Yuna's free program to Adios Nonino - Review | Page 8 | Golden Skate

Yuna's free program to Adios Nonino - Review

verysmuchso

On the Ice
Joined
Nov 30, 2007
The shoulda-won talk aside, I was curious what everyone thought of the Sochi version of Adios Nonino. Did it finally have more of the feel of a tango, greater unity? Did Ven at last experience the catharsis he/she was hoping for:)? Have all your hopes and wishes been fulfilled?
 

bebevia

On the Ice
Joined
Jun 22, 2011
The shoulda-won talk aside, I was curious what everyone thought of the Sochi version of Adios Nonino. Did it finally have more of the feel of a tango, greater unity? Did Ven at last experience the catharsis he/she was hoping for:)? Have all your hopes and wishes been fulfilled?
I did have a better perception with the Sochi performance. It was a little jazzy, but I don't bother as long as it goes along well. The music & choreo settled in better with me too.

Looking back, I think the reason I didn't want this program was because it wasn't a statement program; that's where all the rant developed. I still don't think it's a statement program; meaning, it doesn't have the impact that grabs first-time spectator's attention. There's a reason Transformers and Frozen were all the rage, while serious ones are less popular; they have instantaneous spectacles that easily translate into mass appeal. Yuna also had many blockbuster programs; I was disappointed because I was so used to that and expected something out of the ordinary yet universally comprehensive. Grandeur, lights, orchestra, bangs. (I even arranged different versions of the music myself ahead of time!) Same with the costumes - they weren't BADLY bad, but it's Yuna, a constant best dresser. Like Yuna said: "the bigger the expectation, the bigger the disappointment." Although, I believe I was reasonably entitled to such expectation.

At the Sochi, she refined details to the point where people could feel the quality, whether the casual impact was there or not. (I recommend NBC no-commentary version) Objectively, I was able to get positive feedback from non-fans for the Sochi one whereas they slept over the Nationals one.

I suspect I would've been happier if it was one of her show pieces; I'm an occasional attention seeker in a way that I go around, share things I'm inspired by, and feel fulfillment by mutual happiness. I ranted because it wasn't easy; thankfully Yuna pulled it this much.

+ I already had had concerns when I heard the choices; neither music was easy to have a great impact, so they worried me. Oh well.
 

usethis2

Medalist
Joined
Feb 11, 2014
I think I have seen it once before the Olympics. Altogether I would put it somewhere between her Gershwin and Les Mis. I like it more than Les Mis but I am not sure if I liked the interpretation of Adios as much as Gershwin's. Granted it is her/Wilson's interpretation, not mine, but I could understand Gershwin more easily than Adios. (Les Mis was very very obvious, lol) Nevertheless the Adios piece definitely put me in a mood just as the Send in the Clown did (my favorite SP of Yuna's). It was a little surprise that she chose both SP and FS with somewhat heavy undertones and complex melodies despite the deceptively light tunes. I am guessing for the Sochi audience neither Gershin nor Adios would have done it, though. Les Mis would have probably fared better with that crowd. (or Swan, Carmen, something really vulgar and raucous..)

Sorry I did not know of this thread so please excuse me if I am completely off here. I will try to read it through later.
 

johnsmith72

On the Ice
Joined
Feb 9, 2014
I love it and can't stop watching it. I like it better than les mis and concerto but slightly less than homage. It doesn't scream Olympic program like les mis and scherezade but that might be why I like it so much. She wasn't skating for the crowd but to test her artistic boundary. And that circular foot work sequence was perfection!
 

verysmuchso

On the Ice
Joined
Nov 30, 2007
I love it and can't stop watching it. I like it better than les mis and concerto but slightly less than homage. It doesn't scream Olympic program like les mis and scherezade but that might be why I like it so much. She wasn't skating for the crowd but to test her artistic boundary. And that circular foot work sequence was perfection!
Les Mis and Scherezade are actually my least favorite of Yuna's programs. I thought Adios Nonio was dazzling, and the footwork especially was sumptuous.
 

neraiselle

On the Ice
Joined
Mar 8, 2006
I did have a better perception with the Sochi performance. It was a little jazzy, but I don't bother as long as it goes along well. The music & choreo settled in better with me too.

Looking back, I think the reason I didn't want this program was because it wasn't a statement program; that's where all the rant developed. I still don't think it's a statement program; meaning, it doesn't have the impact that grabs first-time spectator's attention. There's a reason Transformers and Frozen were all the rage, while serious ones are less popular; they have instantaneous spectacles that easily translate into mass appeal. Yuna also had many blockbuster programs; I was disappointed because I was so used to that and expected something out of the ordinary yet universally comprehensive. Grandeur, lights, orchestra, bangs. (I even arranged different versions of the music myself ahead of time!) Same with the costumes - they weren't BADLY bad, but it's Yuna, a constant best dresser. Like Yuna said: "the bigger the expectation, the bigger the disappointment." Although, I believe I was reasonably entitled to such expectation.

At the Sochi, she refined details to the point where people could feel the quality, whether the casual impact was there or not. (I recommend NBC no-commentary version) Objectively, I was able to get positive feedback from non-fans for the Sochi one whereas they slept over the Nationals one.

I suspect I would've been happier if it was one of her show pieces; I'm an occasional attention seeker in a way that I go around, share things I'm inspired by, and feel fulfillment by mutual happiness. I ranted because it wasn't easy; thankfully Yuna pulled it this much.

+ I already had had concerns when I heard the choices; neither music was easy to have a great impact, so they worried me. Oh well.

I shared similar concerns that you had. It was beautiful but maybe too artistic to capture the hearts of "wider" audience, I suppose, because in a big event like the Olympics, you probably have better chance of wowing the crowd if you use a bit more arousing, dramatic music rather than inward-looking piece. I hoped she could have used this for the worlds last year and "Les Mis" for the Olympics...
But I can't stop watching Adios Nonino over and over again. It's so subtle, sophisticated, and just gorgeous, I get to appreciate it more and more as I watch. I can notice so much intricate movements and arrangement in the program.

It is a big statement from a skating master, and it is something that will be much appreciated by serious skating fans, but for the big audience who probably watch figure skating only at the Olympics every four years, I think it would have been more strategic to choose an outward-looking piece of music to stir up the crowd.
 

cooper

Medalist
Joined
Mar 23, 2010
I shared similar concerns that you had. It was beautiful but maybe too artistic to capture the hearts of "wider" audience, I suppose, because in a big event like the Olympics, you probably have better chance of wowing the crowd if you use a bit more arousing, dramatic music rather than inward-looking piece. I hoped she could have used this for the worlds last year and "Les Mis" for the Olympics...
But I can't stop watching Adios Nonino over and over again. It's so subtle, sophisticated, and just gorgeous, I get to appreciate it more and more as I watch. I can notice so much intricate movements and arrangement in the program.

It is a big statement from a skating master, and it is something that will be much appreciated by serious skating fans, but for the big audience who probably watch figure skating only at the Olympics every four years, I think it would have been more strategic to choose an outward-looking piece of music to stir up the crowd.

even if yuna is skating crazy or stripping her costume or whatever there's no way that crowd will ever be excited.. no matter how you sell that program.. that crowd was hard and incredibly bias..
 

karne

in Emergency Backup Mode
Record Breaker
Joined
Jan 1, 2013
Country
Australia
My review of Yuna's long program:

I didn't realise it was supposed to be a tango until the Yunafans started carrying on about it afterwards.
 
Last edited by a moderator:

Adios

Spectator
Joined
Apr 20, 2014
usethis2, the version she uses is from Luis Bravo's Forever Tango: Original Broadway Cast released in 1998.
 

anyanka

Record Breaker
Joined
Jul 8, 2011
The shoulda-won talk aside, I was curious what everyone thought of the Sochi version of Adios Nonino. Did it finally have more of the feel of a tango, greater unity? Did Ven at last experience the catharsis he/she was hoping for:)? Have all your hopes and wishes been fulfilled?

As someone else said here (can't remember who), it was a self-contained, insular but reflective tango that had feelings differing from the usual romantic association, due to it being a memorial piece. Her body language was perfect for the piece as she was nimble yet wove tango movements into the choreography. While I didn't love it outright the way I loved her 2009W, 2010OG or 2013W performances, this interpretation and her performance of it at Sochi were glorious. It wasn't obvious, but it is in and of itself a quiet yet masterful work. Worth re-watching (although I can't bear to watch beyond the end of the performance, the score / placement still bums me out).
 

OniBan

Final Flight
Joined
May 8, 2014
To be honest, I personally don't find the choreography of Adios Nonino all too compelling nor attention grabbing. Yu-Na skates it fine (she could do to project a bit more but it's not too big a deal if the choreo is great), but the program itself is a bit bland?
Might be a fun exhibition piece, but to get an edge in a competitive field - it would need more snap and and edge, something extra to really BRING it, and showcase the best of the skater's abilities.

This might sound controversial, but I think that David Wilson's choreos for Yu-Na started to look too similar to one another after 2011's programs. Kiss of the Vampire was quite ugh, Les Miz is great when I first saw it at 2013 Worlds, though I personally thought Yu-Na had started to look a bit 'rehearsed' by then. When you look back in her best competitive days back in 2009-2010 season she had this spark and genuine joy that's just amazing, and it wasn't quite there in her comeback performances - though her skills are still stellar! But even then the choice of music (Les Miz) and the choreo works well enough (along with her excellent skating), though I think the emotional music carries the program through more than the choreography itself.

What I feel she should skate to in Sochi 2014 instead of Adios Nonino, is really Homage to Korea, which didn't have much time to flourish properly in the competitive field. She'd done it only once during Worlds, I think? Which is a pity because it's an AMAZING program, set to gorgeous unique music, beautifully choreographed to really push Yu-Na's best qualities forward, and even make her weak elements look better! For example, her arabesque's spiral which doesn't have the best extension - actually looks good when timed to the soaring, climatic music in Homage to Korea, right after a gorgeous step sequence. It's too bad this program didn't get to go around the competitive circuit long enough to realize its full potential.
I rather think it's her best long program ever after Gershwin. Or could be even better, because even with Yu-Na's imperfect execution of it in 2011 Worlds, you can still see what an amazing program it is!

And what better send- off music is there than to return to her roots - show the world and the Russian crowd - this is WHO I AM, my people, my culture.
 

Ven

Match Penalty
Joined
Mar 17, 2013
Maybe Yuna will skate Homage to Korea at Pyeongchang 2018. :)
(though I doubt it)

Adios worked for me in the Olympics because of the tension of the moment, I think. When I saw the program at Golden Spin and Korean Nats, it was a procession for her. It was a fait accompli that she would win, and the audiences were very supportive of her. I did not feel the mood was correct for that music and that performance. While I still think the skate would be better with a more introspective, emotional performance by Yuna, I think it went over much better with me because of the unforeseen hostility of the audience and pressure of the moment. Her skate was literally and figuratively on the knife's edge, and that instilled a sense of concern and anxiety that I thought was desperately needed.

All in all I liked Adios Nonino (Olympics version) and would put it in my list of second favorites. Still it could have been better with more fire and determination, but as Yuna admitted, that seemed to wane at the end of her career.
 

Ophelia

Record Breaker
Joined
Dec 6, 2013
To be honest, I personally don't find the choreography of Adios Nonino all too compelling nor attention grabbing. Yu-Na skates it fine (she could do to project a bit more but it's not too big a deal if the choreo is great), but the program itself is a bit bland?
Might be a fun exhibition piece, but to get an edge in a competitive field - it would need more snap and and edge, something extra to really BRING it, and showcase the best of the skater's abilities.

This might sound controversial, but I think that David Wilson's choreos for Yu-Na started to look too similar to one another after 2011's programs. Kiss of the Vampire was quite ugh, Les Miz is great when I first saw it at 2013 Worlds, though I personally thought Yu-Na had started to look a bit 'rehearsed' by then. When you look back in her best competitive days back in 2009-2010 season she had this spark and genuine joy that's just amazing, and it wasn't quite there in her comeback performances - though her skills are still stellar! But even then the choice of music (Les Miz) and the choreo works well enough (along with her excellent skating), though I think the emotional music carries the program through more than the choreography itself.

What I feel she should skate to in Sochi 2014 instead of Adios Nonino, is really Homage to Korea, which didn't have much time to flourish properly in the competitive field. She'd done it only once during Worlds, I think? Which is a pity because it's an AMAZING program, set to gorgeous unique music, beautifully choreographed to really push Yu-Na's best qualities forward, and even make her weak elements look better! For example, her arabesque's spiral which doesn't have the best extension - actually looks good when timed to the soaring, climatic music in Homage to Korea, right after a gorgeous step sequence. It's too bad this program didn't get to go around the competitive circuit long enough to realize its full potential.
I rather think it's her best long program ever after Gershwin. Or could be even better, because even with Yu-Na's imperfect execution of it in 2011 Worlds, you can still see what an amazing program it is!

And what better send- off music is there than to return to her roots - show the world and the Russian crowd - this is WHO I AM, my people, my culture.

All the points you made from Wilson's bland choreography circa 2011 onwards, to the loss of spark in Yuna's skating, to your love of Homage to Korea, is exactly how I feel.

The only point I'd disagree on is skating to Homage in Korea in Sochi. Idk how well a South Korean "nationalistic" piece would've gone with the judges at the Olympics in Russia.
 

Jewels

On the Ice
Joined
Oct 20, 2013
While I liked Yuna's performance, I didn't like the music cut personally. IMO the reason Yuna looks like she lacks passion is because of the music. The only ones I liked were piano parts, and it didn't give me any impacts, unlike other musics she has used in the past. It somehow makes her look slower too, I mean try watching it without music, I was surprised at how fast Yuna was skating.
 

nguyenghita

On the Ice
Joined
Nov 13, 2012
I don't think the idea skating Homage Korea in front of that kind of crowd (and judges) in Sochi would do Yuna any favor :think:
 
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