The Diva in Ice Dance

blue dog · Feb 16, 2011

Is it necessary for a female skater to be a diva for a dance team to be successful? How many divas are there? Also, are there any teams where the female is not a diva that have been successful? And--are there teams out there that should drop the diva act, and just skate?

For me, I don't think it is necessary for a female to be a diva for the team to be successful. In fact, I don't really see Tessa Virtue as much of a diva. I find myself watching Scott more. The same with Cappelini. I don't see diva in her, but, they haven't had as much success as V/M. Jayne Torvill also never seemed diva-ish to me, and there are some other teams where both male and female take their turn in the spotlight, thereby not needing a diva (Punsalan/Swallow, Davis/White) However, there were multitudes of teams where the female was clearly a diva (Usova/Zhulin, Bestemianova/Bukin, Belbin/Agosto, Navka/Kostamarov, Fusar-Poli/Margaglio, Grischuk/Platov, Khoklova/any partner).
And, for me, I really really think Kaitlyn Weaver should drop trying to be a diva and just skate. Something about her doesn't scream diva to me. Like her coach, Shae Lynn, she is better off just skating. In fact, I thought when Shae Lynn attempted to diva it up, her team suffered.

Very off-topic, but there is one team in the world to me, where the male was the diva, and she was most often supporting (Lang/Tchernyshev).

Jammers · Feb 16, 2011

Seems to me it was more of a Russian thing but i could be wrong.

BackStage Barbie · Feb 16, 2011

Federica Faiella is definitely a diva, as was Barbara Fusar-Poli. Marina Anissina and Gwendal Peizerat were both divas.

Tonichelle · Feb 16, 2011

I don't think either Tanith or Ben were divas... though Linichuk tried to get Tanith to be... it just wasn't their style...

blue dog · Feb 16, 2011

Tonichelle said:
I don't think either Tanith or Ben were divas... though Linichuk tried to get Tanith to be... it just wasn't their style...

Toni, sometimes I think when a coach forces that, it just doesn't work. It didn't work for them (like it's not working for Weaver/Poje). Maybe there are other teams who are not portraying the "diva" that should?

gio · Feb 16, 2011

Interesting topic!
I don't think being a diva can help winning a title. However I don't see why one team should drop that attitude or on the other hand why the coach or whoever should force a girl to take that attitude. A diva-ish skater could be fun to watch, but there shouldn't be a rule that to be succesfull you should be diva-ish. Also one can decide to play the diva in some performances and in other not.
One of the best skater doing the diva IMO is Tatyana Navka. :love:

Unfortunately Barbara Fusar Poli sometimes was really annoying. IMO it really depends from case to case!

herios · Feb 16, 2011

blue dog said:
Is it necessary for a female skater to be a diva for a dance team to be successful? How many divas are there? Also, are there any teams where the female is not a diva that have been successful? And--are there teams out there that should drop the diva act, and just skate?

For me, I don't think it is necessary for a female to be a diva for the team to be successful. In fact, I don't really see Tessa Virtue as much of a diva. I find myself watching Scott more. The same with Cappelini. I don't see diva in her, but, they haven't had as much success as V/M. Jayne Torvill also never seemed diva-ish to me, and there are some other teams where both male and female take their turn in the spotlight, thereby not needing a diva (Punsalan/Swallow, Davis/White) However, there were multitudes of teams where the female was clearly a diva (Usova/Zhulin, Bestemianova/Bukin, Belbin/Agosto, Navka/Kostamarov, Fusar-Poli/Margaglio, Grischuk/Platov, Khoklova/any partner).
And, for me, I really really think Kaitlyn Weaver should drop trying to be a diva and just skate. Something about her doesn't scream diva to me. Like her coach, Shae Lynn, she is better off just skating. In fact, I thought when Shae Lynn attempted to diva it up, her team suffered.

Very off-topic, but there is one team in the world to me, where the male was the diva, and she was most often supporting (Lang/Tchernyshev).

Nope, you don't need to be a diva to make it in ice dancing to the very top, as what you do with your feet counts the most. Deep, secure edges, pointed toes, keep your feet in synch with your partner are critical, diva attitude, not so much

BackStage Barbie · Feb 16, 2011

Madison Chock is definitely a diva as per her Cabaret performance in this year's free dance. Afterall, she is playing the role of the seminal diva of our time...Miss Liza Minnelli.

smia · Feb 16, 2011

I agree about Madison Chock, this Cabaret program has changed my view of her. I also think Tessa Virtue has a certain diva presence in the way she carries herself.

blue dog · Feb 16, 2011

gio said:
Unfortunately Barbara Fusar Poli sometimes was really annoying. IMO it really depends from case to case!

Well, I also think it had a lot to do with the partner. Navka had a partner who complimented her diva-ness. Fusar-Poli seemed overpowering, because her partner did not compliment her at all.

silverlake22 · Feb 16, 2011

Meryl Davis is not a diva and neither is Maia Shibutani. The only ice dancers I can think of currently that fit the stereotype are Pechelat and Ilynikh, but maybe training in Russia has something to do with that.

Olympia · Feb 16, 2011

Great topic! When I read the first paragraph, I immediately thought of Jayne Torvill, and I'm glad you mentioned her. She looked so practical, unglamorous, and almost plain, until she started skating. Then she was transcendent. In a way, Christopher Dean was the diva of that couple (the divo? Men need a word for that spotlight magnet quality.). He was the engine of the couple, and by far the more emotional of the two. A genius, one of the greatest that ice dancing ever produced, but a diva. (And very well aware that he couldn't have gleamed quite so brightly with anyone else but Torvill.)

Hmmm. I'm not sure I'd call Bestemianova a diva. She was a wonderful actress and clearly the star of the pair, but she also had a down-to-earth quality to her. To me, she, Albena Denkova, and Susanna Rahkomo of Finland are a very different breed from divas. Diva implies a bit more of an ego to me. Or at least a kind of bewitching glamor. Oksana Krylova and the glorious Marina Klimova radiate that quality in my mind.

I won't argue about Fusar-Poli. I'll never forget the look of death she gave poor Maurizio when he stumbled at the Olympics. This woman is larger than life by a long way!

Afterthought: Ooh, what about Isabelle Duchesnay? Fierce and hungry, and definitely a diva, even though she and her brother looked like two sides of the same coin.

Tonichelle · Feb 16, 2011

Divo is the male version of Diva... afaik

herios · Feb 16, 2011

Olympia said:
Diva implies a bit more of an ego to me. Or at least a kind of bewitching glamor. Oksana Krylova and the glorious Marina Klimova radiate that quality in my mind.

.

Ok, so was Oksana Grishtchuk or Anjelika Krylova you had in mind? Or both? :laugh:

Olympia · Feb 17, 2011

Gaak! Sleep deprivation has tangled my brain. I meant Krylova. Thanks!...but you're right about Pasha, too. Definitely our Oksana Gritshuk is securely perched the at the top of the diva ladder.

blue dog · Feb 17, 2011

Olympia said:
Definitely our Oksana Gritshuk is securely perched the at the top of the diva ladder.

Maia Usova might have a few words to say about that assessment =P

gmyers · Feb 17, 2011

Lots of the Divas have been mentioned. One that is clearly in traiing is Ilynikh. She just has that quality. Also because it is rare for men definitely Tkachenko-male Krylova all the way.

When Shae Lynn Bourne did the whole Pasha makeover they won worlds. Maybe you meant they suffered as they lost themselves but they won their biggest prize. I wasn't really paying attention to non olympic skating at the time but that was so blatant! Seems like everyone just accepted it!

gio · Feb 17, 2011

Tonichelle said:
Divo is the male version of Diva... afaik

Yeah, it comes from latin divus (masculine form) and diva (feminine form). Then the -us in italian became -o and so we had divo regarding men and diva women.

Joesitz (RIP) · Feb 17, 2011

Who cares?

Can't Figure Skating come up with a better description than "Diva"? whose origin comes from Italian opera. Figure Skating just does not have anything that is original. It relies so much on other forms of established entertainment and sports.

Olympia · Feb 17, 2011

Wash your mouth out with soap, Joe! (I say this with the greatest respect.) Skating has its very own appeal, despite its parallels to dance, sport, flying, and magic. And is was us fans who came up with the term diva. The skaters are busy skating.

If we need an original term, we can say premiere patineuse absolute, which I have paralleled after premiere danseuse and prima donna assoluta. People better versed in French and Italian, feel free to correct and embroider. But for brevity, diva works just fine for me.

The Diva in Ice Dance

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