I often find myself thinking, that there's a discrepancy between what a majority of figure skating fans are looking for and enjoying in a program, and what at least a certain portion of Nathan's fans like. Or maybe it is just me, ha. I think many of Nathan's fans don't enjoy overly pompous gestures and over-acting, or too many arm flourishes that don't look organic or natural. What others celebrate as great performance chops will sometimes even look cheesy or overly dramatic to me and doesn't feel genuine, to the point where I can't take it seriously. But I've never been a fan of musicals and the like, so maybe also plays a part in it, it's just not the type of entertainment/performance that speaks to me.
Nathan also doesn't have that classic posture (shoulders back, butt sticking out) and I believe many skating fans find that unappealing, because he looks too 'jock-ish' and as if he's not in 'presentation mode' (or not enough).
Personally, this is actually one of the things that I love about Nathan, because it looks much more natural to me, and not like he's straining and striking a pose all throughout the program, because to me a 'good posture' always looks put on (although I admit that Nathan has a bad habit of pulling up his shoulders too much
).But apart from all that, it can't be denied that he is extremely jump focused and that often takes away from the other beautiful qualities of his skating or movement vocabulary, and he rightfully gets called out for that (not recognising that he has those beautiful qualities is what bothers and perplexes me though).
That is exactly the reason which allows me to appreciate them both for what they are as they bring so different qualities and energies with them and still, they are both SOOOO great, so amazingly talented and enjoyable. I think some people have found it difficult in the beginning to deal with the fact that this young lad was taking away titles from the seemingly untouchable master but I hope by this time they have all learnt to appreciate them both. I also think the unquestionable and obviously sincere respect and admiration of Nathan for Yuzu adds to this and - again - allows us to appreciate them both and serves as a teaching to us all. I really respect Nathan for this. And I must say, apart from his amazing talent, he really seems to be such a nice and wise person indeed. Kudos! And it is really a pleasure to watch him develop and grow so beautifully! (And, shhh, I love his simple costumes! IMHO, they fit him well, just like the eleborate shirts do fit Yuzu... )
thought it had this artsy minimalist flair that worked really well with the program. And I think it really enhanced his lines and adds more flow to his skating which really helps with this program (I’ve also been waiting forever for a costume that doesn’t swallow his neck). It’s much closer to what I would envision for this program than the generic blue blouse from SA - now THAT’s from a
