Artistry On Ice 2014 - China

[Sandpiper]

It is a common mistake. But it's been going on for way too long. Let's just say I suspect there aren't any Japanese speakers in their workplace...

 

[ice coverage]

... The pronunciation I can't understand is Dai-soo-ki. It's been consistently wrong, and never have they even attempted a fix.

At least it is a lesser evil (IMO) than Dice-K, an even more egregious mispronunciation.

 

[Krunchii]

It's about the same quality as B. Eurosport at times, yeah (except "Shalin Burn." What on earth...?). Eurosport is probably even more befuddling because they commentate so often. You'd think they'd have fixed by now.

Well I don't think "Shalin Burn" is all that bad because the announcer has an accent and that probably threw it a bit off.

and I've heard people call Daisuke "disk" which is probably second on my list of worst pronunciations of his name to dai-soo-kay

 

[ice coverage]

.... and I've heard people call Daisuke "disk" which is probably second on my list of worst pronunciations of his name to dai-soo-kay

I've had this debate in other threads, but I would say that dai-soo-kay is a lot closer to the correct pronunciation than "disk".

 

[bluebell0710]

Sui Wenjing / Han Cong quit due to a small operation on Han Cong. Yu Xiaoyu/Jin Yang play 2 programmes in the show.

It's from July 25 to August 3 in various cities in China, Shen/Zhao are the hosts and the artists that are performing with the skaters are Tanya Chua, Bii and Angela Chang, Deng Chao is performing in Beijing only, Edvin Marton the violinist is also performing

Cast:

Men
Evgeni Plushenko - Tosca Fantasy, Best of Plushenko
Johnny Weir - Nagada Sang Dhol (Bollywood),
Stéphane Lambiel - Say I Wanna Know
Han Yan - Batman

Ladies
Shae-Lynn Bourne - Fire Dance, Waka Waka
Joannie Rochette - Beautiful Love (with Tanya Chua), Shot Me Down
Zijun Li - I Dreamed a Dream

Dance
Tessa Virtue /Scott Moir - Into the Mystic, Top Hats and Tails

Pairs
Tatiana Volosozhar / Maxim Trankov
Peng Cheng / Zhang Hao - Notre Dame
Sui Wenjing / Han Cong

Acrobats
Vladimir Besedin / Olesky Polishchuk
Marie Pierre Leray


Collaborations
Opening Number 1, Opening Number 2 - choreographed by Shae-Lynn Bourne according to an article
Han Yan and Zijun Li - You Are My Destiny
Hao Zhang and Johnny Weir - Goodbye my Concubine (has a throw 2A!)
Finale

I will post more videos as I find them on youtube, I also have youku links but they don't work for everyone.

 

[Sandpiper]

Well I don't think "Shalin Burn" is all that bad because the announcer has an accent and that probably threw it a bit off.

I sat there for a few seconds trying to figure out who this was. Finally did... through the process of elimination.

 

[bluebell0710]

It is said that Hao Zhang will not go to Taipei. So you can see the Farewell My Concubine performed by Hongbo Zhao and Johnny Weir in Taipei on Aug. 3

 

[OS]

Oh Johnny.... what can I say. I must admit I was completely dreading to see this when I read about it. Afterall, taking one of my fav song of all time, my fav Chinese movie of all time and one of the most significant Chinese film of the 20th century that broke so many rules and boundaries, in what has become one of my fav actor of all time Leslie Cheung's final seminal role (deeply ironic undercurrent with his real life self and his tragic end), how terribly cliched, awful and trivializing can it all ends up being at the risk of incredible poor taste?

Yet I confess, I am glad I did watch ... and surprisingly, I liked it! ... all it took is a brave American to do it! Bravo! Truly you are one of the more interesting and always watchable skaters when you decide to turn it on. One that is never boring and one is ballsy enough (complemented by sensitivity) to try anything and everything! Good for you! Arts imitate life and I can't think of anyone else more suited to this program than you. Thank you for trying. Hope you continue to try other bold works, even at the risks of ridicules and failing.

For those who are interested in some background info, Peking Opera like all old world theatrical arts, the role of women on stage can never be played by women, and the epic film were set during cultural revolution accounts for its greatest female role star played by the Leslie Cheung character and the inevitable tragic ending along with times. A treasured epic sensitively observed on nature, nurture, culture, social, political taboos, boundaries and turmoils. A parable of old worlds torn apart by new worlds transgressions very much like the cinema achievement itself, especially ironic given gender taboos still exist till this very day, especially in this sport. What a lovely way to pay tribute to the host nation, to modern China, to the arts as well as a clever way of sharing an aspect of who you are. Spark of genius program really just need better execution... Bravo!

 

[Krunchii]

Sui Wenjing / Han Cong quit due to a small operation on Han Cong. Yu Xiaoyu/Jin Yang play 2 programmes in the show.

Thanks, I was searching for their videos and was wondering why Yu Xiaoyu/Jin Yang performed but were not in the line up I found, and excited to Zhao Hongbo skate with Johnny, thanks for sharing ^^

updated the first post with a couple more videos

 

[Violet Bliss]

For those who are interested in some background info, Peking Opera like all old world theatrical arts, the role of women on stage can never be played by women, and the epic film were set during cultural revolution accounts for its greatest female role star played by the Leslie Cheung character and the inevitable tragic ending along with times. A treasured epic sensitively observed on nature, nurture, culture, social, political taboos, boundaries and turmoils. A parable of old worlds torn apart by new worlds transgressions very much like the cinema achievement itself, especially ironic given gender taboos still exist till this very day, especially in this sport. What a lovely way to pay tribute to the host nation, to modern China, to the arts as well as a clever way of sharing an aspect of who you are. Spark of genius program really just need better execution... Bravo!

It was taboo for men and women to be intimate outside of marriage, especially not in public. Thus in old Chinese theatres, men played "Dan" roles (female lead) with a male partner or a woman may play the male lead, Sheng, with a female Dan. There were times when the actors got caught up with the emotions and fell in love with their stage lovers of the same gender. There is an example in the great book The Dream Of The Red Chamber, whereas in Farewell My Concubine, when the boy finally accepted the female identity on stage, he fell in love with his best friend who played the Sheng role. He became jealous of his friend's wife and betrayed her under persecution during the Cultural Revolution, causing her suicide. At the end, with the friendship mended and continued, he realized he was still a man and he killed himself as the Concubine did, staying in love.

As for this theatre on ice, I feel completely blah about Johnny's performance. The skating was technically weak and he didn't land the touted throw 2A. Hao didn't do much at all. Fancy costumes alone don't make it good skating for me.

 

[silverfoxes]

As for this theatre on ice, I feel completely blah about Johnny's performance. The skating was technically weak and he didn't land the touted throw 2A. Hao didn't do much at all. Fancy costumes alone don't make it good skating for me.

He did land the 2A in Shanghai. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XYmvDS72zvQ

 

[OS]

It was taboo for men and women to be intimate outside of marriage, especially not in public. Thus in old Chinese theatres, men played "Dan" roles (female lead) with a male partner or a woman may play the male lead, Sheng, with a female Dan. There were times when the actors got caught up with the emotions and fell in love with their stage lovers of the same gender. There is an example in the great book The Dream Of The Red Chamber, whereas in Farewell My Concubine, when the boy finally accepted the female identity on stage, he fell in love with his best friend who played the Sheng role. He became jealous of his friend's wife and betrayed her under persecution during the Cultural Revolution, causing her suicide. At the end, with the friendship mended and continued, he realized he was still a man and he killed himself as the Concubine did, staying in love.

As for this theatre on ice, I feel completely blah about Johnny's performance. The skating was technically weak and he didn't land the touted throw 2A. Hao didn't do much at all. Fancy costumes alone don't make it good skating for me.

Hence my comment the program has sparkle of genius, but its execution can be better. In terms of artistic merits, the conceptualization is fantastic, the process require further study and investigation (more Peking opera moves particular listen for the big pause between certain beats and phrases where certain positions should be held out a little longer with greater acknowledgement to the audience.), the result need to be polished to become more conclusive ( integration of the story, context, knowledge not just fancy costumes). The only negative comment I read from one of the performance was that the Ba Wan (The King) wasn't good looking enough, very lol... poor Hao.

Perhaps I just find the the story setting of traditional theatre mirrors the traditional mindset/culture of the sport in parallel interesting. Figure skating by nature is suppose to encourage great artistry freedom yet seem to frown upon effeminate male who are nurtured and encouraged since a young age to respond to music and movements with greater sensitivity and finesse. No different than from what we expect from the very best in dance, theatre and other creative arts outlets. It is like we expect them to be one thing, raise them to become this and that yet still ultimately denying the very nature of ultimate freedom itself. Just how does one navigate between the grey areas especially when often the very best arts can become life itself and vice versa? Are we so contradictory and hypocritical in our social expectations and fixed morality codes on what artists should or should not be, allowed or not allowed that we handicap ourselves denying the true nature of the arts? I don't have all the answers, but questions like these fascinate me. Arts function in society are not necessarily about drawing particular conclusions but to allows audience to ponder outside the realms of possibilities and perhaps examine their own consciousness with new edification. Given this show is called Artistry on ice, this program fit itself perfectly, perhaps not in the aesthetic form people expect, but in essence and in approach, it is a perfect match.

 

[Violet Bliss]

Off the top of my head, Johnny is the perfect choice to skate this role. He just didn't bring it for me, technically and artistically. I guess it could be great if he trains for it. It comes across as a hastily arranged program for this show. It will however likely improve with additional performances.

eta: Ba Wan the King, as the name denotes, was supposed to be fierce and powerful. I don't think he is usually described as good looking. Hao, nicknamed The Hulk by David Wilson, is the strongest Pair skater and best choice for the role, especially if there is anything to the role for him to play.

 

[silverfoxes]

Off the top of my head, Johnny is the perfect choice to skate this role. He just didn't bring it for me, technically and artistically. I guess it could be great if he trains for it. It comes across as a hastily arranged program for this show. It will however likely improve with additional performances.

It was hastily arranged; they didn't have a lot of rehearsal time together, unfortunately. That said, I definitely saw improvement between Beijing and Shanghai and I love the fact that they "went there," even if it could have been better with a little more depth.

I just saw this on the Plushenko News Twitter: "Artistry on ice" show from Guangzhou should be aired LIVE over internet 01.08. in 20:00 (local time) on this link

http://www.azhibo.com/zhibo/pptvtiyuzhonghezhibo1-flv-47150.html

 

[yyyskate]

"Flashes of genius" is what sums this up for me. Technique, choreography wont there as one can expect, but concept, casting and emotional investment are really there. some of the photos taken from this program are just... exactly like that movie.

 

[Sandpiper]

It is said that Hao Zhang will not go to Taipei. So you can see the Farewell My Concubine performed by Hongbo Zhao and Johnny Weir in Taipei on Aug. 3

Cool! It'll be great to see him on the ice again.

 

[OS]

Off the top of my head, Johnny is the perfect choice to skate this role. He just didn't bring it for me, technically and artistically. I guess it could be great if he trains for it. It comes across as a hastily arranged program for this show. It will however likely improve with additional performances.

eta: Ba Wan the King, as the name denotes, was supposed to be fierce and powerful. I don't think he is usually described as good looking. Hao, nicknamed The Hulk by David Wilson, is the strongest Pair skater and best choice for the role, especially if there is anything to the role for him to play.

OH no I know Ba Wan is suppose to be fierce and powerful and not necessarily good looking. I am just laughing at the fact this shallow comment is the only negative feedback I can find... and that many were on the positive side, especially how beautiful johnny / performance looked. That Johnny skated as if he understood the role which are great positives considering under all that make up and culture barrier.

I agree Hao makes a natural Ba Wan in physical presence in contrast with Johnny as two opposites. It is pretty cool Honbo is going to be the Ba Wan in Taipei, since he is already the definition of Skating Wan of China!

 

[bj80alex]

It is said that Han Yan is going to perform his new SP: "If I were a rich man" tonight in Guangzhou.

 

[silverfoxes]

Reminder that you should be able to watch the show starting live right now from Guangzhou at the following links (from the Plushenko News & Lambiel's Forum Twitter):

http://v.pptv.com/show/vmjPTbUbia8ksqhI.html - this one is working for me, audience is getting seated.

http://www.azhibo.com/zhibo/pptvtiyuzhonghezhibo1-flv-47150.html - I don't see anything on here yet, just a crying panda I can't read Chinese, though.

Plushenko posted Instagrams of himself doing a 3A and 4T in rehearsal, and Johnny posted one of himself & Zhang Hao doing a throw 3A. Don't know if they will attempt these during the show...

 

[shine]

Lambiel's new program to the blues / jazz number is absolutely brilliant! So rich with interpretation, subtlely, musicality and character.

OTOH, the Farewell my Concubine number by Zhang and Weir are obviously hastily put together and kind of a tacky way to please the Chinese audience with the nice costumes. In terms of artistry and effort, nothing like Lu Chen's Butterfly Lovers...