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- Aug 26, 2017
This song will always be associated with an event that we shall not speak of.
Whose Rondo Capriccioso is better?
- Thread starter LiamForeman
- Start date
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- Nov 2, 2013
Anna's is a lot better, really. Skating has really gone forward. The only advantage Kwan really has is nostalgia. If a person saw both for the first time, there's hardly any competition.
I guess for some reason. Not sure why I'd even forgotten that she had used that song, though, and don't remember anything about her programs. :think:
Lol Wut?? :scratch:
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Anyway...it’s hard for me to judge since this music makes me instantaneously find the mute button. Anna is very soft and delicate and has a tremendous natural feel for the music. You can see her strengths will come from her musicality and ability to relate basic skating into interpretation. I’m unsure where she stands on my favorites chart but I’m going to give her a chance inspite of choosing music I find to be an absolute earworm. I won’t hold it against her in the long run. I’m pretty forgiving
From 40-45sec she does back crosscuts, I think three of them and her right arm is literally flailing all over the place.
Its a basic skating skill that she hasn’t mastered. Her musicality is OK, but when you cant do crossovers you don’t have finesse on ice.
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- Feb 16, 2014
Well, it's hardly fair to compare a performance at Worlds to an ex in a summer ice show being performed publicly for the first time. But Anna's version does nothing to convince me of her supposed talent. I would never, ever rewatch it.
Rudy Galindo's is the most memorable Rondo Cappricioso, in my opinion.
Rudy Galindo's is the most memorable Rondo Cappricioso, in my opinion.
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- May 19, 2011
Kwan has been overrated to the high heavens. I don't know why it's so taboo to just flat out say that.She always had the same okay-I'm-giving-a-performance-now face, and was basically rewarded by the fact that not making mistakes in this sport is (or was, I guess) rare. Granted, she was great at what she does (i.e. not making mistakes), but I don't know how this automatically makes her some once in a generation artiste like so many make her out to be. Kim Yuna is basically the better version of her but with superior, more nuanced artistry imho. That said, I did enjoy her energy in the provided clip, and Shcherbakova's program (literally) put me to sleep (sorry, lol) so...Kwan by default I guess?
Question: When did you start watching figure skating? I'm not trying to be smart or anything, I'm genuinely curious.
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- Jul 27, 2003
Definitely Kozuka: https://youtu.be/IMJcjTWz61I, who skates as if he were that very bow himself. Divine musicality and skating skills. The last straight line steps 
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- Nov 3, 2013
:yes2: I was about to post him, but shine, you beat me.
Look at his edge-work
Even Patrick Chan said "I love his skating" in an interview I read at that time.
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- Feb 22, 2014
Question: When did you start watching figure skating? I'm not trying to be smart or anything, I'm genuinely curious.
As a serious fan? Around the time of Sochi, probably during US Nationals that year. I remember watching the ladies competition cause it happened to be on that weekend. Before that as a casual, I just watched skating when nothing else was on TV, or during the Olympics. It wasn't something I was particularly drawn to, it's just that without cable, weekend TV sucks. That said, I was really into Michelle Kwan for a while as a little kid lol (or at least that's what I am told). Growing up we were (as a lot of Asian American households were back then) a Kwan household. My parents actually watched skating whenever it was on for Michelle Kwan. I had a figure skating picture book which came with a replica of Michelle Kwan's necklace. I played a computer game where you make up programs for Michelle Kwan. Michelle Kwan loosing at the Olympics (twice) was caused by "the judges being racist and always wanting to give it to the White girl" I was told. And then we never watched a full figure skating competition again until Pyeongchang actually. It's weird, I watched every single Michelle Kwan program up until she retired, but the only ones that really stuck with me were her Disney ones (well to be fair, I was a kid). Of course, I watched them all later and I do like them generally. There's no arguing that she was objectively the best of her era. I just think she's overrated. For me personally, she just always gives off this artificial okay-watch-me-perform vibe, which is fine I guess. Just not my preference, and I'm only giving an opinion.
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- Jul 26, 2003
Kwan's career was very long and some performances were way more inspired than others, but when Kwan was on, nobody hit the nuances of the music the way she did with as much restraint. She was all about combining clean movement, smooth bladework, and paying attention to details. Lu Chen could match her in her prime. Kwan was not naturally the best but you knew she worked on things and truly thought about things when she skated. There was a lot of depth to her skating that is rare even today. Anyway, any skater as successful and dominant as Kwan will be overrated and in turn others feel like they have to underrate her to maintain a balance.
Back to Rondo, I think people overemphasized Kwan's transformation from 1995 to 1996 with Salome as being the reason she was able to win Worlds at 15. I agree that changing to a more mature theme, putting her hair in a bun, and putting on make-up did help, but I think what really helped more was that Kwan did increase her speed, her power was a bit better, her spin positions got a lot better, her extensions improved, and her program was more compelling to watch. All of those things, to me, is what made her a World champion. Just doing cosmetic things would not be enough if Kwan's skating did not also improve to the point to give some substance to those changes. I do love in the 1995 Worlds performance where Kwan showed what a smart competitor she was. The landing of her first Lutz was off and she had no flow out of it so she could not complete the combination. She ended up adding it to the second Lutz (which was better than the first) because she knew she had to do it in order for that second Lutz to count. Even at 14, Kwan knew what she had to do for competition.
Back to Rondo, I think people overemphasized Kwan's transformation from 1995 to 1996 with Salome as being the reason she was able to win Worlds at 15. I agree that changing to a more mature theme, putting her hair in a bun, and putting on make-up did help, but I think what really helped more was that Kwan did increase her speed, her power was a bit better, her spin positions got a lot better, her extensions improved, and her program was more compelling to watch. All of those things, to me, is what made her a World champion. Just doing cosmetic things would not be enough if Kwan's skating did not also improve to the point to give some substance to those changes. I do love in the 1995 Worlds performance where Kwan showed what a smart competitor she was. The landing of her first Lutz was off and she had no flow out of it so she could not complete the combination. She ended up adding it to the second Lutz (which was better than the first) because she knew she had to do it in order for that second Lutz to count. Even at 14, Kwan knew what she had to do for competition.
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- Dec 9, 2017
I would say no singles skater achieved it this past season.
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- Jan 10, 2014
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I think people talk about the Kwan era, but Kwan herself had different eras. IMO, her best and cleanest movement was from Fall 1995-1999. If you watch her "Winter" exhibition or "Dante's Prayer" exhibition you'll know exactly what I mean. Her skating got a little looser afterwards. After 2002, Kwan's movement lost a lot of the control and cleanliness she used to have, but with that came a much more free way of moving (and a lot less transitions) that I remember at the time people who used to not like Kwan started to like Kwan because they didn't like how "rehearsed" her skating seemed to be. That looser period coincided with her health issues that prevented her from being completely 100% to really be more ambitious with her content BUT her power and speed really increased as did the height of her triples under Arutunian (though the height made it seem like tacking on another triple would be more difficult).
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- Dec 9, 2017
It's a very good performance, but it still lacks a sense of abandonment that you could find in a Lu Chen or a Kwan performance when they were at their very best. The level requirements for the steps absolutely hurt her.
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- Jun 21, 2003
That is an interesting observation. I would leave off the "artificial," but I agree that in Michelle's most memorable programs she is "Michelle Kwan performing her figure skating program." She did not go out there and say, "Look, I'm Juliet." or "Now I'm flapping my arms like a swan."
I remember in the first version of her Salome program there was a brief moment where she held out her hand palm up like she was displaying the head of John the Baptist on a platter. Wisely, they took that out and just presented Michelle Kwan skating. This was especially evident in the Lyra Angelica program, as well as inher later masterpieces like the Red Violin and Song of the Black Swan.
As for nostalgia, I have to confess that at my age I'm all for it.
What's nostalgic about nostalgia is that there was a time when great figure skating performances touched the heart and either stirred or soothed the soul. I guess they still do.
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- Dec 9, 2017
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- Jan 10, 2014
While I'm not comparing her to Lu Chen or Kwan, this comment below the video from an audience member gives some insight, even with the step level requirements:
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- Jul 27, 2003
Stanick Jeanette for the most avant garde : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uMzNeAKfD5U
: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uMzNeAKfD5U
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- Oct 31, 2014
Stanick Jeanette for the most avant garde
French skaters are always amusing and creative. The arm movements seem to be inspired by the giant squid in 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea. 
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