2011 Glacier Falls Summer Classic, August 5-7, Anaheim, CA | Page 3 | Golden Skate

2011 Glacier Falls Summer Classic, August 5-7, Anaheim, CA

nikiya

Rinkside
Joined
May 3, 2011
Just watched Mirai's LP. I think the music was a bit of a mish-mash even though the cuts are from the same ballet. To me, the program doesn't flow and a big part of it has to do with how the score selections. Music started off with Prelude, goes into Spartacus/ Phrygia PDD adagio, then into Phrygia variation, then for some reason into Aegina variation (and ends on that, I believe). Artistically, the first third of the program looks a bit too generically placid, the middle part more expressive, and the last third looks too frantic. It'd be better off to cut the prelude portion and just skate to the PDD and variation scores, as this is where the choreography and music have most impact.

Also agree about Mirai's Y-spiral looking not the best and tentative, especially when compared with Shizuka's textbook perfect form. In Shizuka's case, her natural turnout at the hips and high extensions allows her to have an effortless look to her developpe a la seconde (or Y-spiral), also she does it with her torso correctly centered, not tilted to side (in ballet we call it cheating to reach higher extensions). But I don't think Mirai should over-stretch her muscles in order to have higher extensions, that's when you injure the muscles needed for petit allegro/ footwork/ jumps in ballet and comparably for jumps/ footwork in figure skating.

I'm surprised I actually liked Ashley's LP to Swan Lake, because I didn't think she'd be dramatic enough to pull it off. Perfect for her to choose Swan Lake Act IV score, if only for the dramatic emphasis as she's not the most emotive skater. The choreography works precisely because Ashley isn't trying to emulate a swan, that's the one mistake that dancers and skaters make when they do Swan Lake. Elegant arms with a touch of swan is fine, but too much bird-like arm flapping and it becomes a caricature instead. So bravo to Ashley and her choreographer for not taking Swan Lake too literally, after all it's originally a psychological fairy tale not an exercise in arm flapping.
 
Top