Yulia Lipnitskaya

[MariaRafael]

Who's Sam? I've just found it in the biggest Russian sports forum. It's adored there.

 

[MariaRafael]

It's a very interesting view! Are you a musician? What you call 2-3 layers of music? we call polyphony. Actually most of the music is polyphonic since one melody only makes it primitive.

 

[MalAssada]

Sam Skwantch is a poster here, big fan of Yulia. You will probably find a post made by him/her in page 212 or 213.

PS: I'm dying to know, what is this Russian forum called?

 

[MariaRafael]

The forum is www.sports.ru. This is the place where this video was posted.

http://www.sports.ru/tribuna/forums/lipnitskaia/

Natali_G
Ответ на комментарий пользователя Юлена

Всем привет
Ну что поделать, если Юля такой милахой уродилась)
Фанвидео с Юлей. В название написано "ремикс", я бы перефразировала на "релакс"
www.youtube.com/watch

 

[MalAssada]

Thanks!

 

[sjid]

It's a very interesting view! Are you a musician? What you call 2-3 layers of music? we call polyphony. Actually most of the music is polyphonic since one melody only makes it primitive.

So you must be a serious musician. I wanted to avoid technical terms, but polyphony is the concept. Thank you for introducing this important word. Counterpoint would also work, and arguments about which is better would miss the point. Hers is a physical-visual polyphony that appears to pour out of her naturally. It's how she boogies. The music is not polyphonic (although an argument could be made for Megaoplis and also the footwork section of R&J which reminds me a little of Bach prelude 1 from WTCI), but her performance is. I have often wondered how she might handle a Bach two-part invention. Not many dancers accomplish anything like this, but they don't have the advantage of ice. As for musician, I no longer play, but the brain still works and there are endless concerts and recordings. I leave performance to Yulia.

 

[Isabel_O'Reilly]

There isn't much new to report, so I'd like to take this opportunity to write about something old. Something that goes back to the first time I saw Yulia about a year ago on youtube doing SL in Canada. My first thought was that if they put an ice rink in front of an orchestra, this kid could make her living as a conductor. Or for a low budget version, put her on screen doing SL without the sound, and have the musicians watch and play her arrangement of SL as she performs. We can only imagine. Nearly all conductors beat time mostly with their right hand, and express emotion mostly with their left (the "hand of the heart"). Yulia has developed a style which is a lot like this, where her feet trace out the actual notes and her upper body expresses her impression of those notes.

To appreciate this, watch only her feet and how they mirror the notes. Not the body, not the arms, just the feet. This is more than your everyday foot stomping or tap dancing. For example, she often reverses direction of the foot, or traces in the air with an elevated leg, or rotates sometimes to sustain a held note and sometimes to represent a cluster of notes. We can find nearly every note of the music in some foot movement. It is like a conductor's right hand, the literal hand.

But she doesn't stop there. Above this is another set of movements, related but independent, mostly arms and hands, but also head, full body and legs (which sometimes do double duty). These are like a painting that combines both a literal image of the subject and the feelings of the artist. Her upper body skating is a flight of fantasy. Like the conductor's left hand, the hand of the heart.

Her performances are like that style of music written in two different melodies that fit perfectly when played together. When we watch her, we watch mostly the emotional upper body. But if we ignore the upper body and look only at the feet as we listen carefully to the notes, we see that other set of movements that exist independent of the upper body and are just as interesting and difficult. She is objective and subjective at the same time. I find it almost impossible to watch both at the same time (my brain doesn't allow that, it prefers focus), but if you took either one away the overall effect of her skating would change completely. I often marvel at this. If I have difficulty seeing both parts at the same time, how can she actually perform them together? First she imagines, then she does. For many of us this complexity is at the heart of her unique appeal. Complexity and depth is why her performances seem fresh even after many viewings.

You can trace this back to her earliest work. Watch the green dress part of this one, concentrating on the feet ( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=opxjz_mfdf0 thanks to Lucky Cloud). It is from her Oriental period. Notice also the sense of structure in this early effort, even then she ended sections with disruptive elements (cascades and spins) in order to minimize the interference with musical flow, and to represent a slowing and stopping in the music.

In the footwork(!) section of SL there is also a third layer of movement. She is doing a very slow rotation of semicircles, within which the quicker feet and upper body layers take place. The slow rotation represents the fundamental feeling of the music. One of her great achievements in SL is expressing the 3 simultaneous layers of what we hear, which represent the music completely while enhancing its beauty. All with one body and one mind.

Since we can trace her style across all her choreographers and because her style is unique, this is her creation. Clearly she guards it carefully as she should. It would be a tragedy if it were lost. Suggestions and insights are welcome, but she won't compromise her style. Technique, once an obstacle to expression, is now a part of expression. If she can avoid injuries and the stress of her "job," then she will reach new levels in each year with each program. And if she can find music in time to properly prepare.

Did you once say something about verbosity, Isabel?

I did, and I applaud you for your very verbose analysis of Yulia's skating. I've seen and responded to all the aspects you just did justice to, but I would be hard-pressed to put them into words. For me to put into words just doesn't work because I just see it, and I know it's incredible, but when I try to put it into words it loses something.

That doesn't mean I don't appreciate reading others' insights, because I love reading how others see it, and sometimes show me something nebulous that I couldn't quite figure out before.

 

[sjid]

I did, and I applaud you for your very verbose analysis of Yulia's skating. I've seen and responded to all the aspects you just did justice to, but I would be hard-pressed to put them into words. For me to put into words just doesn't work because I just see it, and I know it's incredible, but when I try to put it into words it loses something.

That doesn't I don't appreciate reading others' insights, because I love reading how others see it, and sometimes show me something nebulous that I couldn't quite figure out before.

If I could skate like you, I wouldn't have to think like me. And I wish I could skate like you for just that reason.

 

[Alba]

@sijd, is always a huge pleasure to read your comments. I simply adore reading your comments.

Thank you for reminding me of Bach. How on earth I never thought about that.
Bach would be wonderful for her. :agree:

 

[Isabel_O'Reilly]

I still think it's silly for people to count on her placing low, like in the predictions thread or on FSUniverse. Yulia has a 99 percent chance of being on the podium (based on her competitive record) and a 90 percent chance of silver or greater (the only time she got bronze was when she was injured at TEB two years ago).

Knocks on wood.

 

[MalAssada]

As much as I agree that Yulia is able to podium (I predict a bronze), have you considered her problems this season? Not the overall score or medals, those being the outcome, but the FP she has shown so far. Is it enough to compete with Liza and Lena who have shown a great consistency so far?

Of course this is a fan thread and I'm sorry if I'm coming off as negativist, when in fact I hope Yulia surprises everyone.

 

[grantrf98]

I still think it's silly for people to count on her placing low, like in the predictions thread or on FSUniverse. Yulia has a 99 percent chance of being on the podium (based on her competitive record) and a 90 percent chance of silver or greater (the only time she got bronze was when she was injured at TEB two years ago).

Knocks on wood.

I totally agree! I started following figure skating during the Olympics. In every competition I've seen her compete, excluding the Individual Event in the Olympics, she has made the podium. Even before the Olympics, it looks like she medaled in almost every competition. To me, she is a clutch athlete and the 99 percent is a valid statement.

 

[Alba]

Those are topics meant as a "game". People give opinions and predictions based on what they've seen so far.
I don't think it's meant to bash putting her in third place, or no medal at all.

Right now Liza and Elena are in top form and have shown two strong performance, Yulia didn't.
Is she capable of pulling and outstanding performance and win? I think so, yes.
However, people are judging based on what they know, have seen so far.

Besides, it's only a competition. You win some and you lose some. You are not a weaker skater because you don't win here. We know she had problems. She needs time, and I hope she can have a clean skate and enjoy the GPF! It will be a big boost for her, whether she wins or not.

 

[grantrf98]

Those are topics meant as a "game". People give opinions and predictions based on what they've seen so far.
I don't think it's meant to bash her be putting her in third place or no medal at all.

Right now Liza and Elena are in top form and have shown two strong performance, Yulia didn't.
Is she capable of pulling and outstanding performance and win? I think so, yes.
However, people are judging based on what they know, have seen so far.

Besides, it's only a competition. You win some and you lose some. You are not a weaker skater because you don't win here. We know she had problems. She needs time, and I hope she can have a clean skate and enjoy the GPF! It will be a big boost for her, whether she wins or not.

Definitely true! Although I'm fairly new to this sport, I think being mentally strong and confident is more important than trying to one-up your opponents (which could be said in every sport). Medal or no medal, I think two strong clean skates at the GPF would be a huge confidence boost for Yulia, especially with Nationals at the end of the month.

 

[Alba]

Definitely true! Although I'm fairly new to this sport, I think being mentally strong and confident is more important than trying to one-up your opponents (which could be said in every sport). Medal or no medal, I think two strong clean skates at the GPF would be a huge confidence boost for Yulia, especially with Nationals at the end of the month.

Yep. That's the most important thing for her right now.
I think she already feel more confident after TEB. So, a good skate in Barcelona it's crucial not for a medal there, but for a longer objective. I think she wants to be in the team and win Worlds, possibly confirm the European title as well.

It's going to be difficult but not impossible. Well, I'm happy she is going to be around for some years anyway.

 

[grantrf98]

Yep. That's the most important thing for her right now.
I think she already feel more confident after TEB. So, a good skate in Barcelona it's crucial not for a medal there, but for a longer objective. I think she wants to be in the team and win Worlds, possibly confirm the European title as well.

It's going to be difficult but not impossible. Well, I'm happy she is going to be around for some years anyway.

Hopefully! I really want to go to an event in which she competes! It is so cool that you got to see her live, Alba! Maybe Yulia will be selected to compete at Skate America one year. I would try to go to the 2016 WC in Boston (assuming she qualifies) but that is an insane amount of money. The ideal situation would be that she is selected to compete at the Skate America that just so happens to be in California.

 

[Imagine]

Hopefully! I really want to go to an event in which she competes! It is so cool that you got to see her live, Alba! Maybe Yulia will be selected to compete at Skate America one year. I would try to go to the 2016 WC in Boston (assuming she qualifies) but that is an insane amount of money. The ideal situation would be that she is selected to compete at the Skate America that just so happens to be in California.

YES PLEASE!

 

[Meoima]

I still think it's silly for people to count on her placing low, like in the predictions thread or on FSUniverse. Yulia has a 99 percent chance of being on the podium (based on her competitive record) and a 90 percent chance of silver or greater (the only time she got bronze was when she was injured at TEB two years ago).
Knocks on wood.

Agee. I think if she's clean she might have chance against Radionova. And even if she's just relatively clean, she still has chances on the podium. Of course at the moment silver or at least a bronze is more realistic. But we shouldn't lose hope.

 

[grantrf98]

YES PLEASE!

It's a long shot but fingers crossed

 

[Isabel_O'Reilly]

Agee. I think if she's clean she might have chance against Radionova. And even if she's just relatively clean, she still has chances on the podium. Of course at the moment silver or at least a bronze is more realistic. But we shouldn't lose hope.

Like the fact that she was relatively clean at TEB, but the few mistakes she made were the most costly. For example that she doubled one jump and fell on one that needed to be in combination. She could have fallen or stepped out of three jumps and would have lost 1/3 of the points. Also she went from 44 TES to 57 TES in a week and half. Yulia rarely skates the next performance with the same mistakes in a row so I imagine the combinations will be good. With the three weeks she's had to train I'm sure she'll pull her TES up again. More importantly the program was there at TEB, whereas at COC that was the first time she skated it and you could tell that she was still feeling her way through it. Also she has the highest SP score on the GP thus far.

Does anyone know if she's planning to go for the 3Lz-3T in the SP? Also I think it's completely unfair that Yulia has to skate 2nd in the SP because it's suddenly in order of qualification, when all the GP's were skated in order of WR. Yulia is the number 1 skater right now(currently competing) and will still be number 1 no matter how she places at GPF.