Top 3 Yuna Kim performances

[satine]

Due to indecisiveness, I will only list the programs (not specific performances) & they will be in alphabetical order

Short Programs:
Dance Macabre
James Bond
Kiss of the Vampire

Free Skate:
Adios Nonino
Les Mis
Piano Concerto

Exhibitions:
All of Me
El Tango de Roxanne (can't recall if this is identical to her SP, or if some changes were made, but regardless, she skated it better as she matured!)
Turandot

 

[NadezhdaNadya]

Speaking from an account mortally injured by the Sochi scandal and however briefly resucitated by Yuna's cauldron lighting:
It's gotta be Gershwin Concerto if we are talking about the crowning moment of a journey and the exuberant consensus and certainty of the figure skaring world that it has found its star, its Queen.
Adios Nonino is far superior though, as a program and performance. The difference is that Adios was skated by a lone gladiator in a hostile environment - not just before a hostile Russian crowd, but in a situation where, after a long hiatus from competitive circuit, the general fandom was suspicious of her intentions and motivations- and that she died there like Russell Crowe's Maximus.
When the dust settles - in 10-15 years from now maybe-, I think many more will appreciate Adios Nonino to its just value.

Well, it is not that surprising that she did not win the Olympics in 2014. There were other times when she deserved a better place on the podium. Like, for example, in 2007 World Championships and 2008 World Championships - I think she deserved better than the bronze medal. Even at the 2007 World Championships, when she fell 2 times in her FS, but otherwise her program was flawless and still so coherent; she skated so fast and so gracefully. In 2008 World Championships Carolina did so many mistakes in her FS - she almost fell 3 times and stopped the falling with her hand, had 1 two-foot landing and 3 very shaky landings, and yet was still placed above Yuna.

 

[GGFan]

wrong thread

 

[Imagine]

1. Danse Macabre
2. Bond
3. Gershwin

 

[Proxy]

Homage to Korea is her magnum opus. Les Miserables was the greatest competitive figure skate of all time. Gershwin Blue Dress long program will be the one most remembered.

She had so many top 3s but I don't think exhibitions or short programs can reach the same level as free skates. So I would choose those.

But Adios Nonino will always deserve special consideration because of how she performed. It was as clear as day that she was being cheated and could not win unless maybe she was impossibly flawless. And she went out there and did it anyway while the crowd was practically booing her to fall.

 

[jenm]

Oh man... only 3??? I love all of Yuna's programs. They were very diverse and that just showed how versatile she was as a performer.

But if I must choose, then:

SP:
Danse Macabre - an art in itself, a masterpiece. Best SP of all time. From the look she gave at the beginning and the pose at the end, it's all magnificent and on point.

Send in the Clowns - just. so. beautiful. This is Yuna at her prime if you ask me. It was seamless, graceful, powerful, artistic. The perfect combination of technique and artistry. It's all there. Should've been the WR then and I'm still bitter about it.

James Bond - iconic. The sass Yuna had in this program was through the roof. She didn't even need some over the top facial expressions to show her sassiness. She could do that with just a look and a sly smile. You know she's THE Queen when she gives you a flirty assassin in the short and a beautiful butterfly in the long. THAT is versatility.

LP:
Les Mis - I loved how the crowd in London was on their feet 20 seconds before the program ends. And that's how you know they've seen something legendary.

Gershwin - iconic. The definition of REGAL. Just everything was so smooth yet powerful. Her flying-off-the-frame 3Lz+3T was so amazing.

Homage - beautiful and unique. This is the program where my love for Yuna's upper body movement was cemented. She can convey the message of her program by just the move of her shoulders to her fingertips. And best use of spiral sequence!

Bonus: Adios Nonino. If skaters want to learn how to skate to the music, Adios Nonino is the best example of hitting ALL OF THE NOTES. It's also one of my faves and the fact that she skated great under that circumstance was beyond amazing. NERVES OF STEEL.

Bonus Gala: Meditation de Thais and Nessun Dorma

 

[Jeonghui Han]

FS
1. Les Misérables - 2013 World
2. Concerto in F - 2010 OG
3. Adiós Nonino - 2014 OG

SP
1. Danse Macabre - 2009 World
2. El Tango de Roxanne - 2007 World
3. James Bond Medley - 2010 OG

 

[chopinskate]

Purely choreographically

SP

1. Send in the Clowns
2. Roxanne
3. Giselle
4. Danse Macabre
5. Kiss of the Vampire
6. Die Fledermaus
7. James Bond

FS

1. The Lark Ascending
2. Homage to Korea
3. Adios Nonino
4. Piano Concerto in F
5. Les Miserables
6. Scheherezade
7. Miss Saigon


Meaning of the program: Most of Yuna's programs, especially beginning 2011, have some sort of meaning behind them, at least as far as I can tell. This is simply a ranking of my favourite "meaningful" programs.

SP
1. Send in the Clowns
2. Danse Macabre
3. Kiss of the Vampire

FS
1. Lark Ascending
2. Adios Nonino
3. Homage to Korea
4. Les Miserables

Based on Execution/artistic interpretation (a much deeper pool here, of course):

SP

1. OWG 14
2. W 2007
3. W 2013
4. W 2011
5. 4CC 2009

FS

1. W 2007
2. W 2013
3. OWG 2014
4. W 2011
5. OWG 2010



Special mention: Nessun Dorma EX.

 

[Eclair]

first go watch yuna's 2007 worlds SP to see her innate talent, musicality and maturity.

then go watch yuna's 2009 4cc Dance Macabre SP and her 2010 Olympic FS to get a feel for how much she improved.

then go watch yuan's Nessun Dorma EX, her last performance and see the pinnacle of her artistry.

 

[Proxy]

Piano Concerto in F when she won the gold medal will be the best because of the moment and what it meant and how exquisitely she skated. The result was the peak of her career.

But although it took place in a less important moment in time, Les Miserables was the peak performance of figure skating history. Not just Yuna, but of all ladies figure skating for all of time. If you lived 1,000 years from now and went back and looked at what people in our age liked to do for fun and sport and entertainment, you would find recordings of figure skating performances and you would never see a single one more perfect and astonishing than that skate in London in 2013.

 

[yyyskate]

If you lived 1,000 years from now and went back and looked at what people in our age liked to do for fun and sport and entertainment, you would find recordings of figure skating performances and you would never see a single one more perfect and astonishing than that skate in London in 2013.

OMG, you got me into tears, I was there!

Also honorable mention Yuna's EX Fever

 

[Mista Ekko]

Kim for me is an example of someone i missed during their career
Probably because i always watched her with clouded eyes due to my crush on Mao Asada

I remember watching Les mis at Worlds and thinking "well that's just undeniably amazing"
but still not ready to say it out loud so only while watching Adios Nonino at Olympics
was the veil lifted and i just really saw how amazing she is, Not just as an artist but as an athlete
competing there in that moment, in that predicament she was in, In that arena with that audience
and that Panel, And still just plain kicking ass and taking names

Afterwards i went back and watched a lot of her stuff again, And found a new appreciation for it
But i'll stick to:

Adios Nonino
Les Mis
Danse Macabre

 

[Miss Ice]

This is so hard, but I'll try

SP:
1. El Tango de Roxanne: the first program of hers I absolutely fell in love with <3
2. Danse Macabre: Absolute masterpiece.
3. James Bond: I love how sassy she is in this program.

FS:
1. Les Mis: This is definitely perfection if I've ever seen it.
2. Gershwin Rhapsody: The small little details and nuances, the softness and lightness that she brings with the chords of this music is unforgettable.
3. Adios Nonino: The elegance, charm, maturity and sheer style is unmatched. No one can pull of pure tango like her.

 

[sarama]

It's tough to choose but...
SP:
1. Danse Macabre (2008 SA and 2009 WC). To this day probably THE best ladies SP-
2. Roxanne (every time). In my mind that's where she earned her "Queen" nickname, so young and so fierce.
3. Send in the clown (Sochi): some people say Yuna got cold in her interpretation after her comeback. I disagree. She got more mature and more subtle, and especially in SITC there was such an honest vulnerability. She was wearing her heart on her sleeve, and it must not have come easy to her to expose herself that much. I stil get the chills every time I watch it.
FS:
1. Le Mis (2013 WC). Is it the most refined/original/artsy program ever? No. But there is something about the crescendo in the end, the pristine skating, the flawless jumps, everything worked in that program and she just looked untouchable. Not necessarily my favourite program, but probably my favourite FS performance
2. The lark ascending (2006 GPF). I love that program. I wish she had done something similar later in her career again. She looked so fragile and yet so strong. Stunning.
3. Gershwin (Vancouver). Once again the program could have been better (it was nothing special), but she owned every second of her Olympic performance, with her grace, her musicality, and her command on the ice.

Honourable mention: the lighting of the cauldron (Pyeongchang)... I thought it was coming, but it was 1000% better than I could have imagined.

 

[randomfan]

We’re dividing up into 3 for SP and 3 for FS? Alright then...

SP:
1. Send in the Clowns - This SP was such a different one for her. She had always skated to dramatic or fun music for the SP in previous years, so this was definitely a surprise. This program was truly magnificent and it’s too bad that we didn’t see it much.
2. Danse Macabre - This program has the popular title of “Fire on Ice”. I completely agree with it. The choreography is sharp but also musical, and she always looked to be having a blast performing it.
3. Kiss of the Vampire - Now this may be a surprise to many. I see a lot of people saying that this was one of her weaker programs, but I disagree. I thought that she interpreted the drama of the program very well, and there were also a couple of great moments, like the 2A (and that dress was fantastic ).

FS:
1. Adios Nonino - Along with SITC, I absolutely adored this program. It was a soft tango, but a very emotional and thoughtful one too. My favourite parts in the choreography were the 3F exit and both the step and choreo sequences. This was the perfect program for her departure.
2. Gershwin Piano Concerto - I remember her Olympic performance being one of the first programs I’ve ever watched. She sailed along the program with such ease and grace. Honestly, the choreography was not that special IMO, but the way she presented it was what made it glorious.
3. The Lark Ascending - This program is proof that Yuna was an arist even in her teenager days. The choreography was very detailed and expressed the softness of the music well. I found this one to be one of her most imaginative programs.
HM: Homage to Korea - And this is the other most imaginative program. This is true art and innovation. The message was beautiful, and I remember Yuna saying it was a thank-you gift to her supporters. I love this program so much that I wanted to put it as 1st on my list, but since we only saw her perform this once, I found it difficult to compare this with her other ones.

As for Les Mis, I honestly did not find it to be that great. I know that there are many, MANY people who disagree with me.... Like I said before, the Piano Concerto’s choreography wasn’t all that special, but the way she performed it was what made the program come alive. For Les Mis, this didn’t happen - the choreography didn’t seem like much AND I felt that the spark was completely missing. In the end I was not wowed by the program itself. To be fair however, her 2013 Worlds performance was phenomenal, and got her the well-deserved World title. And of course the program is nothing close to terrible; there are some beautiful moments throughout. Just not my cup of tea, but I guess that’s just my opinion (don’t attack me!).

 

[Imagine]

As for Les Mis, I honestly did not find it to be that great. I know that there are many, MANY people who disagree with me.... Like I said before, the Piano Concerto’s choreography wasn’t all that special, but the way she performed it was what made the program come alive. For Les Mis, this didn’t happen - the choreography didn’t seem like much AND I felt that the spark was completely missing. In the end I was not wowed by the program itself. To be fair however, her 2013 Worlds performance was phenomenal, and got her the well-deserved World title. And of course the program is nothing close to terrible; there are some beautiful moments throughout. Just not my cup of tea, but I guess that’s just my opinion (don’t attack me!).

Well, that makes two of us I guess. But I also didn’t like her Sochi season programs either so...feel free to burn me at the stake.

 

[draqq]

All my picks have already been chosen multiple times, so I'll just point out a few of Kim favorites of mine that aren't mentioned are a whole lot:

- Her free program at the Junior Grand Prix Budapest in 2004, where she landed a 3Lo and showed that was a talent at a very young age:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E-HhywydxrY&index=9&list=PLJcuJHP5CBDTk12PjpHeF9mCNmTeTeb1v

- Her Cup of Russia performance of Miss Saigon which is in my book her best take on the program:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=56sSabyOq24&list=PLJcuJHP5CBDTk12PjpHeF9mCNmTeTeb1v&index=28

 

[NadezhdaNadya]

I am surprised that not so many people like Scheherazade. Why? It is a masterpiece!

 

[TunaKeem]

Send in the Clowns is my favorite SP ever. So delicate, soft and effortless.

Adios Nonino is my favorite FS ever. I think this FS is the epitome of her interpretation, choreography and performance. There is nothing overtly showy about this, it is just like seeing a story unfold on ice.

I just re-read my post and am noticing that I am gag-worthy right now. I sometimes read these types of comments and roll my eyes and can't believe I wrote something to that tune but I'll post it because it is how I really feel haha.