Also, if I'm correct in guessing here, I think the issue with the term "package" isn't necessarily what the term means in the context of figure skating, so much as what else the actual word elicits when we're talking about skaters.
I'm sort of thinking as I'm typing so I'm not sure if any of this will make sense, and I may ramble a bit but stay with me here.
Maybe "package" turns people off because it also elicits other feelings about perceptions in this sport of gender roles and expectations of what makes a woman and what makes a man on the ice? And maybe a lot of those feelings are subconsciously felt? This question of packaging arose yet again when we were talking about Gracie. Who seems to be getting what for this conversation I'll call the "The Kwan Treatment". Classical music, emotive gestures, and grand feelings. Something Michelle understood innately and when Frank and Lori were ready to put that on her it just worked. And it might not have. But it worked so extraordinarily well it became Michelle's calling card, along with an iconic inside/outside spiral, and a penchant for oft not used music choices and concepts that required a whole season to truly marinate. It was true opus.
This also happened to be in line with Frank and Lori's own tastes - but as far as American skaters are concerned, I feel this became the new standard. To be sure there were many before Michelle that had these qualities. Peggy, Dorothy, Janet. But we also had the unique experience of watching Michelle become this woman. It was a total transformation unlike anything I think the sport had seen and frankly the closest anyone has done to it since in such a drastic way was Angela Nikodinov in 2001, and that was Michelle's contemporary. I think too often the feeling has been, Frank did it for Michelle so why not with this skater too. Look at Kimmie Meissner. She wanted a more mature look so she played Cleopatra. Sure she became world champion that year, but I doubt anyone felt there was this great transformation.
It did happen slowly over time with Carolina, and to a degree I would argue John Nicks helped Ashley reach her full potential and "packaging" that worked for her, but it wasn't this sort if flip of a switch that felt like happened with Michelle.
For many, this, "The Kwan", is the ideal. What a "well packaged lady" looks like on the ice. The truth is, when you step back from it, Michelle's Salome might have been just as contrived as Gracie's programs often feel, (to me anyway) Lori and Frank just struck gold and found a true artist/athlete who understood everything they were saying. Maybe I'm being unfair to Lori, but I feel I've seen enough of her work to get a sense of she knows what she likes and if it sticks on a skater great and if not... oh well. Luckily her and Michelle clicked. Her and Carolina clicked. I'm not sure her and Evan clicked, but I feel Evan definitely trusted her and possibly willed that relationship to work.
And I think that's the thing. So much of this packaging feels contrived to me. It's why I have such a hard time watching Elena's free this year, and I LOVE her. The program is impressive, and she sells it, but it's not authentically her. But then here lies a problem now. If that's not the right "packaging" for Elena what is? How do we sell her? And what a startling question to ask. It feels misogynistic and a little morally bankrupt. The intention isn't. But that statement kind of is.
Maybe we shouldn't be asking, what she packaged well? Is his presentation strong? Rather, does this feel authentic? Am I seeing their truest self? To be sure a skater can lose them self in a character, but if they connect to it, and the intentions are true - you are getting a glimpse into their sole. That's why Alena's Chaplin is so charming to me. Or while Irina's Tosca and Carmen never quite sang, her Wonderland was this breath of fresh air. Once you got past her dealing a tarot deck (OY!) you got saw this woman skating freely and open heartedly and it made me want to be on the ice with her. And I was a die hard Michelle fan (still am
).
And now here's another thing. I think in figure skating, it's very easy to forget that the human experience is an entire spectrum. For the men I think we have an easier time accepting that, and I don't want to hijack this thread to a new topic, but with men there are more skaters who are openly queer, and also figure skating calls for the use of music and costume and has qualities about it inherently that I think our society innately labels as feminine. That does not mean a male skater is emasculated or not able to show his full masculine self by virtue of being a skater (there are many many wonderful programs that show the contrary :thumbsup: ) but I think it does mean as a society we are prepared to view a larger spectrum of styles and energies that we aren't as prepared or challenged to see with the women. Note: it is was during Jason Brown's skate that Sandra made the wonderful quote, that I think should be on USFSA's site "What's exciting about figure skating is it accepts all kinds, there's room for all kinds, there's room for the entertainer and the artist and the athlete." But you don't hear them talk like that about the ladies.
The closest to discussion like that for ladies in my mind was when Johnny used the contrast of styles as a veil for the shade throwing he did at Liza at Skate America this year.
And I think Liza is actually one of the more inspiring women out there when you talk about skating. I'll go out on a limb here, and posit that one of the reasons people have such issues with her look and music this year is because she doesn't fit in the boxes that I think "packaging" implies. She's not wearing a dress. She's not wearing a jump suit. She's not a character in drag. Her programs are fast and powerful, and yet there's something undeniably sexy and feminine about her skating and the programs. They kind of defy the standard categorization and I think, subconsciously or not, that makes some people uncomfortable. For me, she's thrilling to watch this season because I feel like I'm seeing the most authentic version of herself.
I think that's why Johnny left a lot of people uncomfortable in his time, but also created this die hard fan base. Some didn't know how to categorize him, and others recognized the his experience and connected to his true sense of expression. 2006/2010 isn't that long ago but the climate in America and in the world towards gender roles has evolved in subtle and large ways quite a deal since then.
SO
This is all a very long winded but I think my THESIS is - The word "packaging" is problematic because it is both outdated while also saying too much and yet not enough. It has served a purpose to be sure, and has been very helpful over the years in identifying what why this skater might win over the next. However, it represents a time when gender roles were much stricter and the definition of "packaging" in skating was far more finite. And on a deeper level, there's something sort of Corporate Capitalist about it like you're able to just shop for the right packaging. All you need is a Lori Nichol program and a Vera Wang dress with Frank's polish and suddenly you're packaged well. And the truth is, that's just surface, that makes it outdated.
It says too much and not enough by being a de facto term used by people when really they're talking about presence, posture, skating skills. Because it's taken on too many meanings it has sort of lost its meaning, yet it's a term we all know too well and are comfortable working with.
To say is skater is packaged well is like saying a skater is interesting. We might be able to agree or understand why one is saying that, but it doesn't really help the conversation does it? It doesn't get to the specifics of ones own personal thoughts. It allows us to avoid really talking about someone, which oddly enough is what "packaging" has allowed choreographers and coaches to do. They can "package" someone rather than understand them. On a certain level I get it. This skater has spent thousands of dollars investing in you and your ideas for a whole season and gosh darn if you "package" them wrong, if you can't "sell" them to the judges there's going to be emotional and financial let down on a large scale. Once you find a formula, and you are lucrative it's hard to take risks again. Willingly step out of your comfort zone - especially when so often that person you're trying to step beyond with, is only a teenager ! !
But man, I didn't start typing all this thinking I wanted to stop using the term packaging... but now I think I do. Who needs it? Not me.
I'm sort of thinking as I'm typing so I'm not sure if any of this will make sense, and I may ramble a bit but stay with me here.
Maybe "package" turns people off because it also elicits other feelings about perceptions in this sport of gender roles and expectations of what makes a woman and what makes a man on the ice? And maybe a lot of those feelings are subconsciously felt? This question of packaging arose yet again when we were talking about Gracie. Who seems to be getting what for this conversation I'll call the "The Kwan Treatment". Classical music, emotive gestures, and grand feelings. Something Michelle understood innately and when Frank and Lori were ready to put that on her it just worked. And it might not have. But it worked so extraordinarily well it became Michelle's calling card, along with an iconic inside/outside spiral, and a penchant for oft not used music choices and concepts that required a whole season to truly marinate. It was true opus.
This also happened to be in line with Frank and Lori's own tastes - but as far as American skaters are concerned, I feel this became the new standard. To be sure there were many before Michelle that had these qualities. Peggy, Dorothy, Janet. But we also had the unique experience of watching Michelle become this woman. It was a total transformation unlike anything I think the sport had seen and frankly the closest anyone has done to it since in such a drastic way was Angela Nikodinov in 2001, and that was Michelle's contemporary. I think too often the feeling has been, Frank did it for Michelle so why not with this skater too. Look at Kimmie Meissner. She wanted a more mature look so she played Cleopatra. Sure she became world champion that year, but I doubt anyone felt there was this great transformation.
It did happen slowly over time with Carolina, and to a degree I would argue John Nicks helped Ashley reach her full potential and "packaging" that worked for her, but it wasn't this sort if flip of a switch that felt like happened with Michelle.
For many, this, "The Kwan", is the ideal. What a "well packaged lady" looks like on the ice. The truth is, when you step back from it, Michelle's Salome might have been just as contrived as Gracie's programs often feel, (to me anyway) Lori and Frank just struck gold and found a true artist/athlete who understood everything they were saying. Maybe I'm being unfair to Lori, but I feel I've seen enough of her work to get a sense of she knows what she likes and if it sticks on a skater great and if not... oh well. Luckily her and Michelle clicked. Her and Carolina clicked. I'm not sure her and Evan clicked, but I feel Evan definitely trusted her and possibly willed that relationship to work.
And I think that's the thing. So much of this packaging feels contrived to me. It's why I have such a hard time watching Elena's free this year, and I LOVE her. The program is impressive, and she sells it, but it's not authentically her. But then here lies a problem now. If that's not the right "packaging" for Elena what is? How do we sell her? And what a startling question to ask. It feels misogynistic and a little morally bankrupt. The intention isn't. But that statement kind of is.
Maybe we shouldn't be asking, what she packaged well? Is his presentation strong? Rather, does this feel authentic? Am I seeing their truest self? To be sure a skater can lose them self in a character, but if they connect to it, and the intentions are true - you are getting a glimpse into their sole. That's why Alena's Chaplin is so charming to me. Or while Irina's Tosca and Carmen never quite sang, her Wonderland was this breath of fresh air. Once you got past her dealing a tarot deck (OY!) you got saw this woman skating freely and open heartedly and it made me want to be on the ice with her. And I was a die hard Michelle fan (still am
). And now here's another thing. I think in figure skating, it's very easy to forget that the human experience is an entire spectrum. For the men I think we have an easier time accepting that, and I don't want to hijack this thread to a new topic, but with men there are more skaters who are openly queer, and also figure skating calls for the use of music and costume and has qualities about it inherently that I think our society innately labels as feminine. That does not mean a male skater is emasculated or not able to show his full masculine self by virtue of being a skater (there are many many wonderful programs that show the contrary :thumbsup: ) but I think it does mean as a society we are prepared to view a larger spectrum of styles and energies that we aren't as prepared or challenged to see with the women. Note: it is was during Jason Brown's skate that Sandra made the wonderful quote, that I think should be on USFSA's site "What's exciting about figure skating is it accepts all kinds, there's room for all kinds, there's room for the entertainer and the artist and the athlete." But you don't hear them talk like that about the ladies.
The closest to discussion like that for ladies in my mind was when Johnny used the contrast of styles as a veil for the shade throwing he did at Liza at Skate America this year.
And I think Liza is actually one of the more inspiring women out there when you talk about skating. I'll go out on a limb here, and posit that one of the reasons people have such issues with her look and music this year is because she doesn't fit in the boxes that I think "packaging" implies. She's not wearing a dress. She's not wearing a jump suit. She's not a character in drag. Her programs are fast and powerful, and yet there's something undeniably sexy and feminine about her skating and the programs. They kind of defy the standard categorization and I think, subconsciously or not, that makes some people uncomfortable. For me, she's thrilling to watch this season because I feel like I'm seeing the most authentic version of herself.
I think that's why Johnny left a lot of people uncomfortable in his time, but also created this die hard fan base. Some didn't know how to categorize him, and others recognized the his experience and connected to his true sense of expression. 2006/2010 isn't that long ago but the climate in America and in the world towards gender roles has evolved in subtle and large ways quite a deal since then.
SO
This is all a very long winded but I think my THESIS is - The word "packaging" is problematic because it is both outdated while also saying too much and yet not enough. It has served a purpose to be sure, and has been very helpful over the years in identifying what why this skater might win over the next. However, it represents a time when gender roles were much stricter and the definition of "packaging" in skating was far more finite. And on a deeper level, there's something sort of Corporate Capitalist about it like you're able to just shop for the right packaging. All you need is a Lori Nichol program and a Vera Wang dress with Frank's polish and suddenly you're packaged well. And the truth is, that's just surface, that makes it outdated.
It says too much and not enough by being a de facto term used by people when really they're talking about presence, posture, skating skills. Because it's taken on too many meanings it has sort of lost its meaning, yet it's a term we all know too well and are comfortable working with.
To say is skater is packaged well is like saying a skater is interesting. We might be able to agree or understand why one is saying that, but it doesn't really help the conversation does it? It doesn't get to the specifics of ones own personal thoughts. It allows us to avoid really talking about someone, which oddly enough is what "packaging" has allowed choreographers and coaches to do. They can "package" someone rather than understand them. On a certain level I get it. This skater has spent thousands of dollars investing in you and your ideas for a whole season and gosh darn if you "package" them wrong, if you can't "sell" them to the judges there's going to be emotional and financial let down on a large scale. Once you find a formula, and you are lucrative it's hard to take risks again. Willingly step out of your comfort zone - especially when so often that person you're trying to step beyond with, is only a teenager ! !
But man, I didn't start typing all this thinking I wanted to stop using the term packaging... but now I think I do. Who needs it? Not me.
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