Will Lady Gaga and her burlesque style have an influence on FS programs?

[gio]

I'm wondering if Lady Gaga will have an influence on FS programs? She took World by storm with her burlesque style. I'm talking especially about costumes, make-up and hair-do. Costumes in FS are already bizzare, I'm wondering if the bizzare fashion of Gaga will be copied by figure skaters next season?
Johnny Weir - the skater that gives most attention to fashion - already was inspired by Lady Gaga.
I think burlesque could be suitable to FS (not that nobody did it that before!), because her innovative style is still suitable with classical music (especially baroque).

Not only she could be inspirational to costumes and make-up, but also in choreography and movements.

In the past FS programs and skaters were influenced by popular fashion and tendencies - Madonna, 80s hair-do and make up, 90s ethnical programs, techno style etc. - and especially by movies (Moulin Rouge and tango mania, Pirates of the Carribean). However the 00s hip hop and rap tendencies didn't have a very big influence with some exceptions.

[glam]

I think figureskating is very oldfashioned sport, the coaches and choreographers are quite old, the judges mostly are 50+ years and wouldn't understand a Lady Gaga inspired program, I don't think they would even know who she is.

I would like to see more modern programs, for example the Swedish guys always have something new and exciting. Especially in the ladies field it's almost always classical music and boring costumes. They could have fun hair-do's, modern outfit's and up-to-date music. I feel like there is so many possibilities but they won't use any! Why do they always have to have the same simple buns for example?

[HCOSurfer]

If any performance starts to look like this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rnkku5aJzZM
Then I'm all for it.

[gio]

I think figureskating is very oldfashioned sport, the coaches and choreographers are quite old, the judges mostly are 50+ years and wouldn't understand a Lady Gaga inspired program, I don't think they would even know who she is.

I would like to see more modern programs, for example the Swedish guys always have something new and exciting. Especially in the ladies field it's almost always classical music and boring costumes. They could have fun hair-do's, modern outfit's and up-to-date music. I feel like there is so many possibilities but they won't use any! Why do they always have to have the same simple buns for example?

Yes, FS is a very old fashioned sport, but there are movements of innovation in it (as in traditional monarchies there were democratic, liberal, socialist movements, or as in art, music, cinema there are more conservative views and other more innovative views). There is a dialogue/conflict between them. Both are absolutely necessary IMO and sometimes they reach points of unity. What is important is that FS is changing continuosly. Sometimes prevails conservatorship, classicism, sometimes modernity. However in periods of more classical programs we have some innovative skaters and viceversa. Also innovations happen in different areas in the different periods. In the last years we saw a speedy evolution in the spins department, in the 90s we saw a speedy evolution of jumps.
From the early 2000 until last year we saw a neo-classicism in the choice of music, costume, make-up and choreography in the Ladies field. This year something has changed with Yu Na Kim IMO. She is not the prototype of the ballerina skater, but neither she is the energetic Slutskaya type or the more philosophical Kwan or Lu Chen type, nor the theatrical and sensual Witt. She is something new uniting different elements.

One can skate to classical music and still be artistically innovative. IMO Weir is very innovative and so are Takahashi and Lambiel.
Mao is artistically more conservative, while technically innovative.

I want to add that conservative is not a negative connotation.

About this topic, one can write essays after essays.

[Germanice]

IMO opinion Miss Gaga is just a clever marketing concept and way overrated/overdisplayed. It's just a matter of time when she disappears.

[gio]

IMO opinion Miss Gaga is just a clever marketing concept and way overrated/overdisplayed. It's just a matter of time when she disappears.

Yeah it could be (even, if I wish she will be on the stage for a long time), but what she brought up (well she didn't because also Stefani and other artists used it but with much less impact) can last for some time. Burlesque is now very popular.

[Tinymavy15]

Well she already has been a huge influence (or maybe obession) on Johnny Weir, but other than that, I don't really see her reaching past being on everybody's ipod at the rink.

[Lilith11]

I'd seriously lol if skaters started showing up on ice w/Gaga-esque outfits and skating to songs like "Poker Face" and "Bad Romance." Though w/the outfits, I fear the men are already approaching Gaga-level.... XD

[blue_idealist]

I think maybe a few skaters will follow her trend, but skating's separate enough from the music-celeb world that it won't catch on hugely. A lot of skaters probably aren't even fans of Gaga. I think there are as many people who think she's annoying and overrated as there are that like her. It seems like a lot of her fans are teens anyway..

[Tonichelle]

costumes can result in a skater getting a point deduction - or at least that used to be the rule, not sure if it still holds? - so I dunno. I hope not, though, can't stand her.

[SeaniBu]

Where do you think she got the Idea? LOL

There was a singer in China, Mei. Same gig just a little earlier. And I can't see that it affected the Chinese skaters.

[gio]

costumes can result in a skater getting a point deduction - or at least that used to be the rule, not sure if it still holds? - so I dunno. I hope not, though, can't stand her.

Toni I think you remember correctly. If a skater wears a too flashy or too theatrical costume she/he can get a point deduction. But this rule is really never implemented. We saw some skaters wearing over the top costumes without receiving any deduction.

There was a singer in China, Mei. Same gig just a little earlier. And I can't see that it affected the Chinese skaters.

Chinese skaters are more conservative and traditional. It's normal they weren't affected. Skaters that were/are more trendy came always from countries such as USA, Canada, France, Switzerland, Germany etc.
However Lu Chen in her traditionalism was very innovative. Her Asian culture and philosophy inspired programs were a breath of fresh air in the 90s. Early Michelle Kwan followed steps. Those were introspective programs, very different from what we saw before. It was New Age in FS with the re-discovery of Asian spirituality.

[Ladskater]

Oh please no!!! Lady Gaga (although she calls her self a lady) is no lady and has no taste. I hope the graceful ladies of figure skating remain lady-like and avoid this idea.

[antmanb]

I doubt it will have any influence on skating or skaters at all. I personally love Lady Gaga but is she any different to e.g. Cyndi Lauper or Madonna when they first came on the scene? That didn't affect skating costumes or influence skating at all so I seriously doubt Lady Gaga fever will cahnge anything in the sport.

The world will still turn, and every skater and their cousin will still choose Carmen as their music for the season

Ant

[Tanja90]

well I hope that lady gaga will have some influence..I can give an example but it's not ice skating but roller skating. see this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rraEp...os=Ab1PdNcuiUc
They are a quartet a disciplin which doesn't exist on ice! I have the opportunity to see this performance live last saturday and I can tell you it's just gorgeous! They are world and european champions and with this program they won the italian championship and will go to euros!
It's not only lady gaga, but I think figure skating really need to be up to date with variety of music!