Does your favourite performance belong to your favourite skater?

[yesterday]

The same here. But I got accustomed to use "couple" or "team" for ID in case it's not clear I don't mean a pairs pair.

 

[Ic3Rabbit]

It's ok many people don't know them, you probably have to be either British or much, much older to really know them

Or simply know the history of the sport.

 

[Flying Feijoa]

However no one else has ever skated to Allerdale Hall and Spiegel Im Spiegel

Matt Markell and the Shibutanis

(You probably don't know them but they do exist)

 

[DoubleBass]

Matt Markell and the Shibutanis

(You probably don't know them but they do exist)

Oh they do exist! Lol my bad, I was wrong, will have to check them out on yt

 

[Mathman]

It's ok many people don't know them, you probably have to be either British or much, much older to really know them.

This program was more than iconic. It left a lasting legacy on the sport. Let's revisit the question in 50 years and see whether the newbys have left as indellible a mark.

Proptopopov and Belousova, perhaps, had a similar impact on the sport, in the pairs discipline, although in their case it was their body of work rather than any particular performance that elevates them. They were still performing -- gorgeously and innovatively -- in their seventies.

Now Sonja Henie -- OK, I'm not THAT old -- but where would the sport be without her bebfaction?

 

[Sabsi]

Yuna Kim is my all time favorite, i know every step of every single choreography, every look, every moment of her on the ice... but if i could name one performance it would be without any question Yuzuru Hanyu's 2018 Olympic free skate so „Seimei“.

 

[el henry]

el henry , it might be a linguistic nuance. In English it is ice dance and pairs, in some other languages it is both "pairs" (indicating it is teams made of two people) with different adjectives for "dance pairs" and these other "pairs"

Quite valid point; the only languages other than English I know well enough to read or write about figure skating are Romance languages, and they all have separate categories for pairs and ice dance.

Also, I am very cautious (and I am *not* saying this happened here, I am saying it is why I am cautious) because sometimes posters have answered my good faith attempts at explanations with answers that made it clear they thought they were too cool for school, being what they thought was hip and ironic, whatever.

Now if someone thinks they are the soul of irony, who am I to judge? But I would rather not engage, and that is why I ask, in good faith and politely I hope, before continuing.

 

[CaroLiza_fan]

el henry , it might be a linguistic nuance. In English it is ice dance and pairs, in some other languages it is both "pairs" (indicating it is teams made of two people) with different adjectives for "dance pairs" and these other "pairs"

I can't remember what country / language it was, but I very nearly got caught out like that when looking at an Entries / Results page and one of the categories was called something that made me think it was the other category. But, I was saved by the colour-coding!

The same here. But I got accustomed to use "couple" or "team" for ID in case it's not clear I don't mean a pairs pair.

Funnily enough, I try to avoid those two terms at all costs.

When I hear "couple" being used, I always think that that implies that the skaters are in a relationship. And whilst it is true that some skaters are seeing the person they are skating with, that is not always the case. Many aren't. And in the cases of those that are not seeing each other, it does seem somewhat inappropriate to describe them as a "couple".

As for "team", to me that term is best used to describe the people from the same club / rink that the skaters belong to, or the same country that they represent.

Personally, I like to use "partnership" for both Pairs skaters and Ice Dancers. I agree that using the same term for two different categories does have the potential to cause confusion, but that can be got around by specifically saying "Pairs partnership" or "Ice Dance partnership".

Maybe I'm just odd, though.

CaroLiza_fan

 

[NanaPat]

I can't remember what country / language it was, but I very nearly got caught out like that when looking at an Entries / Results page and one of the categories was called something that made me think it was the other category. But, I was saved by the colour-coding!



Funnily enough, I try to avoid those two terms at all costs.

When I hear "couple" being used, I always think that that implies that the skaters are in a relationship. And whilst it is true that some skaters are seeing the person they are skating with, that is not always the case. Many aren't. And in the cases of those that are not seeing each other, it does seem somewhat inappropriate to describe them as a "couple".

As for "team", to me that term is best used to describe the people from the same club / rink that the skaters belong to, or the same country that they represent.

Personally, I like to use "partnership" for both Pairs skaters and Ice Dancers. I agree that using the same term for two different categories does have the potential to cause confusion, but that can be got around by specifically saying "Pairs partnership" or "Ice Dance partnership".

Maybe I'm just odd, though.

CaroLiza_fan

For me, "partnership" can have the same connotations as "couple" I agree with you that neither couple nor team is an ideal way to describe two people skating together. How about "duo"?

 

[Mathman]

I think that my favorite all-time pairs program is Berezhnaya & Sikharulidze's Olymoic SP Calipha.

But I was a Sale and Pellitier fan (actually a Lori Nichol fan) and was hoping that they would win.

 

[labgoat]

No. I don't have a favorite skater or team--although Akiko Suzuki, Rahkamo/Kokko, and Khohklova/Novitski would be contenders--but my two favorite programs are by none of the above. They do, however, both feature the song "Go Down Moses."

Olga Markova - 1998 World Professional Championships (Jaca) EX

www.youtube.com

Lucie MYSLIVECKOVA / Matej NOVAK European Figure Skating Championships 2011 FD

www.youtube.com

Olga at her diva best in that great costume.

 

[labgoat]

I love Tai & Randy but my favorite pairs skate ever is Gordeeva/Grinkov 1988 FS to Mendelssohn, followed by their 1989 FS to Die Fledermous

Gordeeva & Grinkov (URS) - 1988 Calgary, Figure Skating, Pairs' Long Program (US ABC)

Calgary, Alberta, CANADA - 1988 Winter Games, Figure Skating, Pairs' Long Program - Ekaterina Gordeeva and Sergei Grinkov of the Soviet Union skated a near-f...

youtu.be

i love when Toller Cranston talks of how she lands a throw as if she dropped down from Heaven

Ekaterina Gordeeva-Sergei Grinkov LP 1989 Worlds

Gordeeva & Grinkov had a fine skate to win the competition. I can't help but feel that this program was somewhat downgraded from what we were used to seeing ...

youtu.be

 

[labgoat]

My favorite dance programs are
Papadakis/Cizeron To Build A Home

Papadakis - Cizeron 2016 Worlds FD Build A Home HD1080p60

youtu.be

Davis/White Samson & Delilah

Davis and White 2009 World Championships FD British Eurosport

Marlie's Samson and Delilah

youtu.be

my favorite dancers- i cannot choose, too many

 

[labgoat]

My favorite man is Paul Wylie and this is my favorite program ever

Paul Wylie LP 1992 Albertville Winter Olympic Games

Paul Wylie

youtu.be

 

[labgoat]

My favorite ladies

Janet Lynn 1973

Janet Lynn - 1973 U.S. Figure Skating Championships - Free Skate

Music: La Mer by Debussy, Valses nobles et sentimentales, M. 61: No. 2, Assez lent by Ravel, La Valse M. 72 by Ravel

youtu.be

Michelle Kwan Desdemona SP

1997 Nationals short program "Dream of Desdemona"

Great Michelle's short. I just love her artistry there.

youtu.be

Romanza SP

Michelle Kwan éç©ç (USA) - 1996 World Figure Skating Championships, Ladies' Short Program

Edmonton, Alberta, CANADA - 1996 World Figure Skating Championships, Ladies' Short Program - Michelle Kwan of the United States won this phase of the competi...

youtu.be

 

[labgoat]

I think that my favorite all-time pairs program is Berezhnaya & Sikharulidze's Olymoic SP Calipha.

But I was a Sale and Pellitier fan (actually a Lori Nichol fan) and was hoping that they would win.

Oh my they are among my favorites also. I was rooting for them ever since I first saw her getting chucked around at Skate America by her former partner who did not appreciate her.

 

[iluvtodd]

Well, for me, it's Todd Eldredge's "First Knight" (1996 Worlds). Several years ago, I got really excited when another USA skater (Marcus Mimidis) skated to the music from "First Knight." It happened @ the Liberty Summer Competition in Aston, PA. I got to talk to him & told him how excited I was to hear it (& why). Now, when it comes to "1492," I really loved when Hartshorn & Sweiding skated to it (and that was actually the first time I heard the music as we haven't seen the movie). I loved Elvis Stojko's performances to it, & I was thrilled when Todd skated to it @ 2001 Worlds.

As for another favorite, I will always associate "JFK" with Paul Wylie!

 

[labgoat]

What is your favorite program by Kostornaia though, just curious. Mine are Adios Nonino and Twilight.

The one where she was an angel with a white and blue dress and that marvelous 3axel.

 

[labgoat]

Off the top of my head, Nathan Chen is one of my favorite male skaters and his 2021 Worlds free skate is one of my favorite performances. Anna Shcherbakova is one of my favorite female skaters and her 2022 Olympics free skate is also one of my favorite performances.

Nathan Chen and La Boheme was my favorite

 

[elbkup]

The one where she was an angel with a white and blue dress and that marvelous 3axel.

The Departure (The Leftovers) &. November… my favorite