"Chill Inducing" Performances | Golden Skate

"Chill Inducing" Performances

BronzeisGolden

Medalist
Joined
Jul 27, 2003
Perhaps I am just a very emotional cheeseball, but there have been several performances over the years that have managed to give me chills and move me almost to tears. It doesn't happen very often and when it does I know again why I love to watch skating. I was going to post this in the voting section with a poll, but then realized that this is a very subjective thing and 10 options of my choosing would not be enough to satisfy the diverse tastes of this board! Name the performances (as few or as many as you like) that have had the greatest emotional impact on you.


1. Paul Wylie, 1992 Olympic LP - This program had so many wonderful moments. He had such carriage, style and grace and you could sense that he was "seizing the moment" and finally letting all of the pressures of past expectations slip away. I am all chills at the end of this program, from the footwork into the 3t on especially.

2. Chen Lu, 1996 Worlds LP

3. Michelle Kwan, 2001 U.S. Nationals SP

4. S&Z, 2003 Worlds LP - Oh, I cried like a baby during this one. The last minute still gives me chills....like 50 viewings later! They don't have the exquisite line and flawless packaging of the famous Russian pairs...but they do have more heart and reflect more genuine emotion than any pair I can recall from the past several years. They take your breath away (or mine anyway!) simply by being themselves.

5. Michelle Kwan, 2003 U.S. Nationals LP - Over the hill, due for retirement, 3/3 less, slow, bland, an Olympic failure....blah blah. She skated just to skate and it showed.

6. Michelle Kwan, 2004 U.S. Nationals LP - "Tosca" isn't my personal favorite as a program, but I was in Atlanta and the feeling that she created in that arena was unbelievable. It was electric. I will never forget standing among thousands of other people as she came out of her split jump and into the final seconds of her program. There aren't many words to describe it.

I'm sure there are more, but these are the ones that immediately come to mind.
 

Vash01

Medalist
Joined
Jul 31, 2003
M&D's Rachmaninoff LP (and later exhibition- a shortened version) always gives me chills.

Katia's first solo performance skated to Mahler. I cried with her (and probably with everyone else).

Others:

Katia's skate to Rachmaninoff's Elegy at a pro competition- one of her first solo performances.

B&S's Meadowland SP- the power in it gives me chills

Chen Lu's LP at the 1998 Olympics, particularly at the end

Michelle's 2003 USN LP (Aranjuez)
 

Gipson

Rinkside
Joined
Jan 22, 2004
I would get chills hearing the music from Henry V while Michael Weiss was skating it last season because it made me think back to Paul Wylie's skate. There's plenty of other chill-inducing moments I could think of but none come close to Paul's 1992 Olympic performance.
 

Germanice

On the Ice
Joined
Jul 27, 2003
Without special order and further comments ... too many!

- Natalia Mishkotionok/Arthur Dmitriev - "Liebestraum" - Worlds 1991 (?)
- Isabelle- and Paul Duchesnay - "Missing I + II" - Worlds 1990 + 1991
- Katarina Witt - "Sag' mir wo die Blumen sind"
(Where have all those flowers gone) - German Nationals 1993
- Oksana Baiul - "Black swan" - Olympics 1994
- Kurt Browning - "Casablanca" - Olympics 1994
- Lu Chen - "Rachmaninov Concerto No. 2" - Worlds 1996

Alexei Yagudin:
- "Lawrence of Arabia" - Worlds 1999
- "Gladiator" - Euros 2001
- "Revolutionary Etude" - Worlds 2001
- "Winter" - Masters 2001
(Looks I was a little bit too fixated on him at that time, really can't remember much other great performances ..., LOL!)

- Ekaterina Gordeeva/Ilia Kulik - "Casi un bolero" - SOI 2000
- Elena Berezhnaya/Anton Sikharulidze - "Lady Caliph" (sp.?) - Olympics 2002
- Xue Shen/Hongbo Zhao - "Turandot" - Worlds 2003
- Shizuka Arakawa - "Turandot" - Worlds 2004
- Johnny Weir - "Dr. Zhivago" - Worlds 2004

Wow, seems I'm "easy" to impress! :laugh:

Anke
 
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toutestgrace

Rinkside
Joined
Jul 27, 2003
chillers

If I had to pick just one (and not most of Michelle's :) ) I'd have to say Paul Wylie's Oly '92 LP. I can't even watch the movie Henry V without thinking of Paul's jubilant, dramatic performance - brings tears to my eyes.
 

soogar

Record Breaker
Joined
Dec 18, 2003
Wow Gipson,
I know what you mean about Henry V. I've never been a fan of Mikey's skating but somehow that musical choice made me like him even more b/c it made me think of Paul Wylie. I wasn't too into Paul's Olympic LP. Paul's best performance was in 1990 Nationals. His feet were on fire in the LP.

My chill inducing performances:

Katarina Witt's Where Have all the Flowers Gone: The best program of the 1994 Olympics

Oksana's Olympic Swan Exhibition - the stunned look on Jane Torvill's face (and that she actually stood out on the side to watch it) said it all.

Usova & Zhulin: 1991 Worlds, they should have won that one
1989 Worlds: Mars/Chopin
1990 Worlds: Sophisticated tango

Klimova & Ponamerenko: Air (1992), Beatles Medley (1988)

Yevgeny Plushenko: 2004 SP at Worlds
2004 LP at Russian Nationals

Brian Joubert: 2004 SP at Worlds ( I got a lot of chills at this year's worlds)
Shizuka Arakawa: 2004 LP Worlds

Tara Lipinksi: 1998 LP and SP, 1997 LP (everytime I saw Tara I got chills)

THE KING OF CHILL INDUCING (I CAN'T GET ENOUGH OF THIS PROGRAM AND I WANT EVERYONE FIND IT AND SEE IT)

BRIAN BOITANO : Canvas on Ice, skating on the glacier to the theme from "The Secret of my Success"


:love:
 
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Tonichelle

Idita-Rock-n-Roll
Record Breaker
Joined
Jun 27, 2003
soogar said:
BRIAN BOITANO : Canvas on Ice, skating on the glacier to the theme from "The Secret of my Success"

actually it was a lake on a mountain, but close LOL Glaciers aren't really made for skating :p at least not the ones in Alaska :eek:


anywho... mine are...

Kurt Browning 1994 Olympics Casablanca... where was that guy in the SP? :( It was a great way to go out on teh Olympics though. I want to cry every time just because dang it I want to say he's the Olympic Champion! :(

Paul Wylie's 1992 performances... the look on his face pretty much sums up everything... I loved the backstage shots of him waiting for his turn to skate... checking his pulse... too funny LOL

Jamie and David's "Love Story" at the 2002 Olympics, I was crying by the end of it... she hit teh jumps man! :)
 

Yazmeen

On the Ice
Joined
Jul 29, 2003
In no particular order:

Michelle Kwan: 1998 Nationals SP and LP (I was there)
Michelle Kwan: 2003 Worlds LP (Again, saw it live)
Michelle Kwan: FOG, 2002 Olympics Exhibition
Paul Wylie: 1992 Olympic Long Program
Nancy Kerrigan: 1994 Olympic LP (finally, clean and full of life)
Brian Boitano: 1988 Olympic LP
Torvill and Dean: 1984 Olympic LP
Sale and Pelletier: 2002 Olympic LP (I'd never seen it before, the ending just nailed me)
Shen and Zhao: 2003 Worlds LP
And--the first time I saw Dorothy Hamill skate live after I started skating (1999) -- the purity of edge and form just pierced my soul.
 

Summerkid

Rinkside
Joined
Dec 8, 2003
Xue Shen/Hongbo Zhao - Nutcracker Pas de Deux
The rink I skate at has been doing the Nutcracker Ballet on Ice for 30 years. I'd love to just drop a screen down in the middle of the ice and show this program at this point in the show. Just amazing. I was totally balling by the end.
 

soogar

Record Breaker
Joined
Dec 18, 2003
Tonichelle:
In Sandra Bezic's hardcover book on skating (I think it was called Skating), she said that they took forever to find the perfect glacier for Brian to skate on. Even if they *settled* on a lake in the mountains, it was a stunning backdrop to Brian's magestic skating.
 

pipsqueak

Rinkside
Joined
Nov 24, 2003
Gettin' old

I get the chills at least once while watching any competition, even little kids at local ones. So, I reached down inside and stirred around see what "surfaced" without having to think about it---these are the performances I saw either live in person or broadcast live on TV---so I was reacting as I saw it and not because I saw footage later after everyone else talked about it (so that means that some great performances might not be included simply because I was not in the right place at the right time, even tho' I might have seen them later):

Ponemorenko's Oly Liebestraum--the first time I paid attention to Ice Dancing
after Torvill and Dean

14-yr-old Tiffany Chin at World's

Kurt Brownings "Singin' in the Rain"

Paul Wylie's Oly silver medal long program

Liz's Manley Oly silver medal long program

MIchelle's '98 Nationals gold--both short and long

First time I saw Michelle's "Fields of Gold" exhibition

Boitano's Oly gold long

A pro tour number by Brian Orser skated to the memory of his mom.

Katia's "ghost pair" skate at the memorial skate program for her husband.

G&G's second Oly gold long

a Denise Bielman's pro win (can't remember year...I just remember her outfit w/
bare midriff) I've never seen a woman so buff or so in control in my life.

Galindo's Nationals gold long

watching Punsalen and Swallow Oly skate after knowing that her dad had just
been murdered by her brother.

Baiul's Oly swan

The first time I saw Johnny Weir skate a flawed Jr. program...I still knew he was
"it". So, even though it took a long time and I had my doubts that he'd ever
have the "nerves" to compete how I knew he could---when I saw this year's
Nationals long, I got the chills knowing that he had it in the bag at last.

I quite chilled at moments in Baldwin and Inoue's "Pearl Harbor" program
because of the particular pairing and the program music, but I also liked
their choreography. I also loved their exhibition "At Last".

After I sign off, I know I'll think of a dozen more. This is what "floated up" first for now.
 

BronzeisGolden

Medalist
Joined
Jul 27, 2003
I quite chilled at moments in Baldwin and Inoue's "Pearl Harbor" program

Oddly enough, I do too. They never really gave it the performance it deserved as a program, but I thought it was still very beautiful even with mistakes. They have so much potential and I love the way they relate to one another on the ice. I really wish they could pull it together.
 

Ladskater

~ Figure Skating Is My Passion ~
Record Breaker
Joined
Jul 28, 2003
Too many to list here but here are some:

Liz Manley - 88 Olympics - I was standing in my living room jumping up and down before she hit her final stance. What a thrill.

Kurt Browning - Casablanca - he brought a whole new meaning to interperative skating. That program transcended perfection in style. Also his Singing in the Rain program. It was like watching Gene Kelly on ice.

Toller Cranston - his program skated to "Too Beautiful too Last" - inspiring. Every time I hear the music he comes to mind.

Martini and Underhill - winning the worlds in 1984.

Karen Magnussen - winning the worlds in 1973. My skating hero.

Torvil and Dean - Bolero - perfection on ice - the difinitive ice dance program.

Sale and Pelletier - Inspire me. Their unison is wonderful.

Paul and Isabelle Duchesnay - their program "Missing." Haunting. The first time I saw it, I was mesmerized.

Elvis Stojko - Watching Elvis skate always thrilled me. I loved his program skated to "The Mission." One of his best.

Brian Orser - Always perfection on ice.

This one is obscure, only those who have had the tedious task of doing school figures can appreciate this: Having the privilege of seeing Trixi Schuba trace perfect figures at an exhibition in Vancouver during a world tour. How could figures be chill inducing? If you have ever had to trace them at 4:00 am in the morning then you would appreciate seeing the ultimate example of perfection.

There are so many more skaters I could mention.....
 

Jaana

Record Breaker
Joined
Jul 27, 2003
Country
Finland
In no particular order:

Katia and Ilia´s duet "Casi Un Bolero in SOI 1999-2000
Ilia Kulik "Liebestraume" from Europeans 1997 exhibition
- "Always" from Trophee France 1995
- "A House Is Not A Home" from Bacharach show and Ice Wars 2003
Torvill & Dean "Bolero"
Evgeny Plushenko "Bolero" in Finlandia Trophy 2000
Rodnina&Zaitshev "Kalinka"
Berezhnaya & Sikharulidze "Let Me Fall" in the St. Petersburg show 2003
Shizuka Arakawa "Turandot"
Shen & Zhao "Turandot"
Gordeeva & Grinkova several programmes...
Katia Gordeeva "Stella Errans" (the scarf programme) 2003
Oksana Baiul "Swan Lake" from Olympics 1994
 

diver chick

On the Ice
Joined
Aug 18, 2003
Rahkamo & Kokko's Valse Triste Free Dance in Helsinki just did it for me!

Sasha Abt's Armenian Melodies SP

Alexei Yagudins Winter, saw it live at Lalique when it was less than perfectly ready and it was amazing.
 

icenut84

Final Flight
Joined
Jul 27, 2003
soogar said:
Oksana's Olympic Swan Exhibition - the stunned look on Jane Torvill's face (and that she actually stood out on the side to watch it) said it all.

ITA - that one's on my list too.

* 2004 Worlds, Shen & Zhao LP (Nutcracker), I thought it was beautiful skating and lovely choreography. And the music cut they chose worked so well for them.
* 2004 Worlds, Stephane Lambiel LP. Terrific performance, and I definitely got chills at the noise of the audience at the end and the look on his face :love: - I honestly thought he'd burst into tears for a moment.
* 2004 Europeans, Kerr & Kerr FD. Had heard so much about them previously, and their Matrix FD rocked the house! Definitely lived up to expectations, and loved their reactions at the end when they'd skated it so well, John jumping up and down with his arms in the air and Sinead doubled over in relief and happiness, pumping her fists. :)
* 2003 Worlds - Sasha Cohen SP. Yep, I know she fell, but I actually prefer the 03 version of this programme to the 04 version (she made a few alterations). And after that fall on the flip, she just went all out. The layback was amazing, her footwork built with the music, and I'd never seen the I-spin used that effectively before.
* 2003 Worlds, Shen & Zhao LP. Especially towards the end, first when they get so much response for their sbs spins (so much improved from the previous year), then the second throw, then the looks on their faces just before they came round the end for the final lift - both of them getting huge joyful smiles on their faces at exactly the same time, and seeing the audience all getting to their feet as they go for the final lift, and knowing they can see it too. :)
* 2002 Olympics, Michelle Kwan EX. One of the most beautiful programmes/performances ever, IMO.
* 2002 Olympics, Berezhnaya & Sikharulidze SP.
* 2001 Worlds, Alexei Yagudin SP.
* 1998 Olympics, Tara Lipinski LP.
* 1996 Worlds, Michelle Kwan LP.
* 1994 Olympics, Torvill & Dean FD.
* 1994 Olympics, Oksana Baiul EX.
* 1988 OIympics, Brian Boitano LP (particularly during his final combo spin, when he's just about to pull in for the scratch spin and he throws his arms up with such an overjoyed look on his face as the crowd go mad), and his initial expression at the end.
* 1988 Olympics, Liz Manley LP (especially when she did the 3lutz and the crowd went crazy, and her reaction at the end).
* 1988 Olympics, Midori Ito LP.
 

Verbalgirl77

On the Ice
Joined
Jul 26, 2003
Wow, Yazmeen named most of mine. Being at 1998 Nationals just made MK's performances sooo much more satisfying.

I'll add a few others.

Weir's 2004 Nationals SP & LP
Savoie's 2002 Worlds LP
Jahnke's 2004 Nats LP
Lipinski's 1996 Worlds LP
Lu Chen's 1998 Oly programs
Petrenko's 1994 Oly LP - outskated Boitano, Browning, as well as the medalists (and his own 1992 LP). One of my fave Oly men's performances, very underrated.

Jahnke and Lambiel's 2003 QR skates.

After Stephane's QR I literally didn't know what to do with myself. I stood up, walked down the aisle, and walked back again. I was just totally stunned by what I saw. Ryan was amazing as well.
 

lulu

Final Flight
Joined
Aug 4, 2003
2004 World Championships: Shizuka's freeskate.
1996 COAL: Katia's first skate w/out Sergei.
1994 Olympics: Natalia & Artour's freeskate.
 

show 42

Arm Chair Skate Fan
Record Breaker
Joined
Jul 26, 2003
Wow.........we must be a very "chilly" group..... ;) just reading these performances gave me goose bumps.........I agree with them all actually.....Since everyone else did all the hard work, I'll list my top three.....the number one pick for me has to be Kurt's Casa Blanca at Worlds, followed closely by Shen and Zhao's 2003 Worlds and then Michellel's "FOG" at Oly's exhibition skate............and then all the rest mentioned.....42
 
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