What programs do you recommend for new fans?

[maofan]

Everything Hanyu, Jason Brown, Virtue and Moir and then:

Daisuke's "Blues for Klook" from 2012 World Figure Skating Championships,
Mao Asada's Sergei Rachmaninoff’ piano concerto no 2 from Sochi Olympics,
Yuna Kim's "Send in the Clowns" from Sochi Olympics

Kurt Browning’s "Nyah" - 2001 World Ice Challenge
Shae-Lynn Bourne and Victor Kraatz’s "Riverdance" from 1998 Nagano Olympics
Isabelle and Paul Duchesnay's "Missing" from 1990 World Figure Skating Championships

...and many, many more, but all of the above seem to hold attention for more than a nanosecond from my friends and family!

 

[TontoK]

I think I might go in a slightly different direction, and that is to steer them towards skaters they'll see competing this year, and almost certainly at the upcoming Games.

I'd start with Ilia's first World Championship win. Then I'd show Yuma's masterpiece debut of Turandot. It would be two powerhouse skaters with different styles and different strengths, delivering them in the best way possible - and they're going to be duking it out for Olympic gold. Who do they like best? How will their seasons go? Which one will win? I can't wait to find this out for myself!

 

[Jeanie19]

I think I might go in a slightly different direction, and that is to steer them towards skaters they'll see competing this year, and almost certainly at the upcoming Games.

I'd start with Ilia's first World Championship win. Then I'd show Yuma's masterpiece debut of Turandot. It would be two powerhouse skaters with different styles and different strengths, delivering them in the best way possible - and they're going to be duking it out for Olympic gold. Who do they like best? How will their seasons go? Which one will win? I can't wait to find this out for myself!

Who do you pick for women duking it out?

 

[TontoK]

Who do you pick for women duking it out?

That's way too unpredictable right now, at least for me. I'm not sure the Olympic winner is going to be a woman on anyone's short list right now. The men... you can probably pick four men and say with some confidence that one of them will win the Olympics. The women? Who knows.

 

[Ruthypegs]

Many of my friends are classical musicians so I often go with programs featuring beautiful music, not awful music cuts and good interpretation of said music.

Ice dance, I recommend Virtue and Moir's Mahler 5th from the 2010 Olympics.



And for Chopin lovers, the best program is by far Patrick's 4CC, so that's the one I recommend.

Oh wow - the Virtue Moir programme had me in tears - just beautiful - and they make it look effortless.

I agree about Patrick's 4CC Chopin programme - I shared this with a friend previously - her response: "amazing - now I know why you follow figure skating."

 

[Cabguy]

Caroline Green / Michael Parsons Free Dance from 2022 Four Continents . Year later, I am still awestruck every time I watch it

 

[Ruthypegs]

Jason Brown's "Riverdance" from 2014 US Nationals!

that's the very programme that got me hooked on skating!

 

[ladyjane]

Jason Brown's "Riverdance" from 2014 US Nationals!

I love that one too! It's also great to show someone who doesn't know anything. Here's the Olympic version:


He looks so young!

 

[AlexBreeze]

I've shown multiple programs from different years to my friend who's not interested in any sport (we were discussing art and somehow ended up there).

He really liked Yagudin's Winter and Bourne/Kraatz's Riverdance.

 

[4everchan]

Oh wow - the Virtue Moir programme had me in tears - just beautiful - and they make it look effortless.

I agree about Patrick's 4CC Chopin programme - I shared this with a friend previously - her response "amazing - now I know why you follow figure skating."

Same here with Patrick's Chopin. I showed this program to many of my friends and they were all thrilled and really focused on how he moved exactly with the musical flourishes and timing. It's just special. And yes, the Mahler is probably the ice dance program i have watched the most often in my life, and let's be clear, it's not an easy piece to skate to but they make it with such ease. Young kids at the peak of their art and youth already in 2010.

 

[4everchan]

I've shown multiple programs from different years to my friend who's not interested in any sport (we were discussing art and somehow ended up there).

He really liked Yagudin's Winter and Bourne/Kraatz's Riverdance.

Those used to be my go to before I replaced them with those I posted. They also are indeed fabulous to show for non-skating fans.

 

[AlexBreeze]

A lot of depends on individual preferences too. A K-pop fan might like a K-pop program (and there are people who ended up watching FS because of that).

 

[ladyjane]

I've shown multiple programs from different years to my friend who's not interested in any sport (we were discussing art and somehow ended up there).

He really liked Yagudin's Winter and Bourne/Kraatz's Riverdance.

Well..@AlexBreeze, these are great. So I looked them up for us to enjoy (even if we know them well already!):


and

 

[Ic3Rabbit]

Robin Cousins "The Impossible Dream"




Paul Wylie "JFK"

 

[Ic3Rabbit]

Kurt Browning; "Ding Dong Daddy"




Jeremy Abbott "Exogenesis Pt 3" The Originator of this song in skating. And the best.



Also:
Patrick Chan "Take Five"
Elladj Balde "Be Your Change"
Keegan Messing "Home"
Nathan Chen "Nemesis"
Jason Brown "I Can't Go On Without You"
Brian Boitano "Don't Cry"
Javier Fernandez "Guys & Dolls"
Adam Rippon "Arrival of the Birds/Exodus/O-Fly On"

 

[sworddance21]

Oh, I have also used Matt Savour's The Mission. Stunning, character drive piece.

 

[Ic3Rabbit]

Virtue/Moir "Kiss/5 Women/Purple Rain"


Kerr/Kerr "Krwling" FD


Also,
Gilles/Poirier: "Hitchcock" and "Evita"
Hubbell/Donohue: Janet Jackson RD, "Caught Out in the Rain" FD
Lang/Tchernyshev: "Still Loving You" FD
Roca/Sur "House of the Rising Sun"

 

[CanadianSkaterGuy]

Ones I enjoy from time to time:
Chan’s 4CC
Chen’s Olympic FS Rocketman
Hanyu’s Seimei from TEB
Virtue and Moir’s 2018 Olympic FD
Malinin’s FS from the last two Worlds
Kim’s 2010 programs
Kostner’s Ave Maria
Kwan’s Scheherezade
Bourne/Kraatz Riverdance

Jason Brown's "Riverdance" from 2014 US Nationals!

Buuuuut this is my #1, 1000000000%.

Always my first go-to when someone asks me to show them a figure skating program. Just iconic.

 

[meem]

My favorite is Kwan skating to East of Eden for the choreography. Her hand & arm movements are so much a part of the program, showing how figure skating was created to be entertaining as well as athletic (MK's change edge spiral is perfecto). Davis & White's Bollywood is not only a well interpreted Indian dance on ice but it also showed the lengths these two went to ensure its authenticity. I'm torn between Jason's Riverdance & Sinnerman.

 

[Iceangel1960]

Javier Fernández Guys and Dolls Worlds 2016. My dad wasn’t a skating fan but he enjoyed this program as he liked Frank Sinatra. Javi was brilliant