Favourite programs this season so far | Page 2 | Golden Skate

Favourite programs this season so far

Mirunna

Record Breaker
Joined
Jul 12, 2009
Ladies: Mao's Lp, Akiko's Lp, Adelina's SP, Kiira's Sp
Men: Machida's SP, Daisuke's SP, Kozuka's LP, Yuzuru's SP
Pairs: Stolbova/Klimov both Sp and Fp and Aliona/Robins Sp
Dance: Anna/Luca SD(the best SD for me), Kaitlyn/Andrew FD and of course Tessa/Scott FD(great program but not skated to full potential yet)
 

OS

Sedated by Modonium
Record Breaker
Joined
Mar 23, 2010
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?

They are taking it to the next level... very avant garde in approach consider this is figure skating under COP, and it is 'Carmen'. Loooove it! :) Respect!


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 agree with your first point if this is an exhibition or a play, but this is also a sport where musicality and artistry is suppose be an integral part of the competition where there are even categories in marking devoted to them. Where the theme and music need to be identified and interpreted with clarity and distinction, variance. Music and themes are not just eye and ear candy that act as background noises which the performer can do what ever they like do with it. Otherwise they might all just skate to the same music or wear the same clothes and doing the exact same routine.

Unfortunately I think Mao is now doing what other people expect of her (which is not much other than being the same 'lovely' Mao that always seems well received), and I think it is a big mistake when people inside her circles stop advising her to do research into her material and make distinction of what she is trying to express with her choreography with meaning and purpose. To able to make the distinction of the notation in the music, different parts of the choreography, instead of just focus on the mechanics of a strong step sequence (which i think is her only strength right now) and big jump elements and manage to stand on her feet. Since the UR rule changes, she has the luxury of having her errors disguised and still rewarded under the UR rule change. Have anyone calculated what she would have scored before the 70% UR rule?

I hate the fact people give her far too little credit for capable of pushing the artistry aspect of her skating, so at some point she must have stop trying and that really limit her legacy as a top class skater fully capable of delivering fantastic multilayered memorable programs (Grandbell of Moscow 2010 WC I'd rate as one of the most stunning FS achievements in COP era) that last beyond this life time, and beyond her fan circle. (Which admittedly is probably somewhere between 50-70% of skating crowd that has her as one of the sentimental favourite, by nature of who she is, her potential, and what she went through in her long career.)

Her swan lake music edit, and the title of her FS indicate her program is suppose to do a mixture of White Swan (innocent and graceful - which Mao naturally do well), and black swan (darkly sensual, vengeful, wild, free spirited, moody, primal) in which the later music cut refers to. Tat's extraordinary step sequences obviously showcased the Black Swan including the music cuts in the background, but watching the program, can you honestly able to distinct which is which? You are making an argument that it doesn't really matter as long she is just being honest to herself, and that it is her 'style'. but sorry this sound like more like Idol worship talk than critical thinking. To me, this is clearly a swan with an identity crisis where here we have a happy and smiley black swan doing a happy dance, a cautious and emotionless white swan who just want to get her big jumps out of the way. Where's the important transcendence? Certainly the most important part of Swan lake. And actually, I have no problem with this if this is the intention of the team to challenge the perception of the material like Virtue/Moir's Carmen, but her performance was so murky, confusing and all over the place, I wonder if Mao think black + white = grey, so her Swan lake is full of grey swans. At least that would make more sense then the performances she has given, and her interpretation of this classic material which makes virtually no distinction to the story or the characteristics of theme at all.
 
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mary01

Final Flight
Joined
Nov 20, 2011
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 totally agree, I think Mao's Swan Lake is a true masterpiece, it has everything, and i love the fact that she didn't go for the typical kind of swan lake, but instead gave a more original interpretation of it, where her own personality really shines through. She wasn't acting like a swan, she just became a Swan! and this is what makes her Swan Lake so outstanding.
One thing she is just exceptional at is making everything look so natural and smooth when she skates, she really draws one in, through her skating. She makes every elements look like part of the choreography, her way of blending everything together, is where she as an artist just shines through!
 

waxel

Final Flight
Joined
Jun 18, 2005
I would love to comment on short programs- but I have seen so few! I should be able to watch on-line at Universal Sports but the feed won't load and they have the worst tech support. Ever. Actually they have no tech support.
 

Slowdive

On the Ice
Joined
Dec 27, 2010
I primarily pay attention to the ladies - so far:
1. Makarova's SP (even though it was last year's program)
2. Marchei SP
3. Suzuki LP
Honorable mention: Joshi Helgesson SP (just because it's weird)
 

cinnamon

On the Ice
Joined
Sep 13, 2010
I haven't seen enough this season yet, but
Gedevanishvili's SP
Takahashi's LP
and
Mao's LP
 

bestskate8

On the Ice
Joined
Aug 31, 2003
Dance:
Bobrova/Solovev -SD/FP
Ilinikh/Kasalapov-SD/FP
Anna/Luca - FP

Pairs:
V/T- LP
Stolbova/Klimov -SP/LP
Kavaguti/Smirnov-LP

Ladies:
Lipniskaya - SP/LP
Tuktamisheva -SP/LP
Sotnikova -SP
Korobeinikova -LP
Korpi -SP
Gedevanishvili- LP
Suzuki -SP

Men:
Plushenko- SP/LP
Gachinski -LP
Menshov -LP
Denis Ten -SP/LP
Joubert-SP
Takahashi -SP
Kovtun-SP/LP
 

kwanatic

Check out my YT channel, Bare Ice!
Record Breaker
Joined
May 19, 2011
Ladies:

SPs:
Mirai Nagasu
Kaetlyn Osmond
Angela Wang
Adelina Sotnikova
Christina Gao

LPs:
Mao Asada
Akiko Suzuki
Kanako Murakami
Ashley Wagner
 

jaylee

Medalist
Joined
Feb 21, 2010
Jeremy Abbott SP
Javier Fernandez FS
Patrick Chan FS
Kanako Murakami FS
Kiira Korpi SP
Ksenia Makarova SP
 

ImaginaryPogue

Record Breaker
Joined
Jun 3, 2009
Too soon to tell, but my top two will be V/M's FD and Jeremy Abbott's LP. Both are superb pieces of figure skating poetry.
 

yude

Record Breaker
Joined
Feb 28, 2012
Yuzuru Hanyu SP
Takahiko Kozuka SP&LP
Patrick Chan LP
Jeremy Abbott SP
Denis Ten LP
Tatsuki Machida SP

Mao Asada LP&EX
 

Ilvskating

Final Flight
Joined
Dec 30, 2010
Ladies:
Mao LP!!!!
Kirra SP, finally I see her as a beautiful skater, not a beauty struggling on the ice, good for her!
Elene G SP! Very emotional, controlled, and big jumps.
Zijun Li, SP. haven't see the LP yet, but I'm prepared for a good season from her!

Pairs:
P/T SP LP
S'S SP

Man:
Patrick Chan LP, and SP
Dai Ex
Hanyu SP
Javier LP
Oda (please learn to count this year :)

Dance:
D/W SD
The Russian team at coc FD with that modern feel dance
C/L's SD
V/M SD looked good when I watched, but can't remember a thing now. Hate their LP at the beginning, but almost love it at COR. I think Tessa adjusted her facial expression for the first part of the program, making it more seductive than vampire-like, which is so much better IMO. There is still someting I don't understand, the side by side weirded hands/arm movement in the middle part of the program, feels so out of place to me with the other portion of the program. hope somebody who understands the choreography enlightening me:). but in general, this is a very intense powerful program. T his is going to be one of the best Carmen I believe now.

the French champs P/B 's SD
 
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MarkusNJ

Rinkside
Joined
Feb 13, 2011
I really enjoyed Ross Miner's new programs a lot, especially the long
Ashley's free is going to be amazing as the season progresses
 

skateluvr

Record Breaker
Joined
Oct 23, 2011
So Far what stuck was Abbotts LP-gorgeous if he stands up. Akiko's LP is fab, Mao'sLP is Fab...Ashley's needs work and a new dress. Javi's Chaplin is quite good and I can't say nuch about pairs/singles as what i saw vanished-watched little. I havent see Rippon. I do however truly like both Mirai's -she is more like her old charming self. No one else made an impression if i watched.
 

wishonastar

On the Ice
Joined
Jul 31, 2009
For me:
Men: Abbott's LP, Fernandez LP, Hanyu's LP, Blade's EX rocks!
Ladies: Mao's LP, Marchei's SP, Wagner's LP
Dance: C/L's SD, B/S's SD, P/B's SD/FD, W/P's FD, H/D's FD (SD growing on me-like the flow), D/W's SD
Pairs:V/T's FS, P/T's FS
 
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prettykeys

Medalist
Joined
Oct 19, 2009
For myself:

Kanako Murakami SP - singlehandedly made a small fan out of me, where before I wasn't crazy about her. Lovely and touching with an unusual layout. Starts with step sequence and has her 3-3 near the end.

Patrick Chan SP - just gorgeous.

Mao Asada LP - beautiful.
 

Buttercup

Record Breaker
Joined
Mar 25, 2008
I am now ready to join this thread, with a fairly short list:

Akiko's programs. I :love: Akiko and can't believe I forgot to mention her at first for my dream podium.
K/S's programs, they are under-appreciated at the moment.
C/L's and P/B's SDs. Superb costumes, too.
Joubert's LP, though he'll have to skate it much better for it to work.
Dai's EX - why oh why do so many skaters only go to Miyamoto for their exhibition programs?

The end. What a disappointing season so far.
 
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