What is your least aesthetic move in figure skating?

[TallyT]

I think it's the "never let them see you sweat" factor. The full IJS lists the bullet point "effortless" in several places. The skaters we most admire are those who can demonstrate the hardest skills while making it look as easy as falling off a log, This also applies to calm and controlled facial expression and a confident, relaxexed posture even while performing the seven labors of Hercules on the ice.

Thing is, some of the ones who look the most coffin-squeezy are the ones the judges give the high marks to... and it's part of the sport side of fs, I know. I just find it a bit... yeah.

 

[elbkup]

The ice dance lift where the man grips the woman’s leg with 2 hands very high up, (often under the skirt), lifts her high and spins with her in the air.. sorry the best way I know to describe it. It looks so uncomfortable.. Ouch!!
Probably requires lots of strength and is supposed to give the illusion of flying but I am not fond of the move

 

[GGFan]

Lift positions in pairs got out of hand under the IJS. I wish they would do an aesthetic refresh, even if that means that we see less features. Also almost no one does aesthetic outside edge death spirals--some of the ways that the women are contorting themselves just to get the levels are unaesthetic.

 

[TallyT]

Lift positions in pairs got out of hand under the IJS. I wish they would do an aesthetic refresh, even if that means that we see less features. Also almost no one does aesthetic outside edge death spirals--some of the ways that the women are contorting themselves just to get the levels are unaesthetic.

Especially given the difficulty for the men of where to direct their gaze so it doesn't look utterly awkward....

 

[Mathman]

Thing is, some of the ones who look the most coffin-squeezy are the ones the judges give the high marks to... and it's part of the sport side of fs, I know. I just find it a bit... yeah.

For myself, I have made my peace with the sport of figure skating and attempts to judge it . You hit a home run, you get some points. You look pretty running around the bases, you get some more.

 

[Mathman]

The ice dance lift where the man grips the woman’s leg with 2 hands very high up, (often under the skirt), lifts her high and spins with her in the air...

In a way, I think that this presents an insoluble problem. As in many forms of dance, when you lift your partner, sometimes you have no choice but to grab her at the fulcrum, the balance point, the center of gravity -- whatever they're calling it these days.

Don't drop your partner, don't drop your partner, don't drop your partner. That's first. Delicacy second.

 

[Diana Delafield]

In a way, I think that this presents an insoluble problem. As in many forms of dance, when you lift your partner, sometimes you have no choice but to grab her at the fulcrum, the balance point, the center of gravity -- whatever they're calling it these days.

Don't drop your partner, don't drop your partner, don't drop your partner. That's first. Delicacy second.

Exactly. I was on the UBC gymnastics team as a student and was practising one day on the uneven bars. One of the male gymnasts offered to spot for me. The apparatus was set low, at practice height, so the low bar was at about his shoulder height. I did a round-the-bar flip from the upper bar to the lower, intending to hit the lower level in what would be a platter lift position in skating. However, my aim was a bit off, I was too far forward, and started to double up and fall headfirst on the mat. My assistant's arm shot out to break my fall, only he intended to grab my shoulder but his hand was, um, a few inches lower than my shoulder and he quite neatly grabbed another part of my anatomy.

"Oh, SORRY!" he yelped and snatched his hand away. I managed to somersault off onto the mat and started laughing as the poor kid blushed scarlet. "For heaven's sake, safety before etiquette!" I told him. "I do pairs figure skating as well as this. Something goes wrong, my partner catches wherever and hangs on first, and apologizes later."

 

[TallyT]

In a way, I think that this presents an insoluble problem. As in many forms of dance, when you lift your partner, sometimes you have no choice but to grab her at the fulcrum, the balance point, the center of gravity -- whatever they're calling it these days.

Don't drop your partner, don't drop your partner, don't drop your partner. That's first. Delicacy second.

I agree, it just makes looking for pictures to save for some of my favourite dance partners for a while back... interesting.

 

[DancingCactus]

I'm over I-spins. They might be an impressive exhibition of your flexibility, but unless you're Arakawa Shizuka, it just doesn't look elegant.

I also hate the contortionist camel and sit spin position some men (well, mostly one) perform. Just because your body can do it, doesn't mean you should do it, because you like you're trying to stuff your toes into your mouth.

It's not a "move" but I also can't stand the "reaching down to briefly touch the ice" thing, as well as ugly, slow illusions.

I'm a hater today, but it's better than having to cope with the German election results.

 

[elbkup]

In a way, I think that this presents an insoluble problem. As in many forms of dance, when you lift your partner, sometimes you have no choice but to grab her at the fulcrum, the balance point, the center of gravity -- whatever they're calling it these days.

Don't drop your partner, don't drop your partner, don't drop your partner. That's first. Delicacy second.

To be clear, I have no problem with fulcrum points in lifts; I personally find that particular dance move unaesthetic so it is not my favorite. And I DO agree safety first absolutely.

 

[Mathman]

To be clear, I have no problem with fulcrum points in lifts...

My favorite pairs lift is the lasso lift. Fulcrum-wise I suppose it is a "hand-to-hand" lift, but it gets the job done and looks great!

 

[Fetinia]

Outside forward death spiral in pairs. No one does it estheticly.

 

[maofan]

All of the above + cartwheels (sorry, not even Kevin makes me love those!) They interrupt the flow of the program, are done at the least expected time and most skaters don't do a good one.

There is also a dance move I don't like a bit (a choreographic one, done mostly at the end of the program) when the male partner grabs the girl's leg from the ankle and spins her around while the girl has spread legs (sorry, I'm not a professional, I don't know the name of the element or describe it correctly).

 

[Karoltyna]

Outside forward death spiral in pairs. No one does it estheticly.

There is a video of Protopopov and Belousova performing each type of spiral one by one. Their outside forward ds was something else and probably incomparable.

 

[elbkup]

My favorite pairs lift is the lasso lift. Fulcrum-wise I suppose it is a "hand-to-hand" lift, but it gets the job done and looks great!

Yes!! My favorite too!

 

[midori green]

Can I have two? Lazy illusion spins. When done well, the illusion is really cool. When the torso and leg are out of sync, it's ugly.

 

[elektra blue]

the jump exit from a spin, really ugly and the pair combo spin is often awkward

 

[iluvtodd]

The "butt" spin!

 

[Diana Delafield]

The "butt" spin!

Is that the one I do when a sit spin goes whoopsie but the revolutions continue?

 

[4everchan]

Is that the one I do when a sit spin goes whoopsie but the revolutions continue?

haha no.. it's what some call the A spin... facing down... I know they can be ugly but when they are well done, they are truly nice.

A few examples of well done : Donovan Carillo, Emmanuel Sandhu, Antoine Goyette.