Why are Mao and YuNa unable to show facial expressions? | Page 2 | Golden Skate

Why are Mao and YuNa unable to show facial expressions?

 
facial expressions?

Jeffrey Buttle of Canada has the best and cutest facial expressions of the skaters. I wish more would be like jeff. ;)
 
For me, I just don't want to see the nervousness on skaters' face. That deer in the light look, not charming at all, and when it's my favorite skater, my heart beat raises fast in fear one might make a mistake or fall on jumps, totally tearing out the mood.
 
The musicality throughout Kim's body more than makes up for her lack of facial expression IMO. However, she is young and in a few years I expect her to be much more expressive. She’s one of the best at combining technical and artistic qualities of figure skating IMO:yes:
 
minju said:
Haha, I'm Korean woman but if your brother did it same at Korea,
then he just hear something like that "Dammit, do it yourself"
Things are changed a lot ;) But if your brother is a senior, then it'll be..okay?
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I am a Korean man. Yeah!! Things change rapidly. Good old days are gone!!
I don't think any young Korean man thinks he has a priority over woman.


BTW, YuNa shows wondeful facial expression in her sp this season.
 
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Joesitz said:
^ How important do you think facial expression is in being in character with the music which is included in the PCS scores.

Joe
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EXTREMELY IMPORTANT. I don't understand why judges take it into consideration only for Yu-Na.

Interpretaion (for me)= appropriate body movements and intensity of them to the music + appropriate facial expressions
 
sorcerer said:
If one wants to be healthy, one must take less salt in his meals. When he gets used to it, his tongue becomes more sensitive, and he will find that what he used to eat had TOO MUCH TASTE.
If one only use vivid colors in his paintings, he may eventually lose his sensitivity to delicate hues.
If one has lived a life watching only soap opera, he may find arty films boring. He's wrong, it's not the cinematic art lacking stimulation, it's him that has lost sensitivity.

Figure skating is an elegant sport. Facial expressions should be kept within the limit of elegance.
Over-expression is often cheap.

My personal taste says that many skaters have facial expressions WAY beyond the limit of elegance suited to this sport. ...But taste varies, so it may only be me. :)

To me Mathman is right, less is more.
Delicacy is the key to elegance, IMO.
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I agree that less is more. i said other times that I really don't like when girls open and close their mouths (i.e. yuna a lot of times, sarah meier, and basically all ice dancers). But I also don't like when girls like Mao or Shizuka seem to have their faces detached from their body...They are perfectly able to convey the music though their body, but the face is just the exact same all the time....uhm...
How is that possible? If the feeling for the music comes from your soul, it should be automatic to do both...
But maybe this is just a "skaters" thing. I probably don't understand this since I have a background in old-school rhythmic gymnastics and dance, so I guess when I give emotions through my body it's authomatic for me to give them through my face.
It must be a concentration issue for some, and for some others they are just not able to interpret in my opinion...
 
I just hate over-done facial expressions. I definitely prefer blank face despite being an European...

I can't stand Meier and Buttle just bacause how they use their face. Terrible. Ofcourse you have to look fierce in fierce program and happy in happy program, but I really don't need any parody...
 
I attended US nationals and I observed facial expressions on many skaters. Even some experienced skaters lost their expression when a big jump was their next move. Concentration takes over! It doesn't really bother me too much unless the skater's normal facial emoting was very angsty and then suddenly disappeared.
 
skatergirl45 said:
For me, however, the biggest offender of this is Mirai Nagasu. No expression and only when she has been told to in the doll coming to life part of the program does she skate with any..................
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My exact thought, also !!
 
Lumi said:
I just hate over-done facial expressions. I definitely prefer blank face despite being an European...

I can't stand Meier and Buttle just bacause how they use their face. Terrible. Ofcourse you have to look fierce in fierce program and happy in happy program, but I really don't need any parody...
Click to expand...

I really agree for Sarah Meier. It's such a shame because she's so talented.
 
Medusa said:
This is a very good point. I watch this great children's program on our public children's channel and about a year ago there was a documentary about Japanese customs, also mentioning the body language and facial expressions. It basically said that hiding your feelings is the way to go, preferably behind a small smile. Lots of women are used to cover their mouths with their hands while laughing. I found some rules on this College-page, it summarises some customs: Asian politeness

About the issue of laughing it says:



Eye contact is also not appreciated:

- China

- Japan
For Korea the text says that even while greeting other people it is customary to avoid eye-contact.

Other body language:





And again about smiling in general:



The roots of figure-skating are in America and Europe so the facial expressions and emotional body-language are part of the sport. But growing up in an Asian society it must be very hard to change everything about your behaviour when you are on the ice and also under pressure to give your best. Perhaps they even train the programs with more facial expression, but in competition everything is more intense and sometimes a Tiger can't change it stripes...

Off-topic Wow! I had no idea! I spent all my life teaching my little brother how to be a gentleman - now I can tell him he just needs to go to Korea and he will be courted like a [European] Lady in Europe! Off-topic
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Interesting! I took Japanese dancing before and actually was told never to show teeth when smiling. Besides, you can smile only a little. Most of the time, no facial expressions.

But Mao is usually such a smily girl and seems to have taken Western types of dancing throughout her life. So I don't think that "culture" affects her a lot. Yet, modest facial expressions are not necessarily only in Asia. Although ballet dancers often exhibit some facial expressions, I see a lot of world-class classical ballet dancers who are not facially very expressive. Modest facial expressions do not keep me from enjoying their bodily expressions because I always like understated beauty. Besides, I like figure skating for flow and movements, and theatrical effects are not very important for me.

Shizuka now has more facial expressions than before but they are still very understated. But her current facial expressions are so graceful and nuanced that you'd feel like reading a lot in her face.

Very few people would disagree that Yukina Ota has been internationally known for her artistry. But she barely has facial expressions. Her expressions mostly come from her body and hands.

I like facial expressions when they are within a "natural" range. I tend to get really tired when too many facial expressions are displayed because I often find them "fake" and I get tired of all the dramas going on in the face. I agree with a poster who dislikes frequent opening and closing of the mouth. I like facial expressions when they do not look fake.
 
Bennett said:
I like facial expressions when they are within a "natural" range. I tend to get really tired when too many facial expressions are displayed because I often find them "fake" and I get tired of all the dramas going on in the face. I agree with a poster who dislikes frequent opening and closing of the mouth. I like facial expressions when they do not look fake.
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ITA. I prefer "pure skating", not acting or mimics. A smile every now and then is great, but not grinning all the time (don't think it's "pure joy of skating" especially when something has gone wrong...;)
 
Kati said:
ITA. I prefer "pure skating", not acting or mimics. A smile every now and then is great, but not grinning all the time (don't think it's "pure joy of skating" especially when something has gone wrong...;)
Click to expand...
I don't think grinning was what was meant by the thread. It was to suggest that using music should conjure up a facial expression. It is difficult for me not to see some facial emotion, and of course, body language, when listenting to Chopin.

It's so automatic when skaters are using Carmen, but the subtleties of Chopin which is not used often enough in skating, may frighten young skaters. I mean, who can they mimic?

Joe
 
skatergirl45 said:
Hopefully, these girls will be able to show some expression in the future.

For me, however, the biggest offender of this is Mirai Nagasu. No expression and only when she has been told to in the doll coming to life part of the program does she skate with any..................
Click to expand...

I agree with those who point out her short program as an example of her ability to show more facial expression. I actually think the blank expression in the first part of her Coppelia LP was on purpose, since she was supposed to be a lifeless doll. For example, the blank expression during her spiral sequence (especially the fact that her mouth was closed) is not typical when compared to her other programs.
I think the difficulty level of her programs would make it quite challenging to focus on facial expressions as well as all of the delicate coordination required by those jumps and footwork! Having said that, I agree that she could develop more facial expression, and I'm sure she will as she matures (she's only 14).
 
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