Have you been to any good ice shows lately?

[noidont]

I only saw Art on Ice in Shanghai, skipped Artistry on Ice because the arena (same area as CoC) is just way too far out there. Daisuke was fabulous but he didn't do "The Crisis", which was what I really wanted to see. I don't know if he will ever do that ex again. I will even go to Japan for it that's how bad I want to see it. Did he do "The Crisis" in Dream on Ice?

Anyway, AoI in Shanghai was a good show. P/T was fabulous and I wasn't even their fan to begin with. V/T looked far inferior to them in a lot of areas especially speed, which surprised me. Miki didn't look in shape though.

[golden411]

Patrick Chan ‏@Pchiddy

"A photo from Dreams on Ice with the guys. It was an honor and treat to skate with all of you! http://twitpic.com/9ycmi3"
4:01 PM - 19 Jun 12

ETA:
I see now that the photo tweeted by Chan is almost the same as this one:

Great thanks to Daisuke Murakami who posted backstage pics ....:
http://instagr.am/p/L9o_Q8G7Wb/

[Skater Boy]

I only saw Art on Ice in Shanghai, skipped Artistry on Ice because the arena (same area as CoC) is just way too far out there. Daisuke was fabulous but he didn't do "The Crisis", which was what I really wanted to see. I don't know if he will ever do that ex again. I will even go to Japan for it that's how bad I want to see it. Did he do "The Crisis" in Dream on Ice?

Anyway, AoI in Shanghai was a good show. P/T was fabulous and I wasn't even their fan to begin with. V/T looked far inferior to them in a lot of areas especially speed, which surprised me. Miki didn't look in shape though.

I didn't know Petrova and Tikinov were at this or were you talking a Pang and Tong - too many acronyms. Its amazing how a month or two and V and t are in trouble; doesn't surprise me about Ando it is rather early.

[DianaSelene]

I didn't know Petrova and Tikinov were at this or were you talking a Pang and Tong - too many acronyms. Its amazing how a month or two and V and t are in trouble; doesn't surprise me about Ando it is rather early.

I don't understand what you mean V/T in trouble. Someone just said that they look inferior to P/T in many aspects, but it's June so what does it show currently?

[skfan]

But me dear, that was precisely what had happened: splats, a bunch of step outs from not the most difficult elements in some lousy EXs. And all this in the same show where not only skaters without major titles like Tatsuki and Takahito, but also junior skaters skated better. It's not only Caro or Chan issue, it's a general tendency in FS that has been around for years and it's actually one of many reasons why the popularity of fs shows is declining in some areas. Some top skaters don't bother to work hard in shows, they think that they should be paid just for the appearance with their precious titles, like some wedding generals. Do you work half of your ability and expectations at your work too? And you boss still hasn't fired you? Such attitude of some skaters is not professional. They are paid and paid not cheap. Tickets on fs shows in Japan cost like for the Russian ballet that frequently visit here. I can't imagine that a prima-ballerina would work half of her ability and dance worse than a second-rank dancer of a corps de ballet. It's simply impossible. The reason why Plush is a cash cow is not only because he is a show case with the magnetic connection with the audience. But also because he never plays easy. The same goes about the majority of Japanese skaters, not elite ones only like Dai, but also all others, they consider it as rudeness to the audinece not to even try to do your best.
Imai skated Pure Imagination, all skaters skated only one program, Akiko too. Footwork of Yuzu's EX was done by Kurt.

thank you for the info on the skaters music and programs. i like ice princesses... they remind me of cotton candy

indeed you're right-- splats can also occur on less difficult jumps. everyone's entitled to times when they feel fatigued, and can't perform close to their best. i just find splats very disruptive. and splats on easier jumps can sometimes give the impression the skater isn't entirely focused on the performance.

no, i cannot read anyone's mind. yes, i know it's a show and the skaters aren't required to concentrate like they're performing brain surgery, or counting revolutions during COP programs. but that's the impression i get sometimes, like the skater isn't entirely engaged in the performance-- maybe the skater was distracted by an ill-timed camera flash. maybe the skater thought he/she could take it easy and still entertain even though the skater was battling fatigue or an old nagging injury... or something like that...

i am weird, but i think a skater like lambiel should make a statement and just leave jumps out of a program. show us the rest of his skating unencumbered (or unenhanced, depending on your POV) by jumps. show us a program where he uses only non-jump elements to highlight the music. just speaking for myself, as an occasional attendee at shows like COI and SOI in the USA, i would love it if a skater i admired performed a program without any jumps at all. for years i wished katia gordeeva would just let me enjoy her grace and choreography without attempting jumps like the 2a or 3t (her nemeses as a single skater). but that's just me, i find her crossovers gorgeous.

i don't think i'll ever see a jump-less program from dai, but if i got to see one i would jump for joy.

thank you for your insights, links and posts

[deedee1]

http://instagr.am/p/L9o_Q8G7Wb/

Let's talk, thank you so much for your report on DOI and links!

Looking at that pic, I am wondering Keiji Takana (the very right, back row) has grown a bit again??? He now apprears even taller and more muscular than Takahito Mura (the very left, back row). If so, he must be the tallest among Japanese boys!

[deedee1]

i am weird, but i think a skater like lambiel should make a statement and just leave jumps out of a program. show us the rest of his skating unencumbered (or unenhanced, depending on your POV) by jumps. show us a program where he uses only non-jump elements to highlight the music. just speaking for myself, as an occasional attendee at shows like COI and SOI in the USA, i would love it if a skater i admired performed a program without any jumps at all. for years i wished katia gordeeva would just let me enjoy her grace and choreography without attempting jumps like the 2a or 3t (her nemeses as a single skater). but that's just me, i find her crossovers gorgeous.

You are not the only one. I would rather want to see skaters without jumps, if they have to water down its contents and still splats.
As long as audience have to pay that much (=skaters get paid that much) for shows, they should not have falls no matter what; on jumps or in the middle of steps. No excuse. If I were one of the audience, "I did not pay some $200 to see a champion falls", I would say to myself with sigh...

With no jumps, this is one of the most gorgeous and loveliest performances for me!
Sacha Cohen EX @ 2006 Torino Olympic Games:

- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OnT9WjFsAKs

[Tonichelle]

Kurt Browning's Nyah is also a beauty with no jumps (when he added them in for competition the program lost a lot of what made it great).

[npavel]

Carolina skated once Evita without jumps and she was really great http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature...DZDp0JQo#t=72s

[lauravvv]

I only saw Art on Ice in Shanghai, skipped Artistry on Ice because the arena (same area as CoC) is just way too far out there. Daisuke was fabulous but he didn't do "The Crisis", which was what I really wanted to see. I don't know if he will ever do that ex again. I will even go to Japan for it that's how bad I want to see it. Did he do "The Crisis" in Dream on Ice?

Anyway, AoI in Shanghai was a good show. P/T was fabulous and I wasn't even their fan to begin with. V/T looked far inferior to them in a lot of areas especially speed, which surprised me. Miki didn't look in shape though.

Thank you. It seems that V/T are usually slower at shows - maybe just not putting their full power into it. I am not sure about competitions, though.

[lauravvv]

no, i cannot read anyone's mind. yes, i know it's a show and the skaters aren't required to concentrate like they're performing brain surgery, or counting revolutions during COP programs. but that's the impression i get sometimes, like the skater isn't entirely engaged in the performance-- maybe the skater was distracted by an ill-timed camera flash. maybe the skater thought he/she could take it easy and still entertain even though the skater was battling fatigue or an old nagging injury... or something like that...

But that's different - I too sometimes get a feel like a skater is not fully engaged in the performance, but that has nothing to do with jumps or even mistakes on them. It's rather about not putting themselves fully into the Performance itself, not into jumps. But it seems like let's talk really has a problem with the lack of difficult jumps and with mistakes.

i am weird, but i think a skater like lambiel should make a statement and just leave jumps out of a program. show us the rest of his skating unencumbered (or unenhanced, depending on your POV) by jumps. show us a program where he uses only non-jump elements to highlight the music. just speaking for myself, as an occasional attendee at shows like COI and SOI in the USA, i would love it if a skater i admired performed a program without any jumps at all. for years i wished katia gordeeva would just let me enjoy her grace and choreography without attempting jumps like the 2a or 3t (her nemeses as a single skater). but that's just me, i find her crossovers gorgeous.

i don't think i'll ever see a jump-less program from dai, but if i got to see one i would jump for joy.

I don't think you're weird either. I too like to sometimes see beautifully choreographed programs without jumps. But in case of Lambiel, it would be even more interesting if he made a program without his trademark spins. Maybe he'll do that one day - he once promised to think about this idea in an interview .
I don't completely agree with skfan, though. Yes, there are times when splats/falls spoil the impression of the performance. But not always - at least for me. If the skater gets up quickly and continues to skate with good mood, then I am not too bothered by it.

[lauravvv]

That's why they sell full houses unlike their NA colleagues.

I don't think that it's so simple. There are many more reasons to that than NA skaters not putting difficult technical content into their exhibition performances. Once there were great personalities in NA skating (and it was not all about jumps), but now they're mostly gone and so the interest has died down. The current system doesn't create great personalities. Plus, the traditions of figure skating (including show traditions) are older in North America, and it's difficult to keep people interested for such a long time with so many changes happening. I really hope that the interest about figure skating in Japan will be the same in 20 years or so.

I am not sure I follow. What does my comments about the current WC have anything to do with a retired WC like Lambiel? I am highly likely will see Kulik in October, and I don't expect any quad from him there. That's first. Second, I doubt that the show skills of Lambiel can be compared to Chan. But feel free to have another opinion.

I agree that in reality it can't be compared. What I actually wanted to say with my long post, is that there is so much more in show skating (and in figure skating as such) than just jumps and other difficult technical elements.

So, I'll write about the competitive skaters a bit more. Firstly, see what mikeko666 wrote. What would you say if Daisuke had made those mistakes in this show? Would you too write that he gave a "lousy" performance or didn't work hard enough? Or would you find some excuse for him?

Anyway, as for Chan's and Kostner's programs - they may not seem very difficult, but the 'Mannish Boy' program is a new style for Chan, so I imagine that a lot of work went into making it, and probably it's not so easy for him to perform it ether. Carolina's 'I's oh so quiet' program is not very usual for her either. I realize that it has little to do with the particular 'DOI' performances, I am just explaining that no difficult jumps in a program doesn't necessarily mean that the program is easy for a skater.

Also, skaters like Chan, Kostner, Suzuki, Hanya and, yes, Takahashi as well, had a longer competitive season than the junior skaters and the less famous skaters who had less competitive events. They are just coming out of their well deserved rest, and, yes, most likely they haven't trained a lot especially for this show. In the case of Chan, Kostner and Suzuki the tiredness from the long flight to Japan and time zone change is added to that.

You also have to take into consideration that, unlike those skaters, the junior skaters and less famous and titled skaters still have to prove themselves, more so than the already established skaters, and they have less opportunties to do that than those skaters. So, such a show is really an important event for them - I wouldn't be surprised if they spent more time preparing and training especially for this show than the skaters of Chan, Kostner and Takahashi rank.

[doctor2014]

Chan and Kostner traveled all the way to Japan to perform at DOI and Suzuki just came back from Detroit. I won't blame them if they were feeling tired.

Yes, Patrick, Carolina, Hanyu, and Suzuki just travelled to Japan from NA and Europe, so they all had jet lags, but they still tried to entertain the audience. I think most of the audience understood this and still loved to see all of them skating. Btw, I think Patrick looks good in that kimono.

But - ehh, are you joking here? Those 'Uncles' are both famous and respected choreographers and also respectable people. They do their jobs well. Also, Kurt Browning is a legendary showman (and also artist) - probably the best among figure skaters. I think Hanya and his coach knew what to expect when they turned to him for choreography. Plus, at 17 (and to be 18 this year), Yuzuru is not such a child anymore. I don't think that sexy choreo for a guy of that age is something unacceptable. But a skater has to be a good performer to pull something like that off, because confidence and a sense of freedom is needed to make the public believe in that image too.

I’m a big fan of Kurt and think he’s one of the most talented skaters ever—jumpwise, skating skills-wise, and presentation-wise. But just because he’s awesome and we love him don’t mean all programs choreographed by him are automatically the best programs in the world. He choreographed Kozuka’s “Hello, Goodbye & Safety Dance” program, which was not that good, certainly not as good as Kozuka’s “Inner Urge” program choreographed by David Wilson, although the two programs had similar styles. You know, even the best choreographer could come up with mediocre programs sometimes, just like the best skater could miss his/her jumps sometimes.

Have you watched Hanyu’s new “Hello, I Love You” EX program choreographed by Kurt? If you have watched it, then you’ll understand why some people are disappointed. This program is too similar to Hanyu’s “Vertigo” program in 2010/11 season. Hanyu skated to that kind of sexy, retro, alternate rock style when he was only 15 y.o., and he already mastered that style quite well back then. Some people are disappointed because the choreography, music choice, and overall style of his new EX program choreographed by Kurt are astonishingly similar to the “Vertigo” program, except that the “Hello, I Love You” program has additional “stripping” part, which made a lot of the female audience crazy, so Hanyu pulled the sexy part off. In this aspect, I think the program is successful.

But this new “Hello, I Love You” program lacks the originality and creativity that some people were looking for. Even Hanyu’s former coach Nanami Abe was able to choreograph the “Vertigo” program by herself, and Abe is not even a famous choreographer in Japan. When people knew Kurt was working on the new EX, they were excited and had high expectation. Then when they saw “Hello, I Love You” program some of them became somewhat disappointed. Of course, many girls love it because they love the stripping part and think Hanyu looks hot in the tight shirt and black leather pants.

I can also understand let’s talk’s disppointment because s/he likes Hanyu’s programs choreographed by Bestemianova & Bobrin. Indeed, B&B created two mature and poignant programs that Abe alone could not have created—that’s why one goes to famous foreign choreographers for help, to get something your coach could not do by him/herself. B&B gave Hanyu very powerful yet elegant and poignant programs that are unique and different from other skaters’ programs.

Nowadays even the little kids, e.g., Shoma Uno and He Zhang are trying to do “sexy” programs. It’s not that difficult to skate in some form of sexy and cool style. But Hanyu’s B&B programs are the real deep and passionate programs that brought many audience members to tears and attracted new fans both online and in the real world. I can understand why some people want to see more programs like those.

People thought Kurt and Wilson would bring out a good new style, like what B&B did. While some are disappointed that the beginning is not as good and original as they expected, I still hope that the two new competitive programs will be good, creative, and something different. Well, this EX is just the beginning, and Kurt will have time to get to know Hanyu and get creative with his future program(s). But even if Kurt, at the worst, fails by the end and just never succeeds to choreograph any good programs for Hanyu, I would still love Kurt… just because I’ve been his fan for years.

[let`s talk]

but i think a skater like lambiel should make a statement and just leave jumps out of a program.

It's because he can afford it. He is good enough without jumps. But when someone who has no Lambiel skills at all, but who has splats all around, well... . It's not a show job.

But it seems like let's talk really has a problem with the lack of difficult jumps and with mistakes.

Fine! The current WC sholdn't jump but he should spin. That is what actually happened after all.

Did he do "The Crisis" in Dream on Ice?

I saw only one show and there he skated Tango. As far as I know he skated it in all DOI performances this time.

I am wondering Keiji Takana (the very right, back row) has grown a bit again??? He now apprears even taller and more muscular than Takahito Mura (the very left, back row).

Keiji indeed looked quite tall on the ice. He must be around the same height as Takahito now or slightly taller. But Mura is still the most muscular dude in the team imo.

Some pics from the show:

Dai:
http://preview.aflo.com/0/6/aflo_SSWA042489.jpg
http://preview.aflo.com/0/6/aflo_sswa042487.jpg
http://preview.aflo.com/0/6/aflo_SSWA042486.jpg
http://preview.aflo.com/0/6/aflo_SSWA042485.jpg
http://preview.aflo.com/0/6/aflo_SSWA042483.jpg
http://preview.aflo.com/0/6/aflo_SSWA042418.jpg
Yuzuru:
http://preview.aflo.com/0/6/aflo_sswa042473.jpg
http://preview.aflo.com/0/6/aflo_SSWA042471.jpg
Kozuka:
http://i45.servimg.com/u/f45/16/55/86/44/aflo_s13.jpg
http://i45.servimg.com/u/f45/16/55/86/44/aflo_s14.jpg
http://i45.servimg.com/u/f45/16/55/86/44/20120611.jpg
Imai:
http://i45.servimg.com/u/f45/16/55/86/44/20120614.jpg
Miki:
http://preview.aflo.com/0/6/aflo_SSWA042413.jpg
Patrick:
http://preview.aflo.com/0/6/aflo_SSWA042417.jpg
Mura:
http://preview.aflo.com/0/6/aflo_SSWA042407.jpg
Risa:
http://preview.aflo.com/0/6/aflo_SSWA042429.jpg
Tatsuki:
http://photo.sankei.jp.msn.com/essay...9-97A3845C0A78

[golden411]

If you're looking for long show reviews, I can oblige.

Canadian Stars on Ice Toronto/Hamilton:
Http://kurtfiles.com/soi/soireviews/csoi12torham.php

Jeremy Abbott ‏@jeremyabbottpcf

"I would be happy if I could skate this number with these men for the rest of eternity. @WeaverPoje @J_Butt ‪#scottmoir‬ pic.twitter.com/5XWLOfTk"
1:44 PM - 23 Jun 12