2023-24 Russian Challenge

[Arwen17]

This show was so dull for me compared to what it was like last year. LOVED so many programs last year and still rewatch them. This year's "theme" did them no favors. And maybe Eteri foresaw it wouldn't be as interesting.

Just feels like this theme was chosen because of the war and maybe trying to remind people why they should be proud to be Russian?
I guess nice for a domestic audience, but really boring for the rest of us.

Only good thing is it forced Tuktamysheva to do a classy program instead of a trashy program lol

I didn't hate any of the women's programs, but they were all just kinda "meh" for me.

 

[sunn1ly]

Wow that Master and Margarita! Is there fanpage here of Vasilisa and Maxim Nekrasov as a couple? I was really impressed by both by the elements and presentation.
Also they won the audience voting over so many celebrities which probably means they will be the next big thing.

 

[Amei]

This year's "theme" did them no favors. And maybe Eteri foresaw it wouldn't be as interesting.

Doubt it was that she thought the theme wouldn't be "interesting" - heck, last year Shcherbakova did a program based on a Soviet TV program. My guess it was a combination of things:
1. Her senior aged "well-known"/famous ladies is a bit slim this year. Shcherbakova (automatic spot available) is injured, Akatieva is injured, Valieva is suspended, Zagitova chose to do Navka shows.
2. Her show circuit is coming up in a few weeks, if they are choreographing new routines, they probably wanted to save them for that vs. this tournament where lots of high quality streams are available to record the performances.
3. The theme, not because it might not be "interesting" but could potentially lead to some international commentary that it could be perceived as 'propaganda', example: Kolyada did a program last year for the anniversary of Leningrad and was portraying a soviet soldier and there was backlash that it was 'military propaganda'

This show was so dull for me compared to what it was like last year. LOVED so many programs last year and still rewatch them. This year's "theme" did them no favors. And maybe Eteri foresaw it wouldn't be as interesting.

Just feels like this theme was chosen because of the war and maybe trying to remind people why they should be proud to be Russian?

Who knows, perhaps. Last year even though I loved that there was such a drastic difference between some of the programs the issue that creeps up especially when you are primarily judging on theme/interpretation vs. elements that to me its hard to rank them - like how do you compare the Vetlugin program vs. Totmianina/Marinin's program.

This show was so dull for me compared to what it was like last year. LOVED so many programs last year and still rewatch them. This year's "theme" did them no favors. And maybe Eteri foresaw it wouldn't be as interesting.

Just feels like this theme was chosen because of the war and maybe trying to remind people why they should be proud to be Russian?
I guess nice for a domestic audience, but really boring for the rest of us.

I still enjoyed it, granted I was a little lost in translation on everything but it certainly catered (understandably so) to a domestic audience

Only good thing is it forced Tuktamysheva to do a classy program instead of a trashy program lol

This 'competition' was also marked safe from Bolero and Je Suis Malade

 

[Skating91]

You say that like her ladies skaters don't get some very generous scoring domestically.

The best skaters generally get the best scores.

 

[Mariott]

Wow, Mozalev doing Yesenin. Heh, I thought it was funny the guy was commenting said Mozalev is too young for it, except Mozalev had been skating middle-age crisis since he was 16. Actually, I agree with the rest of this comment and wouldn't mind Mozalev working this program in that key, wearing white/showing struggle. I can feel he wants to reach for more, and that was actually the kind of observation that pushes the level up. Fingers crossed it helps Mozalev, and I respect the guy in the jury.

Mozalev's skill killed everyone who skated before him, and most everyone who skated after. It is incomparable in terms of the level of skill in gliding, choreography, and immersion in the image. He looks like a major league player. I think he'll need to think about his own ice theater eventually.

This is what it looked like live from the second row fan seat. Yes, I traveled to St. Petersburg for this event and I`m very happy.

 

[Mariott]

3. The theme, not because it might not be "interesting" but could potentially lead to some international commentary that it could be perceived as 'propaganda', example: Kolyada did a program last year for the anniversary of Leningrad and was portraying a soviet soldier and there was backlash that it was 'military propaganda'

Why not, I believe in the power of insanity. Soon any hint that Russians defended their identity by fighting Hitler will be considered propaganda of intolerance towards those who came to kill you. Perhaps this will extend to earlier military conflicts, such as the Napoleonic War. I also expect a maratorium on Tchaikovsky's Nutcracker, there are toy soldiers in there.

 

[AlexBreeze]

Wow that Master and Margarita! Is there fanpage here of Vasilisa and Maxim Nekrasov as a couple? I was really impressed by both by the elements and presentation.

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https://youtube.com/@KAGANOVSKAYA_NEKRASOV

 

[Mariott]

I think Andrey cheated here. He skate programm with narrative of Bezrukov, who sit here as one of judges.

1. None of the skaters knew who would be on the jury.
2. it rather hindered Mozalev because he received criticism from Bezrukov.

 

[AlexBreeze]

Doubt it was that she thought the theme wouldn't be "interesting" - heck, last year Shcherbakova did a program based on a Soviet TV program. My guess it was a combination of things:
1. Her senior aged "well-known"/famous ladies is a bit slim this year. Shcherbakova (automatic spot available) is injured, Akatieva is injured, Valieva is suspended, Zagitova chose to do Navka shows.
2. Her show circuit is coming up in a few weeks, if they are choreographing new routines, they probably wanted to save them for that vs. this tournament where lots of high quality streams are available to record the performances.
3. The theme, not because it might not be "interesting" but could potentially lead to some international commentary that it could be perceived as 'propaganda', example: Kolyada did a program last year for the anniversary of Leningrad and was portraying a soviet soldier and there was backlash that it was 'military propaganda'



Who knows, perhaps. Last year even though I loved that there was such a drastic difference between some of the programs the issue that creeps up especially when you are primarily judging on theme/interpretation vs. elements that to me its hard to rank them - like how do you compare the Vetlugin program vs. Totmianina/Marinin's program.



I still enjoyed it, granted I was a little lost in translation on everything but it certainly catered (understandably so) to a domestic audience



This 'competition' was also marked safe from Bolero and Je Suis Malade

I heard Eteri has no contract with Channel One anymore. It sounds like a very plausible theory.

 

[Mariott]

Okay, I'll not talk about this anymore because I'll get banned.

Malevich was a Pole from a Polish noble family. He was first a Pole in the Russian Empire, then in the Soviet Union.

 

[icewhite]

Malevich was a Pole from a Polish noble family. He was first a Pole in the Russian Empire, then in the Soviet Union.

One could make an argument about him being Polish. But in the light of what happens right now it seems very insensitive to make a program about him when the topic is "Russian culture".
I don't doubt at all that there are great Russian artists, an abundance of them. So there's enough material to pick.
I want to say a lot more about all of this but I know it's not going to change one mind and will only get me banned, so I will just write something about the judging.

 

[icewhite]

About the programs I saw and what I would consider if I was a judge:

Savosin was great, he skated very well and most of all he showed great expressiveness throughout. He was totally committed to the performance, showed acting abilities and great body control. The "negative" side about his program, I'd say, is that, as far as I understood it, it was only an reenactment of film scenes, there was not much novelty he brought in, other than that it now happened on the ice.

Many programs suffered from not using props properly - often there was some kind of decoration or screen images which showed what the program was about and introduced the topic, but that was it. Nothing much was done with it afterwards, which is kind of a classic "sin" in theatrical arts, and also, usually the performance (with the use of props) should speak for itself - it should not be necessary to "explain" it by another, very visual medium.

Of course it's very difficult to make such a program which is understood by everyone if you are not doing such a background screen thing, but I think that's one of the challenges of such a program and I would judge how well it was managed.

I really liked Muravieva's skating here, choreo and skating were one, I also thought Gordeeva was a good idea, but the background and the use of the props was not very well done imo.

Kitsch is never a good idea, and, even if we completely disregard everything else about Semenenko's program, it failed in that regard. It was way too literal in everything, the crane arm costume, the writing of the date, the fotos. His skating was good.

Sinitsina's skating was very good, but she didn't make any use of the background deco apart from sleeping there and the whole take was very Kitsch and not sensitive imo.

Wigs - rarely a good idea. I really like Gogol, but with the wig Ignatov disqualified this program. Skating was good. But in general, just stop using wigs for skating programs except for a very few cases.

Mozalev's program was just too monotonous, it lacked something like a real plot, development, highlights.

Gumennik: It's difficult to transfer abstract art on the ice. He made a decent effort, but I did not find it very convincing. His costume was way too literal and at the same time said nothing. The skating was good, but skating and idea did not really come together for me. Maybe he would have to explain the movements and lighting concept to me, because to me it looked rather random.

Shanaeva/Drozd: It was nothing special, but I found the chemistry between them worked well, and I liked the choreo which emphasized their relationship. As a classic ice dance program it worked for me, nothing was out of place, although the background deco was mostly just background deco.

I really think Yagudin's program last year did almost everything right: there was one simple prop that was not just decoration or explanation but was used throughout and absolutely necessary for the program. There was unity of music, costume, skating, choreo. There was development and a highlight. It was not pretentious or Kitsch. It addressed the feelings of the viewer. Topic and skater together made sense and did not seem random. The skating was on point. Everyone could understand it.
The only negative of that program was that it was not original, but I think if you do a very good classic topic that's better than if the program is cringeworthy or looks random.

So, I was not fond of the programs I saw, but the skating level seemed high. It seems to me that while it is a fun and interesting idea to let people from other arts or non-experts judge the programs by different standards than figure skating judges would do, it's also something that just doesn't work. Vetlugin's program last year also showed that. I think Gordeeva/Grinkov is also a topic that even if you know about on a very superficial level does not at all have the meaning to someone outside of figure skating, so... Muravieva's was clearly one of the strongest programs I saw but if you cannot value her skating or the topic, of course it does not get the recognition. So, programs that refer to skating or skating history itself are not working with such judges.
But also in general, the quality of skating is just important for a more regular figure skating viewer. You cannot pretend it does not matter and that everyone can judge these programs by completely different metrics. Once you know what to look for, or if you are even a higher class skater yourself, you cannot ignore that, just as someone trained in classical music cannot not hear when there's bad piano playing or not appreciate when they hear the best playing.

 

[Azikin]

Mozalev's program was just too monotonous, it lacked something like a real plot, development, highlights.

Agreed. I'd be curious to know how you saw Kondratiuk and Tuktamysheva. I'm completely baffled why they were so much prioritized by the judges...

 

[Mathematician]

Malevich was a Pole from a Polish noble family. He was first a Pole in the Russian Empire, then in the Soviet Union.

One could make an argument about him being Polish.

One can not make that argument at all about a man born in Ukraine who specifically called himself Ukranian.

 

[Mathematician]

Ягудин — круче всех? Или нет? Выбираем лучший номер турнира шоу-программ!

Народный рейтинг выступлений фигуристов на «Русском вызове».

www.championat.com

Here you guys can vote for who is the real winner. You dont need to know Russian - just scroll down a bit and you can add plus or minus votes for the athletes.

It seems we reached some level of social justice with these rankings @Skating91 take a look at the top and bottom few

 

[Cherub721]

I am trying to compile a list of the music and themes using Shazam and the comments in this thread and articles - please help!

Some of my questions are in bold and I'm also happy to hear about additional details I missed and corrections. I'm sure some of this is way off!

1. Elizaveta Pasechnik/Dario Cirisano - "Korol Oranzhevoe Leto" (Orange Summer King) and "Vasya" by Bravo from film "Stilyagi" ("Hipsters")
2. Makar Ignatov - Shazam gives me "A girl and a road lamp (instrumental)" by Jang Pill Doon (theme: Nikolai Vasilyevich Gogol)
3. Elizaveta Shanaeva/Pavel Drozd - "Morning" (as Lyudmila Prokofievna Kalugina and Anatoly Novoseltsev from film "Office Romance")
4. Roman Savosin - Yablochko (as Sharikov, Polygraph Polygrapgovich from film "Heart of a Dog," based on Bulgakov's novel)
5. Ksenia Sinitsyna -"Last Boat" by Alexei Khaskin set to the poem "Devyat stranichek. Strashnye strochki" (Nine pages. Scary lines) by Ilya Malyshev (story of Tanya Savicheva)
6. Vasilisa Kaganovskaia/Maksim Nekrasov - "Master and Margarita" by Kornelyuk (based on Bulgakov novel)

7. Petr Gumennik - Scriabin 12 Etudes, Op 8; No. 4 in B Major (Piacevole) by Matthieu Idental (theme: Russian avant-garde movement/"Suprematist Composition" by Kazimir Malevich)
8. Elizaveta Khudaiberdieva/Egor Bazin - "The song about the hares" (from Leonid Gaidai's film "The Diamond Arm")
9. Sofia Muravieva - Лучшее в тебе ("The Best of You") by Eva Polna performed by Maria Ermakova (Grinkov tribute)
10. Evgeni Semenenko - "Zhuravli" (The Cranes) by Mark Bernes (based on Rasul Gamzatov's poem)
11. Andrei Mozalev - "Requiem for a Dream" (set to Sergei Eseninn's poem "The Black Man" performed by Sergei Bezrukov)
12. Varvara Zhdanova/Timur Babaev-Smirnov - "Chastushki pro teschu" (theme: Russian folk wedding)
13. Daniil Samsonov - "Mama" by Oleg Gazmanov
14. Anna Frolova - "Tale of Tsar Saltan" by Rimsky-Korsakov (based on Pushkin's poem and Vrubel's painting - "The Swan Princess")

15. Aleksandra Stepanova/Ivan Bukin - “Rechenka” by Evgenia Ryabtseva (in Old Slavonic)
16. Dmitri Aliev - "Variations sur des Themes des Tziganes" by Vladmir Vissotsky
17. Evgenia Tarasova/Vladimir Morozov - "Liebestraum" by Liszt (Tribute to the Protopopovs - I am not sure if the sailboat and playing in water had any signifigance?)
18. Mikhail Kolyada - "Ya Tebya Nikogda Ne Zabudu" ("I Will Never Forget You") performed by Nikolay Karachentsov and Anna Bolshova from rock opera Juno and Avos (with acrobatics from Darya Kolyada)
19. Elizaveta Tuktamysheva - Chopin prelude set to "So many have been swallowed up and perished" ("Requiem) (poem by Marina Tsvetaeva performed by Alisa Freindlich)
20. Oksana Domnina/Maksim Shabalin - "Tropy" ("Paths") by Pelegaya
21. Maria Petrova/Aleksei Tikhonov - Soyuzmultifilm "Hedgehog in the Fog"

22. Mark Kondratiuk - "Euohoria" by Aydar Gaymulin (theme: Kondratiuk is a painter)
23. Viktoria Sinitsina/Nikita Katsalapov - Паромщик ("The Ferryman") by Anzhelika Varum (not sure if there is any theme here?)
24. Evgenia Medvedeva - Rachmaninoff Vocalise Op. 34 No 14. by Aida Garifullina (any special theme?)
25. Anastasia Mishina/Aleksandr Galliamov - "Beelet Moy Parus" from film "12 Chairs" by Andrey Mironov based on Ilf and Petrov's novel (portraying Ostap Bender and Ellochka the cannibal)
26. Alexei Yagudin - "A Stranger Among One's Own" by Jim Alfred Joyce and "Main Theme" by Edward Artemiev (poem:
"Mgnovenia" (Moments) by Robert Rozhdestvensky)

Domnina/Kostomarov - I know this wasn't officially part of the show and they skated this number elsewhere. I was curious if anyone knows is this something they wrote or is it a poem? I didn't understand why, when Domnina is saying "I heard your voice" it's in masculine and "you waited for me" it's in feminine so I assume this is a poem and they didn't change gender to match the speaker? I also couldn't find the music if anyone knows it

 

[AlexBreeze]

"Korol Oranzhevoe Leto" (Orange Summer King) by Bravo from film "Stilyagi" ("Hipsters")

The second song is "Vasya" (also by Bravo). Exactly these songs weren't used in the movie IIRC.
Btw, Dario had a program to this movie's soundtrack in juniors.

 

[Mariott]

One can not make that argument at all about a man born in Ukraine who specifically called himself Ukranian.

Can we not start a political debate here? In those times there was no state of Ukraine, there was the Russian Empire. And Malevich is recorded in the baptismal books of the church as the son of a Polish nobleman and a Polish woman, subjects of the Russian Empire. Later he was a citizen of the Soviet Union with the appropriate passport.
The rest - your free fantasies on the subject, which are completely irrelevant.

 

[Mariott]

By the way, I found information that Petya was inspired not by Malevich, but by Kandinsky. This is rather closer to me, since I am also on my father's side by some part of Mansi blood, like Kandinsky. The motif of the world tree in his work is a direct cue from the Mansi worldview.

 

[AlexBreeze]

Sofia Muravieva - Лучшее в тебе ("The Best of You") by Maria Ermakova (Grinkov tribute)

by Eva Polna performed by Maria Ermakova

Evgeni Semenenko - "Zhurali" (The Cranes) by Joseph Kobzon (based on Rasul Gamzatov's poem)

Zhuravli
by Mark Bernes

18. Mikhail Kolyada - "Yunona y Avos"

"Ya Tebya Nikogda Ne Zabudu" (I Will Never Forget You) performed by Nikolay Karachentsov and Anna Bolshova from rock opera Juno and Avos

22. Mark Kondratiuk - "Euohoria" by Aydar Gaymulin (was he paying tribute to an artist as well?)

I think he was skating himself