Mao's new SP!!

[CarneAsada]

I totally just wrote about that! BTW, its still early? Asada might add or change some moves, we wont know until later in the season. Remember she tweaked some of her choreography in her 2007 FP by the time Worlds came, and the same with Liebestraume. There's just far too much assumption going in at this point in time.

I'm just glad Mao hasn't stooped to the stomach clutching or the Seductress motions. I hope to never see those from her. I don't mind the beatific smile but when Mao's having fun she has her own smile that's just as good (though definitely not the forced one that was plastered on her face during large portions of the more unfortunate outings of Liebestraume).

 

[Mathman]

]...seriously, people have started NITPICKING here.

Seriously. The girl scores 220 points annihilating the competition and someone doesn't like her facial expression?

Anyway, back to Mao...

 

[aftertherain]

One interesting question worth asking is if Mao were to compete against herself with this SP against her last Olympics SP, which one do you like better, which one would have won and why.

I hope to never see those from her. I don't mind the beatific smile but when Mao's having fun she has her own smile that's just as good (though definitely not the forced one that was plastered on her face during large portions of the more unfortunate outings of Liebestraume).

I might be the minority here, but I recently revisted Mao's SP at the Olympics and found that I actually really liked watching it. I don't like the program itself, but as she was performing, I could feel a sense of relief and happiness--especially due to the way her season was going that year. That performance was better than anything she'd done that year and really, even the year before when "Masquerade" was her LP. I actually believed her smiles in that performance.

Seductress motions.

If you're talking about the exhibition program I think you're talking about, yeah, it was awkward. It started off sexy and then just went downhill from there.

http://i.imgur.com/vTTncx6.gif

I see so much perfection in both pictures. Ugh, I can just feel the anguish from both ladies.

Not to mention that the shade of nail polish I'm wearing right now is similar to the shades (and sparkles) of both their dresses.

 

[CarneAsada]

I might be the minority here, but I recently revisted Mao's SP at the Olympics and found that I actually really liked watching it. I don't like the program itself, but as she was performing, I could feel a sense of relief and happiness--especially due to the way her season was going that year. That performance was better than anything she'd done that year and really, even the year before when "Masquerade" was her LP. I actually believed her smiles in that performance.

Her Olympics SP wasn't bad. It was a bit cookie-cutter but miki88 might be selling the footwork short. Her Masquerade LP wasn't that bad either (not bad for having quite a bit of uninteresting downtime) - I think the footwork was better than in the SP version and there was a nice spread eagle before her 2nd 3A.

If you're talking about the exhibition program I think you're talking about, yeah, it was awkward. It started off sexy and then just went downhill from there.

It even applies (to a lesser extent) to two SPs in a row, sometimes spilling over into her LP. Hint hint they were both in black.

 

[TheCzar]

I might be the minority here, but I recently revisted Mao's SP at the Olympics and found that I actually really liked watching it. I don't like the program itself, but as she was performing, I could feel a sense of relief and happiness--especially due to the way her season was going that year. That performance was better than anything she'd done that year and really, even the year before when "Masquerade" was her LP. I actually believed her smiles in that performance.


If you're talking about the exhibition program I think you're talking about, yeah, it was awkward. It started off sexy and then just went downhill from there.


I see so much perfection in both pictures. Ugh, I can just feel the anguish from both ladies.

'Caro: OH Mah lordie, there's blood on mah hands!'
'Yuna: You guuuuys! There's blood on my dress. Get if off, get if off!'

 

[aero]

This is my new favorite forum discussion. I have not laughed this much in quite a while, and I don't mean to be rude or completely off-topic. But just seeing all those video clips and images has got me in hysterics.

 

[Krislite]

This is my new favorite forum discussion. I have not laughed this much in quite a while, and I don't mean to be rude or completely off-topic. But just seeing all those video clips and images has got me in hysterics.

A Mao thread turns into a Yuna thread. Of course. Funny enough, it was an ostensibly Mao fan who first brought up Yuna into the discussion by calling Mao's new SP a "cheap Yuna Kim version", and it went downhill from there...

 

[aftertherain]

A Mao thread turns into a Yuna thread. Of course. Funny enough, it was an ostensibly Mao fan who first brought up Yuna into the discussion by calling Mao's new SP a "cheap Yuna Kim version", and it went downhill from there...

I think we've gone from drooling over Mao to getting needlessly irritated to good-naturedly (I hope) making fun of Mao, Yuna, and Carolina. I think that's a pretty good direction.

But I still don't agree that Yuna and Mao's styles are "suspiciously" similar to each other. The two of them have always been more musical and lyrical than everyone else.

Also, I just rewatched the 06-07 "Nocturne".

 

[FlattFan]

I added a few names to ignore list after reading the last 4 pages. Save me some grieves in the next few months.

 

[babyalligator]

'Caro: OH Mah lordie, there's blood on mah hands!'
'Yuna: You guuuuys! There's blood on my dress. Get if off, get if off!'

on a positive note, this is probably one of the most peaceful resolutions to rising tensions in a thread that i've seen to date.

 

[dyu]

Actually, I also thought that Mao's arm movement is very similiar to Yuna's when I first watched her new SP. But maybe it's the right way for Mao becuase Yuna has level 4 arm as Jenny and Dave said

 

[Krislite]

I think we've gone from drooling over Mao to getting needlessly irritated to good-naturedly (I hope) making fun of Mao, Yuna, and Carolina. I think that's a pretty good direction.

But I still don't agree that Yuna and Mao's styles are "suspiciously" similar to each other. The two of them have always been more musical and lyrical than everyone else.

Also, I just rewatched the 06-07 "Nocturne".

The 2006 Skate America version is her best. Just exquisite...

 

[Krislite]

[...]
It even applies (to a lesser extent) to two SPs in a row, sometimes spilling over into her LP. Hint hint they were both in black.

Now, now. Those "moves" were well suited to the music and theme (a non-sexy Bond girl is an oxymoron). And it's not like she was twerking, and she had far fewer hip-shaking and hip-thrusts than Kostner's Bolero...

 

[yyyskate]

The 2006 Skate America version is her best. Just exquisite...

agreed.

 

[aftertherain]

Now, now. Those "moves" were well suited to the music and theme (a non-sexy Bond girl is an oxymoron). And it's not like she was twerking, and she had far fewer hip-shaking and hip-thrusts than Kostner's Bolero...

I disagree with CarneAsada about her SPs, but I am adamant on that matter about her exhibition program. Sexy and then downhill from there. Awk-Ward.

Carolina's hip-thrusts were far better than those of a certain Russian "legend" who is very well set to retire soon. And oh goodness, twerking.

Do we know what Mao's exhibition skate will be, by the way?

 

[yyyskate]

Actually, I also thought that Mao's arm movement is very similiar to Yuna's when I first watched her new SP. But maybe it's the right way for Mao becuase Yuna has level 4 arm as Jenny and Dave said

Yuna is known for skating with her whole body. Just like Jenny/Dave said, her arm is the way to go , completely different from isolated arm flailing movement which Jenny/Dave also hinted in the same interview (certain Russian style...).

 

[Krislite]

I diasgree with CarneAsada about her SPs, but I am adamant on that matter about her exhibition program. Sexy and then downhill from there. Awk-Ward.

Carolina's hip-thrusts were far better than those of a certain Russian "legend" who is very well set to retire soon. And oh goodness, twerking.

Do we know what Mao's exhibition skate will be, by the way?

Well, I was referring to her Bond girl routine and not that ex you have mind.

 

[cohkaix]

Do we know what Mao's exhibition skate will be, by the way?

Mao's new Ex "Smile/What a wonderful world" from The ICE 2013:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vSWqWV4-pzY

I've never seen her so relaxed and happy in skating...her lightness is coming back here.

 

[CarneAsada]

Now, now. Those "moves" were well suited to the music and theme (a non-sexy Bond girl is an oxymoron). And it's not like she was twerking, and she had far fewer hip-shaking and hip-thrusts than Kostner's Bolero...

I certainly won't deny that it was suited to the music. And she certainly has more refined face-stroking than, say Miki Ando. To the music, entertaining, and pretty convincing, but it doesn't change the fact that a million other people are capable of standing still on the ice and doing those "movements" with a little practice. Sometimes you might want a little more. If someone with Yu-na's or Mao's or Carolina's skating ability is relying solely on arm movements to supposedly "convey expression," what's the point?

I do agree with you about Carolina's Bolero in that I think the choreography was cheesy, tacky, and somewhat vulgar, but that fits the nature of the piece just as much as the aforementioned "moves" fit a Bond Girl routine. Ravel wrote Bolero as a musical experiment: a long, sustained crescendo with a theme that is repeated without development. His Bolero became a hit, but he said of his own piece that there was no music in Bolero and it was mere "orchestral tissue." When you use a piece that inherently appeals to the masses and has no musical value, it just begs to be given the tackiest, campiest choreography imaginable.

There was a thread about artistry awhile back. A poster said something to the effect of "if it's great music, I'd rather the skater got off the ice and let me listen without distractions. Even the best-choreographed program doesn't even reach the knees of a really great piece of music." I'd agree. When a girl skates to Turandot (and of course, it will always be Nessun Dorma), do we ask her to be Calaf? He is the one singing it. Or Turandot, the icy princess who is still unthawed at that point in the opera? Or Liu, who really has nothing to do with Nessun Dorma at all? And once you've decided whom to portray, how do you do it? Mime the words and make the stylized arm motions that were standard procedure at the Met 50 years ago? That's a stupid idea and that's why I think most attempts to "portray a character" in skating are doomed to fail. If your expectation is that every piece of music has a crudely literal story (usually of love in some form) and any skating program done to that music must retell said story, not only are you asking to be disappointed, you also don't understand the meaning of music or art at all. What I'd like from a skating program's choreography is that it fits the music and has moments that the skater can make memorable.

Which brings me back to Mao. I think this talk about "19th-century love" is hogwash. The very word "nocturne" ultimately derives from the Latin word for night (in fact the roots of nocturne and night are cognate). You can try to evoke the night, but that's also unnecessary. Chopin was heavily influenced by Italian opera of the bel canto era (Rossini, Donizetti, and Rossini). It was about beautiful singing and beautiful technique. You use the beautiful melodies (which go on forever) and ornament them tastefully. Later composers became more concerned with creating believable characters the audience could relate to, and then opera gained a greater theatrical aspect. But back then, you sold the opera with nothing but your voice and the eminently hummable melodies. If Mao wants to give a musically-informed performance, I would argue that there's no need for a beatific smile, no need for excessive arm movements; she should sell the program on nothing but the beauty of her lines and her skating. Her 2006-07 program did just that with moves like the spirals, the choreography around her Lutz and her 2A, and the twizzle at the end of her footwork. That's why I like it more than her current version.

 

[miki88]

Funny that Dave/Jenny is brought up in regards to Yuna's arm movements, because I remember reading not so praiseworthy comments from them when it came to those choreographed movements in her Les Miz program. But as Mathman suggested, it didn't really matter what she skated to at Worlds at the end of the day.