Skaters whose ballet training has paid off
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Her lines are so exquisite.
I also feel that Yuna's new training in ballet might be paying off. I don't know if it is because of the recovery from the back injury or because of ballet or just because of better practices on the ice. In any case, her stretch in her spirals at SA was much better than before. When compared to two years ago, it was really so much better. She also points her toes more than before.
Two years ago, I could never get into her skating because of the lack of toe point and overall stretch. But these have become better and better during the last two years. They look a lot better this year (actually not really at COC, but at least at SA) and I am now her fan (better costumes and great programs that are right on her character also helped me turned into her fan).
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- Joined
- Mar 28, 2004
Patrick Chan does/did ballet too. He and Tessa Virtue first met at the National Ballet of Canada - a summer school I believe.
As for Czisny having good lines - I think they could be better. There's a lot of times where she's not pointing her toes fully and has a flat looking foot.
As for Czisny having good lines - I think they could be better. There's a lot of times where she's not pointing her toes fully and has a flat looking foot.
For how long/much?
- Joined
- Jul 11, 2003
And what if one competitor did a ballet-like performance and another did a flamenco-like performance and both did them well, would you find it difficult or easy to judge between the two and would you be biased in your preference?
Taking Ballet should get one a turned out knee and toe.
Taking Tap should get one good rhythm
Taking Jazz should get one some flair
Taking Acrobatics should get one better flexibility
Taking Flamenco should get one some emotion
For me, I just want a good performance of any style presented to me.
Taking Ballet should get one a turned out knee and toe.
Taking Tap should get one good rhythm
Taking Jazz should get one some flair
Taking Acrobatics should get one better flexibility
Taking Flamenco should get one some emotion
For me, I just want a good performance of any style presented to me.
Hm... in 2004, Tracy Wilson commented during their Nationals Free Dance that "The National Ballet of Canada were after [Tessa] a few years ago, but she chose skating over dancing on the floor". The 2003 Golden Skate article states that she's been doing ballet since she was 3, skating since she was 6, and, in the 2007 interview, she noted that she went to the National Ballet summer camp at the age of 9... hope this kind of clears up her history of ballet.
-Kypma
PS in January 2004, she'd have been 14
Thanks!
- Joined
- Dec 16, 2006
Shawn Sawyer does ballet as well.
Johnny Weir has actually never had any ballet (or other dance) training at all, although his elegance on the ice often makes people think he might have.
No wonder he has such beautiful lines and musicality!
Johnny is a real talent. He skates like a ballet dancer without any dance training, he picked up skating at 12 (when the top boys are already intermediate or novice) and advanced to senior level in four years.
Even though Johnny may not have dance training, he seems to be very artistic, which would have helped him a lot. I think that people who deeply appreciate the performing aspect of figure skating could pay better attention to the positions and moves of the body than those who do not care about it very much.
Likewise, I was surprised when I learned that Yukina Ota did not have as much ballet training or any other dance training as I had imagined. But as I hear and read her interviews, she seems to be a very artistic person. I guess that not only her ballet training, but also her aesthetic feeling and attention to details may have made her skating beautiful.
Nonetheless, I think taking ballet and other dance training helps really a lot. Even though you may have all the beautiful images in your mind, your body may not necessarily have the techniques and coordination to express them well. I think that receiving dance training helps you systematically learn a variety of positions and moves so that you have better vocabulary and skills to express your aesthetic feeling.
I think that those skaters who can dance beautifully without much dance training may be naturally gifted in using their bodies well.
Likewise, I was surprised when I learned that Yukina Ota did not have as much ballet training or any other dance training as I had imagined. But as I hear and read her interviews, she seems to be a very artistic person. I guess that not only her ballet training, but also her aesthetic feeling and attention to details may have made her skating beautiful.
Nonetheless, I think taking ballet and other dance training helps really a lot. Even though you may have all the beautiful images in your mind, your body may not necessarily have the techniques and coordination to express them well. I think that receiving dance training helps you systematically learn a variety of positions and moves so that you have better vocabulary and skills to express your aesthetic feeling.
I think that those skaters who can dance beautifully without much dance training may be naturally gifted in using their bodies well.
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- Joined
- Jul 11, 2003
You'll excuse me if I do not equate ballet with figure skating. They are two different forms of DANCE which have two different ways of movement.No wonder he has such beautiful lines and musicality!
Johnny is a real talent. He skates like a ballet dancer without any dance training, he picked up skating at 12 (when the top boys are already intermediate or novice) and advanced to senior level in four years.
Although I do not like the term ballet-like, I prefer it to just equating Ballet and Figure Skating as the same Dance. Beautiful lines and musicality are found in many national dances as well as in Acrobatics which was the first movement of Dance way back in the stone age.
Johnny Weir is a fine dancer on ice and I enjoy watching him skate, but he is no bailerino.
Skaters can only mimic ballet as they do other legitimate dances. I don't think of skating as an original. At least beyond the fact that it is performed on ice.
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I do not necessarily think that FS has established as a unique form/style of dance.
Yes, it is unique in that it is performed on the ice unlike other dances on the floor.
But FS as a dance is not unique in the way that ballet, jazz, and salsa are unique in their styles or forms of the movements and music genres. FS is wide open to various styles and forms as well as various music genres. FS is like an applied field to which you apply various styles/forms of other dances.
I also do not have an impression that it teaches you methodologies that help bodily positions and moves that express the music. Perhaps if you are a high-level skater, you would have a choreographer who specifically teaches you how to dance on the ice. For the majority of the practice time, however, we do not dance to the music on the ice. We usually learn skating skills and elements without the music (except for the background music at the rink). But if you are in a jazz, ballet, or salsa class, you would almost always have the music to dance to even when you are just doing the basic steps.
ETA: Ice dancing might be a bit an exception but I do not know much about it.
Yes, it is unique in that it is performed on the ice unlike other dances on the floor.
But FS as a dance is not unique in the way that ballet, jazz, and salsa are unique in their styles or forms of the movements and music genres. FS is wide open to various styles and forms as well as various music genres. FS is like an applied field to which you apply various styles/forms of other dances.
I also do not have an impression that it teaches you methodologies that help bodily positions and moves that express the music. Perhaps if you are a high-level skater, you would have a choreographer who specifically teaches you how to dance on the ice. For the majority of the practice time, however, we do not dance to the music on the ice. We usually learn skating skills and elements without the music (except for the background music at the rink). But if you are in a jazz, ballet, or salsa class, you would almost always have the music to dance to even when you are just doing the basic steps.
ETA: Ice dancing might be a bit an exception but I do not know much about it.
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- Joined
- Jul 11, 2003
^^^
From what I learned from this forum, is that Ice Dancing is NOT Ballroom Dancing, but the tempo of the music is the same as are certain stances, and poses. I think the one thing Figure Skating has as unique is its ability to FLOW over the hard ice floor whereas the dancers have to use many steps to give the illusion of flowing along the hard surface dance floor.
From what I learned from this forum, is that Ice Dancing is NOT Ballroom Dancing, but the tempo of the music is the same as are certain stances, and poses. I think the one thing Figure Skating has as unique is its ability to FLOW over the hard ice floor whereas the dancers have to use many steps to give the illusion of flowing along the hard surface dance floor.
that sounds to make better sense. yet, even though I am not familiar with ballet schools, i feel that any school recruiting a student still sounds an impressive situation. don't they audition their applicants?
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- Joined
- Nov 20, 2004
Yes, they do auditions. To get an invite to the national ballet school is quite an honour
I guess so! there are countless talented, hard-working young girls who do ballet.
