

Joe

HONK....surprise!

I'm with RGirl, if it goes the way of "Aranjuez" I'll be in raptures. If it goes the way of "Schez" (all except 02 Worlds, which I think was pretty great actually) I won't be as pleased. Either way, I think she'll give it her all. Michelle could skate to the sound of forks raked across a plate and I'd be pleased...just as long as the heart was there.

Bronze - Of course, MK can just glide on the ice, and I'm happy, but we are talking about a sport. I'm not happy with Tosca as it stands now. I believe it to be the choreography as I did with Irina's version. Too somber!

I'm willing to wait and hopefully, I'm wrong about the music being too somber.

Joe

I really like her straightline footwork. It was wonderful. I love Tosca but it reminded me of Alexei. I do wish she would have chosen something different.

Dee

HONK........HONK........HONK.......

I love the program, the skating, the music, the costume, all of it!
Sure, it still needs work but, for someone who has had as little time to prepare as she has had, it was great!

Her footwork sequence is awesome!
Her speed, flow, and carrage is fantastic!

I have to say that at this point Tosca is miles ahead of where Aranjuez was at this time last year!