2020-21 Russian Ladies' Figure Skating

[Vandevska]

Kamila's programs this year are lowkey the programs I've rewatched the most (especially the FS from RusNats, together with the SP from test skates and the second cup event she participated in) together with most of Zhenya's programs and Aliona's Departure, Romeo&Juliet and Twilight.

 

[Vemvane]

Am late to the Junior Nationals party again, just dropping in to say wow, Adeliya! That was a fantastic skate!

 

[Supernovaimplosion]

I dont care how good of choreography Kamila's program has, I don't want to listen to bolero

 

[chasingneverland]

Samo didn't

What Samo didn't make the podium again? Didn't she just make one mistake in the free skate and she has Ultra so jumps Sofyav M doesnt?

I think she got pinched in the free skate and then skating first in the last group is never beneficial.

I also think someone who skates a Clean Program without the ultra jumps should not beat someone who has the ultra jumps who makes one mistake. I mean can you imagine aliona without her 3A beating Sasha or Anna who make maybe one mistake? It wouldn't happen but it happened here with the Juniors.

On a positive note even without KV Dasha and Maya the depth of the Russian Junior ladies is amazing.

Congratulations to the Medalists.

Aliona before she got her 3A HAS beaten both Anna and Sasha when they were just doing 1 or 2 quads and they weren't completely stable yet. It was happening when they were juniors. That HAS happened. In fact, it even happened in Russia. The first year Anna won senior nationals (while still a junior) she placed 3rd at junior nationals when Aliona beat her. At the time Aliona didn't have a 3A yet and Anna only made one mistake - a fall on her 4Lz. Kamila without a 3A or quad (didn't have her 3A yet and was injured so didn't do her quads beat Alysa when Alysa had a 3A in the short and two 3As and 2 4Lz in the long at the JGPF. Yes Alysa made mistakes and got calls but clean has definitely won before. Also Daria (who doesn't have any "ultra jumps") beat Alysa at Junior Worlds (when Alyssa did a 3A in the short and 2 in the long and a 4Lz (although she did fall on the 4Lz). But once again, clean should win.

 

[sinus]

 

[bouncy]

Boléro is actually a great piece.
But apparently there are good interpretations and not-so-good ones.

Some enchanting Boléro videos I watched many times:
Tetsuya Kumakawa https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oCbJFM-gcpQ
Tatsuki Machida https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DEMw4jJktD8
John Donne https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gDUac0XJYnU

I personally do not enjoy watching Danil-Kamila's interpretation. Sorry.

 

[Scott512]

It's a shame that Kamila would take such a controversial piece to the Olympics. Everyone loved her short program, thought it suited her and was well choreographed, so it was easy to root for her when she skated to it. All the people who hate the Bolero aren't going to want the program to win, regardless of how they feel about Kamila.

Um maybe it's the idea for the third daughter of EG to win Olympic gold.

I would definitely have KV keep the SP over the FS. But it's not like she's skating a lot this year she can actually bring both programs back next year and do them better because she will be a year older and more mature and more emotive and artistic.

If Sasha is still not healthy pull her out. She pulled back a little bit at Nationals and skated very well. It's not worth it to risk her getting hurt or aggravating her injury a little bit before the Russian Cup final which she needs to do well in and then potentially worlds. I say she's a definite for the worlds team if she's healthy because she can always score 235 to 245 points International.
A team of Anna Sasha and aliona could sweep the podium.

Liza will have her chance to get that third spot.

 

[Blades of Passion]

I think that may be 'too avantgarde' for some people who prefer more soft 'old school movements' (as long spirals for example).

Yet another simplistic and incorrect take.

Valieva's Bolero program is hardly avant-garde. The spins and footwork and transitions are all the same things she does to begin with, and the overall expression and attempt to move her body is not doing things that are highly unusual. She starts the program by just letting the music run and then contorting her arms for a couple seconds, not in time with the music, and without moving her actual body. Her very first arm movement is too soft actually and doesn't make sense with the next movements she does. This doesn't show a full engagement into a theme or an understanding of the music. All it shows is a superficial applied idea. Just putting a brief "showy" movement on top of the music. Not moving TO the music.

Throughout the program it's much of the same thing. Even after the very first movements there's already another faulty instance that can be seen, she does a rocky turning-3 and then randomly juts her arms forward into a position that isn't held and doesn't make sense with the next arm movement she does. It's just this rushed and uncompleted kind of movement that's meant to say "look, I'm moving, somehow, so give me points." This is the problem with so many current programs. It's just constant movement without refinement, without sustainment, without real purpose.

There's far more possibility for even just "moving like a snake" in a figure skating program, regardless of it being in time with the music or not. The concept of Valieva's program is not complete, it doesn't maintain the idea throughout, doesn't try to push boundaries.

 

[Scott512]

Aliona before she got her 3A HAS beaten both Anna and Sasha when they were just doing 1 or 2 quads and they weren't completely stable yet. It was happening when they were juniors. That HAS happened. In fact, it even happened in Russia. The first year Anna won senior nationals (while still a junior) she placed 3rd at junior nationals when Aliona beat her. At the time Aliona didn't have a 3A yet and Anna only made one mistake - a fall on her 4Lz. Kamila without a 3A or quad (didn't have her 3A yet and was injured so didn't do her quads beat Alysa when Alysa had a 3A in the short and two 3As and 2 4Lz in the long at the JGPF. Yes Alysa made mistakes and got calls but clean has definitely won before. Also Daria (who doesn't have any "ultra jumps") beat Alysa at Junior Worlds (when Alyssa did a 3A in the short and 2 in the long and a 4Lz (although she did fall on the 4Lz). But once again, clean should win.

Aliona is one in a million. No woman can skate as beautiful as her with the technical excellence and right edges and the best 3A as she had the last season. Besides what you said was like 3 years ago that's not going to happen now and not even with aliona skating clean and if Sasha or Anna make a mistake or two she won't beat them now unless she has her glorious 3A. Those days are over. If Aliona gets her 3A back watch out. But that's a big if.

 

[starlight97]

If they send Kamila to the Olympics with THAT FS...
It's a repetition of Tarasova/Morosov for me. Skater that could fight for the Gold but will be hindered hugely by a program that showcases her weaknesses and ignores her strengths.

If they want to repeat a program so badly, it should be her SP. Great music, right up her alley style wise.
I think Danny in his mind believes Bolero and this choreo are great for her cause Kamila= very flexible, long gangly limbs --> let's give her "snake-like" choreo with some contortions. Why then he chose to put Bolero as a backdrop to that, I can't come up with an explanation for that

 

[icybear]

Bolero is a snooze. I never understand why anyone would want to skate to it. The music is so repetitive. Though I kinda admit it suits Kamila and her lack of interpretation skating. I actually enjoyed her robotic bolero at Rus Nats.

 

[vorravorra]

Apparently Sasha is still having problems with her injury.

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Tbh it really worries me that she‘ll take part in a jumping fest, where she’ll have to do all kinds of quads and other jumps, including a five jump combination. I know she loves it and that‘s exactly her kind of competition but this seems really risky to me. Why risk your health for a fun competition that ultimately doesn‘t matter, if there‘s Worlds (and later on OG) on the line?

Actually, according to the rules she can simply jump 4Lz three times in the jump competition. First round requires four different hard jumps: Sasha 4Lz, Anna 4F, Kamila 4T, Liza 3A. Second round - everyone jumps the hardest jump, which is once again 4Lz for Sasha. Third round can be a 4Lz combo.

 

[rollerblade]

If I understood correctly, Daniil said Bolero will be Kamila‘s Olympic program. (Don‘t know why my automatic translations says something about Don Quixote, though?)

Haha yes, we're one step closer to getting Je Suis Bolero with voiceovers next season.

GJ Daniil, I knew we could count on you for supporting my hashtag!

 

[Skatesocs]

Haha yes, we're one step closer to getting Je Suis Bolero with voiceovers next season.

GJ Daniil, I knew we could count on you for supporting my hashtag!

Please stop wishing plagues into existence.

 

[rollerblade]

It was someone else's jinx. I'm just laughing at it almost becoming a reality.

 

[Blades of Passion]

Third round can be a 4Lz combo.

I'm ready for 4Lz+3T+1Lo+3Sal+2Lo

But nobody will be that creative.

 

[Skatesocs]

But nobody will be that creative.

They will be extra creative and do 4Lz+3T+1Lo+3F+3Lo

 

[Baron Vladimir]

Yet another simplistic and incorrect take.

Valieva's Bolero program is hardly avant-garde. The spins and footwork and transitions are all the same things she does to begin with, and the overall expression and attempt to move her body is not doing things that are highly unusual. She starts the program by just letting the music run and then contorting her arms for a couple seconds, not in time with the music, and without moving her actual body. Her very first arm movement is too soft actually and doesn't make sense with the next movements she does. This doesn't show a full engagement into a theme or an understanding of the music. All it shows is a superficial applied idea. Just putting a brief "showy" movement on top of the music. Not moving TO the music.

Throughout the program it's much of the same thing. Even after the very first movements there's already another faulty instance that can be seen, she does a rocky turning-3 and then randomly juts her arms forward into a position that isn't held and doesn't make sense with the next arm movement she does. It's just this rushed and uncompleted kind of movement that's meant to say "look, I'm moving, somehow, so give me points." This is the problem with so many current programs. It's just constant movement without refinement, without sustainment, without real purpose.

There's far more possibility for even just "moving like a snake" in a figure skating program, regardless of it being in time with the music or not. The concept of Valieva's program is not complete, it doesn't maintain the idea throughout, doesn't try to push boundaries.

For me personally, comparing to the other programmes we see today, it is. The same sharp music going in circles is asking for the same type of sharp movements going in circles. It should be repetitive. As they are your old-fashioned posts on todays figure skating I don't think that movements should be refined necessarily and i don't think that movements should serve some greater purpose (to be pleasing for every eye?), but to show your own personal take on the music, whatever that take is. It could be better in terms of interpretation of course, but comparing to the other programmes (including the old ones) that is still more interesting (fresh) to watch, at least to me. Or you want to say that Madison Chock snake dance (which to me look like an exact copy of every snake dance i saw before) is more original/unique

 

[Skatesocs]

one foot 4A+4S+4Euler+4F+4Lo And then a 4 Toeless Lutz for swag

 

[Novalis]

one foot 4A+4S+4Euler+4F+4Lo And then a 4 Toeless Lutz for swag

Didn't Kamila just do exactly this combo in practise?