Popular ethnic music in Figure Skating?

[denise3lz]

Astor Piazzolla is quite popular in Figure Skating.

Then I wonder if music from other part of earth can be used ?

 

[el henry]

The one in that category that comes immediately to mind is Davis & White's Bollywood program.

BTW, I am tired of tangos and I don't like tango programs. Unfortunately, many skaters I like disagree with me.

 

[denise3lz]

Generally speaking, Figure Skating was realized so called Western/White/Caucasian dominated sports.
It is not realty anymore for recent some decades.

Then music for the FS is also can be non Western one.

I realize Piazzola is popular. But I can't notice other example.

 

[almiranara]

Astor Piazzolla is quite popular in Figure Skating.

Then I wonder if music from other part of earth can be used ?

haven't seen anyone use Indonesian music except some junior Indonesian skaters skating at the JGP, for example this one from last season using Maudy Ayunda's Perahu Kertas

 

[el henry]

Generally speaking, Figure Skating was realized so called Western/White/Caucasian dominated sports.
It is not realty anymore for recant some decades.

Then music for the FS is also can be non Western one.

I realize Piazzola is popular. But I can't notice other example.

I don't like Piazzola, so you will get no argument from me.

Of course, a great deal of "Western" music is not "White" or "Caucasian", but I assume you are excluding any "Western" music.

I will post, even though I have already mentioned it, because it is such a great program;

 

[Mathman]

I dare someone to take on this famous song from Java. It is so famous that it was shot into outer speace on the Voyager rocket in the 1970s just in case any alien civilizations out there might encouter it and become enraptured by earth culture.

- YouTube

Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube.

www.youtube.com

Although it is a pretty good length for a long program (this recoding is about 5 minutes) I can envision it more for a group performance, with different skaters coming out onto the ice in twos and threes,

 

[Mathman]

Here is a modern harpist playing a replica of the Silver Lyre of Ur. The original instrument dates fro the third millennium BCE. When the site was excavated (in the 1950s I believe) of course all the wooden parts had long since rotted away, but enough remained of the silver plating that scholars could reconstruct it, figure our where all the strings were attached, etc. Music from ancient Sumer is known (from religious poetry) also to have featured two kinds of drums, believed to be metal drums and hide-covered drums.

- YouTube

Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube.

www.youtube.com

 

[TallyT]

There's comparatively little authentic Japanese (even with the high profile of their skaters) or Chinese music used, so other non-Western musical traditions are understandably rare. It's still a very Western-centric sport.

 

[surimi]

Seeing more music diversity is always a treat, although a few pieces, like 'Butterfly Lovers', are on the verge of becoming warhorses. And yes, I'm on the 'tired of Piazolla' bandwagon too. I check out the Programs by Discipline list from time to time, and rejoice when there's an out-of-the-box program. A number of those that come to mind are a big hit with fans - Rika Kihira's 'Breakfast in Baghdad', Yuzuru's 'Seimei' and 'Asian Dream Song', Liza Tuktamysheva's 'Mischievous Bird', Peng/Zhang's 'Yellow River Concerto', Alexander Selevko's Egypt-themed program, some of Donovan Carillo's programs, Eva Lotta Kiibus' 'Baiana', I hope Lajoie/Lagha's 'Rio' also belongs here... Among the juniors, I recall Vivian Papp's Bollywood won a lot of praise, and there are others. For me personally, Sota Yamamoto's 'Nobunaga', Yuhana Yokoi's 'Ten Dark Women', or Tomoe Kawabata's 'Sikuriadas' may not be widely known, but they hold a special place in my heart.
Mao Shimada, Miyabi Oba and Yuseong Kim have some very intriguing Asian program choices this season, I see, and possibly others. I hope this spreads further. And bring the lyrics, too.

 

[Mathman]

... Peng/Zhang's 'Yellow River Concerto'...

Michelle Kwan's 1994-95 short program music.

 

[denise3lz]

Well, we did "East Asian skaters to use East Asian music" talk last year.
Thus I tried to make this talk from different angle.

I wanna hear oud, tabla, gamelan etc sound from figure skating program.
Though there are some risk to be criticized for cultural appropiration.

 

[el henry]

Well, we did "East Asian skaters to use East Asian music" talk last year.
Thus I tried to make this talk from different angle.

I wanna hear oud, tabla, gamelan etc sound from figure skating program.
Though there are some risk to be criticized for cultural appropiration.

I think appropriation can be countered by respect and by appropriate consultation with choreo. From what I understand, Meryl and Charlie sought advice and listened to advice from Indian musicians and choreographers for their program.

 

[Ic3Rabbit]

Volosozhar/Trankov won 2014 Olympic gold in pairs with a SP to Indian music. They skated to Nagada Sang Dhol by Siddharth-Garima.
Other than programs like: The Feeling Begins" skated to by Oksana Baiul, Evan Lysacek and others, and a slew of Arabian Nights/Aladdin programs. That's all I can think of other than the previously mentioned Bollywood program by Davis/White. There's another team that recently did a Bollywood program but I cannot think of who it is right now.
The next closest program/music would be the Egyptian Snake Charmer FD that Chock/Bates did a few seasons ago which included the following music:

• Yearning
  by Raul Ferrando
• Sahara Nights
  by DJ Quincy Ortz
• Layali Al Sharq
  performed by Al-Ahram Orchestra

As well as the Cleopatra themed program Kaetlyn Osmond used some years back competitively.

 

[Diana Delafield]

Do you want authentic Asian etc music by composers from those countries? Not music "in the style of"? I'm thinking of Madama Butterfly, or the modern version Miss Saigon, although I'd have to look up who has skated to those. (My partner and I used Butterfly, but you want someone more recognizable.) Elvis Stojko's 1994 Dragon freeskate comes to mind particularly.

 

[Flying Feijoa]

Denis Ten and Yuma Kagiyama 'Vocussion' is a good example too.

I wanna hear oud, tabla, gamelan etc sound from figure skating program.
Though there are some risk to be criticized for cultural appropiration.

I'd love a good oud or gamelan programme, so I hope choreographers are reading this thread

Yes, I think it has to be acknowledged that the choice of music is affected by skaters' demographic (e.g. East Asian by citizenship or descent choosing music as a homage to their heritage). The extra care that needs to be taken to skate to some 'other' culture's music without falling into the exoticism trap is possible like some of the examples shown, so it's understandable if skaters prefer not to risk this. We unfortunately don't have a lot of elite skaters actually from those countries whose music is currently underrepresented so the others are less likely to pick it... Also judges are a conservative bunch so there is an incentive to pick 'safer'/widely recognised choices.

 

[dorispulaski]

Alexander Abt skated to Artsakh by Ara Gevorgyan. He is an Armenian composer.

Alexander Abt on Reels

www.facebook.com

 

[Magill]

Here's from Yuzuru, an Asian himself, on using Asian music and on how important it was for him to win OGM with Seimei:
"I hope that this programme will become one that has a unique cultural meaning and that it will lead to an increase in use of songs like this..."
It has become unique, for sure, it has just reached 37 millions views on YT Olympic channel alone and is one of the most iconic programs ever. But has it really encouraged others to use more ethnic music rooted in their own cultural traditions? I wonder.

 

[surimi]

Michelle Kwan's 1994-95 short program music.

Yes, but that happened way before I started watching skating, so I don't remember

Also, speaking of Indian music other than Slumdog Millionaire, I recall Yuhana Yokoi's 'Kalandero' SP from her last competitive season. And Satoko's 'Egyptian Disco' for Arab music. And Loena Hendricx's Arab music program was really good, though I don't remember its name right now.
And there's woefully little South American music other than tangoes or sambas, like panpipes. Tomoe's, and years ago, young Kazuki Hasegawa's Sikuriadas stay in my memory for that reason as I really enjoy listening to this kind of music.

About cultural appropriation, I believe all kinds of ethnic/folk music deserve to be respected and performed with respect to the place of origin, be it Indian themes, Japanese music, or a polka. Which is one of the reasons why I didn't really enjoy some renditions, like Gubanova's take on Indian music, as I felt she wasn't making much of an effort. (I might be mistaken there, but that's for a native to say)

 

[lilimum]

I think appropriation can be countered by respect and by appropriate consultation with choreo. From what I understand, Meryl and Charlie sought advice and listened to advice from Indian musicians and choreographers for their program.

that is true for every kind of music. My favorite skating program is Javi's Malaguena. This is perfect not because Javi is spanish, it is because the choreographer is Antonio Najarro, every single movement is just Flamenco and with the music. Most other skating programs with Flamenco music I don*t like to much.

 

[dorispulaski]

We could use a folk dance themed rhythm dance/short dance again!