I appreciate that fact that she is trying to replicate the character of the music on ice; she is portraying a swan as a ballet dancer as an ice skater. Yes it's fake ballet but it's so much better to watch that than skaters stroking around with slumped shoulders and having no connection to the music like 90% of the skaters out there do.Originally Posted by glam
The en pointe part is indeed awkward but I wouls say given the program and what it portrays, almost obligatory. People liked it better when Oksana swaned around. She was awkward too but folks acted like she was an artiste+ and nancy was some poor shlep. But that was 1994. I hope we see new programs From AW and I agree she can really move to upbeat, young, club music. But judges want that left in the exhibitions, it seems. Who would win an OGM skating to JLo's 'On the Floor.'? So there you have it.
Yu Na should, if she ever comes back. I don't think anyone else could do it justice.
There are skaters more artistic than Yuna. Joannie could do it better. Yuna was a very fast skater/jumper. Athlete over artist. Mao could do it better (not to mention if MK returned.)
Well, of course, no one can do it better than Michelle. But Yu Na's Tango de Roxanne reminds me of Lamento D'Ariane, or at least the music cuts Michelle used. I also think Yu Na is an artistic skater. Joannie, to me, is more of an athlete. And Mao--well Mao is just too inconsistent. Her futile pursuit of the triple axel has ruined her for me.
yes, wish mao would forget the triple axel but she loves to do it. i love mao -she's a doll.
Tweet from Ashley Wagner @AshWagner2010
"Searching for music..helllppp!!! I need ideas!"
2:33 AM - 18 May 12
For Ashley I'd like to see her skate to music I haven't seen others skate to so she can have a signature program without comparisons to other greats...
Sp: Massenet - The Last Sleep of the Virgin
Lp: Mahler - Symphony 2 Mvt. 1 "Resurrection"
I almost want to join Twitter to make my suggestions
These are not originals, but I think they would be good for Ashley:
SP: Dvorak, Dumky Trio
LP: Grieg Piano Concerto in A minor
Ashley IS a black swan. It fits her so well!
Cute. Okay just because I am a big fan of Ashley's Black Swan here are some more OST suggestions
Downton Abbey OST (Require some edit obviously but got great tension for SP)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n7ULKKJ5UpI
The Villiage by Jamese Newton Howard (FS)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZcgKfY_hvzQ
Lady in lavender by Nigel Hess, Joshua bell and his magic violin (FS)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kxWpWEErcnw
For gala, love this beat
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZDgAW6QCcKQ
I just want to add I really love Ashley's competitive spirit this year, so much 'fire in her belly' at the same time her self-depreciating attitude. It is the type of dramatic and ambitious program that weirdly remind me of Yuna Kim extravaganza blockbuster programs include her gorgeous costume...sigh... I do miss Yuna like crazy!
On a side note, I personally think a common mistake when appraising any program on its artistic merit is to have a preconceived notion of what defines certain art forms and what these aesthetics criteria should be. Certainly by holding onto one's morale judgement above everything else will prevent a fair assessment of the work. I believe credible art should goes far beyond the aesthetics. Whether something is truthful to the essence of an defined concept, the creative process, the depth and the authenticity of these realization and explorations. A well painted bowl of fruit done by a realism painter that may have exceptional craftsmanship, but they cannot touch on the brusque uncalculated brush strokes of an emotional wrenching authenticity of Edvard Munch's Scream. And just because one is used to the aesthetic of the renaissance, it does not make different interpretation of the same subject or concept irrelevant.
It is precisely why 'originality', 'creativity', 'courage', 'experimentation' and 'concepts' are the important criteria when appraising art. Something IJS does not really reward enough, unless you consider Choreography and Interpretation under PCS sufficient enough of a rewarding system.
Last edited by os168; 05-20-2012 at 03:08 PM.
Os168, this is a wonderful way to look at skating. In your metaphor, I'd substitute a still life by Cezanne for "The Scream," but that might be because I like Cezanne better than Munch! Your point that art is an important dimension of skating definitely dovetails with what I value in this sport. (Or whatever it is!)
The point that people have made about earlier skaters often repeating music because of the time demands of learning school figures reminds me of a Janet Lynn program I looked up. This is the year she used "Afternoon of a Faun" as a competitive program rather than as an exhibition;
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l7kTnyOcPy4
This program is considered one of skating's immortal moments. So I expected to witness Lynn's legendary artistic lightness blending with her athletic superiority. I was expecting the program to be an expression of the groundbreaking 20th-century Debussy music. But no--the music changed abruptly several times, once to Liszt (I think it was "Les Preludes") and then again to a mid-nineteenth-century ballet score, possibly Giselle. And then it ended with a bit from Beethoven's Fifth Symphony! My head was spinning. There was no possibility for musical interpretation with four such disparate pieces. These days choreographers are more skillful in blending music, so that if they must use several pieces, the components are more compatible. (For example, the way Lori Nichol grafted Hector Villa-Lobos's "Song of the Black Swan" and Dvorak's "Dumky" Trio together.) So in one important way, skating has actually progressed.
Which is to say that music is a far more important component of skating today, and I don't think Ashley will be using it to its full advantage if she just repeats what she did last year. Especially in the case of Swan Lake, which has been used by so many skaters, she won't be saying to the judges, "Look over here, people! You've never seen this before." There is SO MUCH incredible music out there, some of which has been mentioned by posters on this thread. Why stop at Swan Lake? (And I love Tchaikovsky, mind you.)
I especially like Drivingmissdaisy's two suggestions, the Massenet and the first movement of Mahler's First Symphony. Mahler's First is very different from the Adagietto of the Fifth that has been used so effectively by both Virtue/Moir and Gordeyeva. It's tight, almost narrative, less dark, to my ear. It's got motion built into it, and it's a rather sinewy motion, not princessy, so a strong skater like Ashley would be able to mine a lot from it. I do hope you can convey your ideas to Ashley!
Last edited by Olympia; 05-20-2012 at 04:22 PM.
Ashley should enjoy the challenges and joys that come with performing new programs. She also says that she would be bored if she kept a program for two years.
Hmm, why not something from one of the classic film noirs of the 40s and 50s? She can still do a character that is both [deceptively] "good" and bad, and those old Hollywood scores can be classically symphonic. Just a thought.
Are you thinking along the lines of "Sunset Blvd"?
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