Iconic programs that you find ... overrated

gotoschool said:

I can't even find a full performance of Mao from the late 1990s. This is as close as I could get Novice Championships 2000 when she was 10. Even at this young age, her skating skills, charisma and dancing were exceptional with a great layback spin. To me, she was more than just a jumping bean even then.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9qmv-Y4UWP4

Can you find a performance from the late 90's?

For me, Mao's first great artistic performance was in the 2003 Nationals SP. Nostaglic wonder for childhood innocence gone by that foreshadowed the meditative grace and emotional depth of Nocturne.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EVxwDIW-qzs

Click to expand...

Thank you for the correction.

I was thinking of her skating about the time of her early GPF win (2005?). I have no idea why I wrote "late 90's" other than I was following several threads at the time.

I almost forgot to add another one of the most underrated, my favorite combined performances at the 1992 Olympics: Lu Chen's SP and LP

SP: with such intriguing choreography to a mix of Ghost motif music from Unchained Melody in Ghost to Beetlejuice. Interesting that even the announcer said that we may be looking at a potential medalist as she performed which totally belied the high degree to which this was underscored just as the LP was. I love the glittering, Halloween masquerade looking outfit as well.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BSPLHDLQ91w

LP: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c19Hk1g0qrE

Such high quality in terms of beautiful, lofty and flowing jumps with delayed rotation, wonderful musicality and beautiful dancing, erect posture and engaging and intricate interpretation. Simply marvelous and so clean as well.

I also though Lu Chen's 1993 Worlds LP with music from Nausicaa of the Valley was underrated. There is an amazingly soothing and meditative quality to her skating while maintaining nice, effortless speed that I think is very rare. I know she has been criticized for not holding her spin positions long enough but I like how she combines spins with fluid dance movements and expressive gestures with her arms into one flowing motion that I find to be musical and unique. They also give her performances more of an improvisational quality to me. For coming so late in the program, the triple lutz at 2:55 is gorgeous for its smoothness, loft, beautiful and suspenseful anticipation in the delay, perfect inside edge toe pick with just the tip of the blade and erect posture with less than 180 degrees of pre-rotation.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FjguVu__BuE