Show Me Your Favorite's Perfect Program

[Blades of Passion]

The number of quality pairs competing in 1994 was overwhelming. 4 great Russian teams + Brasseur/Eisler + Meno/Sand + Wotzel/Steuer + Kavarikova/Novotny...all of them World Champion quality during their careers.

 

[evangeline]

The number of quality pairs competing in 1994 was overwhelming. 4 great Russian teams + Brasseur/Eisler + Meno/Sand + Wotzel/Steuer + Kavarikova/Novotny...all of them World Champion quality during their careers.

Yeah, the quality of pairs skating in 1994 was insane, it's difficult to imagine that a performance like the one Mishkutenok/Dmitriev gave of their Rachmaninoff LP would merely win a silver.

Anyways, another favourites thread! Here are mine:

Berezhnaya/Sikharudlize, 2002 Olympics SP
Has there ever been a pairs SP more beautiful? It's insane that they didn't get straight first-place ordinals across the board with this.

Mishkutenok/Dmitriev, 1994 Olympics LP
The ending, when Dmitriev rips open his costume and makes that wild flying leap, epitomizes the passion and intensity of this pair. But then again, I love Artur Dmitriev--on any other skater I would probably find it tacky.

Alexander Abt, 2002 Europeans LP
As much as I love Yagudin, Abt totally deserved the 2002 European title.

Stephane Lambiel, 2007 Worlds LP
Not clean, but perfect. I think I've run out of superlatives to describe this amazing LP.

 

[prettykeys]

Berezhnaya/Sikharudlize, 2002 Olympics SP
Has there ever been a pairs SP more beautiful? It's insane that they didn't get straight first-place ordinals across the board with this.

My god, that is exquisite.

 

[reynycpr]

My favorite program from her; and the best she skated it:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jwrhKDcL_Vk

 

[EricRohmer]

...........................

I love your reaction for SkatingAnalyst's weird post.

 

[mousepotato]

I know its me and not them - but I never ever not ever got this pair... always preferred: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8kcEOSeU08c&feature=related

ITA, I never understood all the love for G/G, I liked the power and athleticism of B/I much better.

This was one of my favorites in men's skating!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bVxjtzZyhFA

 

[Kwanford Wife]

ITA, I never understood all the love for G/G, I liked the power and athleticism of B/I much better.

This was one of my favorites in men's skating!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bVxjtzZyhFA

Yeah - I like a little drama in my skating... Rudy always brought the passion. I have finally come to terms with the lack of passion in many of today's skaters and while its cooled my interest in the sport I keep hoping that the newbies will bring the fire sometime soon...

 

[skfan]

Confession--although I loved G/G, I loved this pair even more!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BlfAcHvCLvM

i like your choice, but if i may be permitted to take issue with the choice of the word 'confession' -- when you say 'confess' it's like it's somehow shameful to love M&D above G&G--it isn't, especially not in the 94 olympics long program.

 

[Layfan]

Almost perfect -- this made me a fan: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=buQXBXmjumU

Interesting choice and I can understand it

I love threads like this because I get to discover programs I'd never seen. Can you believe I'd never seen that performance of Tonya's? But like I've said, my first memory of watching figure skating was the 1992 Olympics and I can't even remember watching Tonya at those games, I'm embarrassed to say. Obviously, I was a very, very casual fan back then ... Any skates I've come to love from before have been videos.

Anyway, that SA performance was pretty exciting. Who choreographed it? They did a good job with Tonya's style. Too bad for all the scandal afterwards - and that her skating really went downhill.

At her most arrogant best: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QWQSoIEAxns

THE. BEST. PROGRAM. EVER! Many will try, but none will ever be better than this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ptj_tO7tIXg

The best part about Michelle is that it's hard to choose the best from all the clean and near-perfect programs she gave us Those are pretty good choices :thumbsup:

Same thing with Yuna. Her 2009 worlds SP and her two Olympic performances - the perfection is breathtaking.

These are some of my choices:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sI-cbt1u1uc

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kJNs1esR0_Y

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hKGasODrAcU

No skater is perfect but those three earned some pretty well-deserved 6.0s.

 

[shine]

Krylova & Ovsiannkov Carmen 98 Worlds
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-oFAnymw0YU&feature=related

Matt Savoie 2002 SP
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wr39_MaZ6v4
I miss him :no:

 

[gkelly]

Anyway, that SA performance was pretty exciting. Who choreographed it? They did a good job with Tonya's style.

I believe it was Barbara Flowers

Interesting -- it seems she came from a dance background and was a choreographer who learned to choreograph for skaters, rather than a skater herself.

 

[janetfan]

I believe it was Barbara Flowers

Interesting -- it seems she came from a dance background and was a choreographer who learned to choreograph for skaters, rather than a skater herself.

Do you see that as a bad thing? An "outsider" doing skating choreo......:think:
My feeling is that Lori and David might be doing too many programs and we see too much of the same style - I call it the "mini Yuna syndrome."

It is not really fair to compare Christina or MJ to Yuna - but we see such similar looking choreographic gestures that if is hard not to think of them as little Yuna clones at times. Some have even mentioned the same thing after watching Rippon skate.

No doubt a choreographer with a skating background can make the job of the coach alot easier since most of the choreo will have been conceived by a former skater.

But what about creativity and new ideas? Let's consider a good Dance choreographer working with a skater. What if some of the ideas do not translate so well or easily to skating? Isn't that something for the coach to consider since he/she knows his skater's abilities quite well?

I find it really strange that so many posts lament the use of yet another "Carmen," "Firebird" and other music that is used so often without ever hearing a peep about so much recycled choreography.

I am not a Dancer and don't pretend to have choreographic expertise. I do think part of the argument that the CoP has made too much of the skating look the same has much to do with the levels. But isn't it also possible some fresh new ideas for choreo and general presentation are needed?

 

[Olympia]

I do love Lori and David, but I see your point and largely agree, janetfan. Ways of moving that skating choreographers might not think of could come into the vocabulary from a dance choreographer. My favorite dance choreographer of skating programs is Lar Lubovich. He did a lovely program for Paul Wylie near the end of Paul's pro career, and he choreographed something for John Curry in a show years ago. Curry was famous for bringing in dance choreographers. On the other side of the coin, though, a dance choreographer might not realize how to tap the movement potential of skating moves, the change of poise on the edges, and so on. An example, again from Curry's influence, is a program Twyla Tharp made for him to Aaron Copland's "Fanfare for the Common Man." I found it a total yawn, especially considering the splendor of the music. So a dance choreographer can't just sail in and say "I know better than all of you skating hacks and am far more sublime and elevated." The choreographer has to learn a bit about how blades and gravity interact first. Unlike ballet, skaters can be on the move (pretty fast, too!) while holding a pose, and that's something dance choreographers must learn how to utilize.

Oh, and if we're talking perfect programs, I have to mention Kwan's two that stand out for me: her Nationals 1998 Lyra Angelica program, and her Worlds 2001 Song of the Black Swan program. The unity of music and movement were as good as it gets.

 

[SkatingAnalyst]

These are indelible performances in my memory.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8pKT4e9sjYI&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p_fvrG3f0fI
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pun-ZjqUOLA

It is strange...
Do they have any fans ?

 

[burntBREAD]

Do you see that as a bad thing? An "outsider" doing skating choreo......:think:
My feeling is that Lori and David might be doing too many programs and we see too much of the same style - I call it the "mini Yuna syndrome."

I really enjoy the programs Tom Dickson choreographs

 

[gkelly]

Do you see that as a bad thing? An "outsider" doing skating choreo......:think:

Not at all, as long as the skater and/or coach can make sure that the skating content and skating-specific choreographic issues are properly addressed and the choreographer can learn to do so.

Cross-fertilization of creative ideas is always good.

 

[dorispulaski]

Krylova & Ovsiannkov Carmen 98 Worlds
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-oFAnymw0YU&feature=related

I love that program! Their jive OD from that year was the best IMO, too.

 

[gopatrick]

My all time favourite~

0 jump in total, choreographed by his beautiful dancer wife
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1zOoV9QsjRQ

 

[Mathman]

About outside choreographers, Mark Ballas -- Kristi Yamaguchi's partner on Dancing with the Stars -- has had some recent forays into skating. I believe he choreographed one of Lysacek's numbers on the current SOI tour (Man in the Mirror), and he was also the lead choreographer on the Thin Ice competition last year.

 

[blue dog]

Do you see that as a bad thing? An "outsider" doing skating choreo......:think:
My feeling is that Lori and David might be doing too many programs and we see too much of the same style - I call it the "mini Yuna syndrome."

It is not really fair to compare Christina or MJ to Yuna - but we see such similar looking choreographic gestures that if is hard not to think of them as little Yuna clones at times. Some have even mentioned the same thing after watching Rippon skate.

No doubt a choreographer with a skating background can make the job of the coach alot easier since most of the choreo will have been conceived by a former skater.

But what about creativity and new ideas? Let's consider a good Dance choreographer working with a skater. What if some of the ideas do not translate so well or easily to skating? Isn't that something for the coach to consider since he/she knows his skater's abilities quite well?

I find it really strange that so many posts lament the use of yet another "Carmen," "Firebird" and other music that is used so often without ever hearing a peep about so much recycled choreography.

I am not a Dancer and don't pretend to have choreographic expertise. I do think part of the argument that the CoP has made too much of the skating look the same has much to do with the levels. But isn't it also possible some fresh new ideas for choreo and general presentation are needed?

I started another thread with this topic, since it is an interesting subject (to me).

http://www.goldenskate.com/forum/sh...skater-or-a-former-dancer&p=529666#post529666