Hello Alina fans. Just want to cross-post about the artistry I see in Alina's program...it's within the context of disagreeing that she has no balletic artistry in DQ. She does have lots of artistry! Her PCS to me...and the judges..are justified because of the details she puts into and performs from the beginning pose to the final spin.
Ballet is controlled from torso, but ice skating is mainly from hips to toes.
The only person I can think of trying to perform ballet on ice is Oksana Bauil wearing lots of feathers....but I don't like doing this tippy toe and fluttering trembling arms, swanning around the rink. The ballet I understand is very athletic, very controlled, very human-defying moves, though aesthetic and graceful. Not unlike ice skating as a sport.
I will disagree strongly about ballet only using soft arms movement, as the prima ballerina portraying Kitri has to learn the Spanish port de bras. The Spanish Kitri is young, feisty, fierce, passionate and flirtatious. She isn't a delicate flower as she fought for her happiness. Flamenco dance is also strong and fiery. I disagree that flamenco took from ballet - I'm almost sure flamenco originates from gypsy or Indian dance tradition? I need to check. It's the other way round, ballet borrows from flamenco to portray Spanish themed narratives.
The Vaganova classes prepare the higher grades with special Spanish arms classes just for the possibility of performing to Don Quixote and other Spanish roles.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kgz6vFTIqOE
Below...At 1:46 is where they crook their arm in front like Alina did, I know you dislike it, but this is a typical Spanish arm move:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F3Ix7iY0rBo
They are full of "crooked elbow and wrist action", and different from typical ballet "oval" port de bras classes. The future prima ballerinas have to learn different character portrayal.
Here's one about Kitri
http://www.pointemagazine.com/don-quixote-kitri-variation-choreography-2412811313.html
As for Alina, due to constant figure skating motion, which I explain is very different from ballet movements and muscle use, I don't think she can do the same repertoire of arm movements like in a real ballet, though there are many moments and poses in her DQ which are unmistakably from the ballet, when she places her arm on her hip, when she places her crooked right arm in front of her chest as if holding a fan, etc. I find her arms doing their own dance as mesmerizing to watch as her legs! If fans are interested they might even do screen shots of the p d 2 and shots of Alina doing similar poses to compare.
One pure Vaganova prima ballerina arm moment is her Ina Bauer and the flick of her wrists at the end. Another is after the mid-point when she flirtatiously floreos her arms. It's a moment when she is in a stable situation and can really pay that attention to the play of her arms, a small detail but I enjoy it so much.
Is she perfect like a real DQ p b? No. Did she bring a lot of Kitri in her artistry? Yes, as much as any figure skater could, under the circumstances of doing ice skating, unable to perform in ballet mode.
I just have to say I share the same views as the judges who score her performance highly.
To me, I feel we are lucky to watch an attempt to portray DQ on ice this way, with so many details, so many transitions, with arms to match, with such a well-arranged score, coupled with the jumps galore finale. This DQ is a beautifully crafted program. :agree: Don't ever doubt team Alina for making it an Olympic worthy program. And how many figure skaters can portray feisty Kitri, bring in sublime flexibility and do the jumps of Basilio? I don't think we will see another one for many many many years.
now praising Alina (well no other choice since her father is there as well 
