Katherine Healy

dr.frog · Jul 7, 2005

hockeyfan228 said:
Healy is a lovely, lovely skater, but she does have a wrapped leg on her jumps. It's the only line break she has, but I find it a bit jarring, nonetheless.

Yes, the leg wrap was what I was referring to with her bad jump technique. Besides lacking the tight rotation, she also only had mediocre height and spring on her jumps. I don't think she ever got beyond a double flip, much less any triples.

Doggygirl · Jul 7, 2005

dr.frog said:
Yes, the leg wrap was what I was referring to with her bad jump technique. Besides lacking the tight rotation, she also only had mediocre height and spring on her jumps. I don't think she ever got beyond a double flip, much less any triples.

The only comparison I would be willing to make between KH and Sasha is that Sasha is often referred to as a "Ballerina on Ice" while KH is literally a Ballerina on ice. My impression is that KH exhibited imense talent for either at an early age, but by age 12 focused on ballet. (hence her "going pro" at age 12 and never competing on ice at a Sr. level, and going on to become a Prima Ballerina in Europe)

In one of the later videos shared at the link I referenced, she was interviewed by Roz after 7 year hiatis from figure skating. She put her skates back on, and simply worked up to a lovely exhibition, which under the circumstances I find mighty amazing. So yes, no tripples. And critique of jump technique compared to other similarly aged skaters (in their own time) who do this full time? sure.

But what an amazing talent for a less-than-part-time-skater post age 12. Given those circumstances, I am far less interested in her jump-ability than her awesome musicality combined with tremendous line and form. (and yeah, ITA that it's got to be a lot easier to achieve all that without tripples!!) But still...

DG

soogar · Jul 7, 2005

dr.frog said:
Yes, the leg wrap was what I was referring to with her bad jump technique. Besides lacking the tight rotation, she also only had mediocre height and spring on her jumps. I don't think she ever got beyond a double flip, much less any triples.

Since when was a leg wrap bad technique? Midori Ito had a leg wrap and had the best jump technique in the world (esp in her consistency in landing the triple axel in competition).

As for the height on the jumps, Katherine isn't a figure skater but a ballet dancer who figure skates. Jumps aren't her emphasis.

BittyBug · Jul 8, 2005

soogar said:
Since when was a leg wrap bad technique? Midori Ito had a leg wrap and had the best jump technique in the world...

Um, since always? Ito was an amazing jumper, but she did not have perfect technique. (If you want an example of perfect jump technique, look no further than my avatar to the left.

)

Someone asked how old Healy is. I believe she's in her mid-30's, but she looks much, much younger in person (she probably gets carded all the time). And she is as lovely off the ice as she is on - intelligent, dynamic, and feisty, with an excellent sense of humor.

BittyBug · Jul 8, 2005

Joesitz said:
I know she danced with the Boston Ballet after a stint in acting but I have never seen her dance.

I think you're confusing her with Cathy Foulkes, who like Katherine Healy was also a ballet dancer and a member of John Curry's troupe.

hockeyfan228 · Jul 8, 2005

As BittyBug pointed out Foulkes did dance with the Boston Ballet. Healy danced with Vienna State Opera Ballet, English National Ballet, and the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo.

Healy did skate with Curry, and it is possible that the low height of her jumps was influenced by Curry and the choreography she did with his company. He did many more low doubles and singles in his programs after he retired from eligible competition, and this was deliberate.

gkelly · Jul 8, 2005

My first skating teacher had danced with the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo way back in the 1930s. Once in junior high, when I was taking lessons with him, we saw a Ballet Russe film at school and there was his name in the credits.

He learned to skate later. Never taught figures, though.

About Healy, my impression is that she probably wouldn't have been a top-top athlete if she had stuck to competitive skating, so it's just as well she went into ballet, but she did seem to have precise technique in general.

If she had stuck with skating, she would have been attempting double lutzes and axels at least and probably trying to learn triples, might have succeeded, might not. I seem to remember reading somewhere, probably a rink report from a fan, that she was working on triple sals about 10 years ago when she came back to skating as an adult pro, but I don't know if she ever got it.

For artistic skating shows on theatre-sized ice surfaces, there's really not much room for anyone to set up triples (occasionally a skater might manage a triple toe or triple sal, without as much speed as they'd have in an arena context), so that kind of athleticism is irrelevant to what makes a good skater for that context. Different abilities shine in different formats.

Joesitz (RIP) · Jul 8, 2005

Thanks BittyBug. I did confuse them. I did see Healy skate on TV's new year's eve in vienna.

I've never noticed the leg wrap. I'll look for it next time I see NYIT.

Curry was trying to make figure skating into the form of dance presentations on a proscenium stage. Not easy. I think we are all confusing triple jumps as an absolute necessity for any form of figure skating moreso than the beauty of figure skating to the music. But true, Healy was not the biggest jumper nor did she do more than doubles (a la ballet). Watch those doubles if you get a chance. They are perfect with grace personified, and just so musical.

Mathman - I dig the photos of the split jumps. The larger middle one is the classic split (same as if you did a split on the floor), the other one is a Russian split with feet thrust out in front of the skater. In ballet, the former is called a grand tour jete the latter is used in folk character dancing.

And the Charlotte Spiral, Healy was not the first to do a 180 degree. That belongs to Belita and I doubt anyone knows who she was.

Joe

babyoscar · Jul 8, 2005

Kh

Here is her web site

it used to be where you can go see pict of her and read her bio, i don't know what has happened to it

http://www.figure-skating.com/Skaters/Healy/

emma · Jul 8, 2005

So...I've been having internet problems lately, but was finally able to download one of Healy's programs...the 81' Nutcracker, and OMG that was probably one of the most beautiful skates I've ever ever EVER seen. My jaw dropped. It was soooo seemless, so flowing...and those spread eagles, I almost cried. anyway, thanks for the link to these vids...hopefully I'll be able to watch more!

Ladskater · Jul 9, 2005

I saw her skate a couple of times. She definitely is more of a ballet dancer than a skater although she did manage to marry both worlds together. Ballet training does help a skater develop better flexibility and poise. Katherine Healy probably has the best poise of all the female skaters today.

All of the ladies today could learn from Katherine's example of combining ballet with skating.

BittyBug · Jul 9, 2005

Ladskater said:
All of the ladies today could learn from Katherine's example of combining ballet with skating.

What's weird is that there are certainly plenty of ladies who are well-trained in ballet. Jenny Kirk, for example, was quite a serious ballet student and used to dance in Boston Ballet's Nutcracker every winter.

I think what we see in Healy is as much the influence of John Curry as it is the influence of ballet - all of the members of his troupe had a similar skating style as Healy, even those who did not have a deep background in ballet. He was very demanding of his skaters, and had a series of exercises that he required them to do that developed and required bi-directional ability and the most rigorous edging technique. You can see a number of these exercises in his choreography. For example, in the Papillon video, you can see Healy doing a series of Mazurkas that alternate directions - that was one of his most basic exercises.

emma · Jul 9, 2005

what's a mazurka?

BittyBug · Jul 9, 2005

emma said:
what's a mazurka?

It's a half jump:

http://www.skatejournal.com/jumpposition.html#mazurka

Here's a picture of Tenley Albright doing a mazurka as it's supposed to be done (with a full scissor):

http://www.newfund.org/files/hallFame1998.htm

I'm now reaching into the very dark and dusty recesses of my mind, but after reviewing the Papillon video again, I think what she's doing would actually be called collection steps, which are like mazurkas except you don't scissor your feet. (It's been years since I've done any of those moves, so my memory may be faulty on this topic.)

emma · Jul 9, 2005

Thanks BittyBug!

floskate · Jul 11, 2005

I'm so glad you all found my clips of Katherine Healy. She really is a remarkeable woman .Hopefully there'll be a few more coming soon so stay posted for those. Does anyone know if any of the ITNY performances were ever broadcast?

Argiri · Oct 1, 2005

I'm not a skater, just a fan who remembers Katherine Healy for the elegance and individuality of her skating and dancing. Every movement flowed into the next, every transition was not just perfect, but exquisite. With regard to ballet, I've never seen Juliet done as well as she danced the role, and I think she was actually fifteen or sixteen, the proper age for Juliet, at the time. She's amazing!

Mathman · Oct 1, 2005

Hi, Argiri, welcome to the forum, and thanks for posting!

Mathamn

Joesitz (RIP) · Oct 1, 2005

Argiri said:
I'm not a skater, just a fan who remembers Katherine Healy for the elegance and individuality of her skating and dancing. Every movement flowed into the next, every transition was not just perfect, but exquisite. With regard to ballet, I've never seen Juliet done as well as she danced the role, and I think she was actually fifteen or sixteen, the proper age for Juliet, at the time. She's amazing!

That's what dancing is all about - flowing over the floor regardless of the difficult steps. If you like the tricks, that's fine but good dancers don't sell them. Few figure skaters flow over the ice, imo.

Healy still skates with Ice Threatre of New York and while the tech has gotten a bit lower, the flow is still magnificent.

Joe

SkateFan4Life · Oct 1, 2005

Katherine Healy was and still is one of the most artistic skaters to ever lace up skates. Her line, extension, carriage, and moves in the field are absolutely stunning. Effortless, graceful, beautiful.

Unfortunately, Katerine's jumps were never in the same class as her spins, spirals, and footwork, so she was never a serious contender to advance far up the competitive system.

That being said, Healy was absolutely gorgeous to watch. :clap:

Katherine Healy

dr.frog

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soogar

BittyBug

BittyBug

hockeyfan228

gkelly

Joesitz (RIP)

babyoscar

emma

Ladskater

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emma

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