Stars On Ice DC 3-6-11 (this is long) | Page 2 | Golden Skate

Stars On Ice DC 3-6-11 (this is long)

janetfan

Match Penalty
Joined
May 15, 2009
The inward skating of Cohen isn't stopping her from being very well received by audiences, so I don't think that's something that will change.

It almost seems hard to believe Sasha has been skating with SOI for a decade and was the headliner for close to half a decade.

And how strange that fans respond so well to her "inward style" :think:

Her is an example of Sasha's "inward" style and yet once again the fans responded very well to her.

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

Easy to see how "inward" Sasha is in the clip and totally lacking charisma and ability to project to the audience ;)
 

lavender

Record Breaker
Joined
Jul 26, 2003
I don't think being inward was meant to be a bad thing especially when it comes to Sasha. Almost everyone knows that Sasha is a pretty great entertainer.
 

janetfan

Match Penalty
Joined
May 15, 2009
:clap: :clap: :clap: Sasha's greatest triumph. In your face, doubters!

Still, I understand R.D.'s point. Sasha draws you in, she doesn't throw it at you, like, say, Philippe Candeloro or Michael Weiss.

I don't understand RD's point at all as I find Sasha one of the most entertaining and expressive skaters of all time.

Thinking of musical performances aren't we glad that we see so many different performance styles?
If some preferred Dizzy's manic bebopping does that mean fans who preferred the cooler style of Miles are wrong?

Listen to the New York Philharmonic under Bernstein's flashy and frantic tempos and stylings and then listen to the much more restrained Ricardo Muti.
Who is to say who is better? They are different and to like one does not mean we have to knock the other.

Sasha is an iconic skater and no amount of criticism and lefthanded compliments will take that away from her.
To say Sasha is inward seems odd at best. She is simply one of the greatest stylists to ever grace the ice.

Sasha's greatest moment was winning an Olympic Silver medal. Although it felt bittersweet at the time it was certainly no more disappointing than Michelle's OSM and OBM.
 

R.D.

Record Breaker
Joined
Jul 26, 2003
Good lord man...calm down everyone!

Inward doesn't mean bad. It just means rather than reaching out and actively wowing the audience, she is more restrained and leaves it to the viewer to be wowed. Different styles. I happen to prefer the outward style, but in a show, it's nice to have a balance.

Believe me, I'm not the only one that has said this about her. This is my 4th year, 5th show and Cohen has been in all five. I think that's enough to form my own opinion of her. It's different than watching on TV.
 

lavender

Record Breaker
Joined
Jul 26, 2003
That's what I thought. I didn't think it was bad either. When it comes to Sasha that can't be bad. Johnny was a inward type of skater imo and I certainly prefer him to Evan. I rather watch Sasha's old competitve numbers than most of these ladies skating today on the senior circuit.
 

Layfan

Record Breaker
Joined
Nov 5, 2009
Well, I've never seen Sasha live, sadly. She was criticized early in her career for needing more expression but that seemed to change by 2006, IMO anyway. I thought all three of her performances at Torino - including "Don't Rain on My Parade" were tremendously expressive.
From the little I've been able to catch of her SOI performances it does seem to come and go a bit, but mostly I've loved what I've seen. (Not "Please Don't Stop the Music" though) But I'd love to see her live one day and see what I think then. If she doesn't always project with her expression, it seems to me she always does with her body and her wonderfully finished-off moves, which is probably why she always gets a good crowd reaction, despite not being the "heart-on-your-sleeve" type of skater.

ETA: Not such of a fan of the hair. Thanks for the pics, RD!
 
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Joined
Jun 21, 2003
I agree with lavender. To me, Sasha invites you into her world, rather than thrusting herself into your world. I don't see this characterization as a criticism at all. Many of Michelle's greatest performances were like that: Fields of Gold (2002 Oly exhibition), Red Violin (2000 Worlds exhibition version), East of Eden (1998 world pro artistic program), The Feeling Begins short program (2004 worlds performance) are examples.

For that matter, Miles Davis was like that.
 

Layfan

Record Breaker
Joined
Nov 5, 2009
Hmmm. You made me very sad that I never got to see Sasha and Michelle live in their competitive years. It would have been interesting to compare their different styles live. One thing you can say about both is that they both had STYLE. More than most of the women skating in their time and now, I think. The audiences always seemed delighted to get to see both. Maybe I'll still get to see Sasha on SOI one of these days ... not to mention the other skaters RD spoke about it. Kurt and Katia must be legendary performers. How amazing that they are still skating and still wowing the crowds all these years later. I hope Sasha will be.
 

janetfan

Match Penalty
Joined
May 15, 2009
I agree with lavender. To me, Sasha invites you into her world, rather than thrusting herself into your world. I don't see this characterization as a criticism at all. Many of Michelle's greatest performances were like that: Fields of Gold (2002 Oly exhibition), Red Violin (2000 Worlds exhibition version), East of Eden (1998 world pro artistic program), The Feeling Begins short program (2004 worlds performance) are examples.

It's fine if some say being inward is not a criticism. My objection is that it feels inaccurate when describing Sasha.

I have heard similar remarks about Alissa and Mao which I also disagree with.
Perhaps it is how we perceive things and what we enjoy. About levels of sophistication from skaters and what fans identify with.

I have heard Mao lacks expression and yet when she takes the ice I can't take my eyes off her. To me her skating is just so beautiful!
It is like that with Alissa for me and Sasha too.

Please think of this as exhibit C:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ELFerA2QZX8

Feel free to point out the inward parts of this performance ;)

But, I already agree with Scott's observation,. "what a performer!" :yes:
 
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Layfan

Record Breaker
Joined
Nov 5, 2009
It's fine if some say being inward is not a criticism. My objection is that it feels inaccurate when describing Sasha.

I have heard similar remarks about Alissa and Mao which I also disagree with.
Perhaps it is how we perceive things and what we enjoy. About levels of sophistication from skaters and what fans identify with.

I have heard Mao lacks expression and yet when she takes the ice I can't take my eyes off her. To me her skating is just so beautiful!
It is like that with Alissa for me and Sasha too.

Please think of this as exhibit C:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ELFerA2QZX8

Feel free to point out the inward parts of this performance ;)

But, I already agree with Scott's observation,. "what a performer!" :yes:

Hmm. Mao does strike me as a little inward sometimes, more than Sasha. Nonetheless, I'm still completely taken in by her skating. She's another one who I would love to see live - and maybe she won't seem so inward to me.

Alissa seems like something else all together because it's just her style that she's a soft, quiet skater. I love it but others not so much. On the other hand her recent performance a that gymnastics/skating thing showed a different, funkier side of her and I thought she did well!

I think RD's perception of Sasha is fair enough and he is right that he's not the first person to say that about her. Scott said that "what a performer" comment about her in '06 and I think he was right. But Dick Button, who LOVED Sasha, said a few years earlier that her face was sometimes like a mask.
 

MKFSfan

Medalist
Joined
Mar 15, 2006
I know it's been talked to death on this forum, but I do agree Sasha is a more "inward" skater. I don't think it is an insult, or has to mean she's not a performer, she hates her job; I view it is a style. I've always likened Sasha to a snowglobe: you watch what is happening as if it's a whole 'nother world, separate from the rest of the world, yet you can't look away. I just never feel Sasha really reaches out to the audience, but instead, draws them to her.

Michelle, IMO, is an outward skater. She reaches out to the audience, and grabs even those in the nosebleeds to take them on her journey.

That said, there are times I do feel Sasha aims to project (Dark Eyes is a perfect example) and times I feel Michelle is more introverted. It's just a style, and what a viewer prefers is what will interest them the most.
 
Joined
Aug 16, 2009
I know it's been talked to death on this forum, but I do agree Sasha is a more "inward" skater. I don't think it is an insult, or has to mean she's not a performer, she hates her job; I view it is a style. I've always likened Sasha to a snowglobe: you watch what is happening as if it's a whole 'nother world, separate from the rest of the world, yet you can't look away. I just never feel Sasha really reaches out to the audience, but instead, draws them to her.

Michelle, IMO, is an outward skater. She reaches out to the audience, and grabs even those in the nosebleeds to take them on her journey.

That said, there are times I do feel Sasha aims to project (Dark Eyes is a perfect example) and times I feel Michelle is more introverted. It's just a style, and what a viewer prefers is what will interest them the most.

That's a very good way of putting it. I do sense an aloofness in Sasha, and I must add that she's one of my favorite skaters, so I don't mean it at all as an insult or even as a left-handed compliment. It's a description of her essence to me, but it's subjective and others may react differently. I'd give a lot to see her "inward" skating in the ranks of American competitive skaters right now, I can tell you. And one of you mentioned the 2002 Olympics--that short program (to "Sentimental Waltz") remains one of my favorite programs ever by any skater. To me, Sasha was never a failure, and I've frequently defended her competitive record against people who dismiss her as a head case. (Several world silvers and an Olympic medal don't make a failure in my book!) She's unique, and she was just as self-possessed, with movements and postures that were just as finished off, when she was fourteen. But her ice persona is rather enigmatic to me, and that's great, because it's part of her individuality. I wish she'd been able to hold on beyond 2006 as a competitor so she could have dominated an era on her own, but I'm hugely glad that she continued as a pro skater.

As for Gordeyeva, she's in the top five on my life list, right up there with Michelle and Yuka Sato, and I've left space for Mao and YuNa, because I suspect we're not going to see their like again. For the record, I don't see Mao as aloof at all, but it just goes to prove that everyone sees it differently.
 
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