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

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

gio

Medalist
Joined
Jan 23, 2006
Will Lady Gaga and her burlesque style have an influence on FS programs?

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

On the Ice
Joined
Feb 16, 2010
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?
 

gio

Medalist
Joined
Jan 23, 2006
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

On the Ice
Joined
Jul 27, 2003
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

Medalist
Joined
Jan 23, 2006
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.
 
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Tinymavy15

Sinnerman for the win
Record Breaker
Joined
Dec 28, 2006
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

On the Ice
Joined
Mar 1, 2010
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

Record Breaker
Joined
Feb 25, 2006
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

Idita-Rock-n-Roll
Record Breaker
Joined
Jun 27, 2003
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

Record Breaker
Joined
Mar 19, 2006
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

Medalist
Joined
Jan 23, 2006
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.

Seanibu said:
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.
 
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Ladskater

~ Figure Skating Is My Passion ~
Record Breaker
Joined
Jul 28, 2003
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

Record Breaker
Joined
Feb 5, 2004
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

On the Ice
Joined
Feb 28, 2009
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=rraEpPxrABQ&playnext_from=TL&videos=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!
 

gkelly

Record Breaker
Joined
Jul 26, 2003
I would expect theatrical costumes (and songs, i.e., vocal music, by Lady Gaga) to be used in exhibitions, as with Weir's Poker Face, and in possibly in free dances. Not so much in competitive freeskating programs.
 
Joined
Jun 21, 2003
I hope figure skating sticks to classical music for the simple reason that otherwise, where is anyone ever going to hear classical music at all? It used to be that we could hear it on the sound track of Warner Brothers cartoons, but sadly that time has gone by.

In principle, a person could go to a symphony concert -- yeah, right.

As for popular music like Lady Gaga, you don't have to watch figure skating for that. You could go to a Lady Gaga show, or just turn on the radio. (Just my opinion.)
 

gio

Medalist
Joined
Jan 23, 2006
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=rraEpPxrABQ&playnext_from=TL&videos=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!

Thanks Tanja! Nice performance. The only think I didn't like were the music cuts (to of a sudden and abrupt IMO). They could use a part of the Telephone song without cutting it in this way or cutting it more smoothly.
Did you see it in Conegliano?

This is the answer from the 4 most trendy guys in FS - Weir, Plushy, Joubert and Lambiel (well to be fair Daisuke is missing :disapp:) on some trance music.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yvtuacMhnfA
 

Tanja90

On the Ice
Joined
Feb 28, 2009
Thanks Tanja! Nice performance. The only think I didn't like were the music cuts (to of a sudden and abrupt IMO). They could use a part of the Telephone song without cutting it in this way or cutting it more smoothly.
Did you see it in Conegliano?

This is the answer from the 4 most trendy guys in FS - Weir, Plushy, Joubert and Lambiel (well to be fair Daisuke is missing :disapp:) on some trance music.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yvtuacMhnfA

No I didn't see it in Conegliano...last saturday we did a small show with the club where I skate and they were invitated! so I had the oppurtunity to watch them right in front of me! I myself thought that the cutting was a bit too hard when I first heard it on a CD but seeing it live it really gives something to the performance and it doesn't bother at all!
 
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