New Ashley Wagner Video.

ImaginaryPogue said:

Volosozhar/Trankov are skating to it for their LP.

Which will be AMAZING.

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ImaginaryPogue said:

Volosozhar/Trankov are skating to it for their LP.

Which will be AMAZING.

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evangeline said:

I would die of joy if Maxim "Emo Max" Trankov portrays the black swan to Tatiana's white swan. It would indeed be AMAZING in that case.


But to avoid the threat derailment previously experienced, I think Ashley's jumps look a bit improved--there is less two-footing and I think I see a bit of extra height in her jumps?

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Blades of Passion said:

God, I hope so.

Ashley's program is the opposite of what she should be skating to IMO. Her creative teams need to stop trying to turn her into an ice princess.

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Layfan said:

She should try to bring something new and distinctive to the ice that says "Ashley Wagner" instead of "Another Lady Skater".

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R.D. said:

I don't think very many skaters manage to do that.

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Blades of Passion said:

Although her LP is completely generic and forgettable, I do really like the music she's using for the SP. I don't think the choreography is particularly good, but it's a nice offbeat musical choice. Actually, the choreography is very poor in terms of interpreting the music, IMO. Almost every element is in the wrong place. They have jumps where she should be spinning, spins where she should be doing non-technical choreography, and non-technical choreography where she should be doing footwork (LOL at the spread eagle at the end of the program...how uselessly applied that movement is).

The other problem with the choreography is that the music has moments of sadness to it and there doesn't seem to be any effort at all to reflect that quality. Only the rapid, upbeat parts of the music seems to have been given attention in this program and even then the choreographer did not do a very good job at specifically bringing that aspect to life.

The shining moment of the program is when she is going into the 3Lutz as the music is building and then those quick, wistful piano notes come into the melody as she is in the air. A lovely moment and the one idea here that really works. This program has a ton of potential and it makes me sad that Ashley is working so hard to be great but isn't getting correct creative leadership. I'm going to go ahead and share how I would choreograph this music for her. Let us look at the current program to better see the envisioned changes:

Ashley Wagner's 2011-2012 Short Program

* To start off with, why are they having her remain still when the music starts? This is not a tango or some kind of serious dramatic piece. You're not getting any kind of special buildup by doing that. Then, when she does start moving, it's a kind of stationary toe stepping that feels like it belongs to a Freshman show choir. This must go. When the music starts she should be moving immediately (but not frantically...the very first movement can even still be a stationary pose as long as there is bodily motion) and a big smile should come across her face. The music sounds like a person who is discovering something new and exciting; that's what she should be thinking. She should be covering a good amount of ice in the opening with movement that is characterized by short series of sharp, fluid turns and upward arm movements.

* She will build up speed and do transitional steps going into her opening jump, a 2Axel. This jump will come at 0:36 and after holding the landing for a second there will come transitional movement that will directly correspond with the transition that is now happening in the music. After the transition she will go in a small circle around the rink while utilizing arm movements that are reminiscent of brush strokes a painter might make. After this circle she will then change direction and start building up speed.

* The foot and arm movements she currently does at 0:58 will instead come a few seconds earlier, to close off that section of the music. Once the music has changed to the new section where it is building up, I just want her to focus on gaining speed for a 3Lutz combination. She will do the 3Lutz one second earlier than she currently does so that the next jump in combination will come in time with the quick, wistful piano notes in the melody. She should go for a 3Loop on the back end of the Lutz. It's something she has done before and something she needs to set herself apart. Underrotations are no longer overly punished, so even an underrotated 3Loop will be worthwhile as long as she keeps it clean. If she's not feeling a 3Loop, then a 2Loop is fine too. It's good for her to do the combination with the Lutz, because I suspect her Lutz might still get some edge calls. Given that trying to do a 3-3 combination is more frequently going to result in -GOE (she currently plans 3Flip-3Toe), it would be better for her to attempt the 3-3 with the Lutz so that -GOE for both the Lutz (if it gets the call) and the 3-3 (if it's messed up) are contained within the same jumping pass. That way her solo Triple jump can get +GOE.

* After the combination jump she will then go right into her combination spin, at 1:09 with the change of melody in the music. This combination spin should end at 1:24 (it took her 15 seconds to complete the move in the current program), which is perfect as the melody has changed again. The music is now somber and as such there should be choreography that reflects this quality and calls upon Ashley to act lost and vulnerable. Following this short section of choreography we will come to the Layback. She will do the same Layback as she currently does and the first change of position (to a side layback) will come at 1:36, as a means of interpreting the high, longing piano that has entered into the music.

* Following the layback will be another short section of choreography that expresses isolation and loneliness (it will be far different from the kind of movement she currently does at 1:56...another out-of-place "attitude" movement that is disjointed from the music). After this section of choreography she will begin to build up speed and starting at 2:07 she will start doing transitional steps (which will reflect the sharp notes of the music) as the preparation for a 3Flip. The jump will come at 2:11 and after landing and holding the edge for a moment she will pause and pose very briefly before going into a straightline footwork sequence. This section leading up to the footwork sequence will be a big improvement over what the program currently is, as there will be an actual build-up that mirrors how the music is continually gaining more complexity during this part.

* It's hard to describe the formation and look of how I would do the footwork sequence with just words but I can definitely tell you I wouldn't include that "pushing" movement she currently does at 2:20 or any kind of stop at all. It doesn't go with the music. This melody is continuous and I don't hear/feel any points within this section where such a thing makes sense. I also would not utilize the "one foot for part of the pattern" feature, as that kind of movement relates more to a smoother tone and that's not what is happening in this music.

* The final technical move would be a Flying Sit, as it is in the current program, but I would have her only go for a Level 3 (doing the twisted position for the 8 revolutions) rather than a Level 4. The second variation she tries to do in the current flying sit (to get a Level 4) is plain ugly and slows the spin down. She would lose .4 in base value by taking that position out, but should gain more +GOE if she didn't do it and instead focused on making the spin fast and centered and using arm movements during the twisted position to provide more texture to the music and the move itself. Taking that final position out of the flying sit also gives her a couple extra seconds to add a better choreographic movement before the end of the program in order to further enhance the character of the program.

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