Favourite programs this season so far

Now that we've seen most of the top-skaters program, which is (are) your favourites? I'll write my top-3:
MEN:
1) Patrick Chan SP
2) Javier Fernandez FS
3) Yuzuru Hanyu SP

LADIES:
1) Mao's Swan FS
2) Akiko's FS
3) Valentina Marchei Flamenco SP

PAIRS:
1) Pang-Tong FS
2) Volosozhar-Trankov FS
3) Berton-Hotarek FS

ICE DANCE: (that's difficult!)
1) Bobrova-Soloviev FD
2) Virtue-Moir FD
3) Weaver-Poje FD and Cappellini-Lanotte FD

Men:
Patrick Chan FS
Javier Fernandez SP (He's so sexy in it!:swoon
Adam Rippon FS

Ladies:
Ashley Wagner FS
Mao Asada FS
Mirai Nagasu SP
Kanako Murakami SP & FS (Hope she addresses her UR problems ASAP!)

Pairs:
V/T FS
P/T SP & FS (It would be interesting if they could crack into the top two pairs.)
S/S SP (I so desperately want to like their FS, too, but so far it's not working)

Dances: (Obviously, my favorite discipline. So many great dancers and programs!)
V/M Carmen FD & SD
D/W SD
W/P FD
B/S FD
P/B SD (Cancan baby!)

So far - Javier Fernandez' sp & fs!
Ashley Wagner's fs!

I'm sure there will be more to come!

So far, I haven't seen very many masterpieces, but I feel like the most creativity is coming through in Dance.
I love Virtue and Moir's FD as well as Bobrova and Soloviev's FD. Feel like both of those are masterpieces (although I also feel like everything Virtue and Moir touch has masterpiece potential because of their amazing performance ability)

Adelina's SP, Mao's LP, Zijun Li LP, Gachinski's SP, Chan LP, V/T SP, D/W SD, P/B SD, Papadakis/Cizeron FD, oh and Zlobina/Sitnikov FD. Really liked Bobrova/Soviev FD the first few times I saw it, I'm quite bored of it by now.

The most creative program however is probably Abbott's Spy. I'm just not an Abbott fan and wish someone else, like Brezina were doing it.

I think, it's too early...

But I'm sure:
Lady's FS:
Mao's LP !!!!!!!!!!

Dance
V/M Carmen

Men
Fernandez's or Hanyu's SP ???

I'm very happy with what my favorite ladies put out this season:

Mao's FS
Akiko's FS
Adelina's SP

My guilty pleasure is definitly Alena's SP - not saying it's a good program, but I like it in a tacky kind of way. Maybe it's because I started to do belly dance lately :yay:

It's a little harder with the men for me - usually Daisuke is a shoe-in here, but this season I don't know. I enjoy his SP (and that bright red porno kind of jacket ) but it's not a 'greatest program of the season' kind of program, if that sentence makes sense.
Anyway...

Takahiko's SP
Hanyu's SP (although I didn't like it at first)
Patrick's FS

Honorable mention would be Tatsuki's SP - I'm not enjoying his FS all that much, but his SP is so much fun!

I'm not so much into pairs or dance so I can't comment so much, but I'm happy with what S/S and P/B put out, so I'll just continue rooting for them

Men:
1) Patrick LP
2) Yuzru EX
3) Yuzru SP
4) Takahashi EX

Ladies:
1) Ashley LP
2) Akiko LP
3) Makarova SP

Pairs:
1) P/T SP
2) P/T LP
3) B/H EX

Dance:
1) D/W SD
2) B/S FD
3) P/B SD

Some exhibition programs are even better than competition programs. I especially like Yuzru’s and B/H’s EX programs.

I am just writing down dance,because it's my favorite discipline and I barely watched the others.

FD: W/P, P/B,H/D,V/M
SD: P/B,H/D

noidont said:

Adelina's SP, Mao's LP, Zijun Li LP, Gachinski's SP, Chan LP, V/T SP, D/W SD, P/B SD, Papadakis/Cizeron FD, oh and Zlobina/Sitnikov FD. Really liked Bobrova/Soviev FD the first few times I saw it, I'm quite bored of it by now.

The most creative program however is probably Abbott's Spy. I'm just not an Abbott fan and wish someone else, like Brezina were doing it.

Click to expand...

Do you REALLY think that Volosozhar/Trankov SP is one of the best programs this season??

I really like Mao's free skate, but I have to admit I only like it when she hits her jumps. I didn't enjoy her LP at CoC.

So far,

MEN:
1) Patrick Chan LP (His SP is growing on me)
2) Javier Fernandez LP

LADIES:
1) Akiko Suzuki LP
2) Kiira Korpi SP
3) Kanako Murakami SP

PAIRS:
1) P/T FS
2) V/T FS

ICE DANCE:
1) V/M FD
2) W/P FD
3) B/S FD
4) D/W SD

I think I'm in the minority here. I don't like Yuzru's and Mao's programs. Nothing special... Loved their last season programs though.

Ladies: Mao LP, Kanako SP, Lacoste LP
Men: Kozuka SP
Pairs: MT/M SP - this is the first time I like anything from them and right away this program is one of my favorites. I couldn't stand them last two years, they really improved a lot. I am anxiously waiting to see Takahashi/Tran too - they usually have my favorite pairs programs
Dance: my favorite short dance is from D/W. I didn't know how Giselle will work with polka, but it turned out beautifully. We haven't seen I/K competing yet, but I really liked their short dance from some low quality show video. I like Zlobina/Sytnkov dance too. They make me smile.
Free dances: B/S and V/M. I like W/P FD too, but I am a little disappointed with it as my expectations were too high after reading their off-season interview about it.

Kiira Korpi's SP
Akiko Suzuki's LP
Davis/White's SD
Weaver/Poje's FD

I also think it is a bit early. IN has not yet posted anything but SKAM, and I haven't seen anything but the dances for SC and CoC yet.

SD's
My favortie one so far is definitely D&W's Giselle. I didn't have great expectations for this program and it was utterly amazing at SKAM so it had even more effect on me than you'd think
I also like what I've seen of I&K's Andijan Polka (granted, not a great video) and am looking forward to seeing it in better shape at CoR
C&L's Seven Brides for Seven Brothers was fun from SC


FD's
I'm not really in love with any of them just yet, but I like quite a few.
I like both the Carmens (V&M and C&L) and D&W's Notre Dame and P&B's Rolling Stones FD is fun.
I like Chock & Bates Dr. Zhivago & Zhiganshina & Gaszi's Zombies too.

Hate to be elitist but there are very few programs caught my imagination this season so far... I found most programs are generally too lazy, too contrived, too superficial, too gimmicky, too little creativity, no risk taking, and paid too little respect or acknowledgement towards the source. It ends up about creating a stylized routine, superficially kit up to meet the COP maths and doing as little as possible outside these requirements. The extent of creative work is picking a 'suitable/complementary' kit (Music, costume), then little beyond that in choreography or interpretation. I blame this on the Morozov and the Carolina Kostner combination effect. In most cases, the skaters might as well skate to any other background music with similar beats and there'd be hardly any difference.

Figure skating is primarily a sport, with artistic merits. But when you take Mao's FS Swan lake program which seems well received, with a performance full of errors, and interpretation that has little to do with Tchaikovsky's Swan lake. Little choreography references in the first half to reference to the source, nor does it pay attention towards basics musicality during the later half of the step sequences (which I admit is well choreographed thanks to Tat), makes me wonder just what everyone else is watching. What makes this program more Swan lake apart from the outfit and the music blasted pleasantly in the background? How is this different to her Liebestraum or her other 'lovely' programs. They are all the same emotional tone, literally no difference when she is just skating as herself. When it neither pleases the art (authenticity, originality, creativity, honesty, perspective/objectivity, variation/evolution), nor does it pleases the sport (accuracy, speed according to rhythm/musicality, strength, power, consistency), then you wonder what is the point of it all. How can this still be a serious sport? How is this good progress?

Thank God then for Virtue and Moir's fantastic Carmen that left me simply breathless and hungry for more. I must have played that program more than a dozen times already and never got tired or bored by it. The passion, the sensuality, the risks taking, the originality, the bold statement of totally owning the performance and seamless integrate with the music as if the music is an extension of themselves rather than being a slave to the well known piece. I really look forward their next performance, it is a true master piece that this sport desperately needs.

I don't think 'playing yourself' is necessarily an easy thing to do. Many old hollywood stars were said of to have just played themselves in all of their screen roles. This was very different from the method actors that came later who immersed themselves in their characters. However, I don't think one style is better than the other. It's just a matter of preference. It takes a degree of willingness to open yourself to the audience to play yourself on the screen. Therefore, it requires some authenticity on the part of the performer. I think Mao's Swan Lake is not contrived because she lets her own personality shine through in her performance, instead of sticking strictly to the original Swan interpretation. Mao is the type of skater who works best when she is allowed to be herself and that's probably why many viewers responded favorably to this program. One can criticize her for not going out of her comfort zone but it isn't true to say she doesn't display honesty in her performances. On a last note, I enjoyed both Swan Lake and V/M's Carmen.

I liked Mao's Swan FD for the ladies; both Chan's programs are masterpieces, actually I was disappointed in the Tak; I liked B and S FD and V and T's freeskate for pairs.

But to be honest none of the programs this year are best evers. I do think the difficulty in men's programs will make it hard for totally clean skates in the free programs.

Men: 1. Denis Ten LP, 2. Daisuke SP 3. Yuzuru SP
Ladies: 1. Mao LP 2. Akiko LP 3. Gao LP
This is so subjetive:yes: because I dont like too much dance but I love D/W and V/M and I dont like Carmen and Giselle, V/M looked almost ridiculous but maybe is because it was the first time I watched the program and what with the costume, what tried they to do?

LADIES:
Mao's Swan FS, Ashley's fs, Adelina's sp, Julia's programs, Liza's fp., Gracie's sp, Kiira's sp)


PAIRS:

Volosozhar-Trankov FS, Stolbova/Klimov fs, S/S fp


ICE DANCE:
Virtue-Moir FD
Weaver-Poje FD ,D/W programs