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hurrah

Medalist
Joined
Aug 8, 2009
Chameleon? I definitely wouldn't use that to describe Mao. "Lyrically Reserved" and "Cutesy" are all I've seen her be able to portray well. That's not really important, though. You can do tons of distinguishable variations on the same thing. As long as it's interesting it doesn't matter too much.

She did do a scary-weird-gothy sort of LP two seasons running that was done convincing enough that a lot of her regular fans hated it. :laugh:
 
Joined
Aug 16, 2009
Chameleon? I definitely wouldn't use that to describe Mao. "Lyrically Reserved" and "Cutesy" are all I've seen her be able to portray well. That's not really important, though. You can do tons of distinguishable variations on the same thing. As long as it's interesting it doesn't matter too much.

I didn't mean that she skates in a different style each time. I mean that she is able to reflect a wide variety of emotions and convey a narrative. She has a very expressive face, and she uses movement not just to get through a jump but to create an atmosphere. The fact that she can be a cute kid sometimes and a beautiful, mature artist at others supports the use of that word to describe her. I also love YuNa (and of course Michelle now and forever), so I'm not using this description to imply that Mao is superior to all other skaters ever, but her expressiveness is definitely a trait that helps make her one of the world's great skaters. She's in my top five of all time, along with Michelle, YuNa, and Yuka Sato. I don't imagine that anyone will come along to knock Mao from that ranking anytime soon, or maybe ever. I can also see that there's ample reason for many fans (clearly more decisive than I) to put her as the unrivaled top skater on their list.
 
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janetfan

Match Penalty
Joined
May 15, 2009
Chameleon? I definitely wouldn't use that to describe Mao. "Lyrically Reserved" and "Cutesy" are all I've seen her be able to portray well. That's not really important, though. You can do tons of distinguishable variations on the same thing. As long as it's interesting it doesn't matter too much.

So how would you categorize Mao's LP to "Bells" ?

Would you call it "cutesy" or "lyrically reserved" ?

To be fair you did say "portray well." Would that mean you consider Mao's skating to "Bells" subpar or mediocre at best? Or maybe just that her interpretation was too reserved?

One of my favorite programs from Mao is her Tango. I won't try to categorize it other than to say I think it is exquisite.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k7_bJnZDbqo

Definition of exquisite: Of such beauty or delicacy as to arouse intense delight.
 
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PolymerBob

Record Breaker
Joined
Feb 17, 2007
Mao has the ability to be sophisticate and mature, or she can be a cute little girl. It is interesting that Mao has received criticism for acting too sweet and innocent …… off ice. :laugh:
 
Joined
Aug 16, 2009
One of my favorite programs from Mao is her Tango. I won't try to categorize it other than to say I think it is exquisite.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k7_bJnZDbqo

Definition of exquisite: Of such beauty or delicacy as to arouse intense delight.

I'd definitely add "exquisite" to the list of words that could describe her. And I'd use it for that Tango. Just a tremendous performance, and one I often go to and re-watch. When I see Mao, one of my main feelings about her is that I hope she stays in skating for many years to come, whether in competition or as a professional. I'm always eager to see what she will do next.
 

Hanaka

Rinkside
Joined
Aug 17, 2003
It is interesting that Mao has received criticism for acting too sweet and innocent …… off ice. :laugh:

Maybe. But it's only a little bit and probably only by anti-Maos. Majority of Japanese and her fans love sweet and innocent part of her so much, as well as sophisticate and mature part we see in her performances, and also her gutsy and strong part as an athlete, because they are all Mao.
 
Joined
Aug 16, 2009
I didn't love the musical arrangement. But I would hardly call Mao's actual skating a failure. A failure is one of those performances by some luckless skater who wipes the ice with his/her costume jump after jump. Especially in this year's Olympics, no one in the top six can be considered a failure. Six clean programs! The word "flight," used to refer to a group of skaters in a competition, could finally be taken literally. It was a night for the ages. As for Mao, her effort was a valiant battle, and she made it past every other skater but one. And that night, nobody in skating history could have made it past YuNa, probably.

And then there's this year's Worlds. We should all be such "failures" in life!
 

chloepoco

Medalist
Joined
Nov 1, 2009
I didn't love the musical arrangement. But I would hardly call Mao's actual skating a failure. A failure is one of those performances by some luckless skater who wipes the ice with his/her costume jump after jump. Especially in this year's Olympics, no one in the top six can be considered a failure. Six clean programs! The word "flight," used to refer to a group of skaters in a competition, could finally be taken literally. It was a night for the ages. As for Mao, her effort was a valiant battle, and she made it past every other skater but one. And that night, nobody in skating history could have made it past YuNa, probably.

And then there's this year's Worlds. We should all be such "failures" in life!

ITA with everything you said, Olympia!
 

Blades of Passion

Skating is Art, if you let it be
Record Breaker
Joined
Sep 14, 2008
Country
France
Everything is relative. People were saying Mao is some kind of all-time great chameleon actress. Her Bells program was certainly a failure to me if you are judging it on that level.

There are worse things than failure. You can use "an embarrassment" or "an abomination" to describe more extreme cases. :think:
 
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SerpentineSteps

On the Ice
Joined
Aug 18, 2009
Everything is relative. People were saying Mao is some kind of all-time great chameleon actress. Her Bells program was certainly a failure to me if you are judging it on that level.

There are worse things than failure. You can use "an embarrassment" or "an abomination" to describe more extreme cases. :think:

I think the only reasonable argument that could be made is that she failed to achieve her standard (which I wouldn't wholeheartedly agree with, but the point could be made). Having said this, I strongly believe that calling it a flat-out failure is being a bit dramatic. Sure the program didn't bring out her selling points, but surely a good portion of the girls competing at world's that year seemed more out of their element with the music they chose than Mao did with hers (and I'm not just talking about the final few flights that you happened to watch).
 
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Joined
Aug 16, 2009
Considering the slump Mao seemed to be in earlier this season, I think she was spectacular at the Olympics and at Worlds. Skating is such a head game, and she just shook everything off and powered herself forward. She showed that she has the mental toughness needed to dig out from a trough. Nothing stops this kid. She isn't just good when things are going smoothly. She can call on it when she needs it.
 

FlattFan

Match Penalty
Joined
Jan 4, 2010
Tracy Wilson, the Canadian cow, has been lambasting Mao for the past two seasons. People listened to her, and suddenly agreed Mao couldn't do dramatic programs. Now, they revealed she was a part time coach for Kim. The conflict of interest is there. I'm not sure why no one brought this up. You say it once, no one will listen, you say it 10 times, it will start to catch on.
 

i love to skate

Medalist
Joined
Dec 13, 2005
Tracy Wilson, the Canadian cow, has been lambasting Mao for the past two seasons. People listened to her, and suddenly agreed Mao couldn't do dramatic programs. Now, they revealed she was a part time coach for Kim. The conflict of interest is there. I'm not sure why no one brought this up. You say it once, no one will listen, you say it 10 times, it will start to catch on.

It hasn't just been revealed....It has been pretty well known that Tracy has been in Yuna's camp since 2008. She even spoke about it on a broadcast a couple years ago. Tracy is an excellent commentator and she has also been critical of Yuna's performances. See her commentary at this year's Worlds.
 

Tonichelle

Idita-Rock-n-Roll
Record Breaker
Joined
Jun 27, 2003
It hasn't just been revealed....It has been pretty well known that Tracy has been in Yuna's camp since 2008. She even spoke about it on a broadcast a couple years ago. Tracy is an excellent commentator and she has also been critical of Yuna's performances. See her commentary at this year's Worlds.

longer than that i just reread an ifs magazine i found from 2007 where she was working with tracy.
 

prettykeys

Medalist
Joined
Oct 19, 2009
I don't know about you, but there was a part in The Bells of Moscow where the music totally called for a bit of face-slapping. :biggrin:
 
Joined
Aug 16, 2009
In any case, the issue was never whether Mao couldn't convey drama. A lot of us, even Mao fans (of which I certainly am one) felt that (1) this particular piece of music was rather heavy and unsubtle--not even the piece itself but the orchestration of it; and (2) Mao is so wonderful at more lyrical pieces that we missed that quickness, softness, and musicality in this particular program. Part of that might be our limitations, not Mao's, much in the way that Cary Grant's fans loved him in debonair comedy films and got anxious and unsettled when he attempted heavy drama such as None But the Lonely Heart.

Actually, a more fluid piece of music that is equally dramatic might be just the thing for Mao. The other day, I was listening to Saint Saëns' tone poem Phaeton, which is overly long for a free skate but with cuts could make for a splendid program, I think.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=po1nVstqj7o

This is just an example, but I can certainly imagine Mao milking something of this intensity for all it's worth.
 

miki88

Medalist
Joined
Dec 28, 2009
I agree that I wasn't too fond of the "Bells" piece itself (or that specific arrangement). I think the best type of music to skate to is one that has a good balance. The dramatic parts of the piece are countered with softer and more lyrical sections.
 

prettykeys

Medalist
Joined
Oct 19, 2009
There is no doubt in my mind that Mao is extremely versatile in her skating and performance ability...but Bells of Moscow I agree was a general failure of a program. I did not hate it because "it was convincing"; I hated it because the mismatch with Mao was too strong and impossible for me to overcome. There is something majestic about the music (even if the version of the piece of music is not everyone's favourite), but I honestly can't think of any female skaters who could have pulled it off properly... maybe Plushenko might have made it good. Mao's skating is top-notch; that won't change with music. But as far as chameleon-ability goes, Bells is not a good example. And as for parts of its choreography...no one knows its significance, or why and how the music called for it. It's just there. :sheesh:

Anyway, with Mao's Tango, you can add "whimsical" to "lyrical" and "cutesy". The thing about it, is that I wouldn't even classify it as acting. These seem to be things that Mao just is. I think that's the best part of it all. :)
 
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