Nathan Chen

[alexaa]

TeamToyota posted this Rocketman video again

https://www.instagram.com/reel/CKkPWPOnJf6/?igshid=1ltg1yr0pb686

ETA: found something funny, not really

https://www.instagram.com/p/CKT1c97JYzT/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

 

[Marine]

If you guys have a say on what music or medley Nathan should skate to in his SP, FS, and Exhibition for the 2022 Olympics, what would they be?

Hi I'm new here. I've been a fan of men figure skating for yrs but what I've found Nathan exceptionally unique is that he is very versatile and his somewhat contemporary interpretation of music rlly stands out among other classical style skaters.

I personally hope he does 'Nemesis' and 'Land of Fall' types of music for olympics.

 

[1111bm]

I personally hope he does 'Nemesis' and 'Land of Fall' types of music for olympics.

Agreed. Not only did I enjoy both music styles/tracks a lot, but also for the olympic season he should pick what worked best for him in the past. And his most successful programs have arguably been Nemesis, Caravan and LoA, because they showcased what he does best. Rocketman too, but I think that was mostly because of the choreo sequence.
These styles have kind of become his brand and it's what people have enjoyed the most and what they've come to expect from him.

And even though it's predictable by now, I think he should stick to his formula of fast-paced SP with either some Nemesis-type swagger and coolness or an adorable, upbeat Caravan-like character and a LP that has a somewhat lyrical first half (preferably some modern music and not necessarily sth. classic? or maybe film music?) and ends with a triumphant and/or entertaining last section (obviously he should go for a crowd-pleasing choreo sequence the way he's been doing for the past seasons).

I want one competitive program to be a Polunin inspired Hozier piece like the one at ATS.

I don't see a Polunin influence in his ATS performance? Looks more like Nathan playing around with some of his own movements, to me at least (his moves also look a lot more casual and 'flowy' compared to the videos you've posted).

I wish I could see Shae or MFD collaborating with Derek Hough or Mandy Moore (the choreographer, not the singer - lol) to do something like that.

While this might be a similar genre to his SP now, the rhythm and texture of this music is pretty cool for him to have fun with:

IMO that doesn't look like Nathan at all, he's not the standard dance type (even if there's some contemporary looking choreo in that video example as well) and besides, he's expressed several times that he doesn't relate to the style of his Desperados SP. Kudos to him for trying something new and going for a spanish or latin american inspired program, but it's also ok to recognise that he doesn't really 'feel it'.

or some tribal flare

Dear god, please no. Nathan already gets enough hate as is, and he doesn't need to give people even more ammunition so they get to attack him for cultural appropriation and exoticism on top of it (never mind that he's by far not the first, nor will he be the last skater to do a 'questionable' program like this). And his Desperados SP has already invited such criticism from his haters.
(I'm still surprised Shoma got away with his Great Spirit program tbh)

Besides, I'm not sure Nathan would be too comfortable performing as this kind of persona (the way he clearly did with Nemesis or Caravan, for instance, which were more close to his actual character) and the Olympics shouldn't be about experimenting with styles, but choosing sth. that 'works well' for him.

And even though I do think he could pull it off, imo the way he moves and skates suits either a more subtle lyrical style or a smooth casual style (again, see Nemesis) or sth. where his 'quick feet' will work well (such as the almost choppy intro steps in Nemesis or all those step sequences in his SPs of the past seasons, ranging from the ballet inspired Le Corsaire to even the restless la Boheme).

A 'tribal' inspired program would need a more 'earthy' and heavy style of skating, plus a different kind of swagger, which is why Shoma's Great Spirit works so well for him.

 

[sheetz]

I have a hunch he will do a Chinese martial arts themed SP. The FS I want to be to classic rock like Stairway to Heaven.

 

[Joe Mendoza]

Agreed. Not only did I enjoy both music styles/tracks a lot, but also for the olympic season he should pick what worked best for him in the past. And his most successful programs have arguably been Nemesis, Caravan and LoA, because they showcased what he does best. Rocketman too, but I think that was mostly because of the choreo sequence.
These styles have kind of become his brand and it's what people have enjoyed the most and what they've come to expect from him.

And even though it's predictable by now, I think he should stick to his formula of fast-paced SP with either some Nemesis-type swagger and coolness or an adorable, upbeat Caravan-like character and a LP that has a somewhat lyrical first half (preferably some modern music and not necessarily sth. classic? or maybe film music?) and ends with a triumphant and/or entertaining last section (obviously he should go for a crowd-pleasing choreo sequence the way he's been doing for the past seasons).



I don't see a Polunin influence in his ATS performance? Looks more like Nathan playing around with some of his own movements, to me at least (his moves also look a lot more casual and 'flowy' compared to the videos you've posted).



IMO that doesn't look like Nathan at all, he's not the standard dance type (even if there's some contemporary looking choreo in that video example as well) and besides, he's expressed several times that he doesn't relate to the style of his Desperados SP. Kudos to him for trying something new and going for a spanish or latin american inspired program, but it's also ok to recognise that he doesn't really 'feel it'.


Dear god, please no. Nathan already gets enough hate as is, and he doesn't need to give people even more ammunition so they get to attack him for cultural appropriation and exoticism on top of it (never mind that he's by far not the first, nor will he be the last skater to do a 'questionable' program like this). And his Desperados SP has already invited such criticism from his haters.
(I'm still surprised Shoma got away with his Great Spirit program tbh)

Besides, I'm not sure Nathan would be too comfortable performing as this kind of persona (the way he clearly did with Nemesis or Caravan, for instance, which were more close to his actual character) and the Olympics shouldn't be about experimenting with styles, but choosing sth. that 'works well' for him.

And even though I do think he could pull it off, imo the way he moves and skates suits either a more subtle lyrical style or a smooth casual style (again, see Nemesis) or sth. where his 'quick feet' will work well (such as the almost choppy intro steps in Nemesis or all those step sequences in his SPs of the past seasons, ranging from the ballet inspired Le Corsaire to even the restless la Boheme).

A 'tribal' inspired program would need a more 'earthy' and heavy style of skating, plus a different kind of swagger, which is why Shoma's Great Spirit works so well for him.

great points. I guess given the olympics is a lil over a year out - he probably already has an idea of what genre / composition he'd wanna give a go at.

 

[Joe Mendoza]

I have a hunch he will do a Chinese martial arts themed SP. The FS I want to be to classic rock like Stairway to Heaven.

that's interesting. I wonder if it'd be too a little on-the-nose to do a Chinese themed SP in Beijing. I also wonder if a good chunk of skaters would think that way, and us seeing a bunch of crouching tiger-hidden dragon type of music program after program - I hope not. I just hope he feels really good about both music and choreography choices and just rocks it on the ice.

 

[sheetz]

that's interesting. I wonder if it'd be too a little on-the-nose to do a Chinese themed SP in Beijing.

It just seems like a very Shae thing to do. Nathan had a song in French last season for Montreal, and Mariah had Abba for Stockholm and KD Lang for Montreal. A martial arts program would allow nathan to highlight his lutz 540 kick.

 

[luckyu2]

I have a feeling that not a whole lot of skaters will bring two brand new programs to the Olympics as nobody knows how the gp series will play out next season. I do not mind if he reuses one too but I do not know which one to pick if he had to.

 

[1111bm]

I have a hunch he will do a Chinese martial arts themed SP. The FS I want to be to classic rock like Stairway to Heaven.

Or the other way round.

Although I don't think he's into classic rock so much, don't see him enjoying stairway to heaven too much? So maybe more of a pop-rock or indie track? Otoh Shae has been so great at finding rarely used songs for him (and for other skaters' SPs as well) that stand out a little, so I would trust her to find another gem for him (hopefully).

And yeah, a chinese martial arts program would be very on the nose and obvious, I'd rather he skate to sth. more unique and more him.
And I think it's rather difficult to have choreo for such a theme, that doesn't look silly i.e. is too literal and involves too much pantomime and pseudo fighting moves. I rather enjoy the fact, that Nathan hasn't done too much pantomime in his programs so far. La Boheme's dancing with an invisible woman from his memories or grabbing his suspenders in Caravan are the only ones that come to mind and those examples are very 'tame'.

Honestly, I think most likely they're gonna do a mix of LoA and Rocketman, since his choreo sequence in Rocketman was received rather well and he does well with a calmer, lyrical long program that builds up to an intense finale.

ETA: I don't think he's gonna reuse programs, but if he does, I'm afraid he'd repeat Rocketman. The only programs I would be ok with if he repeated them, would be both his olympic programs from 2018.
(well I wouldn't be ok with it, because I'd rather get new material from him, but if he has to)

 

[figskatefan]

Or the other way round.

Although I don't think he's into classic rock so much, don't see him enjoying stairway to heaven too much? So maybe more of a pop-rock or indie track? Otoh Shae has been so great at finding rarely used songs for him (and for other skaters' SPs as well) that stand out a little, so I would trust her to find another gem for him (hopefully).

And yeah, a chinese martial arts program would be very on the nose and obvious, I'd rather he skate to sth. more unique and more him.
And I think it's rather difficult to have choreo for such a theme, that doesn't look silly i.e. is too literal and involves too much pantomime and pseudo fighting moves. I rather enjoy the fact, that Nathan hasn't done too much pantomime in his programs so far. La Boheme's dancing with an invisible woman from his memories or grabbing his suspenders in Caravan are the only ones that come to mind and those examples are very 'tame'.

Honestly, I think most likely they're gonna do a mix of LoA and Rocketman, since his choreo sequence in Rocketman was received rather well and he does well with a calmer, lyrical long program that builds up to an intense finale.

ETA: I don't think he's gonna reuse programs, but if he does, I'm afraid he'd repeat Rocketman. The only programs I would be ok with if he repeated them, would be both his olympic programs from 2018.
(well I wouldn't be ok with it, because I'd rather get new material from him, but if he has to)

He could reprise Kung Fu Panda from his childhood. Cool kicks. Lol. Actually, I enjoyed his MLD from 2018 Olympics, although he got criticism for it. It was too sophisticated for some people. Who else could do that great step sequence to Rite of Spring? Maybe he could get Misha Ge to do an edgy FP for him.

 

[alexaa]

I have a hunch he will do a Chinese martial arts themed SP. The FS I want to be to classic rock like Stairway to Heaven.

I think Vincent talked a couple of times in 2018 and last year that he would probably keep CTHD, I doubt Nathan would do something similar.

I also hope he would not do something culture related. SP this season and MLD backlash among some Chinese FS fans in 2017 are too much to handle during Olympic season.

I'm still surprised Shoma got away with his Great Spirit program tbh

Shoma did get quite some criticism when Great Spirit first debuted as an EX. By the time it became an SP, the criticism was over a year ago, and Shoma was not doing well 19/20 season.

You know how and where those CA talks first started.

 

[1111bm]

He could reprise Kung Fu Panda from his childhood. Cool kicks. Lol. Actually, I enjoyed his MLD from 2018 Olympics, although he got criticism for it. It was too sophisticated for some people. Who else could do that great step sequence to Rite of Spring? Maybe he could get Misha Ge to do an edgy FP for him.

I love MLD! The music is gorgeous and creates such a great mood throughout the program. And the way he skated it during the first half of the season was beautiful, even though it wasn't very polished and he was overall rather messy.
I also think the placement of the jumps relative to the music was very well done!

Unpopular opinion, but... I hate both Misha Ge's performance style as well as his work as a choreographer.
He does exactly the thing that I hate, he's not subtle or sophisticated at all, and he would be the kind of choreographer to come up with a martial arts choreo that would be way too literal and cringy looking.

I think Vincent talked a couple of times in 2018 and last year that he would probably keep CTHD, I doubt Nathan would do something similar.

Yeah, also this. Although I think by now he might prefer to keep his current FS, since he might feel that he's 'outgrown' his CTHD program?

 

[alexaa]

Yeah, also this. Although I think by now he might prefer to keep his current FS, since he might feel that he's 'outgrown' his CTHD program?

I remembered reading an interview of him talking about keeping it as late as last October. He did talk about he likes the current FS. But his team place great emphasis on the Chinese market, so I think the possibility of reusing CTHD is very high. He even had one EX done to “Made in China” from a Chinese hip hop group for planned his CoC gala performances in 2019/29 on top of that great Slow Dancing in the Dark EX Joshua did for him.

I remembered when Nathan talked about Rocketman in his SkAm interview, he mentioned something about uniqueness of programs being one of the reason. So I highly doubt he would do anything similar to what other skaters are doing.

 

[sheetz]

Or the other way round.

Although I don't think he's into classic rock so much, don't see him enjoying stairway to heaven too much?

He skated to Aerosmith's Dream On which is the same genre. I just think classic rock would be good because the songs are considered "classic" and well known to the general public, yet not boring and stodgy.

 

[Joe Mendoza]

I wonder if Nathan would work with MFD and Sam Chouinard again for his FS. The choreo sequences for RocketMan and LoA were pretty cool.

 

[Joe Mendoza]

how about a mash-up of something traditional / lyrical and something contemporary / modern? actually nvm, that might just detract from the actual skating.

 

[Joe Mendoza]

If Nathan is into LoA, then perhaps a medley of these Woodkid hits, with some cool beats might awesome to do some step or choreo sequence in for his FS....

 

[Joe Mendoza]

Too depressing or too soon for FS?

 

[shine]

Poor Nathan, his choices now have to be bound not just by social media but also what other skaters are doing.... if I were him I’d say f it, I’ll do whatever I think is right for ME. Why should he cater to the nonsense spewed on social media? Why should anyone allow them to bully us into making such important decisions?

And please no MFD and Sam. Those two FSs were the worst of all of his programs IMO. Talk about wasted two years.. I’m crossing my fingers that now his based in LA again he won’t have to be stuck with them.

 

[figskatefan]

It's really crazy what a subjective sport figure skating is, if you really think about it. I personally like MLD the least (probably because the music was the least melodic one to my ears) and think that LoA was a beautiful program, and Rocketman was just fire.
Although I prefer his short programs to all of his long programs.

My favorite FS of Nathan’s is the 2015 Chopin piece choreographed by Nadia, one of Raf’s assistants. Kurt Browning raved about it. So many balletic moves and nuances, which Kurt called little gems. But the was before quads. The jumps were and spins were so well integrated into the choreography.