All That Skate-Spring 2011

cooper said:

accroding to this site http://www.kurtfiles.com/index.php

Kurt Browning will be in Korea for Yuna's next ice show this August!

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Good news! Yuna needs to bring in some more of the old-timers to her show. Ilia and Katia were pretty good at ATS Spring.

Hoping Michelle Kwan goes to the summer show, too.

Krislite said:

Yunatic? That I've never heard before. I've heard of Yuna fans, Chanatics and Maodroids, but not Yunatics. I do remember the term "Kwanatic", though. There's still a lot of those around here, eh Mathman?

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As the old B-movie Westerns used to say, smile when you say that, pardner. I've got your back, Mathman.

Kwanatic...I like the sound of that. I like thinking of myself as a bot of some skater. (Well, two, including Kurt.) It makes me feel so...initiated.

As for the news that Kurt will skate in August's program, yippeeeee! Wish I could fly out to see that one.

Serious Business said:

Beyonce's wild quavering butchers the standard, and Yuna matched it with her jittery and unsure movement. Both the singer and the dancer utterly lacked the smooth, self-assured sultriness the song demands. And then near the end, the song briefly and incomprehensibly turns techno. Just so things can get worse. Bleecccch!

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Funny. What you have just described matches the literal meaning of 'You give me Fever' perfectly. Beyonce's version is provocative and feverishly sexier.

We are at the current thriving age of pulp excess gaga land of 2010s where subtlety is precious and rare. Just how realistically can one 'Fever' with the smooth, self-assured sultriness of the Hollywood fantasy film noir of the 50s? Being sexy doesn't happen in dreamland castle bounded bedrooms with Harp music playing in the background any more; it is the clubs, bars, lounges, stages, parties, where yes even some technos are sometimes playing in the background.

Beyonce brought the song 'Fever' to its current age, and Yuna was faithful to that interpretation, a girl of her generation.

I checked Serious B's previous posts. Just another troll in the cave.

parma said:

I checked Serious B's previous posts. Just another troll in the cave.

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Not liking Yuna's new exhibition program does not make one a troll.

I don't like it too much either but I am older and understand "Fever" is a program meant to entertain Yuna's younger fans.

I see nothing wrong with that and judging from the crowd reaction the program went over very well.

Not sure why but I always prefer Yuna's comp programs over her exhibition programs and often feel the opposite about Mao.

Just a matter of taste and I much prefer Alissa's "Moon River" program to "Fever."

cooper said:

accroding to this site http://www.kurtfiles.com/index.php

Kurt Browning will be in Korea for Yuna's next ice show this August!

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I'm thrilled! It's great to see in person one legend after another. Thank you Yu-Na and All That Skate!

Brightphoton, I think both her programs in Moscow, even at their first showings, were excellent even by Yu-Na's standard, and as good as anything I've seen last season. And I consider her Meditation to be one of the best things she's ever done, in competition or exhibition skating. But, each to his own, and nobody can please everyone, I guess.

I think one side of her greatness, besides her competitive records, is that she has delivered one quality program after another throughout her career since her junior years. And she has constantly tried something new each season, expanding her range as a performer, and she's still 20. I think even her Die Fledermaus, considered by many to be the lesser among her short programs, is one of the best waltz programs ever by a singles skater. Of course this comes from a longtime fan in me, but I think it's a fair statement.

About the audience reaction during her Fever, they were equally enthusiastic and responsive during the performance by EVERY skater, not just Yu-Na's. And they're not at a classical concert, ballet or opera. They were to have fun. Their enthusiasm was contagious to the skaters too, and the appreciation on their part was felt and conveyed back to the audience. And they were genuine in their appreciation and support of the skaters' performance, coming from knowing what it must have taken for each skater to be on top of the sport, from their acquaintance of Yu-Na's own struggle to the top. I mean nobody can fake that for 2 1/2 hours. I think it's absolutely wonderful, and I see no need to bash the audience like you did in your post. If they bother you, I advise you to stay away from any fan cams of Yu-Na's shows, past or future, and not just on Yu-Na's performance but on all others' as well. You will be fairly warned if you take a quick glance at the title of the link.

I'd like to share my gushing over Katia. I was at Day 1 and Day 3 shows. Day 3 performances were even better. I liked both of her programs, and was impressed not only by her finesse and grace, but by the speed and power in her skating as well. She looked and felt much bigger than her small frame, not by her reputation or life story, but by her skating itself. I hope to see her again!

While I disagree with Serious Business on this occasion, I must disagree even more strongly on the accusation SB is a troll!

I've always enjoyed reading and learning from his/her posts actually, just not today heheh... although secretly I think he/she is a closet Yuna fan, but it would be far too uncouth to admit this in public and ruin this 'serious zombified' version of self.

As for Yuna's show. It is so great to see all the skaters seems to have enjoyed themselves immensely, and that Yuna especially seems to have literally let her hair down and looked more happier and relaxed than during the last 12 months. I don't think even at ATS LA she smiled so big and was so receptive to the crowd. This show is really about entertaining the fans, good times than Art. There's always room for art later... now is time to party and have fun after a tough and an uncertain season.

Love latest news about Kurt joining the show, total respect to him, the complete skater and entertainer. I love how they keep bringing the legends back! May be Katerina Witt, and Yagudin in the future too?

os168 said:

I've always enjoyed reading and learning from his/her posts actually, just not today heheh... although secretly I think he/she is a closet Yuna fan, but it would be far too uncouth to admit this in public and ruin this 'serious zombified' version of self.

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Thank you for your kind words! I have to say, though, that I think I'm quite open with my Yuna fandom. I've said before that she's one of my favorite skaters, gushed over various performances of hers, and posted what seems like hundreds of posts exhaustively defending her scoring in the SP at Worlds.

I just really don't like this one particular show number of hers. For me, being a fan of a skater never meant liking everything that skater does. It just means I look forward to new programs from them more and I root for them to do well, but I can still find them lacking after they actually lay it down on the ice.

Serious Business said:

Jeremy Abbott's piece to "Hometown Glory" was mindblowing. I'm familiar with the song and I've seen it used in other contexts, but when I watched Abbott skate to it, I felt like I've finally heard the song. He does a seamless job of bringing out the nuances in the song's phrasing and emotions. The edge work. The first two jumps set to silence. One of the best skates I've seen.

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That's why Jeremy Abbott is one of my favourite male skaters. You can see the little glowing green batons be completely still in the background; the audience is mesmerized. (The first place I heard "Hometown Glory" was on So You Think You Can Dance when Mia Michaels choreographed a routine for Katee & Joshua. I still remember it! It was years ago.)

Serious Business said:

Yuna's piece to Beyonce's "Fever" was a train wreck in every regard. Beyonce's wild quavering butchers the standard, and Yuna matched it with her jittery and unsure movement. Both the singer and the dancer utterly lacked the smooth, self-assured sultriness the song demands. And then near the end, the song briefly and incomprehensibly turns techno. Just so things can get worse. Bleecccch!

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HEHE I love that you aren't afraid to say what you think but...I liked all of that! And I agree with os that Beyonce's version sounds more feverish. As always, your posts are awesome and I like reading them.

brightphoton said:

I was wowed by Yuna's performances at the Olympics, but her competitive programs this year are just ordinary.

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As a Yunatic I was wowed by YuNa's nerves at the Olympics, but those were not my favourite performances of those programs by her that season, and (as I said elsewhere) I found that YuNa's LP this year was choreographically superior to her Olympic LP.

cooper said:

accroding to this site http://www.kurtfiles.com/index.php

Kurt Browning will be in Korea for Yuna's next ice show this August!

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I was fantasizing about this!!! And it came TRUE!!!!!!!!! *faint*

prettykeys said:

That's why Jeremy Abbott is one of my favourite male skaters. You can see the little glowing green batons be completely still in the background; the audience is mesmerized. (The first place I heard "Hometown Glory" was on So You Think You Can Dance when Mia Michaels choreographed a routine for Katee & Joshua. I still remember it! It was years ago.)

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I remember that piece on SYTYCD (link to said piece), too. But it didn't leave that much of an impression on me, not like Jeremy's take on it did. Seeing the SYTYCD piece again, though, I think I know why. That choreography is so melodramatic it completely overpowers the stately song, whereas Jeremy is moving to it far more naturally.

I am just happy for Yuna to be happy and perform for her enthusiastic and super supportive fans. I was worried for her from Worlds that she might have overworked, overstressed with too much on her young soulders. Well, she still has too much demanded of her and I hope she handles all the demands, be they obligations or passion, with the admirable character she has displayed in her young luminous life.

She has seemed quite emotional and I think she's an emotional young lady. When I watched her two programs linked, I couldn't help seeing how much love and pride Orser had for her. I believe she loved him too because she appeared to have her feelings hurt by him leading to the breakup. I don't take sides or pretend to know what happened, but I do know it was not easy for either of them to go through. Who knows how they each feels now. It was a long and intense relationship after all, sharing such experiences and a journey very few will ever understand.

SkateFiguring said:

I am just happy for Yuna to be happy and perform for her enthusiastic and super supportive fans. I was worried for her from Worlds that she might have overworked, overstressed with too much on her young soulders. Well, she still has too much demanded of her and I hope she handles all the demands, be they obligations or passion, with the admirable character she has displayed in her young luminous life.

She has seemed quite emotional and I think she's an emotional young lady. When I watched her two programs linked, I couldn't help seeing how much love and pride Orser had for her. I believe she loved him too because she appeared to have her feelings hurt by him leading to the breakup. I don't take sides or pretend to know what happened, but I do know it was not easy for either of them to go through. Who knows how they each feels now. It was a long and intense relationship after all, sharing such experiences and a journey very few will ever understand.

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Beautifully said. I agree with everything. Thank you

Sometimes people forget she is just a simple 20 years old girl who tries to do her best to survive in this murky world of figure skating that is nearly always far more complex than what goes on the ice. That is why it is such a fascinating sport. May be what she can do is not good enough for everybody, but that is ok, it is her life! I agree about the emotional transparency characteristics, imho it is one of her biggest asset but also hurdle.

lowtherlore said:

I'd like to share my gushing over Katia. I was at Day 1 and Day 3 shows. Day 3 performances were even better. I liked both of her programs, and was impressed not only by her finesse and grace, but by the speed and power in her skating as well. She looked and felt much bigger than her small frame, not by her reputation or life story, but by her skating itself. I hope to see her again!

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Everyone I've ever encountered who has seen Katia live has commented on how fast she skates. Years ago, when Sergei Grinkov was alive, a friend of mine got to see them in one of the Skates of Gold programs. She said they practiced separately in the warmup, and she sped around the ice like a charged particle. It doesn't show up as much on TV, but the effect of her speed, the smooth lightness of her movements, certainly does show up. That and her emotional connection to the music are what keep me a fan of hers even in this day of ladies doing triple axels.

Hernando said:

Not liking Yuna's new exhibition program does not make one a troll.

I don't like it too much either but I am older and understand "Fever" is a program meant to entertain Yuna's younger fans.

I see nothing wrong with that and judging from the crowd reaction the program went over very well.

Not sure why but I always prefer Yuna's comp programs over her exhibition programs and often feel the opposite about Mao.

Just a matter of taste and I much prefer Alissa's "Moon River" program to "Fever."

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Finally. Here is an example of expressing one's preference without being a troll.

Oh dear..I'm a big fan of Yuna but it doesn't meant i have to like all her programs! Can we just not call someone a troll when he/she has his different view?

parma said:

Finally. Here is an example of expressing one's preference without being a troll.

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Rather, you look like a troll pretending to be a Yuna fan.

I have liked Serious Business's unbiased and knowledgeable posts, so I am embarrassed by your accusing SB as a troll.

I'm so glad to see Z/Z back to skating, with huge throws.

Found this better quality video.

c/o of spiccoli/ynkf

backstage photos

http://img534.imageshack.us/img534/7351/39870692.jpg
http://img546.imageshack.us/img546/9054/52112772.jpg
http://img546.imageshack.us/img546/6503/27278601.jpg

Serious Business said:

I remember that piece on SYTYCD (link to said piece), too. But it didn't leave that much of an impression on me, not like Jeremy's take on it did. Seeing the SYTYCD piece again, though, I think I know why. That choreography is so melodramatic it completely overpowers the stately song, whereas Jeremy is moving to it far more naturally.

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SYTUCD was the first time I heard that song and it was love right away. Katy and Jeremy were just magical in it. They are probably still my favorite couple from that show, they had the best friendship.
Anyway, nothing can compare to Mia Michaels for me, but Jeremy's program was right on. Just the way it should be. So glad be choose that music. But please, lose that hair color. It was distracting.