Kim and Kwan to headline "All That Skate Summer 2010"

In a different direction...

Is it just my imagination, or does Michelle seem totally at ease now with her retirement from competition? I think at first it must have rankled to see other skaters that "she knew she was better than" winning titles after she was forced out of the game by her deteriorating hip condition.

Now, she seems to be content to have a person like Yu-na to mentor and support, whom she respects as a person and as a skater. Michelle can ride off into the sunset with confidence that she is leaving figure skating in good hands after all.

YunaBliss said:

...but it was Yuna, who barely showed any skin, that put everyone in awe with her presence and sublime sensuality. .

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Ha! I like how it's not mentioned that the event was in KOREA. Of course the crowd is going to go apenuts over Yuna! She didn't even have to do anything, really.

If the event were in Canada, or the USA, (or anywhere outside Korea) no way would she have gotten a reception like that.

Tinymavy15 said:

Dido about Lambiel. The guy is a true "dancer" and "artist" and I believe he could skate to anything. Sasha use to be like that. Yu-na never will.

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Sorry if this post sounds like an English lesson to a person whose English may be 100~1000 times better than mine. But you need to explain about your statement or opinon because that kind of harsh mention never meant to be a fact. You could have stopped with the mention about Sasha.
If you say, 'Unfortunately, Yuna is not' or 'I think Yuna is not yet,' it would not sound so blunt or rude. How would you know what a 19 year old skater can be or not in the future? OK, if you really want to say 'She never will,' I don't know why you think so.

Am I bothered because you said so about Yuna? No, I would never say that way about any skater, especially when they are young and competing. How about putting any other skater instead of Yuna? I am a Jeremy fan. If you had said so about Jeremy instead of Yuna, I would have been bothered a lot. But if someone said so about Mirai, Miki, Carolina or Laura whom I am not particularly a fan of, them, I would think it is as harsh as ever. Can you imagine how die-hard Johnny fans would react if someone say so about him?

R.D. said:

If the event were in Canada, or the USA, (or anywhere outside Korea) no way would she have gotten a reception like that.

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... I guess there is a kind of trend among SOME old posters from US. Who knows? Maybe they are just tired of hearing about somebody's excellence. So thank you Mathman for mentioning some nice thoughts.

YunaBliss said:

haha..your blind yuna bashing amuses me. Let me just say that Sasha was wearing a freaking garter belt and thigh high stockings in a vain attempt to please the crowd.

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You should watch Cabaret sometime. It's one of the best musicals ever and Sasha's costume was an exact representation of the character she was playing.

Mathman said:

In a different direction...

Is it just my imagination, or does Michelle seem totally at ease now with her retirement from competition? I think at first it must have rankled to see other skaters that "she knew she was better than" winning titles after she was forced out of the game by her deteriorating hip condition.

Now, she seems to be content to have a person like Yu-na to mentor and support, whom she respects as a person and as a skater. Michelle can ride off into the sunset with confidence that she is leaving figure skating in good hands after all.

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:agree:

chloepoco said:

I think Bulletproof works for Yuna because she obviously has the talent; she also has the charisma to make it work. But, there are many other programs of hers that I like better.

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I feel exactly this.

GiuliaPlum said:

well, I wouldn't say this ex is only sexy and cool...actually it has a different meaning. Yu-Na said that lots of moves express the words of the song. infact, La Roux wrote it to tell the feelings she had braking up with his lover. actually all her songs talk about love and they're autobiographic. so the music is not just bum bum: it tries to express her determination to be not hurt again from her lover and go forward with strenght and pride. I think Yu-Na knows something about it: I don't know if she ever had this kind of experience, but she always had the strength and the nerve to overcome each difficulty, and to become bulletproof like she surely was at the Olympics or 2009 Worlds or each competitions she entered. This ex is about defiance rather than hotness.
I think it has a great meaning for her that's why she loves to perform it (look at the fire she has through the whole program). I find it even a bit touching.

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Giulia, for me, there is nothing wrong with bum-bum-having-fun music that a performer is having a great time with, because the audience will have a great time watching and feeling it, too. I don't need a piece of art to always be deep or profound, but I always want it to come from an honest place. The song and YuNa's performance have both a meaning and entertainment quality, but I specified that I have a slight issue with the packaging; that is, there are some moves which I know David Wilson told YuNa to do, or performed for her to imitate, because they look unnatural and a bit awkward. For example, the part where she is doing this hand:

http://www.oneinhundred.com/upfiles/upimg6/Stock-outline-open-cell-number-5070906.jpg

Mine is not a serious criticism or anything like that because I know this is a show that's meant for everyone to have fun and especially YuNa is having fun, which makes me happy. But I am a little startled by how her soul and the quiet, reflective beauty which I first saw in El Tango de Roxanne and Lark Ascending years back...seems to have receded...and was present even in her more simple exhibition pieces like Ben, or Only Hope. I want to see more growth of the real YuNa, to see moves that are internalized and expressed with fuller awareness and without all the glitz and fanfare. I know she is a fun-loving girl at heart with a lot of spark, so I'm not saying it's fake, but I'm saying there are some artificial things that seem to be put out there which aren't necessary, and detract from the performance (for me.) And if this keeps up, I'm going to have to start hoping she tries another choreographer or even coach. hwell: No disrespect intended.

prettykeys said:

Mine is not a serious criticism or anything like that because I know this is a show that's meant for everyone to have fun and especially YuNa is having fun, which makes me happy. But I am a little startled by how her soul and the quiet, reflective beauty which I first saw in El Tango de Roxanne and Lark Ascending years back...seems to have receded...and was present even in her more simple exhibition pieces like Ben, or Only Hope. I want to see more growth of the real YuNa, to see moves that are internalized and expressed with fuller awareness and without all the glitz and fanfare. I know she is a fun-loving girl at heart with a lot of spark, so I'm not saying it's fake, but I'm saying there are some artificial things that seem to be put out there which aren't necessary, and detract from the performance (for me.) And if this keeps up, I'm going to have to start hoping she tries another choreographer or even coach. hwell: No disrespect intended.

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I TOTALLY AGREE. While 'Bulletproof' was a good program, I didn't think it raised the bar of anything (paraphrasing YunaBliss's opinion). I've seen better and more honest performances by her, but like you said, exhibitions/shows are about having fun.

I'm glad to hear such unblinded honesty from such a big Yuna fan as well (I'm soooo going to get yelled at for this, just watch). I'd just wish in general, more fans would be more like this! Example: MKF has scared me for a while now ...

Then again, there wouldn't be debates here if everyone thought the same way you did and that'd be no fun, now would it?

P.S.

YunaBliss said:

I would love to offer my Sunday show ticket to those of you "arm-chair traditionalists" to see Yuna's Bulletproof live - and see how your opinion changes.

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Even if you'd have given one of us a ticket, you'd have to get us a ticket for one of her past performances as well. It wouldn't be fair to compare one live performance with a past&completely different "armchair" performance, now would it?

Therefore, I doubt that my opinion would change of her "raising the bar" in terms of artistic ability, but admittedly, my opinion of her skills to work a crowd might increase.

So it is considered very unusual for Yu-Na fans to criticize her?

shine said:

So it is considered very unusual for Yu-Na fans to criticize her?

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Uncommon, not unusual.

Great post, prettykeys.

Female figure skating has been so boring for the past 3 years because, along with distracting technical features that hinder programs, nobody has really skated with soul.

Yu-Na showed so much promise in 2007 but hasn't lived up to it (artistically anyway).

Bulletproof is certainly a program of a different and contrasting style from "quiet, reflective beauty" style that appears to be favored by some. However, unlike what prettykeys is saying, I don't see that as "receding" at all. You may think it's superficial or too poptsy or whatever, but I see it as fierce, electric and very empowering. As good as Yuna plays the "soft and fragile" role, I want Yuna to play more aggressive, domineering role with "I own this ice" type of attitude. I think it really suits Yuna , and I have a feeling that that is also the direction Brian/David is heading with her new programs. Her new "latin" style program is sure to be more fierce and passionate and free than "quiet and reflective".

And about Bulletproof being a landmark EX, the fact that a world-class, Olympic gold winning skater is skating to such number with CORNROW alone is groundbreaking in my opinion.

Seriously, I think Yu-Na is one of the most talented skaters ever, in the sense that she's able to combine technical mastery and presentation skills the ways she has. But ground-breaking in terms of artistry or style? Well, that's really an exaggeration.

Blades of Passion said:

Great post, prettykeys.

Female figure skating has been so boring for the past 3 years because, along with distracting technical features that hinder programs, nobody has really skated with soul.

Yu-Na showed so much promise in 2007 but hasn't lived up to it (artistically anyway).

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I don't know about artistically, but I LOVED Yuna's SP performance at the 2009 4CC. Everyone was raving about her SP at 2009 Worlds because she'd set a world record, but I secretly loved the one at 4CC much more. To me, there was a bit more passion there (i.e. compare the ending pose at 4CC to the one at Worlds.) -- I'd suggest muting both videos and downloading a copy of Danse Macabre to play on iTunes (or whatever you use), so that the audience doesn't influence your decision.

YunaBliss said:

And about Bulletproof being a landmark EX, the fact that a world-class, Olympic gold winning skater is skating to such number with CORNROW alone is groundbreaking in my opinion.

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I agree with the first paragraph of what you'd said, but the second paragraph ... ARE YOU KIDDING ME? How the heck does the style of her hair factor in "Bulletproof" being a landmark performance?!

Bulletproof is a great song and Yu-Na is someone who can perform superbly.

I just don't think the actual choreography was that good.

Blades of Passion said:

Great post, prettykeys.

Female figure skating has been so boring for the past 3 years because, along with distracting technical features that hinder programs, nobody has really skated with soul.

Yu-Na showed so much promise in 2007 but hasn't lived up to it (artistically anyway).

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Stop trolling. Thank you.

YunaBliss said:

Stop trolling. Thank you.

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I would hardly call that trolling.

if making a statement like "figure skating has been so boring for the past 3 years" and that Yuna hasn't developed at all since 2007 in a thread to talk about ATS Summer 2010 ice show isn't trolling, I don't know what is.

If you feel strongly about it, why don't you go make a thread on "recent regression of figure skating"?

Blades of Passion said:

Great post, prettykeys.

Female figure skating has been so boring for the past 3 years because, along with distracting technical features that hinder programs, nobody has really skated with soul.

Yu-Na showed so much promise in 2007 but hasn't lived up to it (artistically anyway).

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I agree. Michelle's my all-time favorite, not because she won so many world titles, but because she knew how to throw all of her heart into a 4 minute performance. Skaters just don't that anymore & I'm reminded of Sasha's NYT interview at Nationals 2010. She said something akin to "now, there's just way too much to think about." It's all about calculation & precision. The system bans improvisation & chains skaters to a prescribed program framework, which makes it almost impossible for that pre-CoP magic of the moment. The level requirements render non-jump elements almost identical and skaters always seem absorbed in thought ("ok, I have to do this, this, and that", going through a checklist of point-garnering steps).

I do, however, think that Yu-na's better than most of the lot, largely because she can cover the technical content with ease. I thought Yu-na's 2008-2009 programs were wonderful, artistically. No, she didn't fly through the roof, but I think she's getting there. She definitely has the potential, which is why I'm glad that she has promised to stay a bit more.

prettykeys said:

I feel exactly this.

Giulia, for me, there is nothing wrong with bum-bum-having-fun music that a performer is having a great time with, because the audience will have a great time watching and feeling it, too. I don't need a piece of art to always be deep or profound, but I always want it to come from an honest place. The song and YuNa's performance have both a meaning and entertainment quality, but I specified that I have a slight issue with the packaging; that is, there are some moves which I know David Wilson told YuNa to do, or performed for her to imitate, because they look unnatural and a bit awkward. For example, the part where she is doing this hand:

http://www.oneinhundred.com/upfiles/upimg6/Stock-outline-open-cell-number-5070906.jpg

Mine is not a serious criticism or anything like that because I know this is a show that's meant for everyone to have fun and especially YuNa is having fun, which makes me happy. But I am a little startled by how her soul and the quiet, reflective beauty which I first saw in El Tango de Roxanne and Lark Ascending years back...seems to have receded...and was present even in her more simple exhibition pieces like Ben, or Only Hope. I want to see more growth of the real YuNa, to see moves that are internalized and expressed with fuller awareness and without all the glitz and fanfare. I know she is a fun-loving girl at heart with a lot of spark, so I'm not saying it's fake, but I'm saying there are some artificial things that seem to be put out there which aren't necessary, and detract from the performance (for me.) And if this keeps up, I'm going to have to start hoping she tries another choreographer or even coach. hwell: No disrespect intended.

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Great post, prettykeys. BEN was always my favorite piece of YuNa's. However, performing BEN in front of 10,000 audience? No, this is a show, and BP is a far better choice for this kind of show. I think you are being too serious about YuNa's show programs. What is wrong with her perforimg a totally different piece for fun? Every piece of her performances can't be a pure form of art. And, this was her just first performance of BP.

I just realize YuNa can't satisfy everybody. People expects too much from her. Of course, Kwan also couldn't satisfy everybody even at her prime.

shine said:

Seriously, I think Yu-Na is one of the most talented skaters ever, in the sense that she's able to combine technical mastery and presentation skills the ways she has.

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Frankly, I am really surprised by this comment of shine. I am happy YuNa made you to change a lot. I don't mean anything cynical. Actually, thank you.

aftertherain said:

I would hardly call that trolling.

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Not trolling but a biased opinion.

This thread's becoming nasty. I better write my Sunday report before the mods block it

Sasha was much, much better on Sunday. I'm guessing she was pretty tense on Friday. She went clean for both programs & skated with much more passion. "Hallelujah" was nice, but I didn't love "Mein Herr", mostly because I think the choreography doesn't live up to the music's potential. It was entertaining though. I wish she brought "España Cañí" to the ice show. Really liked that one. The crowd would have loved it, as well. She's so petite. I can't believe she once did 3Lz-2Ts.

Joubert's so much fun. I don't remember his programs at all, but I do remember that I had a lot of fun when he did his sexy dance moves Oh yes, I blew kisses his way when our eyes met and he gave me a wink. His shirt button fell off during "Dream On." He seemed surprised, but immediately went to get it fixed & went on with the rest of the performance.

Lambiel made several mistakes this time. Fell on his quad. Fell on another jump. Had several bobbles here and there, but the crowd loved him all the same. His high kick is gorgeous. I want to show it to Patrick, whose kick during his footwork really annoys me. I did go on Friday, when he was clean (with that gorgeous quad right in front me) for both programs. I think I actually like "Let the Good Times Roll" a little more. Shows a lot of personality (not to say Wilhem doesn't). He improvises quite a bit during that performance.

I'm hoping Jeremy saw my JEREMAZING poster. It was huge. I had to ask three strangers to hold it with me. They seemed confused, but I kind of forced it on them when Jeremy hit the ice. My sister said he seemed embarassed with himself, as if he thought his exaggerated tango moves were a bit too much. I agree that he didn't seem comfortable, but again that will change with time. Can't wait until March.

Min-Jeong was.... better. She still couldn't follow her own step sequence. I'm hoping she will improve by Skate America. She changed her jump layout (for Canon) to 3S, 3S, 2A and went clean. silverlake said her jumps actually got bigger... not seeing that, really, but I'll take her word. She is her biggest fan in Golden Skate Not impressed with her expression, but I have to admit that she was better than she was on Friday.

Michelle was amazing. Love, love, love her. Last time, her spread eagle almost made me cry. This time, her split falling leaf put me back on memory lane. It was such a long journey, you know. I was a fan since 3rd grade & the split falling leaf happens to be one of my favorite moves. This time, I kept my eyes wide open (so I could engrave everything to memory) and noticed all the nice details woven into the choreography. I gave a SO for "Primitive" (again). My sister and I are huge Kwan fans, so when she stood right in front of us during the opening (waiting for Yu-na to come out) we yelled "Michelle we love you" at the top of our voice. She looked back, laughed, put her finger to her mouth and said "shhhh." We little Kwan fans waved hi and kept quiet for Yu-na's entrance. "Hero" is not a particularly memorable program (had so much potential, never really fulfilled it), but I loved how Michelle did her spiral around a spinning Yu-na. Very nice. Michelle wasn't in top shape, but still had that commanding presence on ice. She seemed to really enjoy every moment. During "Tik Tok", she, Wilson and Yu-na were kind of challenging each other in what seemed like a dance battle, i.e. Michelle would do one dance move and look at the others with a face that said "top that." It was really cute.

Yu-na had problems with her 2A for some reason. It's weird since she went clean for both programs during the second Sunday show. This friend who accompanied me on Friday said Yu-na's axel jumping technique has changed a bit (something about trajectory or something. not sure). This time, Yu-na was much more into "Thais." I wish her step sequence could be more dramatic. "Bulletproof" is not a masterpiece, but it's entertaining. It's powerful & energetic. I don't love it, but I did enjoy it. Like I said, it's meant for the crowd. As long as she pushes herself artistically in her competitive programs, fun exhibition programs like "Bulletproof" can't possibly hurt. What impressed me most was Yu-na's speed. She went from one end of the rink to the other so easily & the amount of ice she covered in her program was incomparable with the other lady skaters.

Sidenote: My comment on how Koreans think of ice shows as entertainment, not high culture, did not mean to imply that they don't appreciate ballet or whatnot. Sorry if there was any misunderstanding. I just meant that an American audience and Korean audience walk into an ice show with different expectations.

All right. Enough of this "pre-CoP magic" and "Michelle v. Yuna" nonsense in this thread. This show was way too good for this thread to degenerate into discussion like this. Let's not be disrespectful to all the skaters who performed their hearts out over 4 absolutely stunning shows.

So, with that in my mind, I present my own report of the shows, from a layperson's perspective (I attended two of them):

The Good:

- Comradery among all the skaters: There was very special and definitely palpable comradery among all the skaters here, which was absolutely wonderful to see. Even the relatively more reserved Sasha got into the act, and everyone really appeared to have lots of fun. The SBS broadcast unfortunately did not show the actual finale and curtain calls, but if you see the fan-cam versions, you can really see the special bonding among the skaters. The comradery was much more evident in this one than the Festa on Ice in April, which I also attended.

- The Venue: Very nice setup. The fact that it is not a stadium but a huge exhibition hall actually allowed the seats to be very close to the ice rink.

The Bad:

- The Singer who's name sounds like Yu-Na. She was totally outclassed and horrible. And she botched one of my all-time favorite songs. I seriously wonder what strings she pulled to get into this show.
- SBS. Their camera work sucked. If I had the resources, I would have invited NBC and its crew to film the show in a heartbeat. The only redeeming factor about their broadcast was that they finally learned to shut up.

The Skaters:

1. The Pairs:

- Zimmerman & Fontana: Zimmerman was very stylish, and Fontana reminded me of a powerful aerobic instructor - she had some nifty moves dancing to Boom Boom Pow, and was entertaining to watch.
- S&P: Scream was insane. Probably one of the three best performances in the whole show. Setting aside their personal life issues, they absolutely rocked.
- S&S: Barbie Girl turned out better than I thought, but Gee, although it was obviously done to please the local fans, was a slight letdown.
- Belbin & Agosto: They have a great chemistry on ice, and Belbin is super gorgeous. One of the most beautiful skaters I've seen. Did I mention that Belbin is gorgeous?

2. The Men:

I thought all three were fantastic.

- Abbott: He may lack the charisma of Joubert and certainly Lambiel, but I thought he was very fluid on ice and has a wonderfully graceful style.
- Joubert: My favorite performance is still Sandstorm, but he again displayed his flair, and if I had received a penny every time a girl said out aloud how handsome he is, I would have watched all two shows for free.
- Lambiel: The master of spins brought his best stuff to Seoul. More than his quad, his spin was what impressed me the most. Awesome to watch. Needless to say, standing ovations for each of his Wilhem Tell Overture.

3. The Ladies:

- MJ Kwak: She is very lithe and flexible - she has an amazing Biellman spin - reminds me of Nagasu. But her jump is very small, and I was surprised to find that Korean ladies sitting next to me really hated MJ.. i don't know why. To me, she has good potential and she is growing up very nicely. And most of all, she practically lives with the Queen!

- Sasha Cohen: First time seeing her, and knowing her reputation as the queen of "toe-pointing", I watched intently for it. Honestly, not really impressed, but she was much more into her performance on Sunday, and I guess as many people pointed out, she may have been rusty. I didn't dig the music of "Hallelujah" at all, it sounded too somber to me, but her Sunday performance of Mein Herr was very nice.

- Michelle Kwan: To be frank, everyone was there to see her, not necessarily her skating. She is a legend even in Korea, and I don't think anyone cared that she had only one jump or whatever. As many have said already, I likewise found her "No One" performance to be the more memorable one, and the way she skated across the ice with her body inverted and leg raised straight up - I have to admit, that's something we may never see from Yuna. About the Hero duet, I should point that that although it was nothing special choreography wise, it was very very emotional piece, and taking into consideration the fact that Michelle and Yuna actually did not have a chance to practice until a few days before the show, I think it was marvelously executed. It has been reported now that they each practiced by watching the other's video only, and in case of Yuna, David Wilson played the role of Michelle when practicing ^^;;.

- Yuna Kim: I had seen her live in FOI and was completely awestruck, so this time, I really tried to concentrate and savor the moment. I mean, I have watched her Olympics gala probably 200 times, and here she was, performing the same thing wearing the same outfit, right in front of me. As for Bulletproof, well, I will just quote os168's post from YNKF:

One word:

"Woawaaawweeeeaaaa"

This word should be created just to describe Yuna power! Never have I seen such superstar power displayed like that on Ice, it is like watching Michael Jackson in concert. So many wickedly awsome moves, I just have to see it again and again from all different angles in awe.

There have always been star athletes certainly, with good techniques, landing the right jumps, performed to the flow, but never had there been such symbolic super star performance at this stage in her career. It is about the young girl achieving her dream and somehow had became this empowered sexy young lady along the way having the time of her life, living her dreams in the spot lights while utterly adored and revered by 10,000 live crowds and millions around the world through their internet access. To me, it is also about her expressing something like all great artist do. These are not empty flashy moves, but it is about her addressing her current predicament, the fact she yunabombed her SP, but you know what,” this time I will be bullet proof”, it is like pressing on with a new motto and a new promise.

It is the perfect vehicle to de-stress, to retool, to re-energesize and to re-challenge hersef for upcoming WC 2011.

The choreography is fast, complicated, physically demanding, and you need rhythm and smoothness to feel it to your bones. Without GP this year, the only time we can watch another BP performance would likely be at Worlds. At world stage, I can simply imagine audiences amazed by this hip approach to skating, Yuna wave breaking out of the mould. She is the perfect tsunami to rejuvenate the sport.

They say laughter is the best medicine, and in this case David Wilson really is the best doctor for Yuna. It is the perfect work out after having a bad day. From the crowds and Yuna’s own delightful reaction (including the final stunning look, i just want to say “Woawaaawweeeeaaa” again) It looks bullet proof is on its way another Yuna classic, the perfect vehicle to bridge reinvention for the next horizon.


Overall, I think every skater deserved greatest praise, and it was truly an unforgettable spectacle!!