- Joined
- Jul 11, 2003
Cheers for Irina. A well deserved 1st place.
Joe
Joe
Irina Slutskaya's Free Skate - Absolutely The Best
- Thread starter SailorGalaxia518
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Response
Believe me, no one is arguing that she isn't a wonderful and gernerous daughter or that she didn't deserve her World Championship Gold: she certainly did. I am happy she won the money to help her Mom and her comeback was brilliant. But having said all that, her program was not one for the ages from any perspective.
Believe me, no one is arguing that she isn't a wonderful and gernerous daughter or that she didn't deserve her World Championship Gold: she certainly did. I am happy she won the money to help her Mom and her comeback was brilliant. But having said all that, her program was not one for the ages from any perspective.
- Joined
- Jan 20, 2004
Yes, in my eyes Irina definatly won the FS. Although, I believe Michelle should have won the SP. Michelle's SP to Spartacus at Nationals was better to me, but still was great at Worlds. The circular footwork in her SP at Nationals was much more effective than the striaght line footwork at Worlds. I am very happy for Irina..Although, after this years Worlds I'm hoping next year we see something new and fresh from Ms. Kwan.
- Joined
- Jul 11, 2003
ITA Equestianguy. Michelle and Spartacus were made for each other. I'll never understand that dance music she used for the LP.
Joe
Joe
- Joined
- Jul 31, 2003
kyla2 said:
May be not from your perspective, but others may have a different perspective. For me it was one of the most memorable LP performances ever. It does not mean that others did not have memorable performances in the past, but this one ranks way up there. The power, speed, and sheer joy in that program was amazing. Given the history of her illness and her 9th place finish the year before it was even more remarkable. I did not know if she would survive the 3 program format (QE+SP+LP), or if she could handle the pressure of skating at home. She blew everyone away in the LP.
Vash
IMO, Irina's free skate rates a great big YES! for power, speed, joy, AND artistry. A different kind of artistry than Michelle's programs--pick your favorite(s)--to be sure, but artistry nonetheless.kyla2 said:
For me it's like comparing a painting by Renoir and one by Jackson Pollack. Or if you want to compare those of the same time period, Pollack and Edward Hopper, i.e., "Night Hawks."
Irina's artistry, IMO, comes from the force of her personality joining with her physicality to create a program that moves me in its total expression of the joy of what she can do physically, on ice, to music. Michelle's artistry is more traditional and perhaps fits the idea of artistry for more people, especially in the programs she did chorographed by Lori Nichol.
For me there is artistry in both approaches. In fact, I used to find it more often in Irina's skating separate from the choreography and in Michelle's choreography separate from her skating. However, when Michelle's skating took a quantum leap, IMO, in her '02/03 "Aranjuez" season, I hoped I would see it in both her skating and choreography. Ironically, now that I'm captivated by the way Michelle skates--her missteps at these Worlds notwithstanding--I don't feel she has yet found a vehicle to express it, that is, a piece of choreography, equal to most of those created for her by Lori Nichol.
OTOH, now that Irina has gotten away from ballet and opera music, I feel the choreography she is using has improved, though it's still not her strong suit. Irina's choreography is usually weaker than Michelle's--sometimes by miles--but Irina has had some gorgeous choreography she's performed magnificently for pro-am competitions, such as "Schindler's List," which often went unnoticed because they were performed at "cheesefests" and only broadcast once in the US.
But the question here, as I understand it, concerns Irina's free program at these '05 Worlds. For me her FP met all the criteria for a "skate for the ages" with artistry to boot. I feel that way regardless of the health problems of Irina or her mother. The latter issues make for a memorable story surrounding Irina's skate, but, at least for me, it doesn't affect how I feel about Irina's FS in and of itself. JMO.
Rgirl
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I wanted to say something like this, but your words are even better. ITA!
- Joined
- Jul 26, 2003
I thought that Slutskaya's LP performance was superb. I thought that the music to which she skated this year showcased her artistry, which is different than Arakawa's, Kwan's, Sebestyen's, Rochette's, and Cohen's (among today's eligible skaters). I don't expect Slutskaya's presentation to fit into a ballerina or a delicate mold. One of the reasons I like Totmianina and Mishketienok more than Berezhnaia and Gordeeva is that they have/had more visceral power to their skating, although both Berezhnaia and Gordeeva are hardly weak ,and they move beautifully across the ice.
However, I don't think this was one of the greatest performances I've ever seen. I don't have an issue with Slutskaya's artistry, but with the way she moves across the ice, her posture, and her line. Her speed is excellent, and the way she maintains the speed during one-footed footwork is unsurpassed although equalled, but I find none of the way she produces speed pleasing or technically sound, although I know that others do. I prefer to watch the technical precision, balance, and effortlessness of the best speed skaters.
However, I don't think this was one of the greatest performances I've ever seen. I don't have an issue with Slutskaya's artistry, but with the way she moves across the ice, her posture, and her line. Her speed is excellent, and the way she maintains the speed during one-footed footwork is unsurpassed although equalled, but I find none of the way she produces speed pleasing or technically sound, although I know that others do. I prefer to watch the technical precision, balance, and effortlessness of the best speed skaters.
- Joined
- Jul 11, 2003
The Question of the Artistry
This question has come up before and there is, imo, no 100% agreement on Irina's artistry.
For me, Irina not only won the championship but she displayed an incredible amount of technical prowess. Her GOEs were 100% correct and that is where I put her artistry. It's like a diver who executes his text book dive. It's awesome to see elements being performed in such a precision like manner. I think we all agree on that.
However, Artistry, imo, goes beyond perfectly executed elements. Aside from the carriage and line which is not Irina's forte, there is also the personal feeling that is brought to the ice. In Irina's case, as I saw it live, was that she carefully executes every element and each element becomes a trick outside of the whole routine. This style, imo, does not make for good flow which is an important part of figure skating artistry.
I'm aware that other posters will not agree with me on this but I just happen to see it this way. Imo, Sasha's best performance yet that night was much better than Irina, but if I were a judge I would have given it to Irina for the extraordinary technical.
Not easy to get sport and artistry in one package.
Joe
This question has come up before and there is, imo, no 100% agreement on Irina's artistry.
For me, Irina not only won the championship but she displayed an incredible amount of technical prowess. Her GOEs were 100% correct and that is where I put her artistry. It's like a diver who executes his text book dive. It's awesome to see elements being performed in such a precision like manner. I think we all agree on that.
However, Artistry, imo, goes beyond perfectly executed elements. Aside from the carriage and line which is not Irina's forte, there is also the personal feeling that is brought to the ice. In Irina's case, as I saw it live, was that she carefully executes every element and each element becomes a trick outside of the whole routine. This style, imo, does not make for good flow which is an important part of figure skating artistry.
I'm aware that other posters will not agree with me on this but I just happen to see it this way. Imo, Sasha's best performance yet that night was much better than Irina, but if I were a judge I would have given it to Irina for the extraordinary technical.
Not easy to get sport and artistry in one package.
Joe
We're in complete agreement on that one, Joe! It's not easy to get artistry and artistry in one package.Joesitz said:
Interesting observation from one who was there about Irina performing the tricks outside the whole routine. Having just seen several skaters with COI I'd never seen live before, it's always surprising what surprises you about seeing them skate live.
Rgirl
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