Suggestions for Rachael

[Spun Silver]

I thought it would be nice if those of us who've been critical of Rachael made some truly constructive suggestions. Are there musical pieces or costume ideas that would help her mature artistically? What kind of choreography would really suit her? And so forth.

I could see Rachael skating to Mozart. There are so many choices I don't even know where to start - Balanchine said everything he ever wrote could be danced so perhaps the same is true for skating. The piano concerti come to mind first. Like so much of his music, they offer such adult depths together with such youthful brilliance and beautiful melodies. I think the music could help her grow up as a senior lady skater.

 

[Tonichelle]

I think red is a great color on her, it makes her stand out

and her hair swept to the side like it was for the exhibition, to me, made her look like she had a neck...

I know these aren't completely skating related, but I think it'd help her look.

she needs up beat music, I think, and it'll show her personality more. I know you didn't like her exhibition, but she looked like she was having fun. I think that'd go a long way with her skating... make it not so much 'business as usual' but something extraordinary.

 

[bekalc]

I think she should skate to something like Carmen (dramatic) or music with highs and lows

 

[flying camel]

Great thread. First I love Rachael and I want so much for her to do well. Firstly, straighten up girl. Review some footage of Sasha. Watch her carriage and positions on the ice. Copy whatever you can pull off. Pay special attention to her back. I agree with the red dress. The darker colors are very flattering against her skin tone. The light blue has to go.

As far as Choreography goes, I think whoever did her choreography before lori new Rachael well and was able to hide a lot of her flaws. She did not look so slow last year and her spins did not look as slow to me. I don't think Lori was able to hide Rachaels flaws. I would love for her to go back to last years SP for Worlds. It was cute and fun. Moonriver is just too boring. I also think she looked great with the french twist. Bring it back Rachael.

Future music selections need to be more upbeat. Since she is a slow skater the slow music just makes her look even slower.

 

[bekalc]

I think Rachael needs to skate with more attack/speed no matter what, and I doubt softer music is going to do it.

What about Danse Macabre, or some Tango music. Something that Rachael has to go out and perfrom with FIRE. Rachmanifoff, etc

 

[Mathman]

I could see Rachael skating to Mozart. There are so many choices I don't even know where to start - Balanchine said everything he ever wrote could be danced so perhaps the same is true for skating.

A thousand 's to Balachine. But...there must be a reason why no one ever skates to music from the classical era (Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven.) I always wondered if the problem might be that no one could ever skate so well that they would not seem clutzy in comparison to the depth and subtlety of the music.

I would like to see someone try Mozart's Seranade no. 11 for winds -- the most sublime music ever written for winds, and I even include John Philip Sousa!

Also the Mozart oboe concerto, Haydn's string quartet opus 76 no. 4 (or 5), and (for a male skater, like maybe Johnny Weir), the Haydn or Hummel trumpet concerto.

But again, the problem would be that the audience might shout, get off the ice so I can listen to the music!

(Now that I think about it, Fumie Suguri did Eine Kleine Nacht Musik one season.)

 

[Tonichelle]

I'd prefer she stay away from the overdone pieces of music...

 

[Taan]

i think rachael should play up to her greatest strength - her emotive facial expressions and talents for powerful choreographic interpretation and projection. she should skate to music that is sentimental and over the top. at her best, i see her as a modern day shirley temple on ice. she needs to really play that up. she needs to emote to the last row, she may look somewhat campy but its her greatest talent it sets her apart. she seemed to do this more 2 years ago.

her lp this season is a bore, a waste. she should be skating to showtunes/ broadway musicals (seriously ) much like oksana baiul's 1994 olympic lp....this would suit rachael's innate endearing style..

she will never be a powerful/exciting skater she needs to define herself exclusely as a great performer it is her only hope of huge componants and gold medals.

 

[R.D.]

Like I said in the other thread, she should translate some of the "showiness" in her gala performances to her free skate, for instance. Otherwise, she's a solid skater and there's not much else to say.

 

[ANW]

a little bit OT

I don't know but for me Rachael looks much older than 16, she has a lot wrinkles around her eyes espcially when she smiles, anyone else noticed this?

 

[McWicked]

she's solid and reliable, i dont ask for more, im not that picky!!!

 

[Mathman]

Here is a nice picture of her. :agree:

http://z.about.com/d/figureskating/1/0/J/H/-/-/Flatt-low.jpg

And other Mozart suggestion: the overature to Marriage of Figaro! :yes:

 

[mandykane21]

i think rachael should play up to her greatest strength - her emotive facial expressions and talents for powerful choreographic interpretation and projection. she should skate to music that is sentimental and over the top. at her best, i see her as a modern day shirley temple on ice. she needs to really play that up. she needs to emote to the last row, she may look somewhat campy but its her greatest talent it sets her apart. she seemed to do this more 2 years ago.

her lp this season is a bore, a waste. she should be skating to showtunes/ broadway musicals (seriously ) much like oksana baiul's 1994 olympic lp....this would suit rachael's innate endearing style..

she will never be a powerful/exciting skater she needs to define herself exclusely as a great performer it her only hope of huge componants and gold medals.

So, so, so, so, so agree with this! I was beginning to think I was nuts for seeing this is her.

 

[chuckm]

Tom Dickson choreographed her 2007-2008 programs, and she should definitely go back to him. I think Lori Nichol must have selected the music for her programs this year, and Rachael was never able to get into those selections, so she couldn't express what she didn't feel.

Rachael should be the one picking the music, because she is the one who has to relate to it and share her feelings with the audience.

 

[herios]

I think she should skate to something like Carmen (dramatic) or music with highs and lows

Please give a rest to Carmen at once, don't even bring it up

 

[dorispulaski]

Rachael is still very young. It is far to early to say she cannot develop power in her skating. I would suggest that she spend some time with a coach that actually would work to develop her skating skills.

This is going to sound wacko, but it seems to be working for Ryan Bradley--spend some time with Shpilband and Zoueva. At the beginning of the summer he had two choices-level 1 or 2 on step sequences or fall on his butt. (he fell on both step sequences at Liberty). At Nationals he didn't fall on his steps and got some level 3's, which is a big improvement for him. Dance coaches are the place to go for edges and speed.

And as to what she should skate to, actually Moon River is not that bad for her, but the LP doesn't work. I am for giving her peppier music that she can relate to.

 

[Nigel]

Tom Dickson choreographed her 2007-2008 programs, and she should definitely go back to him. I think Lori Nichol must have selected the music for her programs this year, and Rachael was never able to get into those selections, so she couldn't express what she didn't feel.

Rachael should be the one picking the music, because she is the one who has to relate to it and share her feelings with the audience.

Interesting how everyone picks on Lori Nichols choreo of Flatt's programs this season. Lori did Flatt's SP from her US Sr debut season , which was very well rec'd. DIckson choreographed only the SP from 2007-2008...It Ain't Necessarily So, also well received and Nichol did the LP last season, the Romantic Rhapsody (also well rec'd).

 

[Alicja]

Interesting how everyone picks on Lori Nichols choreo of Flatt's programs this season. Lori did Flatt's SP from her US Sr debut season , which was very well rec'd. DIckson choreographed only the SP from 2007-2008...It Ain't Necessarily So, also well received and Nichol did the LP last season, the Romantic Rhapsody (also well rec'd).

I absolutely loved Rachael's short program at 07 Nats. I also thought the yellow dress was gorgeous as well as her LP dress from that season.

Btw, I've heard lots of people complain about Rachael's posture and that she should finally pay attention to pull her shoulders back and correct it. I must say that I find those comments somewhat ridicolous because we don't know if she's actually able to. My aunt put my cousin into ballet classes when she was 10 because she hunched down her shoulders and my aunt thought this would help her to get more stength and correct it. Anyways, that didn't happen. About two years later a doctor finally diagnosed that her backbone hadn't developed the way it should have what had caused her back problems.

 

[dorispulaski]

It's fact that people are all too quick to criticize when they don't know the person's medical history. I am reminded of all the cries to have Elaine Zayak take ballet, when she had 1/3 of one foot missing, and probably would have had trouble walking, let alone dancing in ballet shoes, which have no side to side support to speak of.

 

[Tonichelle]

certainly if she can't that is a factor...

and that's possibly the reason why Tim Goebel also had rounded shoulders... we know he had back trouble...

still... whether she can or not, it is considered 'bad posture' and bugs people. (I have rounded shoulders - because I refused to pull them back when I was younger lol - and it bugs me now)