Mao's Brand New Chopin EX at Stars on Ice in Black Dress

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d2muls4ieyg&feature=mfu_in_order&list=UL

Breathtakingly beautiful. But I like the simple white dress better to be honest.

No miss performance!!

She is stunning. Beautiful performance, loved it. Thanks for posting.

Here is Dai's performance at the same show.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8YlLkw4kZvU

Now that's a nice spiral...no bent leg.

Thanks so much! How lovely. This girl is magic from head to toe. The new costume is kind of growing on me; I especially love the idea of a tulle skirt, though I'd have given it more layers so it approximated the cloud-like effect of some ballet tutus. I hope she's at her best in Worlds!

What I find interesting is the similarity between Mao's exhibition dress & Adelina Sotnikova's (seen here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tg5rJgD37y0).

Both are black & white with that overexaggerated frou frou skirt. Makes me wonder if they have seen Natalie Portman in the "Black Swan".

Personally, I prefer Mao, and always have, though I wish she would have a transformation akin to the one that Natalie Portman's character had in the movie as far as coming out of her "White Swan" shell and showing us the "Black Swan"!

I would love to see Mao perform both, as she has all the balletic accoutrements necessary to undertake such a tour de force!!!!

For now, I will enjoy her beautiful exhibition piece, complete with gorgeous split jumps & Charlotte.

p.s. now that Mao is 20 yrs. old, I hope she will get a sophisticated new hairstyle, maybe a pixie cut or something fancy similar to how Daisuke Takahashi's trendy hairstyle is now a part of his allure. I could even see a short ear-length cut with part of her hair falling over the left side of her forehead just stopping short of her eyebrow, complete with dramatic makeup, WOW! Audrey Hepburn watch out! http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_tRRSWeXGJzY/TKkQ4t6czhI/AAAAAAAAAto/i3Sp-uWIw7k/s1600/Audrey+Hepburn2.jpg

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_8OoeuVDs_...c/s640/audrey-hepburn-mark-shaw-5-520x451.jpg

Nadine said:

What I find interesting is the similarity between Mao's exhibition dress & Adelina Sotnikova's (seen here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tg5rJgD37y0).

Both are black & white with that overexaggerated frou frou skirt. Makes me wonder if they have seen Natalie Portman in the "Black Swan".

Personally, I prefer Mao, and always have, though I wish she would have a transformation akin to the one that Natalie Portman's character had in the movie as far as coming out of her "White Swan" shell and showing us the "Black Swan"!

I would love to see Mao perform both, as she has all the balletic accoutrements necessary to undertake such a tour de force!!!!

For now, I will enjoy her beautiful exhibition piece, complete with gorgeous split jumps & Charlotte.

p.s. now that Mao is 20 yrs. old, I hope she will get a sophisticated new hairstyle, maybe a pixie cut or something fancy similar to how Daisuke Takahashi's trendy hairstyle is now a part of his allure. I could even see a short ear-length cut with part of her hair falling over the left side of her forehead just stopping short of her eyebrow, complete with dramatic makeup, WOW! Audrey Hepburn watch out! http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_tRRSWeXGJzY/TKkQ4t6czhI/AAAAAAAAAto/i3Sp-uWIw7k/s1600/Audrey+Hepburn2.jpg

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_8OoeuVDs_...c/s640/audrey-hepburn-mark-shaw-5-520x451.jpg

Click to expand...

I would LOVE to see Mao skate to Swan Lake next season. I think she will be mature enough to portray the black swan, and the music of Swan Lake would go wonderfully with her balletic lines/posture.

Remember those few years when Michelle had a very short haircut? I think it was from 1998 to 2000. It was tremendously appealing. And the great thing about hair is that it always grows back.

Darn it both of the above videos of Mao and Dai have been taken down. Copyright issues.

Do not worry.
I like this one better. It compares her black and white dress.Caption said the music is for the black dress performance.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fq2ABkOtUrI

Enjoy, While it is there.

Nadine said:

now that Mao is 20 yrs. old, I hope she will get a sophisticated new hairstyle, maybe a pixie cut or something fancy similar to how Daisuke Takahashi's trendy hairstyle is now a part of his allure. I could even see a short ear-length cut with part of her hair falling over the left side of her forehead just stopping short of her eyebrow, complete with dramatic makeup, WOW! Audrey Hepburn watch out! http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_tRRSWeXGJzY/TKkQ4t6czhI/AAAAAAAAAto/i3Sp-uWIw7k/s1600/Audrey+Hepburn2.jpg

Click to expand...

I want to see her in a new style as well. Also liked this phtoshopped image of Yuna in Hepburn's style.

http://www.facebook.com/#!/photo.php?fbid=476305692377&set=a.463200367377.261147.53417067377

Really? :S I thougt that was the most unappleaing hairstyle she had. I think she looked the best with the raised bun (as opposed the medium height bun she wore from 2001-2002. It really suited her perfectly shaped skull and not so long neck.

I agree with poster shine in regards to Michelle Kwan; I thought she looked her best with her hair long & in a bun. Yet that said I thought it took guts when she shorn all her beautiful hair off to go for a more adult look.

Hmmm, now that I think of it, after looking at the pic of Yuna Kim, I think the Audrey Hepburn hairstyle would fit her better than Mao because her face is more small & square with thick stunning raven eyebrows similar to Audrey.

That said, I still think Mao should go for a new hairstyle to signify her entrance into adulthood, perhaps keep the chignon but add dramatic new bangs with a sophisticated part over one of her eyebrows!

Mao reminds me so much of Natalie Portman (a favorite actress of mine) in terms of elegance, style, charm, refinement, just the way they carry themselves. There's never been an outfit that I haven't enjoyed of Natalie's. So on that note, I would like to see Mao tackle the "Black Swan", complete with full-on makeup, like here: http://www.arabtimesonline.com/Portals/0/Images/2010/dec/14ent.jpg

http://vvoice.vo.llnwd.net/e9/5692554.28.jpg


After all, kabuki style makeup started in Japan centuries ago. http://cache2.asset-cache.net/xc/28...DD0136843355DCFCF783CBB8B35645732FE9FFAE3DA8A



arty:GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO MAO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! arty:

genki said:

Do not worry.
I like this one better. It compares her black and white dress.Caption said the music is for the black dress performance.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fq2ABkOtUrI

Enjoy, While it is there.

Click to expand...

Thanks for posting this, genki, earlier this evening I watched it totally glued to the monitor. Seriously, whomever made that fascinating video has to be congratulated ~ juxtaposing the two performances was a work of art! ~ it gave the viewer the pleasure of contrasting the white versus the black. And alas the white wins by far because it goes with the ethereal music, makes Mao seem like it's just her pure soul out there dancing on the ice, bared for all to see. No costume, no skin, no cover up, just her soul...

She is the white swan, this is why I think it's so important for her to show us the black one day, to prove to herself most of all that she can do it. This is another reason why I'm one of the handful that actually enjoys her "Bells of Moscow" routine, because it shows another side of her, the beginning of something great. It went fantastic with those two 3axels at the Olympics.

GOOOOOOOO MAO!!!!

Hmm.. Interesting that neither Mao nor Yu-Na has done white or black swan so far. I want to see Yu-Na doing the Black Swan someday too.

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?a....72992.53417067377&pid=3243566&id=53417067377
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?a...086052377&set=a.73282132377.72992.53417067377
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?a....72992.53417067377&pid=4219786&id=53417067377

To be honest, I already see Yuna as the Black Swan, always have, so I wouldn't be surprised to see her skate to it some day. But I think more of a challenge for her would be to skate to the White Swan.

The opposite is true for Mao imho, she *is* the White Swan, now she needs to challenge herself to play the Black Swan. Jmho, of course.

I just keep thinking if Natalie could do it, whom reminds me of Mao in all ways (class, elegance, refinement, modesty, intellect, humility, purity), then Mao can as well. Embrace that other side of herself: http://wearemoviegeeks.com/wp-content/bs1.jpg

Go from the White Swan: http://www.beyondhollywood.com/uploads/2010/06/mila-kunis-natalie-portman-black-swan-6.jpg

to the Black: http://images4.fanpop.com/image/photos/17700000/Black-Swan-natalie-portman-17726526-1024-682.jpg

Sorry to keep posting on this thread, but it's my favorite.

To be specific, what fascinates me about light vs. dark, black vs. white, etc., is the d-u-a-l-i-t-y. It's a study in psychology really. To be able to possess both!

This is why Jane Seymour is a long-time favorite actress of mine, especially in her role as Cathy in "East of Eden", she went from the good little girl dressed all in white, pigtails, straight A student, modesty, et al, to something totally different. A murderer, to be exact. From this: http://medien.filmreporter.de/images/25490.jpg
to that: http://www.thedqtimes.com/images/janeeastofeden1.jpg

A true artist has the ability to become both (many!). As Sandra Bezic once said of Oksana Baiul ~ "She has such a range as a performer...SHE...could do anything. If she set her mind to it...there isn't a style she could not handle."

I look forward to seeing the dichotomy of Mao Asada play out on the ice one day.

This may not be in essence different from what’s said in the above post, but to me black/white or dark/light is not a dichotomous concept, at least in some aspects such as in enjoyment of arts or performances. I usually get great amount of pleasure out of works or performances that arouse interwoven gradation or mixture of perceptions and emotions. And the subject matter itself, e.g. black or white swan, is not nearly as important as how it is played out in terms of the forms/elements associated with it.

So, to me, within a given piece of work or performance coherency in forms is more important than diversity. In Nadine’s example of the Cathy in East of Eden (which I haven’t watched) I imagine her character would be convincing to me if she remain unmistakably the same person coping with the turn of events/circumstances within the drama, rather than playing two polar characters.

Back to the topic, I agree that it would be great for Mao to try various themes or characters, and broaden her range as a performer. Given her talent, I think she can, as she did a fairly good job with the Bells of Moscow. But it’s not clear to me whether she enjoyed the whole process of preparing for and performing to her programs over the last two or three seasons. Maybe it was that she had been overwhelmed with the technical issues in her skating. And it still is not clear to me if she knows where she wants to go as a performer, especially when I watch her saying something like she wants to go back to the times when she was a 15 year old jumping phenom.

I think she needs to break out of her shell if she really wants to connect with the program, no matter she skates to a white swan or a black swan, so to speak. Just one look at her new Chopin exhibition increased this perception of mine. IMO she hasn’t grown an inch as a performer since her Nocturne program. It’s understandable she wants to emphasize some “balletic” side of her, but she is not a ballerina and skating is skating. Please don’t get me wrong, I’m not a huge fan but I respect her as a skater and I do want to see her become a better performer.

Lowtherlore, I don't think that Mao's wish to be the 15-year-old jumping phenom again is that unusual. Michelle Kwan said almost exactly the same thing about herself at one point. I think it's natural to wish for simpler times, especially when the weight of the country's skating aspirations is on one's shoulders.

Though I respect your view, and the courtesy with which you present it, of course I disagree with your perception that Mao hasn't grown since her Nocturne program. I think what you're seeing is not stagnation but her consistency of "voice," her personal style.

I agree that she is currently burdened (I wouldn't say overwhelmed because I suspect it takes a lot more to overwhelm this lady) with the technical aspects of skating, but that's due to a conscious decision to rebuild her technique on a more solid structure. To me it's indicative of a strength, not a weakness. To me, Asada will always be a skater that makes me lose the sense of time passing when I watch her. I haven't lost that feeling about her. So I'm happy to stand behind her, cheer her on, and await future developments.

here's a clip that hasn't been taken down. sorry if someone has already posted it. What is it about Mao and Chopin that goes so well together? I just love how the music brings out her lightness and joy. Mao is one of those who manages to look smooth and intricate at the same time. I really like the costume. It's about one step below over-the-top

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R1LwzwkscJ8

Thanks Olympia for your post. I also wanted to point out that Mao's words were taken out of context here. She was talking about her jumps and said that she wants to jump with ease that she had when she was 15 (explaining why she is learning the new technique).