Greatest BALLERINA SKATERS | Page 2 | Golden Skate

Greatest BALLERINA SKATERS

MoonlightSkater

On the Ice
Joined
May 17, 2011
Mroz has tried on a variety of different styles. Maybe he looked balletic to you the season he was trying on Johnny Weir's style. Johnny is more "balletic" than Mroz, even though Johnny has never studied ballet. I'd also call Lambiel balletic, and Eman Sandhu, and Jeffrey Buttle. I'd also include Dai Takahashi (who has been mentored by a Japanese dancer), although I think Dai tends more toward a modern dance style. Jeremy Abbott is definitely balletic in his style. Patrick Chan seems to aspire to a balletic style as well, and will probably get there with improved artistic presentation and musical interpretation skills.

IMO, Javier Fernandez actually looked like a ballet dancer when he performed his fp at CoR -- even though Javi needs to continue working on his presentation, he was absolutely thrilling to watch. I'm so excited for Brian and Javier. I hope their partnership leads to absolute greatness!


I think Jeffrey Buttle was definately influenced by dance, but often had a slight modern or lyrical edge to his style. Johnny Weir is very balletic despite not having trained ballet.

I know Emmanuel Sandhu actually danced with a ballet school, but I have trouble seeing the influence in the skating, and that has always bothered me. He carries his head so awkwardly sometimes, and I feel like it can hunch his shoulders forward. I find myself wondering how he could ever get away with anything like that in a ballet class.

As for the women, I know Alissa Czisny has taken ballet since she was a kid but never moved on to pointe because she wanted to focus on skating. You can see the training in how she carries her torso and arms, among other things.

Sasha Cohen is always my favorite in terms of balletic style.
 

DianaSelene

Medalist
Joined
Aug 2, 2011
I agree that Michelle is not a "ballerina" skater but she incorporates so many beautiful movements as well. In a thread before a lot of ballet fans said that she is not Bolshoi in style but more of the Mariinski in style.

I agree that Sasha is the most balletic of all. Oksana is a close second.

Shizuka Arakawa incorporate so many gorgeous balletic movements as well.


IN the new generation I love Adelina Sotnikova and the "Cohen-esque" Julia Lipnitskaia.

She is neither Bolshoi nor Mariinsky style. I've seen tons of ballerinas from both theaters. She looks nothing like them.
 

Nadine

Record Breaker
Joined
Oct 3, 2003
Off the top of my head, and listing only the very best by era; ballerinas in every sense of the word, including body type:


WOMEN:

Sonja Henie, world renown as "Pavlova On Ice"

Charlotte Oelschlagel

Oksana Baiul, "The Swan"

Mao Asada


MEN:

Jackson Haines, male ballerino whom was the first to put ballet on ice & also to use music in the mid-19th century, known today as "The International Style"

John Curry

Emanuel Sandhu

Evgeni Plushenko, "Nijinsky"

Jeremy Abbott, "Muse"...
 
Joined
Jun 21, 2003
IMO there is no particular reason to want skaters to remimd us of ballerinas iraher than of nstead of other kinds of dancers and athletes. All dancers, ballet or otherwise, maintain good posture, move gracefully, have attractive lines, and strike pleasing positions.

Alissa does all these things, for instance, but I do not think of the ballet when she skates.

Sasha either.
 

Nadine

Record Breaker
Joined
Oct 3, 2003
True.

But the foundation of today's skating comes from ballet. For instance when Alissa skates she does so with perfect carriage, rounded arms ala plie, nice lines, and exquisite artistry, all ballet in themselves imho. :)
 

camion

On the Ice
Joined
Apr 30, 2005
Prima ballerina: Sasha Cohen, without a doubt.

Prima donna: Johnny Weir- j/k :laugh: Well actually not, but for posture alone I'd include Johnny in the balletic category.
 

MoonlightSkater

On the Ice
Joined
May 17, 2011
IMO there is no particular reason to want skaters to remimd us of ballerinas iraher than of nstead of other kinds of dancers and athletes. All dancers, ballet or otherwise, maintain good posture, move gracefully, have attractive lines, and strike pleasing positions.

Alissa does all these things, for instance, but I do not think of the ballet when she skates.

Sasha either.

See, the thing is that having done ballet growing up I can see where the training influences certain movements within a program, and as such I feel like some skaters really do have a balletic style. I think Alissa is the one who does it the most- her arm positions and the way she holds her back are often directly from her ballet training. If you don't have experience with ballet, you might just call them "pretty," but they are directly derived from the art form, whereas others might just use "pleasing positions."

I'm not saying balletic is better or worse, but I do think it is an actual style within skating.

As such, I have to say I wouldn't apply it to everyone mentioned in this thread, but I still appreciate the skating of most of those included.
 

brightphoton

Medalist
Joined
Jan 23, 2009
Every skater and her cousin takes ballet classes along with figure skating, but only a few skaters have real training. I'd say John Curry, Oksana Baiul, Katherine Healy have strongest ballet influences, but most of the other people mentioned are only generically pretty and skating to pretty music. Sasha Cohen struck me more as a rhythmic gymnastic, and Czisny is too stiff and holds the arm positions too long while preparing for jumps.

That being said, I'm not fond of some people thinking every single figure skater should make every single program balletic. It's not the only dance style in the world, certainly not the only worthwhile one to emulate. Did you want to watch figure skating or ballet on ice?
 

russell30

Final Flight
Joined
Dec 14, 2004
Lenka Kulovana and Kaja Hanevold were also lovely to watch, seeing them rinkside was amazing, very balletic:)
 

skateluvr

Record Breaker
Joined
Oct 23, 2011
I'm sorry but out of all things you could say about Kwan, "ballerina" is not certainly one of them. Do Kwan's fans really have to put her EVERYWHERE? I mean no offense, she has many great qualities but line, posture and extention isn't really up there with Cohen or Asada. I wouldn't be surprised if you put her among the best spinners or claim she has the best triple-triple. The greatest ballerina is Sasha of course. Perfectly straight back ALL THE TIME, extraordinary flexibility, pointed toes, perfect positions in spirals and spins (except for the biellman). Some of her positions are unmatched to this day even with Alissa, Caroline and Mirai on the scene.

That's true, Michelle could be very elegant and using ballerina fingers one moment and then totally using stiff Brian Boitano "male skater" hands in the next. When she was so focused on her jumps, her details sometimes were a bit less defined. Her style, esp at her very best, was rather undefinable. She wasn't a dancing fairy like Asada, or a ballerina like Cohen/ Gordeeva. I have always sought to find the right word for her style. I found her more athletic than detailed in her later years, but powerful, fierce, majestic are words that come easier. Sometimes, as with Michelle, the sum was greater than the parts.
 

skateluvr

Record Breaker
Joined
Oct 23, 2011
Thought of two more. Peggy Fleming and Jennifer Kirk. The latter was actually ballet-trained, and her carriage and arm positions reflected this.

Yes, I was thinking Kirk, but it bothers me to this day she was often underscored, even when doing a 3x3 in her short when no one else did. How hard must it have been for the skaters who even won over Michelle in the USA but were always in her shadow, and always will be because of her long, hugely successful run.
 

Ilvskating

Final Flight
Joined
Dec 30, 2010
Although Sasha has great extension and flexibility, I never feel she's like ballerina. I totally agree that she was more like rhythmic gymnastic. Mao Asada is about the only one in recent decades that is like a real ballerina imho among top skaters, especially now.
 

jenaj

Record Breaker
Joined
Aug 17, 2003
Country
United-States
John Curry
Katherine Healy
Oksana Baiul in her Swan exhibition, but not otherwise.
 
Joined
Aug 16, 2009
That's true, Michelle could be very elegant and using ballerina fingers one moment and then totally using stiff Brian Boitano "male skater" hands in the next. When she was so focused on her jumps, her details sometimes were a bit less defined. Her style, esp at her very best, was rather undefinable. She wasn't a dancing fairy like Asada, or a ballerina like Cohen/ Gordeeva. I have always sought to find the right word for her style. I found her more athletic than detailed in her later years, but powerful, fierce, majestic are words that come easier. Sometimes, as with Michelle, the sum was greater than the parts.

I love your description, especially "more athletic than detailed in her later years." Yes, post-Nichol, she tended to skate in a more streamlined style, and the way you worded it really evoked her skating for me. I agree that the sum of Michelle was greater than the parts. The stuff she did added up to something even more extraordinary than its components. I'm an uber-Michelle fan, but balletic isn't what I'd describe her as. She's very graceful and musical, but being balletic specifically isn't the only way to achieve grace and musicality.

Sasha was indeed more influenced by rhythmic gymnastics than ballet. Didn't she get her start in gymnastics? I happen to love rhythmic gymnastics. It's exceedingly graceful, close to ballet in its execution, and I'll bet the best rhythmic gymnasts have a lot of dance training, but they use it to other ends than ballet is used. Cohen's mother once said that trained dancers don't think of Sasha as a ballerina because she doesn't really have a turnout.
 
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