- Joined
- Feb 10, 2018
I think PCS scores should be judged based on how the skater did (as you said with Kostner - missing the jumps doesn’t exactly mean you’re performance was off the charts in PCS). However, skating skills and transitions aside, part of the PCS score is based on interpretation of music, program composition, and performance execution. Thus, “artistry” of some kind is needed, whether you prefer the program or not!
I don’t think that a skater with a Celine Dion program Or a flirtatious program means they deserve high PCS scores. That being said, I can’t deny enjoying some of their programs! I’d prefer Ashley Wagner’s Sweet Dreams program any day over Trusova’s Game of Thrones program because Ashley’s charisma, ability to perform, and ability to project to an audience captivated me. I think this is where judges give skaters with those type of programs higher PCS scores, as judges are members of the audience! But, like you said, the Russians that aren’t as “artistic” in that sense can easily combat that “performance charisma” with their speed, transitions, and, of course, amazing jumps and spins, which also excite the audience!
This is why skaters like Kostornaia are so hard to beat. She has it all! She has difficult jumps, amazing skating skills and transitions, and a performance ability that is off the charts!
Edit: I would only prefer Ashley’s program on a performance level, Trusova’s quads crush Ashley technically
Well, the problem is that "art" or "artistry" is so subjective that it is hard to come to a widely accepted agreement what is artistic and what is not. There are tons of definitions and hundreds of other theoretics would explain why the art can't be properly defined.
For me, the essence of the art/artistry (ability to express/perform art) is something that enriches me in rational nor in emotional way, helps me to think, to feel, sometimes to re-evaluate (from this angle one of the biggest artistic contributions was Lipnitskaia's olympic free program, because it made me to re-evaluate what I thought about figure skating till that time
). Also, for me, there always should be some significant level of aesthetics (which once again shows how the perception of art/artistry is subjective, because there would be many supporters of that kind of art that finds pleasure in disgustingness and hideousness). But above all else, I have to believe in honesty of the creator/performer that he means it seriously, and with this part I never have a problem with russian ladies/girls. It's partially a matter of training to feel the performance and to understand it, and not just training of the actual program, but general education in art and aestetics. I think it can be seen that many russian ladies and girls have ballet training that helps not only with the range of movements but also with the understanding art (eternal glory to Lyudmila Borisovna and other ballet coaches of the russian figure skaters). And partially it is a thing of one's nature, the part that can't be trained, that a person gets in genes.
