Mao Asada's Programs

Which were your favorites, and how would you rank them all? We had a Yuna Kim one a while back, so it's about time for this one.

2015-2016 SP
2013-2014 FS

My top two faves.

Honestly as a Mao uber fan, i can't chose! i'd rather kill my cat than chose a favorite program my list would be endless. I'll try tho

SP: Nocturne & Ritual Fire Dance
FS: Piano Concerto & Fantaisie Impromptue
EX: Cello Suites

this was hard, i feel like i cheated on her other programs :sad21:

Masquerade Waltz (FS), Swan Lake, Rach no2

leoleo said:

Honestly as a Mao uber fan, i can't chose! i'd rather kill my cat than chose a favorite program my list would be endless. I'll try tho

SP: Nocturne & Ritual Fire Dance
FS: Piano Concerto & Fantaisie Impromptue
EX: Cello Suites

this was hard, i feel like i cheated on her other programs :sad21:

Click to expand...

Soo... your cat is still alive, right? :eeking:

Edit: (I really can‘t choose.)

Swan Lake, Rach no2, Madame Butterfly

1) Jupiter; Should have been a competitive program
2) Nocturne n.2: Masterpiece
3) Libestraum: Very beautiful
4) Danza del fuego (FS): Woild have been epic with good tech content.
5) Fantasie for violin and orchestra: Beautiful
6) Ballade: Should have been a competitive program
7) Elegie: Should have been a competitive program
8) Madame butterfly: PCS were criminal
9) Rachmaninov n.2: True olympic program
10) Czardas: The flame of youth.

It's easier to break this down to favorite SPs and LPs.

SPs

1) Nocturne 1.0 and 2.0 (I see these two programs being connected in a way).
2) Clair de Lune
3) Ritual Dance
4) Fantasie for violin and orchestra
5) My Girl (2003-2004 SP; a little known gem).

LPs

1) Ritual Dance LP: Masterpiece even without the jumps.
2) Liebestraume: An underrated program
3) Rach no. 2: Unforgettable Olympic performance
4) Madame Butterfly
5) Fantasie-Impromptu: Elegant, at her technical peak


Exhibitions:

1) Ballade no. 1: An exquisite masterpiece, not only my favorite Mao program but possibly my favorite ladies program of the last decade.
2) Jupiter: Poetic and beautiful
3) Wind Beneath Your Wings: An emotional farewell to her career.
4) Por Una Cabeza: Simply charming
5) So Deep is the Night

Bonus: Bolero. She would have been a good ice dancer.

1) Piano Concerto FS

2) Swan Lake FS: best steps sequence + choreo in ladies figure skating.

3) Bei Mir Bistu Shein SP

4) Masquerade Waltz SP

5) Madame Butterfly FS

Best costume: Shcherazade (the blue dress with the pants)

Best Gala program: Caprice No. 24.

SP:
1. 2013-14 Chopin Nocturne 2/2006-7 too (Mao + Chopin in any era is as good as it gets. 2014 Worlds is the greatest SP of all time)
2. 2008-09 Clair de lune
3. 2015-16 Bei Mir Bistu Shein (flirty Mao was a delight!)
4. 2007-08 Ladies in Lavender
5. 2010-11 Scheherazade

FS:
1. 2010-11 Liebestraume (the perfect program for Mao)
2. 2007-08 Fantaisie Impromptu
3. 2013-14 Rach no. 2 :agree: (I prefer other programs, but nothing beats her 2014 Olympic performance for sheer impact)
4. 2012-13 Swan Lake (I wish the first half was a little less empty, but this combo and the step sequence :luv17
5. 2016-17 Ritual Fire Dance

Mao really is the gold standard for skating to Romantic Era music, isn't she?

Top 3 SP
1. Nocturne 2.0: Everything about this was breathtaking! The nuances of the choreography, Mao's lightness and her performance...Exquisite. This program was just perfection IMO.
2. Bei Mir Bistu Shein: I loved this program! It was such a departure from the softer more classical Mao style but she rocked it! She gave us a flirty, sexy, fun vibe and OMG, that step sequence was everything!
3. Ladies in Lavender: This was a gorgeous SP. Mao's floaty quality combined with the passion of the music was such a beautiful combination. Her performance at 2008 was incredible. There was this very brief moment in her footwork where she just breathed into the movement right on the note of the music...it gave me chills. That tiny moment right there solidified me as a fan.

Honorable Mention
Ritual Fire Dance: Mao went out with a bang with this one. Even at the end of her career she was still surprising us with her music and style choices. This was so different than anything else she'd ever done. Amazing program.

Top 3 FS
1. Liebestraumehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SXCswqtVhrc: I just think this was the epitome of Mao's skating. Light, soft, beautiful and classically elegant. This program was a return to what made Mao stand out IMO. After all of the heavy and dark music, this program was a breath of fresh air.
2. Swan Lake: I loved this program for Mao. It was simple, elegant and matched her style perfectly. If ever there was a skater I wanted to see skate to this overused music, it was Mao. Her grace, her elegance, her lines...she was made for a ballet piece.
3. Ritual Fire Dance: Yet again, she surprised me with this program. Seductive, mature and yet cheeky too. The tone and feeling of the program, the wonderful choreography and Mao's amazing performance...fabulous program to go out on.

Honorable Mention
Rachmaninoff No. 2: This program doesn't stand out for me so much as her performance in Sochi does. She went for everything and left it all out there. That's why it gets the honorable mention.

Top Exhibitions
Back in 2011 (lord that was long time ago!) I did an entire post on my blog called Mao Asada: Queen of the Exhibitions. I always found Mao to have the most thought out EX numbers. You could tell real care and effort went into every program she put out. I listed 4 different programs at the time (Por Una Cabeza, Caprices, Ballade and Jupiter) and those 4 are still my favorites (couldn't choose just 3!).

Honorable Mention
Cello Suites: This was like a master class in figures, edging, control and flow set to cello music. Absolutely beautiful! It just made me appreciate all of Mao's fabulous skating skills and qualities all the more.

Well now I know which FS videos I’ll be making my way through all week. Looove Mao but haven’t watched all of her programs.

I’m gonna say her 2010 Bells of Moscow free at worlds.