The quality of the program

[emma]

In the 2000-2001 season Michelle broke out of the mold with two new programs by choreographers that she had never worked with before. Her short was Rush (Eric Clapton) choreographed by Christopher Dean and her long was The Miraculous Mandarin choreographed by Peter
Oppegard (later her brother-in-law ).

Both the music and the choreography were a departure from vintage Michelle. But the programs were not well received by the judges in the early part of the season (at least Michelle thought so). So she tossed those two programs and went back to Lori for Song of the Black Swan (I don't think Michelle ever liked this music -- she seemed to fight it), and another go-round with East of Eden.

This was another "Michelle moment" that I didn't understand. I thought Rush and MM were both very good programs and interesting (i really thought, oh we are getting a whole new kwan), and was disapointed when she let them go early. Now, EoE is one of my all time favs, so I could watch that forever, and I also liked SoBS (and perhaps you are right MM, I would have said she never fully got comfortable with it, but maybe she was fighting it). But my point here is I just didn't understand why she let them go - it seemed like it had to be more than 'the judges didn't like it,' perhaps it was as simple as that...but could it have to do with versatility as Joe asked?

 

[Mathman]

Michelle was versatile enough, as her few performances of Rush and the Magic Mandarin amply demonstrate. But I think there might have been a feeling in the Kwan camp of, "if it's not broke, don't fix it."

Michelle had won three world championships skating in a certain style and using the same choreographic ideas (however, the details of the choreography were, IMHO, quite unique and interesting during that period). I remember reading at the time that the judges did give some negative feedback to Frank Carroll along the lines of, well, it's interesting, but it's not quite what we have come to expect from your girl.

I have always wondered if issues of this sort played a role in the break-up of the Michelle-Frank-Lori team. Certainly the 2002-03 season, with Aranjuez (a program that Michelle choreographed in substantial part herself) we saw a new in-your-face, how-do-you-like-THEM-apples side of Michelle.

(About East of Eden, the 1998-99 exhibition program, especially the Washington, D.C., pro-am performance, was the absolute pinacle of the Michelle Kwan experience. But by the time she recycled it yet again for the 2000-01 SP, I thought she went to the well once too often. JMO.)

 

[Dodhiyel]

This has been a most interesting thread. Thank you all.

I remember when MK stopped using Lori Nichol. It just did not seem to work; I heard comments to that effect from an ordinary skating fan, so it was not the judges alone who "didn't like it". Lori knew what looked good on MK, I think, and in those days, presentation was key. The overall aesthetic impression had a huge influence on the final outcome of the judging.

I remember reading long ago about two movie stars, how one stayed with the same cinematography/lighting team, while the other did not, and the author felt that had a negative impact on the latter's career. Perhaps there is an analogy there.

 

[emma]

Michelle was versatile enough, as her few performances of Rush and the Magic Mandarin amply demonstrate. But I think there might have been a feeling in the Kwan camp of, "if it's not broke, don't fix it."

Michelle had won three world championships skating in a certain style and using the same choreographic ideas (however, the details of the choreography were, IMHO, quite unique and interesting during that period). I remember reading at the time that the judges did give some negative feedback to Frank Carroll along the lines of, well, it's interesting, but it's not quite what we have come to expect from your girl.

I have always wondered if issues of this sort played a role in the break-up of the Michelle-Frank-Lori team. Certainly the 2002-03 season, with Aranjuez (a program that Michelle choreographed in substantial part herself) we saw a new in-your-face, how-do-you-like-THEM-apples side of Michelle.

(About East of Eden, the 1998-99 exhibition program, especially the Washington, D.C., pro-am performance, was the absolute pinacle of the Michelle Kwan experience. But by the time she recycled it yet again for the 2000-01 SP, I thought she went to the well once too often. JMO.)

I never considered this -- that part of the break up might have had roots in the team decisions to change 'back' to the winning forumla. Interesting. I also don't remember reading anything about why she switched away from those programs, so it is interesting to me that there was commentary on the judges feedback at the time (I must have been busy that season, LOL).

I totally agree about Aranjuez, and I loved it. Of course, recycling the same exact choreography the next season left me feeling deprived, yet, she skated so well I couldn't help but enjoy.

About EoE: I totally agree that that exhibition performance was amazing. I still watch it on my computer when I need to be awed or moved (which is more often than I care to admit). I also agree that it got to be too recycled - yet, I could appreciate its beauty none the less. I really always admire when skaters have two new programs every year; I just think it must be harder to master the new than to perfect the old. However, there are a few skaters that, for me, are so spectacular that I could watch them do the same thing forever, and again for me, Kwan is/was really one of those skaters.

So, about going to the well again, I'm just curious what you thought about Kwan reusing Rach for the 2002 Olympics. I admit that I thought it was brilliant in 98' and could see reusing it (and for comparison, I have already imagined that Weir resurrects his Swan for the 2010 O's). But I remember very clearly getting a sinking feeling when I learned this - thinking, she is scrambling for something elusive (that 'it') and not finding it.

 

[Joesitz (RIP)]

So, about going to the well again, I'm just curious what you thought about Kwan reusing Rach for the 2002 Olympics. I admit that I thought it was brilliant in 98' and could see reusing it (and for comparison, I have already imagined that Weir resurrects his Swan for the 2010 O's). But I remember very clearly getting a sinking feeling when I learned this - thinking, she is scrambling for something elusive (that 'it') and not finding i

It's difficult for me to think of Kwan with those injuries and with which she continued skating until Torino.

I don't know what the camp had planned other than to disregard the injuries until all the contractual arrangements had been fulfilled.

Joe

 

[Mathman]

So, about going to the well again, I'm just curious what you thought about Kwan reusing Rach for the 2002 Olympics.

At the time I thought that she wanted to put all her creative juices into her Scheherazade LP.

Sort of, "you can't win the contest in the SP, but you can lose it." By going with her bread-and-butter she was making sure that she didn't "lose it."

Looking back from a longer perspective, I think she was doing the best she could to cope with everything that was going on in her life and in her mind, and by going with the tried and true Rach she at least had one less thing to worry about (bless her heart ).