Off-season video suggestions: what gives you chills? | Page 4 | Golden Skate

Off-season video suggestions: what gives you chills?

hikki

Final Flight
Joined
Dec 18, 2007
Country
Japan
in the middle of the difficult season with his injury and uncertainty about Olympic selection, Daisuke fought hard. This segment of Friends and Lovers at Japanese Nationals 2013 gives me chills no matter how many times I watch it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ODVHs3KVZ20#t=02m47s

Daisuke's 2011/12 season SP, i get the biggest goosebumps when he pauses in the step sequence. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NsUplazBWp0

Like so many of you mentioned, Mao's Sochi LP. Especially from the moment she nails her 8th triple, the loop till the end when she bursts into tears... Gets me every single time.

1996 Worlds Michelle's SP - the part she strokes so graciously into Ina Bauer at 1.24, and where she taps her hands so captured in the feel of the music at 3.20.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qGvRCis1upE

2004 Worlds Shizuka's LP - you can see that the usually reserved Shizuka really feels the music at 7.23 during the magnificent Spread Eagle, then to nailing the second 3lutz, then to Ina Bauer till the end.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=drYtIDzcrF0

Shizuka's Torino LP - the part she moves to the gorgeous Y spiral with only a couple of strokes at
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jJ9EaMEk74g

Watching Patrick's steps. Especially Take Five.

Davis & White's Free Dance 2013/14. The part they just keep going and going from 3:35 is insane.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=55fe1e869cA
 
Joined
Aug 16, 2009
Hi,
Some skating performances are beautiful not only because of the choreography but because of the difficulty faced by the skaters.

Here are some that have some deep meaning.

Ekaterina Gordeeva and Ilia Kulik skating to Casi un Bolero in 1999/2000
This is probably one of the best ice dance performance, perfomed by non-ice dancers.
Gordeeva who used to be a pair skater with her late husband Sergey Grinkov, started to date Ilia Kulik four years later. This performance is about them.

And finally, Gordeeva skating to Mahler - Symphony No. 5 during "Celebration of a Life" in 1996
Here Gordeeva skated her first solo performance after Sergei's death.
"The crowd rose and clapped, then stopped and was transported. For the next five minutes, to the haunting strains of Gustav Mahler's Symphony No. 5, Gordeeva exposed her soul with such gentleness and pathos and strength that no one watching could remain unmoved. This was a rarity: sport, art and tragedy fused into one"

All these performances are available on youtube. Please watch them if you haven't done before.

Casi un Bolero is one of my favorites. It is a perfect example of how skating can convey emotion, character, and even narrative. The way these two skaters blended their separate talents, from separate training regimens, without years of skating together behind them, is phenomenal. Sandra Bezic did a brilliant job of using their strengths to create this program.

Gordeeva's Mahler--like watching the earth move. This piece was nearly unskateable, but no other music could have been better to convey the profound loss and grief Katia had experienced. Confession: When Virtue and Moir skated to this music, I was never able to enter completely into the spell they cast, because the Adagietto has just one meaning to me, and that meaning transcends competitive skating. Tessa and Scott looked beautiful, to be sure, and they well deserved the OGM that this earned them, but I wish that Zoueva had used some other part of a Mahler symphony for them in 2010.

I don't mean to criticize Zoueva at all, but I've always been curious: has anyone ever asked her why she used this music again? She choreographed the original version for Katia out of her own grief for Sergei, so clearly the piece meant a great deal to her. I'd love to know how it came to her to recast it into something more serene and graceful rather than a statement of unimaginable rupture and anguish.
 

Maria Victoria

Record Breaker
Joined
Jan 10, 2014
I just want to say kudos to the OP, TMC, for starting this thread as I am so enjoying following the video links of skating performances posted here as well as reading the explanations why they are deemed to give chills. :)
 

TMC

Record Breaker
Joined
Jan 27, 2014
D/W's Strauss free dance - I noticed a couple of moments in this version (gpf) which I thought were hilarious/awesome: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PZSzLIs9S24

I can just see what Charlie is "saying":

At 2:19: "Look, I twirled her!"

At 3:24: "Wait...where did she go? Oh there, wait for me!"
 

TMC

Record Breaker
Joined
Jan 27, 2014
I just want to say kudos to the OP, TMC, for starting this thread as I am so enjoying following the video links of skating performances posted here as well as reading the explanations why they are deemed to give chills. :)

Happy to be useful :biggrin: I'm loving this as well
 

skatedreamer

Medalist
Joined
Feb 18, 2014
Country
United-States
I just want to say kudos to the OP, TMC, for starting this thread as I am so enjoying following the video links of skating performances posted here as well as reading the explanations why they are deemed to give chills. :)

Same here! My only problem is: so many videos, so little time...:laugh:

Also agree w/ the poster who mentioned Rudy Galindo @ 1996 US Nats & Midori Ito @ 1988 Olys. Rudy's performance had me in tears. I wasn't aware of the anti-gay angle (grrr....); only knew that many people had pretty much written him off and that he had been very discouraged after Kristi Yamaguchi opted to quit their pairs partnership to concentrate on singles. Even without the backstory, though, it was a wonderful skate -- he was simply inspired. No way anyone could have denied him the gold that day.

As for Midori...watching that performance, I found myself wondering if she had springs in her skates or something. :laugh: Yikes, that was amazing! Also wonder if she would have been on the podium (or at least closer to it) if not for the school figures.
 
Joined
Feb 13, 2014
D/W's Strauss free dance - I noticed a couple of moments in this version (gpf) which I thought were hilarious/awesome:

I can just see what Charlie is "saying":

At 2:19: "Look, I twirled her!"

At 3:24: "Wait...where did she go? Oh there, wait for me!"

LOL - Thanks for sharing! That was a particularly fun performance of that FD. :) I like how the eurosport people were talking about Charlie being part wild composer part ballroom dancer, lol, so true! He was great in that role.
 

TMC

Record Breaker
Joined
Jan 27, 2014
I re-watched this and... :jaw::jaw: This was SO much better than what the teams that placed ahead of them produced! :yes:

Yes, this is the dance they got all level 4s for - 1st team in the world to achieve that!
 

karne

in Emergency Backup Mode
Record Breaker
Joined
Jan 1, 2013
Country
Australia
I :love: Casi un Bolero SO MUCH. The perfect example of telling a story in a program, and oh, what a story. A young widow lost and alone and grieving...the young man who falls in love with her...her uncertainty...and finally, their joy. :love: :love: :love:

What I don't love is some of the comments under the videos...yeesh, some of these people would have only been happy if Katia had worn black and cried all her life over Sergei. :scowl:
 

Yunamao

Rinkside
Joined
Feb 13, 2010
Generally, skates that make me feel emotional are the one that make me forget I'm watching a competition.

Daisuke's performances. Almost all of them give me goosebumps and teary eyed
2011 NHK SP Garden of souls The whole performance. I don't care if he just did a 3/3 instead of a quad, I know he did it clean whith a quad at Nats and WTT but it didn't have the same emotional impact. For me this one performance remains as his best SP ever, it gives me chills from start to finish.
2012 Nat FP Pagliacci Despite being one of my least favourite program of him, this particular performance especially the end when he soars on the edge and his "possessed" like look in the ending position really gave me goosebumps.
2010 World SP Eye The circular steps. Shame on the camera work but I liked it better than Oly because he seemed more relaxed.
2010 Worlds FP La Strada Like watching a movie. I especially loved the mid section when he's having fun with the choreography.
2013 Worlds SP Moonlight Sonata Minus jumps, the last spin, footwork and transitions are pure chills.
And I'll stop there because the list could go on. I think there is not a single performance good or bad from Dai that won't draw me in.

Same for Akiko.
2012 NHK FP O The choreographic steps at the end never fail to amaze me even when the jumps aren't there.
2013 WTT SP Kill Bill Her kick, hydroblade and killer steps.
2013 Dream On Ice Ex Love dance The overall performance. It's like she becomes the instruments one by one (the flute (?), the cello, the voice)
2010 CoR FP Fiddler on the Roof

Savchenko/Szolkowy 2007 Euros FP The Mission The overall performance

SHEN/ZHAO
2003 Worlds FP Turandot Like most of you in this thread, I find it difficult to not shed a single tear.
2007 World FP Meditation from Thaïs

Mao
2011 The Ice Ex Jupiter
2006 SA SP Nocturne
2014 World SP Nocturne II
Of course her 2014 OG performance which brings me to tears every time I watch it.
2011 Nat SP Scheherazade Because it was her first time skating after her mother's death just a few weeks before this routine. And she stayed so strong despite being surely overwhelmed by the emotion. Also I may be in the minority but I love this program.
2008 Worlds SP Fantasia for violin

Yu-Na
2007 Worlds SP Tango de Roxanne
2008 SA SP Danse macabre Yes it's not her best but this is the one who always give me chills especially the end. Idk why her season late performances always leave me cold.

Kanako
2012 Worlds SP Violin muse
2013 CoR FP Papa can you hear me?

All of Shizuka's pro programs especially The voice and Yugao
Also her 2004 Worlds FP

Carolina
2007 Worlds SP Variations
2014 Worlds SP Ave Maria

Virtue/Moir
2007 4cc OD Assassination Tango
2008 Worlds FD Umbrellas of Cherbourg
2013 Nat FD Carmen

Mirai
2010 OG FP Carmen I couldn't find the OG version so I linked the one from nats which was also great, but Oly's was special.
2010 World SP Pirates of the Caribbean
2010 TEB SP The Witches of Eastwick

Takahiko Kozuka
2010 Worlds SP Bold as love
2012 SA SP Exodus
2012 SA Ex Sound of silence

Julia 2013 SC FP Schindler's List I wasn't a fan of her at all and she managed to make me care for her with that performance. This is my favourite out of all the clean ones she did.

Also all of Michelle Kwan's performances. I can't even pick one, just all of them makes me feel emotional.

There are still a lot of performances and skaters that give me chills but judging by the super long list above, I think it's more than enough for now. :slink:
 

trouble77

Rinkside
Joined
Feb 15, 2014
Casi un Bolero is one of my favorites. It is a perfect example of how skating can convey emotion, character, and even narrative. The way these two skaters blended their separate talents, from separate training regimens, without years of skating together behind them, is phenomenal. Sandra Bezic did a brilliant job of using their strengths to create this program.

Gordeeva's Mahler--like watching the earth move. This piece was nearly unskateable, but no other music could have been better to convey the profound loss and grief Katia had experienced. Confession: When Virtue and Moir skated to this music, I was never able to enter completely into the spell they cast, because the Adagietto has just one meaning to me, and that meaning transcends competitive skating. Tessa and Scott looked beautiful, to be sure, and they well deserved the OGM that this earned them, but I wish that Zoueva had used some other part of a Mahler symphony for them in 2010.

I don't mean to criticize Zoueva at all, but I've always been curious: has anyone ever asked her why she used this music again? She choreographed the original version for Katia out of her own grief for Sergei, so clearly the piece meant a great deal to her. I'd love to know how it came to her to recast it into something more serene and graceful rather than a statement of unimaginable rupture and anguish.

Zoueva said that VM's program was meant to be a letter for Katia and that she hoped that by watching them Katia would understand its meaning. I tried to google the interview where she said that, but it was in Russian, translated into English and then posted on the GG-corner.de, but the website doesn't exist anymore. I also wished she didn't use this iconic piece for VM.

Oh and your description about Casi un Bolero is so spot on.
 
Joined
Aug 16, 2009
Zoueva said that VM's program was meant to be a letter for Katia and that she hoped that by watching them Katia would understand its meaning. I tried to google the interview where she said that, but it was in Russian, translated into English and then posted on the GG-corner.de, but the website doesn't exist anymore. I also wished she didn't use this iconic piece for VM.

Oh and your description about Casi un Bolero is so spot on.

Thanks so much for the detail about Marina's intention, Trouble77. That makes sense to me. (And thanks for the compliment!)
 

pointyourtoe

On the Ice
Joined
Apr 11, 2013
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B8i-KY1nuHY

A 16 year old Michelle choreographed this program (to Tori Amos' "Winter") by herself, in honor of her late friend Harris Collins, brother of Tom Collins who owned the Champions on Ice tour. Harris was good friends with Michelle and managed all the skaters on the tour.

To this day I still think it's either her best or 2nd best exhibition ever. There are some beautiful choreographic nuances.
 

plushyfan

Record Breaker
Joined
Jun 27, 2012
Country
Hungary
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B8i-KY1nuHY

A 16 year old Michelle choreographed this program (to Tori Amos' "Winter") by herself, in honor of her late friend Harris Collins, brother of Tom Collins who owned the Champions on Ice tour. Harris was good friends with Michelle and managed all the skaters on the tour.

To this day I still think it's either her best or 2nd best exhibition ever. There are some beautiful choreographic nuances.

:thumbsup: I have never seen it.
 

kwanatic

Check out my YT channel, Bare Ice!
Record Breaker
Joined
May 19, 2011
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B8i-KY1nuHY

A 16 year old Michelle choreographed this program (to Tori Amos' "Winter") by herself, in honor of her late friend Harris Collins, brother of Tom Collins who owned the Champions on Ice tour. Harris was good friends with Michelle and managed all the skaters on the tour.

To this day I still think it's either her best or 2nd best exhibition ever. There are some beautiful choreographic nuances.

One of my favorites! I'd put it in the top 3 along with Fields of Gold and Dante's Prayer.

Michelle's exhibition to "This Time Around" always gives me chills.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=StZNB6lyDPk

The power of Linda Eder's voice combined with Michelle's awesomeness...it's just too much! This is the definition of skating big and matching the power of the music.
 
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