I'm not opposed to "cheesy" choreography, or as you call it "chick-flick" choreography. I tried very hard to love Elena's Titanic program last year (ended up with a love/hate relationship with that program), love her fun Porgy & Bess program, and I'm a huge fan of Ashley Wagner's programs - she's probably one of the best "chick-flick" skaters. FWIW, I found Averbukh's LP for Evgenia last year to go beyond the "commercial/populistic" vibe. It might not have been very classical or balletic, but I loved how modern and abstract it was, and the uniqueness of its theme. It felt, in film terms, "indie" or "artsy." Yulia's Schindler's List was old-school Oscar-winning drama, much like the actual film itself. It was emotional, serious, and yet had mass appeal. The representation of "the little girl in the red coat," both on ice and in the movie, serve their purpose in representing the horror of those murdered - we don't need to witness their deaths firsthand to get the message of the tragedy.
IMO, making "chick-flick" programs out of tragedies serves to make light of those tragedies and feels inappropriate. Though I assume you don't mean that this Holocaust program is a "chick-flick." IMO, films can achieve the type of realism necessary to tell a serious Holocaust story, realism that demands the viewer see the actors look hungry and dressed in the actual kind of clothes that victims wore. That sort of depth and realism can't be achieved on-ice, and so wearing the striped uniform of Holocaust victims is completely out of place and out of context, and IMO it is not in good taste to take Holocaust victims out of context. It's a little bit like wearing a "Holocaust costume" to a Halloween party, but to a lesser extent.
I agree with your definition of last years Wagner's programs as the one of the best "chick-flick" choreo. I enjoyed those a lot and it suits her too. It's was easy and understandable, probably most Euros might find those a bit on he edge of vulgarity at times, but Ashley was able to pull it out. It was good "for masses", ie regular Joe. This and obvious Ashley's look and talent brought her a good result last year. She gets it. She understands how to exploit the idea to be "easy" understandable by public. And now take a look at choreography by most Japanese ladies (including juniors too). This is something you called yourself "artsy" or "indie", this is the way I see all those strong and skillful Japanese ladies with all their beautiful and sophisticated choreography of recent 2-3 years. With all their little refined nuances and abstract elegance that they carry on ice. But as you noticed on this board, many American users here complained very vocally "boring", "empty", "zzzzzz". Something like Sotskova's program too - artsy, elegant, nuanced, but in American (regular Joe's American) view aka boring. And many Americans were quite frank to point it out about Sotskova. Perhaps very righteously too. I don't know, I don't judge or label, is just say what I like and why, the rest of the stuff is leaving me indifferent or just ok. So, I think even Julia's Schindler's List was in a way a chick-flick of choreography loosely based on Oscar-winning drama. It's a good movie, but not the most amaizing and most deep cinematography out there. It's strongly put together movie using the modern language of cinematography, but it's not a masterpiece in my book, and I'm a movie buff myself.
As for Holocaust, like I said I'm a Jew myself and I don't find offensive or tasteless. If Averbukh being a Russian Jew finds its ok to show on their most popular TV, why should I be against it. Regarding a costumes - it's a different thing. We can go on and on about different cultures and symbolism and to what degree it's acceptable in different cultures. Like people said above - it's a an issue of so called "blackface". You see, Russians did not really had slavey thing or racism. It is the concept they learned only in the 90s, so they are aware that racism and slavery are not their fault or issues, since they did not have those per se.
In fact, on a side note. Let's see at the Alexander Pushkin for example. One of Russia's famous and beloved poet (Yes. The author of 'Eugenie Onegin') was and is the man of an African ancestry (I remember, this guy had a very curly hair and probably darker skin color). A poet, a hip hop artists - as they would call him here in the States. And it was back in the 19tn century, when you know what was happening in US in terms of civil war. But this poet was already a famous, well- respected and renowned celebrity in Russian Empire. The guy even jointly with other Russian educated establishment was outspoken about human rights of Russia in 19th century and even challenged the tsar on subject of discriminations of poor peasants and was demanding more liberty to simple folks, tsars was mad at him, but loved his talent and him personally, so they both choose to agree to disagree.
But it was the time of duels, unfortunately Pushkin shot on duel, he was defending the honor of his wife. You know the Euro Aristocrats back then.
So, when you see a blackface in Russian ballet - for them it does not mean a racism or any reminder/symbolism of slavery like Confederate flag for us Americans. They see it as a historically accurate restoration of Petipa's ballet - a great French choreographer who brought to the world the magic of Russian ballet - the guy thank to whom we have Nutcracker, Fur Tree, Sugar Plum Fairy, Candy Cane as one of the symbols of our American Christmast tradition. (Created by French choreographer to beloved Russian ballet, adopted from some parts of German fairytale - and become a big part of American tradition of 20th century - the irony of history, huh). So blackface - this is how it was in Russia back then (AND THEY DID NOT HAVE RACISM OR SLAVERY EVEN AT THAT TIME) - just an artistic representation of someone being of African or Arabic background. It's never had a symbolism of racism in their culture, since they never had the concept of slavey because of racism.
So regarding costumes and discussions about how some people might have a controversial interpretation of those pieces of fabrics, let's not forget how many Russians were tortured and died in nazi concentration camps. When people mourn victims of Holocaust, many people of Eastern Europe immediately think - hey, what about us? Nazi were literally trying to wipe out the whole nations of the Eastern Europe, something Western Europe never experienced. It's not like they all should hold a grudge of Germans now, it was ideology and geopolitics, not the Germans who did this. But however tens of millions of people of Eastern Europe died too, simply because it their 'not-so-perfect' ethnicity and genes (according to nazis) - and we don't even have a word for it! So I propose to call Holocaust is not only Jewish tragedy, but the tragedy of the whole Eastern Europe. And that's coming from me - a Jew. My ancestors probably also was mistreated and discriminated by some Eastern (and Western) Europeans back then too, but not upto the point of extermination. I think you need to pull the data and see how many Russians, Belarussians, Ukrainins, Kazakhs, Tatars, Udmurts and many other ethnicities died in concentration camps. The whole Eastern Europe is full of museums of concentration camp.
Something we only know from our Hollywood movies. Challenge you - try to go to Eastern Europe and visit some of those museumified sites of ex-concentration camps. See those pictures and exhibitions. It's not only about Jews or Holocaust. Or geopolitics, Roosevelt-Stalin crap. It's about simple people of different origin and nationality dying. So, perhaps you will understand the pain of the whole Eastern Europe. It was not exclusively extermination of Jews. Those museums also tells a great deal of Soviet's sacrifice of liberating prisoners of those concentration camps. All the rest of geopolitical and ideological crap is just a background comparing to the fact of millions of people (including Jews) were saved by Allies.
The rest of the history and geopolitical games is what it is - the history and the lesson to all of us to never repeat it, like nazism, wars, racism and slavery too, and many many more. How can people of different culture judge and give opinionated judgmental label to other culture happening on their own turf is beyond me. Am I just weird like that, I guess. I'm not trying to hold a moral high ground and say everyone intolerant and close-minded, but me. But it seems like our liberals are actually those who are trying to be so opinionated, while its their philosophy to be more open-minded. Almost like war for monopoly on history and culture war. And our press is 99% liberal. Yet they think symbolism of concentration camps and crimes of gestapo is a bad taste, but to have a Guantanamo torture and concentration camp officially ran by US Government and still openly functioning in 21st century or something like Abu Ghraib torture and prisoners (not even combatants) abuse are what? not worthy of a public outrage. How leftish of us....
My point is simple: no one holds monopoly of Holocaust, or on aesthetics, or "proper" idea of artistic interpretation. Enough with this culture war already, when we are happy to label and insult other nations because of our own way how we see the world. The world is big and different, a very diverse thing already. Let's not limit ourselves to shallow self-righteousness and close-mindless. The rest of the stuff, it's easy not to overthink it too.
*just my humble 2cents*
