2018-19 Russian Ladies' figure skating

[cohen-esque]

Examples: https://www.vox.com/culture/2018/2/22/17040376/evgenia-medvedeva-olympics-figure-skating
https://www.vox.com/2018/2/21/17035810/zagitova-medvedeva-olympics-figure-skating
https://slate.com/culture/2018/02/e...st-skater-and-she-loves-dancing-in-malls.html
https://slate.com/culture/2018/02/t...ssence-of-a-sport-thats-not-just-a-sport.html
See also: NYT, WaPo, etc. Especially after Zagitova won and it was framed as Lipinski/
-Kwan 2.0.

If you follow skating at all, you’re not in the group susceptible to this narrative, since you know how the scoring works. It’s people who saw Mesvedeva for the first time at the team event who were told: “Medvedeva is older and has the artistry, but Zagitova has all her jumps in the backhalf and the most difficult combo and the Olympics loves to reward younger competitors with technical firepower.” Every casual skating viewer I knew was parroting some version of this story. (It’s why my doctor correctly guessed Zagitova would win, actually.)

So two stories from one source and one author where she’s a “goth ballerina,” two more stories from one other source where she “emotes like a mime, [and] has a bit more flair,” (high praise, that) and in which they quote Johnny thinking her short program was breathtaking, and neither from a particularly mainstream source in the first place. Not exactly a wide-reaching narrative of her fantastic artistry, and more about her personality traits, anyway.

And half the articles touch on her rivalry with Zagitova. Everyone does love a good rivalry. I do agree that most people I saw afterwards agreed Med was the more artistic of the two, but that’s the key: of the two of them. I also have to say, just anecdotally, that of those I saw discussing it after the fact were more than casual viewers.

 

[Metis]

So two stories from one source and one author where she’s a “goth ballerina,” two more stories from one other source where she “emotes like a mime, [and] has a bit more flair,” (high praise, that) and in which they quote Johnny thinking her short program was breathtaking, and neither from a particularly mainstream source in the first place. Not exactly a wide-reaching narrative of her fantastic artistry, and more about her personality traits, anyway.

And the same was said in WaPo and the NYT, but those sources aren’t accessible to everyone. I’m also not claiming they’re the totality of the coverage? But in terms of how Medvedeva was introduced to once-every-four-year fans, they’re actually pretty representative of the coverage. (Vox did a fair amount of skating coverage and breakdowns on scoring, actually, and those video pieces with Nagasu and Rippon. Slate generally has strong skating coverage during the games.) My main problem with the Zagitova-Medvedeva story was that it crammed them into boxes that didn’t fit (with my second favourite being that even NBC basically announced that Medvedeva and Zagitova would finish first and second, in some order, long before the ladies event began... and then forgot to budget air time to talk about anyone else).

 

[bubblecherry]

When people call/called Evgenia an "artist", they didn't mean it in the way people mean it about someone like Satoko. They mean storyteller, performer, someone who could emote well. Her (past) programs were the vehicle to her being called that, but she did a great job with them. I hope her new SP suits her well.

 

[hippomoomin]

I am so happy that Evgenia finally dumped her short program, and is using Misha Ge. She should have chosen her own choreographer in the first place, instead going for the Orser/Wilson full treatment. I felt she might want to show her full respect for her new team and simply followed them, and finally realized she needs to make more decisions on her own. Her poker face when she was skating to Orange Night Sky showed how much she loved the program.

She definitely appeared to be an artistic skater when she was with Eteri. Her performance was always held together. I believed she could interpret any music and skate to any program like Mao until this season. It turns out it is the genius packaging of Eteri instead. Hope Misha Ge does a good job and helps Evgenia to turn things around.

 

[Imagine]

Two years ago I made this video about Russian Nationals. It's such a strange feeling to see how completely different the field has become in just two years. I wouldn't be able to make this video now. There's too many top contenders to choose from.

 

[Sam L]

Two years ago I made this video about Russian Nationals. It's such a strange feeling to see how completely different the field has become in just two years. I wouldn't be able to make this video now. There's too many top contenders to choose from.

Zagitova, Medvedeva, Tsurskaya, Tuktamysheva, Samodurova, Trusova, Kostorneia, Scherbakova.

 

[plushyfan]

I'm happy :thumbsup: I didn't like Zhenya's short program. That was full of typical North-American cliché moves which we have seen many times in other skaters's programs!
Maybe that would have been great for Ashley but not for Zhenya.

 

[Vandevska]

While it's much different now, let's not forget that last year they changed her lp in like 20 days.
It's too bad that this sp didn't work out for her. Her performance looked good in test skates and ACI, but not in the gp events.

 

[moriel]

While it's much different now, let's not forget that last year they changed her lp in like 20 days.
It's too bad that this sp didn't work out for her. Her performance looked good in test skates and ACI, but not in the gp events.

I don't think its right.
It was first choreographed as gala, and she was skating to it in april (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0HD-lRTfFVY) and july (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wC77xczvTWE).
yes, there were changes, and a lot, but the concept had good mileage and several performances before it was switched. She had several months to get into character and work on interpretation, much more than 20 days.

 

[zounger]

So they will broadcast the official practices as well? That will be tense.

 

[Vandevska]

I don't think its right.
It was first choreographed as gala, and she was skating to it in april (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0HD-lRTfFVY) and july (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wC77xczvTWE).
yes, there were changes, and a lot, but the concept had good mileage and several performances before it was switched. She had several months to get into character and work on interpretation, much more than 20 days.

I agree with your point, though the april one is from this year, not last year. She only had it as gala once (July last year). As I said, it's different now, she probably doesn't have the same physical strength, but I think that there are a few things that can be taken in favor for her actually surviving this change.

 

[moriel]

I agree with your point, though the april one is from this year, not last year. She only had it as gala once (July last year). As I said, it's different now, she probably doesn't have the same physical strength, but I think that there are a few things that can be taken in favor for her actually surviving this change.

oh yeah messed up =)
anyways, then we have basically early july to early october (i think she skated it first at JO?), which is roughly 3 months at least. Yep, gala is not main priority, but surely they still worked a bit on it, and the july one has some resemblance to the final AK, which means they not just take music and start from blank. Last but not least, Daniil is one of the choreographers, and he surely was readily available at any given time and for as long as needed.

 

[Tolstoj]

I'm happy :thumbsup: I didn't like Zhenya's short program. That was full of typical North-American cliché moves which we have seen many times in other skaters's programs!
Maybe that would have been great for Ashley but not for Zhenya.

It was a great program but given to the wrong skater. Radionova or Samodurova also could have skated better to that piece, not necessarily a North American skater. It could have worked for Evgenia (cause it looked amazing at the test skates) if she was more confident with the technical elements but because right now the focus is on the jumps, she doesn't have the mood for that type of smiley performance.

I'm happy Misha Ge made the new one since his programs aren't usually the most complex choreographies which sometimes is a plus (and it is in particular in this case as a mid season program) but they are still very effective.

His tango he made for Anna Pogorilaya wasn't the most difficult program she skated and still it is one of the favourite programs from her for many fans.

 

[lavoix]

I'm happy :thumbsup: I didn't like Zhenya's short program. That was full of typical North-American cliché moves which we have seen many times in other skaters's programs!
Maybe that would have been great for Ashley but not for Zhenya.

Yea, it was such a stupid idea for a SP for Zhenya. It looked dreadful at all the GP events, especially in France.

 

[lappo]

So when Verdi’s Tosca is performed in Russia, are people going to the boring opera? or do they change the name of the work?

Italian here, from the same city where Giacomo Puccini was born...he was Tosca composer!

 

[Fluture]

Yea, it was such a stupid idea for a SP for Zhenya. It looked dreadful at all the GP events, especially in France.

Zhenya visibly enjoyed the program at test skates and she performed it well at ACI and even at SCI she did a good job at interpreting at least until that mistake on the combo happened. Afterwards she looked nervous and scared and the program suffered. Tracy Wilson mentioned in her commentating that she left out steps (which resulted in her losing a level in the step sequence) and positions in spins due to having to catch up to the music.

However, the ONLY competition it looked dreadful at was France and there she didn’t even try to perform, she went through the whole thing with a deadly glare. But it‘s weird to hear someone say with such confidence that there wasn‘t at least potential to begin with, especially when she seemed to enjoy it so much at the earlier competitions. It went downhill from there but I seriously don‘t think that her deteriorating was entirely due to that program only.

So, my take on that is that it was a good program that could have been fine for Zhenya but was just given to her too early. Next season would have been a better time to start experimenting that much. Had she put more time into really feeling the jazzy vibe, I‘m sure it would have been great. She CAN interpret it, we‘ve seen it at test skates but there just wasn‘t enough time and it frankly, it was simply the wrong decision to try out two completely new styles while also reworking the technique. The latter is difficult enough, body memory is lost, you don‘t need completely unfamiliar choreography on top of that.

Now they‘ve apparently realised this and made a change. Again. I‘m worried, no use in denying that, because there simply wasn‘t enough time to realistically get the feel for a new program and compete it at the biggest competition of the season so far. If it is a program that works for Zhenya with a theme that she is familiar with, it might just be the change she needed. It will be interesting to see and while I‘m more anxious than excited, I‘m looking forward to it.

I honestly don‘t know what to expect at this point so I decided not to expect anything and rather accept this season as a rough one for reworking things and let Zhenya do her thing and just hope everything works out in the end. Sometimes patience is the only thing we can offer.

 

[DenissVFan]

I liked Zhenya's SP way more than her FS, so I'm sad that it was the SP that was scrapped. Nevertheless, I'm looking forward to the new SP. I think Zhenya will be extra determined at nationals.

 

[Fluture]

I liked Zhenya's SP way more than her FS, so I'm sad that it was the SP that was scrapped. Nevertheless, I'm looking forward to the new SP. I think Zhenya will be extra determined at nationals.

I liked the SP, too, it was a breath of fresh air while the FS only seems exciting because her deadly glare works there. Her SCI interpretation was exciting because you could almost feel her determination through the television screen. In France it was visible how nervous she was, however and the program felt like nothing. I think she can make it work and as soon as she‘s determined it will look more exciting again but I‘m still kind of sad to see Orange Coloured Sky gone... I still hope to see fierce and confident Zhenya at Rusnats again, no matter which programs she performs in the end.

 

[flanker]

So when Verdi’s Tosca is performed in Russia, are people going to the boring opera? or do they change the name of the work?

It's Puccini, actually...

Edit: Oh, I'm late

 

[moriel]

overall its a debatable move.
on one hand, the she seemed to connect less with SP than with FS. But then, her FS is really generic and empty (much more than the SP).
Also, FS is the main pointgrabber, since it corresponds to roughly 2/3rds of the score. So imho it is more relevant to skate FS cleanly than SP, and this is where a program change could come handy - Zhenya could revert to her old layout.