Let's have a bird-off

[NordEsque]

Hello everyone,

Was just looking back at the season and talking to a friend about Patrick Chan's Blackbird SP and Yuzuru Hanyu's Swan Ex. Are they the best birds of the season? What do people think? I would love to know. Also what do people think are the best bird programs ever and why? Let's share some here and have a "bird-off"

I think Yuzuru's delayed single axel in his EX is just beautiful and its exit really gives of a bird-like feeling https://youtu.be/hf1tul6kEd8?t=3m30s, also of course the ending of the program where his shadow actually really looks like a swan (more evident perhaps in the ex at GPF16 than here though)

Also which skaters do you think should do a bird program next year, and in that case which?

 

[gravy]

Love your username first of all. Native Norwegian here. Love seeing other Nordic people who are into figure skating.

I love Adam's bird routine from this season which he plans on keeping: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u7LpB_U_PjY
For the record, I think his Beatles routine last year which featured Black Bird was better than Chan's short.

Perhaps my favorite bird routine is Yuna's Lark Ascending (or Descending in this case): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vCSYbk0Y7TU
She made 2 big mistakes here, but IMO it was the best choreographed free skate of her career.

Akiko's peacock routine is up there too: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mOuaUMgFOcg

Oksana Baiul's '94 gala will always stick in my head as well: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9kLH9oRQcLc

And Sasha Cohen's Swan Lake pro-am free here was stunning: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hSX_OZ_ppig

Edit: I forgot to add from this season, I also loved Karen's short: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0dpnwVdXrYY

 

[Mathman]

Ashley Wagner's black swan was a breakthrough of sorts for her career.

To second gravy's post, Oksana Baiul's Swan exhibition at the 1994 Olympics is exquisite, as is sasha Cohen's Swan Lake.

And who can forget Johnny Weir and Camille?

I would also like to make honorable mention to Josee Chouinard's 1999 pro/am program to Dvorak's Humoresque, choreographed by Lori Nichol. It wasn't exactly a bird program, but the skater portrayed a Harlequin catching and releasing a baby bird. (OK, so I'm a sucker for a cliche. ) Anyway, she beat Michelle Kwan with it at the Canadian Open; Frank Carroll was blew his stack on TV.

 

[Marius]

Oksana's exhibition is just breathtaking. The best Swan ever, probably.
I'll add one more from this season: Anastasia Gubanova's SP. She is such a young talent, and has really an incredible sophistication for her age. Her arms are very beautiful, and in her Swan SP it all comes together: one of the best SPs this season, for sure.

 

[largeman]

Was just looking back at the season and talking to a friend about Patrick Chan's Blackbird SP and Yuzuru Hanyu's Swan Ex. Are they the best birds of the season?

Mao Asada's Blackbird SP and Karen Chen's Swan SP

 

[SkaterX]

My avian favorites are both from this season: Adam Rippon's FS and Karen Chen's SP.

 

[jaylee]

From the archives: Michelle Kwan's Song of the Black Swan https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lsQbrwqNE0A

 

[el henry]

Of all time?

Toller Cranston's Firebird

And has Adam actually confirmed he will be keeping the Broken Bird LP? I know I'm in the minority, but that program just does not touch me, and I would love to see Adam do a peppier Beatles type LP for next year. Oh well

 

[mrrice]

IMO, Adam Rippon captures the true movement and character of a bird in his Free Program and I really hope he keeps for 2018. Michelle's Song of The Black Swan, coupled with her East Of Eden in 2001, made me a fan of hers and was the first time I really saw her as a Woman. Obviously, My favorite "Bird" program comes from wife and Russian Diva, Maria Butyrskaya. Though not skated well at Worlds she was great at Europeans in 2000. Swan lake 2000 Euro's: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2M1xpUQ5t2w

 

[YuzusHydroblade]

I adore Notte Stellata, but Oksana's swan is one of my earliest memories (i was surprised i remembered her dress. I was two years old. I only looked at it recently again and really, i don't know how i remember that) and it was what got me into figure skating. The fact that Hanyu, who is single handedly responsible of me being back to this fandom (i left because i wanted to skate, and it was too painful to watch the skaters knowing that i would never be able to skate ) is also doing the swan... My heart feels complete
But for sentimental reasons, i put Oksana's swan over Hanyu's

 

[Ic3Rabbit]

Jeremy Abbott's Exogenesis Part 3 LP(2012 version)- https://youtu.be/ZHbADOamI3s (When it was choreographed there was a bird concept behind at least parts of it).

Adam Rippon's "Fly On" LP-https://youtu.be/VQiDVE7Ucuk

Ashley Wanger "Black Swan" LP- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kq_Fgh4Qwb4

Patrick Chan: "Dear Prudence/Blackbird" SP/Former Exh- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5VjgV_8RhcQ


And while no where in the same class as those listed above; the following did have a pretty slick, streamlined bird theme:

Evan Lysacek "Firebird" SP 2010 Olympics- https://youtu.be/7rmnRJGra5g

 

[Blades of Passion]

Johnny Weir's SP to "The Swan" at 2006 Nationals is the best ever.

Adam Rippon's LP this season would be next up.

I wouldn't really consider Karen Chen's SP to be a bird program. That's more a sub-theme of the program.

 

[sallycinnamon]

From the archives: Michelle Kwan's Song of the Black Swan https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lsQbrwqNE0A

My favourite FS by Michelle.

Other one I love: Khoklova/Novitski's Firebird FD from 2009/2010

 

[Interspectator]

Akiko-a peacock and the BEST one.
Machida- a very bird-y fire-bird.

 

[NordEsque]

Love your username first of all. Native Norwegian here. Love seeing other Nordic people who are into figure skating.

I love Adam's bird routine from this season which he plans on keeping: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u7LpB_U_PjY
For the record, I think his Beatles routine last year which featured Black Bird was better than Chan's short.

Perhaps my favorite bird routine is Yuna's Lark Ascending (or Descending in this case): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vCSYbk0Y7TU
She made 2 big mistakes here, but IMO it was the best choreographed free skate of her career.

Akiko's peacock routine is up there too: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mOuaUMgFOcg

Oksana Baiul's '94 gala will always stick in my head as well: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9kLH9oRQcLc

And Sasha Cohen's Swan Lake pro-am free here was stunning: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hSX_OZ_ppig

Edit: I forgot to add from this season, I also loved Karen's short: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0dpnwVdXrYY

Hi, thank you for your compliment of my username. Really nice to see some more Nordic people here , I'm actually partly Norwegian as well as Swedish.

I really love Rippon's FS, it is perhaps the 'bird-program' that for me gives off the strongest sense of flight. Hope they will add a little more choreography to the second half though. Yuna's Lark is just incredible, agree with that was probably her best choreographed FS. Oksana and Weir's Swans are both lovely, but I would actually give the edge to Yuzuru (according to my very subjective personal opinion anyhow). I just love the flow throughout his EX, feels a little like he's actually on a lake.

Akiko-a peacock and the BEST one.
Machida- a very bird-y fire-bird.

Yes, I was wondering when someone would bring up Machida's Firebird