Ice Dance & Carmen | Golden Skate

Ice Dance & Carmen

Tonichelle

Idita-Rock-n-Roll
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Joined
Jun 27, 2003
With the confirmation today that V/M are skating to Carmen it got me thinking :think: - are there any memorable (as in you didn't just youtube it to see how many you could find) Dance programs to Carmen? I can't think of one :laugh:
 
Joined
Jun 21, 2003
For my money, every skating program should be to Carmen. :yes: Why fool around with anything less?
 
Joined
Aug 16, 2009
I always worry when I hear that someone is skating to Carmen, but when you think about it, there's a whole heap of music in this opera that goes untouched in most programs, so the possibilities are there for something fresh and new from the opera. Just as long as they stay away from the Habanera and the Toreador Song!

Would I rather they had chosen something else? You bet. But I love V/M so much that I'm confident they'll come through.

One of the drawbacks of Carmen is that the characters in the opera are actually not very sympathetic. You can't really do love team stuff with this music unless you make new characters. Katarina Witt could carry it off, and Angelika Krylova could. (Angelika Krylova could play Lady Macbeth and make you believe it.) In the opera, she destroys him, and he kills her. Are we going to end up yet again with someone sprawled on the ice....
 

dorispulaski

Wicked Yankee Girl
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Jul 26, 2003
Country
United-States
And Capellini & Lanotte will be doing Carmen this year as well.

As to memorable ice dance Carmens, one correction: B&B used Polovetsian dances in 1988. They won Worlds & Europeans with Carmen in 1985 (their first world title, since T&D retired after 1984).
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wv6ZLSDwbyY

Yes, Kylova and Ovsiannakov had my favorite Carmen in 1998 winning their first Worlds:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-oFAnymw0YU

and Navka & Kostamarov in 2006
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TxAcG1_Pfd8

and less well known, it was a great OD by Lang & Tchernshev in 2002
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rI9qrdQzlw0

And less known, and not ice dance, Orser, Boitano & Witt did an Emmy winning production of Carmen on Ice:

Part 1
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YFep6bm8JdA
Part 2
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mf8BDja7ryk
Part 3
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PGv97batpz4
Part 4
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5RoMxFsGACM
Part 5
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jRWLWCgvmA0
Part 6
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uX1lhU_X0TY
Part 7
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fxxMfqJf61A
Part 8
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f1F_rOTUIK4
Part 9
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VMDPWeQBKBo&feature=relmfu
Credits & Interviews
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9osfabDWgjo&feature=relmfu

There was also a Russian Carmen on Ice show. Here's a part of it:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pPFMOzL_CvM&feature=relmfu
 
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ImaginaryPogue

Record Breaker
Joined
Jun 3, 2009
I always worry when I hear that someone is skating to Carmen, but when you think about it, there's a whole heap of music in this opera that goes untouched in most programs, so the possibilities are there for something fresh and new from the opera. Just as long as they stay away from the Habanera and the Toreador Song!

Dube/Davison tried in the 08/09 season (also, it's funny that the announcer says they're unfamiliar with 7th place. They were 7th in 2006 and 2007. And 2010).

In this case, Tessa mentioned they were drawn to the power and passion of Carmen, so I doubt we'll see anything but the most recognizable bits.

Would I rather they had chosen something else? You bet. But I love V/M so much that I'm confident they'll come through.

Me too. What did you imagine them skating to?

One of the drawbacks of Carmen is that the characters in the opera are actually not very sympathetic. You can't really do love team stuff with this music unless you make new characters. Katarina Witt could carry it off, and Angelika Krylova could. (Angelika Krylova could play Lady Macbeth and make you believe it.) In the opera, she destroys him, and he kills her. Are we going to end up yet again with someone sprawled on the ice....

I love it when figure skating tries for more emotionally contentious terrain (Jeff Buttle's Nagoyqaatsi, for example.) I'd love to see them go for something uber-dramatic (why I was hoping for Masquerade Waltz if they went from a dramatic warhorse).
 

plushyfan

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Joined
Jun 27, 2012
Country
Hungary
I love it when figure skating tries for more emotionally contentious terrain (Jeff Buttle's Nagoyqaatsi, for example.) I'd love to see them go for something uber-dramatic (why I was hoping for Masquerade Waltz if they went from a dramatic warhorse).
You don't forget Evan's program:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y8vqBmzsBR0

and Plushy , of course

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MhIiisXRBys in SLC

but I love this version on Art on ice show, so much passion

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jXJ8tupepcw


I'm sure V/M program will be great!!!
 

iluvtodd

Record Breaker
Joined
Mar 5, 2004
Country
United-States

K& O's Carmen - my favorite ice dance version of Carmen

Carmen on Ice with Katarina, Brian , & Brian - Brilliant!
 
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blue dog

Trixie Schuba's biggest fan!
Record Breaker
Joined
Dec 16, 2006
Oddly, I've only seen one Carmen in Pairs:

Canadians from 88: http://youtu.be/6nJ2-U0D4Ck (the male, Lyndon Johnston, actually invented the Natalia spin, made famous by Michkoutienok and Dmitriev)

I think Carmen definitely lends itself more to dance, because of the definitive roles. I like the fact that V/M are trying this music, because they won't necessarily have to play two lovers. Carmen is full of "person a loves person b, but person b loves person c who could care less" (Micaela loves Jose, who loves Carmen, who loves Escamillo, who loves himself).
 

DianaSelene

Medalist
Joined
Aug 2, 2011
Oddly, I've only seen one Carmen in Pairs:

Canadians from 88: http://youtu.be/6nJ2-U0D4Ck (the male, Lyndon Johnston, actually invented the Natalia spin, made famous by Michkoutienok and Dmitriev)

I think Carmen definitely lends itself more to dance, because of the definitive roles. I like the fact that V/M are trying this music, because they won't necessarily have to play two lovers. Carmen is full of "person a loves person b, but person b loves person c who could care less" (Micaela loves Jose, who loves Carmen, who loves Escamillo, who loves himself).

If you've only seen one Carmen in pairs then you missed out on Gordeeva/Grinkov's Carmen which is really great.
 

dorispulaski

Wicked Yankee Girl
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United-States
Gordeeva & Grinkov did Carmen for their 1988 SP at the Olympics (March of the Toreadors) Pairs
 
Joined
Aug 16, 2009
My favorite, by far. I know in North-America don't like them, but Bestsemionova's passion is unrepeatable.

Bestemianova is one of the great acting masters of ice dance. I still get gooseflesh when I remember the Rasputin program they did as pro skaters. He played Rasputin, and she played the young Tsarevitch, Alexei. There was one moment when she looked up at him in fright and tried to smile ingratiatingly...I thought, this lady could teach film stars how to convey realistic emotion.

By and large, I could take B/B's rather avant-garde approach only in small doses, but like Rahkamo/Kokko, they added individuality and innovation to ice dancing (along with purity of technique), and I was very glad they were around. I'm more a romantic (in the sense of the Romantic era of music) by nature, but I also value diversity. I also liked that Natalia wasn't candy-floss pretty--she had such an individual look, glamorous in its own uncompromising way.

Thanks for linking to the full-length Carmen, Doris. That was a terrific use of ice skating, a program I just loved. I had no cable at the time, and someone had to tape it for me (on videocassette!). It was a grand enterprise by Sandra Bezic and the three leads, Katarina and the two Brians. Would that more productions like that were possible. Just think: the budget for a single episode of the Kardashians' reality show....
 
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Skater Boy

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Feb 24, 2012
We should stick to dance because then we have to add I think Peterenko and Cohen and Nagasu - oh but you said favourite.

Bestimianova was the real carmen in 1988. I have no idea what Debi Thomas was doing with the music other than it was powerful. Witt never had the depth or the power to play the real operatic Carmen. And then there was Mirai - she made Debi Thomas look like a real thespian. Mirai's Carmen was outright a crime - she smiled with that fake Miss America smile throughout the routine. She really did not understand who Carmen was and did not have the presence to carry off such a huge character. I will be curious to see what Tessa does - she will have to gain some presence to match Krylova, Navka or Bestimianiova or she will be a watered down version like Witt or worse just skating to music.
 
Joined
Jun 21, 2003
I don't think Mirai was trying to portray the character Carmen. I think she was just skating to the music.
 
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