Michal Brezina -The New John Curry?

Olympia · Nov 8, 2009

I'll eagerly follow Michal from now on.

But since we're mentioning "the next John Curry," this is a good time for us longtime fans to point newer viewers to videos of Curry himself. He's easy to find on YouTube, and he's worth getting to know. There's a reason that after 33 years, people are still talking about his Olympic program. It's even more edifying to watch skaters who came before him, because in several significant ways, nobody came before him. He (and his contemporary Toller Cranston) could be considered the fault line between skating that was largely technical and athletic (as much as it could be in that pre-triple Axel and quad era) and skating that was elevated to art. Women had begun to explore that avenue, with people like Janet Lynn, but not men, really...not until Curry. Anyone who enjoys skating today owes that guy.

Joesitz (RIP) · Nov 8, 2009

I'm feeling terribly guilty about this thread. My intention was to draw attention to Michal whom I would call a Patineur Noble- a special skater who can dance on the ice.

I am guilty of using two very famous skaters who are also Dancers on Ice: Curry and Browning for comparison purposes but that was just to get some discussion going. I am in agreement with all of the posts above.

These three skaters I mention had (have) top level technical as well. and were able to make their technical prowess look like 'moves' rather than 'tricks' just as every floor dancer is taught.

I've never seen Toller Cranston and I'll check him out on Youtube. One other skater who falls into this category is Illia Kulic.

Skate Dancers are rare. JMO. There are more quad jumpers.

alopatra · Nov 8, 2009

KayMil01 said:
How to do pronounce his name? I've heard "me-shawl" and "me-hall" which is it? lol.

Neither of the two

...

the ch in Michal is pronounced as [x] ... explaining it in terms of International Phonetic Alphabet. The only other word with that consonant which comes to my mind and which is pronounced the same way is "loch"

BTW, his surname is also always messed up by the commentators :rofl:

but well ... that happens with a lot of names

Olympia · Nov 8, 2009

Joe, no reason to feel guilty about comparing Brezina to Curry and Browning. This is a great discussion. It's not as if you were downplaying either of those two skating legends. And look at the interesting ways people have examined your proposition! I don't know about anyone else, but I'd much rather be talking about a skater's musicality than whether he deserved a few tenths of a point more or less in a mark. (Not meaning to disparage anyone who wants to talk marks!) I hadn't noticed this interesting new skater before, so for me it was a great opportunity to learn something new about skating.

Toller Cranston was quite a character. He didn't have Curry's crispness or his classical purity of movement, but he was a great technician in his own style and a true artistic presence on the ice. In some ways, the modern skater most like him is Johnny Weir. Cranston was more of a bohemian than Curry--a Dionysos to Curry's classical Apollo. Like Curry, Cranston was in his mid-twenties when he made it onto the Olympic podium (bronze, I believe), and I think that maturity helped both men develop their individuality and strength. Cranston later had a pretty good career as a pro skater.

viv · Nov 9, 2009

bekalc said:
... I'm not sure Adam will ever have a consistent 3axel or a quad. ... Adam though makes me think of a more balletic/Russian type skater. While Brezina reminds me of people like Orser/Kurt Browning...

I am with you on these points. For me, one of the special things about John Curry was, that he did have a balletic/Russian style of skating; I think Adam is similar to him in that way. :clap:

Comparing Brezina to Browning makes more sense to me; both ahve excellent jumps and a feeling for the music but don't seem to be "balletic" to me.
Unfortunately I also have to agree about Adams 3A...

skatesindreams · Nov 9, 2009

Olympia said:
Toller Cranston was quite a character. He didn't have Curry's crispness or his classical purity of movement, but he was a great technician in his own style and a true artistic presence on the ice. In some ways, the modern skater most like him is Johnny Weir. Cranston was more of a bohemian than Curry--a Dionysos to Curry's classical Apollo. Like Curry, Cranston was in his mid-twenties when he made it onto the Olympic podium (bronze, I believe), and I think that maturity helped both men develop their individuality and strength. Cranston later had a pretty good career as a pro skater.

Here are a few examples for those unfamiliar with his skating:

1973-74 Skate Moscow EX
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UHBvw8VoP9k

Toller Cranston - 1974 World Championships SP and LP
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y7AZboQ0R08

1975 Skate Canada EX:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2eG30izLTX8

Toller Cranston --" Romeo and Juliet on Ice" - 1982
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=032DwlgcNHo

More here:
http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=Toller+Cranston&page=1

Olympia · Nov 9, 2009

Thanks so much for posting those links, Skatesindreams! Actually watching him skate again (even for the few seconds I stole from my workday) makes me want to revise my earlier statements upward. The commentator for the first piece I looked at (the 1974 World Championships) hit the nail on the head when she said that he used both classical and modern dance traditions. His jumps are beautiful and solid, and then he also takes unusual positions that no one else used, like an Art Deco poster of Nijinsky. Definitely a Dionysus to John Curry's Apollo.

If memory serves, his Achilles heel was school figures. At the 1976 Olympics, he came in something like ninth in school figures, moved up in the short program, and then made it all the way to bronze with the free skate, which gives you an idea of the quality of his free skate--and he was competing against Curry! Between the two of those guys, skating took a huge leap forward, pun definitely intended.

Homework assignment: everyone watch the YouTubes of Toller Cranston and of John Curry!

shine · Nov 9, 2009

From the footage I've seen, I always thought Toller was just as good of a free skater as John Curry, if not more so. He had a beautiful classical style, but with even more freedom and flare. I can watch this over and over: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fGDW0yNQDiY

I agree with Olympia that all of us who love singles skating for the way it is today, should thank these two. Curry and Cranston really were the pioneers.

jcoates · Nov 9, 2009

Thanks so much for starting this thread. Nothing in skating makes me happier than an appreciation of John Curry. Don Quixote was a masterpiece.

Olympia said:
There's a reason that after 33 years, people are still talking about his Olympic program. It's even more edifying to watch skaters who came before him, because in several significant ways, nobody came before him. He (and his contemporary Toller Cranston) could be considered the fault line between skating that was largely technical and athletic (as much as it could be in that pre-triple Axel and quad era) and skating that was elevated to art... Anyone who enjoys skating today owes that guy.

So True! There was so much resistance to both him and Cranston from the skating establishment for the majority of their eligible careers. Yet they persevered and continued to push the artistic envelope. Skating is richer for it.

Olympia said:
Toller Cranston was quite a character... In some ways, the modern skater most like him is Johnny Weir.

I have always felt the same. They are so similar, not only in their skating, but in their sensibilities. Both are very outspoken to the point of rebelliousness and disliked the restrictiveness of the rules, but yet there is still a bit of a contradictory purist streak (more an asthetic than about the rules) in both of them. This showed up for Toller most often in his commentary on Canadian TV in the 80's. Both are also very talented off the ice (Toller as a painter). True free spirits.

lcd · Nov 9, 2009

Brezina's flip is a wonder. Up up up...then rotate, and still time to be absolutely clean. I smell a quad flip in his future.

To me this discussion is great fun (JoeSitz, no need for apologies).

Other 'dance' skaters (or however you referred to them) that I think went under-utilized and under-appreciated include Gary Beacom (shades of his amusing sense as a professional with career cut short by non-skating issues)

and Allen Schramm. Now there was an interesting guy. YouTube his name and you'll all be like "wow. ahead of his time"

Olympia · Nov 9, 2009

An interesting aspect of Cranston's skating is that he had a really exacting work ethic. He was out there with his artistry and his approach to life but very much a perfectionist with his actual technique, as I recall. Nothing wrong with his jumps! Unfortunately, school figures were not his strength. He won the free skate in many World championships, though he never won the gold.

(Which makes me wish, not for the first time, that medals could be awarded for each phase of a skating competition. How come gymnasts earn a medal every time they step out onto the floor, while a skater's entire result boils down to just one medal after a lifetime of work?)

On the other hand, Curry managed to master both the school figures and the elements of free skating. So even though (as jcoates pointed out) the skating establishment of the time didn't welcome his style, they had to pay attention because he was just better than anyone else, even by established standards. The same is true of Cranston in terms of the free skate. These two guys couldn't be kept off the podium.

Another interesting aspect to Curry's skating is that he wasn't from a real skating power. England had been known mainly for its ice dancers (and that wasn't even an Olympic sport until 1976--by which time it was dominated by the Soviets). The big powers at the time were (as I recall) the Soviet Union, East Germany, the occasional other European country, and the U.S. and Canada. The political atmosphere and bloc voting of the time might have kept any other British skater from reaching the top, but again, they couldn't keep Curry out of the top spot because he was just so commandingly good.

So glad to see that other fans remember Curry and Cranston with such fondness and admiration!

Joesitz (RIP) · Nov 9, 2009

I had to cancel my trip to Kitchener because of my Stenosis which is acting up a storm. I would get down the arena stairs but I would need a crane to get me up.

But just look at the cast of characters: In addition to Michal there is Patrick, Daisuke, v.d.Perren, the two Tens, and Abbott. All skaing well thought-out routines! If they are at their best, the show would sell at $100 a seat.

Get Thee to Kitchener if Thou can.

Nadine · Nov 9, 2009

Well, I mentioned that Jeremy Abbott reminds me of John Curry the first time I saw him skate to A Day in the Life last week, and almost a week later, I will have to amend that & say instead that Jeremy Abbott reminds me of nobody else. He's unique, one-of-a-kind.

And if he reads GS, I want to thank him for bringing me extreme joy with his skating, I seriously watch his SP at least once a day (lol, even now as I type).

I wish him all the luck in the world, and look forward to seeing him skate at Nationals.

evangeline · Nov 9, 2009

skatesindreams said:
Toller Cranston --" Romeo and Juliet on Ice" - 1982
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=032DwlgcNHo

Toller's portrayal of Tybalt is, in my opinion, the greatest death scene ever in figure skating. No-one has ever 'died' more fabulously.

That is all.

Olympia · Nov 9, 2009

Oh, man! I didn't even think to look for that on YouTube. Thanks so much, Evangeline. I forgot to breathe while I was watching.

Everyone, you have to watch that segment! Look at Toller's leg extension in the camel spin, and the height of his Russian split jump, a specialty of his. He's a complete artist, in command of every aspect of performance: technique, artistry, musicality, characterization.

One of the reviewers mentions that the costumes had been designed by Zandra Rhodes--an extra added attraction. This kind of production is what skating can encompass, if we're lucky.

SusieH · Nov 10, 2009

Olympia said:
His jumps are beautiful and solid, and then he also takes unusual positions that no one else used, like an Art Deco poster of Nijinsky. Definitely a Dionysus to John Curry's Apollo.

Olympia, I really like your analogy of Dionysus and Apollo! I totally agree. :agree:

My personal favorite of Cranston's performance is this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SH19oR2UTeE

The title says it all: too beautiful to last.

ETA: In honor of the current topic, Michal Brezina is definitely a skater to watch. I never noticed him before (since I seldom watch junior competitions), but I liked him a lot at NHK. Just like others, I think of him more in line of Browning instead of Curry.

He has big, secured jumps and certainly has the potential to develop into a great skater. Pity he didn't have another GP assignment, but I'm sure this will change in the next season. (Oops, sorry, just realized he was assigned Skate Canada. Great! :clap:

One more chance to see him compete!)

He will go to the Olympics, right? I believe the Czech Republic has two tickets for men.

Joesitz (RIP) · Nov 10, 2009

skatesindreams said:
Here are a few examples for those unfamiliar with his skating:

1973-74 Skate Moscow EX
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UHBvw8VoP9k

Toller Cranston - 1974 World Championships SP and LP
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y7AZboQ0R08

1975 Skate Canada EX:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2eG30izLTX8

Toller Cranston --" Romeo and Juliet on Ice" - 1982
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=032DwlgcNHo

More here:
http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=Toller+Cranston&page=1

Thank you very much for these Toller videos. So well executed. Just one more proof that the Best Man doesn't always win. And it is such a pleasure to watch an R&J without that sugary Roti music. He was truly a Skate Dancer.

Did they do the whole play? I would love to see the Balcony scene.

antmanb · Nov 10, 2009

Olympia said:
(Which makes me wish, not for the first time, that medals could be awarded for each phase of a skating competition. How come gymnasts earn a medal every time they step out onto the floor, while a skater's entire result boils down to just one medal after a lifetime of work?)

I always thought back in the figures days you were awarded smaller medals for winning particular segments (i.e. Figures, SP and LP).

Actuall as i'm writing it I seem to think that they still do that - can anyone confirm?

Ant

Buttercup · Nov 10, 2009

antmanb said:
I always thought back in the figures days you were awarded smaller medals for winning particular segments (i.e. Figures, SP and LP).

Actuall as i'm writing it I seem to think that they still do that - can anyone confirm?

Ant

There still are small medal ceremonies. Here's one from 2009 Worlds - the men's LP (warning: shaky camera!), and a pic of the small medals ceremony for the men's LP in 2008, looks like they did it at the closing banquet.

antmanb · Nov 10, 2009

Buttercup said:
There still are small medal ceremonies. Here's one from 2009 Worlds - the men's LP (warning: shaky camera!), and a pic of the small medals ceremony for the men's LP in 2008, looks like they did it at the closing banquet.

Thanks Buttercup!

It's nice to know that at least sometimes (more like seldom) i'm actually getting this stuff from somewhere rather than plucking it out of thin air! :laugh:

Ant

Michal Brezina -The New John Curry?

Olympia

Joesitz (RIP)

alopatra

Olympia

viv

skatesindreams

Olympia

shine

jcoates

lcd

Match Penalty

Olympia

Joesitz (RIP)

Nadine

evangeline

Olympia

SusieH

Joesitz (RIP)

antmanb

Buttercup

antmanb

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