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Japan Open

Jeff was amazing

Jeff's skating is so breathtakingly beautiful. He is the most graceful skater ever. His footwork is unbelievable. I think he could do well at the Olympics if he chose to go back to competition. He is also so dang cute. I miss the blonde hair but the brown hair looks great too.:clap:
 
Well, I have been completely out of the loop during this off season. When I heard Mao was doing "Bells of Moscow" by Rachmaninov, I assumed the music would be from "The Bells" so I didnt bother to pay attention to the links to the music. Big mistake! Just finished watching Mao's performance and was surprised to hear the piano prelude. Anyway, I like the idea of this program, kinda interesting. However I see where other posters are coming from becuase I would prefer a program similar to Buttle's 2005 sp (now that was gorgeous). The orchestration just seems too big for Mao. Maybe she will command it by the end of the Olympics, if she does, WOW

I am amazed at how well Joannie did, being so early in the season. Just one question though, Is this a Lori Nichol program? This long is just jam packed with transitions/difficult choreography. I had hoped she would continue the progress from last season. i may have gotten my wish.

As for Laura, just as lovely as ever, although I'm not so thrilled with the marimba sounding thing throughout the tango. Yay for the 3lz!
 
Hsuhs said:
This kind of music plays in movies when someone's about to die painfully / get killed, while Mao is still a Bambi.
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:rofl: Might have been better skated by a skater like Yagudin or TAT herself. But I just try to keep my hope in the fact that Mao likes it.
 
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hauteor said:
I don't mean to be rude but this hits close to my heart. I've done composition, your peace is your baby and once its printed or recorded it's gone, you're lucky if at the premiere you get to guide the performers and get them to play the way it was meant to but otherwise the composer has zero control over how others are going to use it. Not everyone can write music, the composer has done humanity a favor by bringing a melody into existence, the least we could do is interpret it in the closest possible way that he or she wanted. This is why Bach has to be played a certain way (not kidding, there are rules), or Mozart, I have a romantic style so instead of "slaughtering bach" (my teachers words not mine) I would choose Chopin. Why make water out of wine (in this case the order is more suitable). Music always sounds best in its original form- a romantic Bach is much worse than a baroque one as is a futuristic Rach worse than a romantic one. If creepy and warlike is what Mao was going for, she should have taken a pick of Prokofievs pieces.
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As a fellow artist, I perfectly understand. You pour yourself into your work. That said, there's nothing wrong with exploring different interpretations of these compositions. It may not be how the composers intended but their works are surviving. It seems so inhibiting and rigid. Artists are innovators. Different strokes for different folks. At the end of the day, it's what the skaters feel close to is most important.
 
Bennett said:
:rofl: Might have been better skated by a skater like Yagudin or TAT herself. But I just try to keep my hope in the fact that Mao likes it.
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Come to think of it, the music would've probably suited Yagudin perfectly. Perhaps Tarasova is trying to re-work some of the good ol' Yagudin vibes for the Olympics?
 
herios said:
Very doubtful she could tackle a 3 toe behind a 2 axel. She just learned it recently. For others this is the easiest triple, not for her. I am sure she could do the loop there, but she is most of the time nailed with an UR on her 3 loop in combo.
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Mao's 3Flip-3Loop is fine. It has been ratified at all 3 previous World Championships (2007 Long Program, 2008 Short Program, 2009 Short Program).

She can definitely do the 2Axel-3Toe as well. In 2008 she became comfortable with the 3Flip-3Toe. Her technique on the toeloop has been perfected.
 
Mao's jumps looked terrible in that long program. They were worst than ever. Everyone of them looked downgradable to me. :bow:

She does not have a real 3sal, 3toe. The 3A is unrealible. Why not even 3loop, which used to be her money jump?

Mao needs to find a real coach ASAP, otherwise she may not even be able to hop on the Japanese team to Vancouver.
 
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shallwedansu said:
Lambiel: http://tvpot.daum.net/clip/ClipView.do?clipid=18633852
Buttle: http://tvpot.daum.net/clip/ClipView.do?clipid=18633931
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Awww, but this isn't Lambiel's entire performance? Very much liked the parts I saw, although so far this LP (also got to see it at Liberty) isn't impressing me as much as Four Seasons or Poeta.

The first 2/3rds of Jeff's program was sublime! It trailed off in the last 1/3, but he's really just competing for fun these days so I don't think perfectly fine tuning programs is the highest priority.
 
I'm a Mao fan but i have to agree. The program just doesn't compare to the others from past seasons. i'm sorry fellow mao fans.
 
Blades of Passion said:
The first 2/3rds of Jeff's program was sublime! It trailed off in the last 1/3, but he's really just competing for fun these days so I don't think perfectly fine tuning programs is the highest priority.
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Having watched Jeff's performance, I am almost 80% certain he's going to pull a Shen/Zhao, Plushy, Lambiel, Sasha.

I mean, what's the point for him to do a COP friendly LP if he has no intention to compete. This program is 95% competition ready, he just needs to add two 3As in next 3 months, and go directly to the Nationals. Why not?

There is not much show for him to do in between anyway. Who else can beat him except Chan ? He may not even need 3A at Canadian Nationals to qualify.
 
lakeshore said:
Having watched Jeff's performance, I am almost 80% certain he's going to pull a Shen/Zhao, Plushy, Lambiel, Sasha.

I mean, what's the point for him to do a COP friendly LP if he has no intention to compete. This program is 95% competition ready, he just needs to add two 3As in next 3 months, and go directly to the Nationals. Why not?

There is not much show for him to do in between anyway. Who else can beat him except Chan ? He may not even need 3A at Canadian Nationals to qualify.
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Wouldn't it be COP friendly because the program was originally prepared for the 2008-09 season?

BTW, I'm impressed to see two secure lutzs. It was kind of scary to watch him do this jump during his last season. His 3A wasn't there instead though.
 
shallwedansu said:
If you're letting a skater off the hook for crappy choreography just because she has more difficult jumps, then you're essentially labeling the skater a jumping bean. And Mao is definitely better than that.
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Choreography is in the eye of beholder. For me the choreography is perfect for her.
 
^ :sheesh: to your signature. Talk about taking things completely out of context just so you can hate on someone.
 
I for one quite like Mao's program, see good potential here. It's not unlike her Masquerade program, but this one to me is better. seems well-paced. It's a bit of see her boxed into this "dark" style though over both programs... but I guess they figure they need to show her as powerful, and her expression has grown with this material anyway, which is good.

Joannie is the only other I've watched, and i do quite like it! Her team always seem to know exactly what area to address in her skating, and here the effort seems to have gone into projecting outward to the audience/judges, where her last year's program was rather introverted/contained. If she has an "on" night at the right time, this will be a great one.
 
Carnival on Ice is on broadcast right now.

I like Yukari's SP and love her costume! It's much better than her LP's.
 
evangeline said:
Come to think of it, the music would've probably suited Yagudin perfectly. Perhaps Tarasova is trying to re-work some of the good ol' Yagudin vibes for the Olympics?
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Like she recycled Rapsody in Blue from Kulik to Evan? :laugh:
This particular piece seems to be from the one she was working on for Michelle.
 
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