Have you been to any good ice shows lately? | Page 16 | Golden Skate

Have you been to any good ice shows lately?

let`s talk

Match Penalty
Joined
Sep 10, 2009
That's why the link wasn't added to the post itself. One of the members merely included it in her comment, noting that the review was unpleasant in her opinion, so people could decide for themselves whether to read it or not. By the way, there's nothing unpleasant in your review about the skater (Stephane Lambiel, that is) who's fan page it was - and thank you for that. Those were your comments about a few other skaters that people found unpleasant. Strangely, there are still people in the world who care about others too beside their beloved favorite. But no need to offend all Stephane fans there calling them losers just because they don't share your view on some things.
Wow! What an arogance. Just because someone got called "loser" it means it refers to all Stephane fans since that someone obviously considers him/herserself as a representative of the whole fandom. I don't remember when I said that name-calling to my address applies to all Plu/Dai/Mao/etc. fans. And I was called worse than that. :biggrin: Still, it's not fair to drag people who are not here, no matter what they are, because they simply can't defend themselves. Sticking with "I think" looks more respectful.
Of course, those are the best examples. Not everyone - even of the best - can do that. But there are also those who think that the art side in an exhibition program is more important than jumps, and who want to leave more room for choreography and emotions. That's why they most often leave the quads for the finale ;) (not always, though). By the way, if there are not many difficult jumps in a figure skating program (or even no jumps at all), it doesn't mean that the program is easy, even technically. As someone who seems to know quite a lot about figure skating you must know also this.
You tend to speak about general and hypothetical things, therefore it looks like ranting. I prefer to speak about the certain skaters and what they skated at the certain show. Feel free to agree/disagree/argue on what exactly the skater skated, and not some theory. Then there will be something to comment.
 

karne

in Emergency Backup Mode
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Jan 1, 2013
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Australia
Joined
Aug 16, 2009
Thanks!

Silly me: I looked at the Dornbush video to see if I could identify the music, but I can generally do that only with obscure classical pieces. It's interesting music, and he looks great in it. The Jason Brown is such fun. "Fly Me to the Moon" is one of my favorite songs from that era, and with that easy rhythm it's great for skating to.
 

karne

in Emergency Backup Mode
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Jan 1, 2013
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Australia
Plus I thought Jason looked especially dashing and handsome in his suspenders and hat. ;)
 
Joined
Aug 16, 2009
Yes, didn't he? Definitely a man about town. He would have fit in with the Rat Pack very well; Sammy Davis, Jr., would have especially enjoyed watching him--a splendid dancer in his own right. Actually, Sinatra danced pretty well in his MGM movies, though he didn't do anything much in his live shows.
 

plushyfan

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Joined
Jun 27, 2012
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Hungary
I figure this is the right place to stick these. Videos from the Ice Dreams show at Oakland CA that I found on Youtube.

Johnny Weir - Born This Way

Johnny Weir- Swan Lake

and now the boring stuff is over, here's the good stuff

Richard Dornbush (not sure what the music is)

Richard Dornbush - Let's Get It On/Saturday Night Fever

Jason Brown - Fly Me To The Moon (YESSSSSSSSSSS JASON DOING SINATRA)

Max Aaron - Too Close (eh, not sure about this, I don't think Max does emo well)
Thank you! Very entertaining programs. :thumbsup: To be honest I don't like( hate )Johnny's costume in Born this way.
 

demarinis5

Gold for the Winter Prince!
Record Breaker
Joined
Jan 23, 2004
Jason is a treat to watch, no matter what music he is skating too.

Johnny looked good and his jumps were looking good as well.

Thanks for the video links!
 

Matilda

Medalist
Joined
Dec 19, 2012
I was at the Icedreams show in Oakland, and for a small show the cast and skating was terrific! Whether you like Johnny Weir or not, I think he deserves credit for mentoring younger skaters--elite as well as aspiring ones--and giving them opportunities for show skating. Yes, Tara is the official organizer of the show, but I hear Johnny is very involved. For example, for the Jamestown show he traveled with Tara to Syracuse, NY, to audition the young skaters. He also choreographed the elite skaters' group programs. The energy in the show was wonderful and it was clear the skaters really enjoyed working together.

The show opened with little skaters, whom the elite skaters soon joined for a little joint number. There was later a group performance by all the young skaters--there were a lot of them! The show also included a young synchro team (I'm guessing between ages 10 and 14) that performed in both acts. Their second number to James Bond was very entertaining and quite well skated.

I adore Jason Brown! He oozes positive energy, and his skating is just so effortless and elegant. I love the new number to Sinatra, and the MC Hammer program is simply brilliant.

I had previously seen Ricky live only in competition, so I didn't really know what to expect. I liked that he showed two very different sides of himself (Jason, Ricky, and Johnny all did). Some jumps were a bit shaky, but he's got good skating skills and I liked his style. He had only learned the backflip a week ago, and was clearly thrilled about mastering it: he did a backflip six times in the show and twice after the show :laugh:

Max's jumps and speed are really amazing. He is clearly working on improving his performance skills, and I trust that his programs will become more creative in time. The second program suited his energetic style better than the first one, imo.

Samantha is a lovely skater with a mature style. I particularly liked her second program, the Mambo. Also, for a woman, she has amazing spread eagles! Is she related to Jonathan Cassar or something? :p OT, but why the heck doesn't she have a GP assignment?

Hannah Miller is a pint size firecracker--she's got good speed, great spins, and she's sassy. She only skated one program, but it was a good. I've seen people complain that her jumps are small. Maybe, but they look well rotated--and really, she is a tiny person. At any rate, I like Hannah a lot.

Polina Edmunds was lovely--and she looked so excited to be in the show! I think she has tons of potential. She is tall and very thin, however--I hope the puberty monster is kind to her.

It is wonderful to see Johnny with great speed and attack again--and he put a 3A in both of his performances! :yay: His spins are still terrific, and his movement across the ice is wonderfully smooth and effortless. The impact of his Black Swan may not come across as well in the video, but it was intense. Johnny clearly loves the music--the performance was moving, and he skated very well. :love: He got huge applause, which started already during his final spin.

Johnny's second act is campy as camp can be--the costume, the choreography, his moves and facial expressions--and a lot of fun. The contrast to the Black Swan somehow makes it even more effective. He doesn't take himself too seriously, and that's a characteristic I've always admired in people.

As the show closed, there was a lot of hugging among the skaters, taking pictures together and with the people seated on the ice (including Rudy, as we see in the picture posted above). All in all, a great show, with lots of positive energy! :)
 

demarinis5

Gold for the Winter Prince!
Record Breaker
Joined
Jan 23, 2004
Thank you so much Matilda for your detailed report. It is always nice to hear from someone who was
actually at the show. Sounds like it was a great show with lots of positive energy and fun.
 

Matilda

Medalist
Joined
Dec 19, 2012
A few more videos from Icedreams Oakland--not terrific quality though. The very white spotlight combined with silver/gold/sparkly costumes requires a good video camera... Best if you watch on medium screen.

Sammie Cesario (Act One): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N0iUro_sNlU

Act 2 opening number: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kukXn9sQPUs

Polina Edmunds: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YRrBODnYr1I

Hannah Miller: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yycZEpMEEiI

Jason Brown (Act 2): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HQH5bZI_fhE

Finale: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XlvUGaejE7s
 
Joined
Aug 16, 2009
Matilda, thanks for all the coverage, both in words and in videos. It is indeed nice to hear that Johnny is working so hard with young skaters and is also skating so well. I love the idea of the kid synchro team!
 

noskates

Record Breaker
Joined
Jun 11, 2012
I agree with Matilda. I really enjoyed this show. The little kids were adorable and so cute on the ice. Didn't enjoy the bigger kids as much as the synchronized teams weren'ts very in synch. I had to wonder if the smaller ice was giving them problems with coordination.

Jason Brown is quite a showman. He was entertaining, engaged with the audience and seemed like he was having a good time out there. I've never seen such a lithe and bendy guy as this on the ice. When he put his foot above his head (a la Sasha Cohen) I about fainted. He ended one of his programs with the splits. He's been a favorite of mine since the 2012 Nats. I do think he's going to be a significant skater for the US in the future. He seems to be getting more and more secure in his jumps and his personality shows through in his skating. So much fun to watch - especially his "You Can't Touch This" number. He can REALLY dance!

I thought Johnny was awesome. His spins were tightly rotated and centered. His speed on the ice was very good given that the rink was smaller than an Olympic-sized rink. His triple axels were perfectly landed. I really liked his black swan in the first routine - good choreography, smooth lines, and he didn't back off of any of his jumps. Sometimes I wish he would just come out in an all-black costume and let his skating be the showpiece. But we were all impressed with his programs and his skating. He looks to be in excellent shape and everything was well-executed. Whether you like the man or not - he can still skate!

Max Aaron, on the other hand, to me is like a young Elvis Stojko. He's a man trying to do dance steps that just can't dance. He looks uncomfortable in his performance like all the moves other than his jumps are forced. His legs are very short and his torso is very long so his spins are awkward looking to me. It didn't help that he skated before Johnny both times and the difference in skating skills and performance was like night and day. Max can jump, that's for sure, but it's going to take more than that. We saw him in the lobby before hand and he's really quite cute....but, I do not enjoy his skating at all.

I've never paid much attention to Ricky Dornbush in the past but he did a good job. His jumps were, for the most part, secure in the landings and he has nice lines and in the field moves. He popped a few of his jumps and you could see him grin at himself. In competition he always seems to self-destruct though. Hope he can do well at Nats this year.

The girls were okay. None of them were all that exciting to our group. It bothers me when teenagers try to act sexy.....they don't pull it off well. JMO, of course.

Rudi Galindo was there and looked absolutely awful. When he was talking he had some light in his eyes but otherwise had kind of a tired-looking stare. He looked old and puffy to us and I wondered if maybe his HIV status had worsened. He seemed to be wearing alot of makeup but still had kind of a gray look about him. I hope he's okay.
 

plushyfan

Record Breaker
Joined
Jun 27, 2012
Country
Hungary
Thank you noskates,for your report. I like Johnny and his skating, I hate his white costume...I'm worried about Rudi. Mathman just showed me a wonderful skatnig from him...that was fantastic.:bow:
 
Joined
Aug 16, 2009
That's very upsetting about Galindo. For some people with HIV the medications eventually stop working. And some of them cause other problems, such as difficulties with sugar metabolism. I mean, thank God for the medications, which have given many people literally decades of good living, but they're not perfect.
 

Mysticchic

Rinkside
Joined
Oct 21, 2005
The Detroit Skating show is tonight, featuring Taka, Jeremy, Valentina, Elldj and many others. Tickets and table are available. Here is the link for the webcast http://altramedia.com/iceshow/
and here is the link for ticket sales. http://dscclub.com/events/iceshow/ The tables are great! On the ice, and a nice full buffet (Pasta, grilled chicken, caesar salad, fruit, desserts and oh yes, plenty of wine!!). No bad seats in the house!!
 
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