Yulia Lipnitskaya

[kinoriH]

Whenever I watch the latest skates by no matter who, I end up watching Yulia's Schindler's List - either Scate Canada or European Championship. Am I mad or what?

haha I just did the same!!
I was watching Anna's recent skate at SC, and even though it was soooo great, it lacked a lot of emotion IMO. So I just watched Yulia's programs from last year.

 

[papa]

Now listen to the original and focus on how those two notes (2:36-2:38) complete the melody with a feeling of warmth, of soothing. They tell us that she can now rest, that she has found peace.

"Just stay away. You can't touch me, Megapolis. I'm above all of this."

Notice at 2:48 her hand goes up not for the kite, but like a drowning swimmer.

Also at 2:24. Also perfectly synchronized with the high note. :yes:

That is where you see the hand gesture that melts you, which is exactly what the music conveys and what she wants to make you feel. She is great. There is no one even remotely like her.

It's really beautiful, you push piano key and Yulia moves or makes a gesture.


But the most interesting moment is this: https://8chan.co/yulia/src/1414939501278-0.webm
Just look at that face! She is challenging everyone: "come on, take my dream away from me. Just try!!!"

 

[starlight97]

Does anybody know when she's going to leave for China?

 

[Meoima]

Does anybody know when she's going to leave for China?

According to some sources in Yuzuru's thread, most skaters from North America will arrive China in 4th November. I guess Yulia will be there in 5th November at least since Russia is closer to China.

 

[sjid]

Whenever I watch the latest skates by no matter who, I end up watching Yulia's Schindler's List - either Scate Canada or European Championship. Am I mad or what?

I am with you on Skate Canada. The gentleness of that performance is unique, and it is exquisitely musical. I would not want to be without it. After discovering Yulia on a Skate Canada youtube video, I sent a link to a dance fanatic friend who isn't into skating. She told me that she "Expects to see Yulia on a pond deep in the forest, a wood sprite. The difference between a gift and mere talent."

 

[sjid]

Quote Originally Posted by sjid
Notice at 2:48 her hand goes up not for the kite, but like a drowning swimmer.

Also at 2:24. Also perfectly synchronized with the high note.

That is a really interesting gesture. I wasn't sure whether her hand was open (danger) or closed (connecting with the kite) at 2:24. These two variations of the extended arm keep turning up, from the beginning to the end. At 2:24, it is just before her escape into the kite world. And this is a really interesting place in the music. At the beginning of her performance where she lifts her kite into the air, there is a four note motif. This set of four notes has been carefully chosen by Bel Suono (who are very sophisticated composers). Much of the music in Megapolis comes out of varying these four notes. They combine both the earthly and the heavenly elements of the piece, so they are the middle ground between chaos and peace. They are like a sigh, dreamy and full of longing, a purgatory between her heaven and hell. Those same four notes are at 2:24. This is the dreamy memory that takes her back to her kite. Notice how she bends forward after these 4 notes and before entering the realm of her kite. This is where she breaks with the turmoil of the Megapolis, I think of it as vomiting out the poison. At 2:24 she doesn't drown; at 2:48 she definitely goes under. Ilya is one smart guy with a good instinct for marketing ideas, the perfect choice for Yulia. She has a real talent for choosing the right people and the right music.

I almost forgot to mention that the last two notes of the all-important four-note motif are 4 spaces from each other on the musical scale. Gerard McBurney, an authority on Russian music, calls this interval the soul of Russian music.

 

[sjid]

Yulia's 2012 WC SP

https://vk.com/video119653840_170244937?list=06665514c70bee2ce5

This is perfection

Thanks so much for this one, Sam. Perfection, indeed. Look what Ilya has to work with! He must be in kite-heaven.

 

[Fayruza]

Folks, you make me go back and watch Yulia's SP again!

 

[Alba]

Agreed!
I think the reason why these people think like that is either

- they are kinda agry about the fact that a 15(now 16) year old somehow places higher than 'more polished' skaters or their favorites. And because she is such a good skater and it's hard to find a really big weakness to push her down, they turn to the
"She is an immature child/she doesn't understand the music/ only does what she is told to/this is just a marketing thing to give her SL/she has no musicality....etc" ....notice sth? These are all things that cannot be proven or proven wrong by pointing at them. You can't see them, so they just state that it's like that and from then on it is a fact. ..

- or she just isn't the type of skater they like! Some people want to watch Carolinas (and I love Caro as well), skaters who obviously deliver a show together with their skate, who are "artistic and connect to the audience" in an obvious way. And they ONLY want to see that. They close themselves off for anything different. So when Yulia comes along and connects with the music and the audience in a different way, a deeper one and is successful despite the fact that she doesn't fit their image of "great skater", it messes up their system and ego. .... so Yulia becomes the enemy
I feel sorry for these people. They simply miss out on this amazing skating and feeling Yulia has to offer.

I fully agree.

- and for some reason many people have the image in their minds that a skater needs to "earn" the right to medal or to be praised- but not by skating amazingly but by being around for a long time, by being a grown woman :scratch:
And it messes with their heads that a 'little girl' just pops up and comes out on top at such an early stage in her career, because normally skaters need several years to be as successful and especially to draw as much awe as Yulia does.
So there's sth new, a change in the scenery, sth they don't understand? Needs to be trashed.

I thought about it, but the thing is they use the age factor and the "maturity" thing only for those skaters they do not like and it becomes even worse when they win.

 

[Alba]

I really won't be able to handle it, either. At least there are no pairs I know enough to root for.

I think I have one Pair. Is S&K going to CoC by any chance? I don't remember now, but if they're then I'll end up in the hospital.

 

[sjid]

Agreed!
I think the reason why these people think like that is either

- they are kinda agry about the fact that a 15(now 16) year old somehow places higher than 'more polished' skaters or their favorites. And because she is such a good skater and it's hard to find a really big weakness to push her down, they turn to the
"She is an immature child/she doesn't understand the music/ only does what she is told to/this is just a marketing thing to give her SL/she has no musicality....etc" ....notice sth? These are all things that cannot be proven or proven wrong by pointing at them. You can't see them, so they just state that it's like that and from then on it is a fact. ..

- or she just isn't the type of skater they like! Some people want to watch Carolinas (and I love Caro as well), skaters who obviously deliver a show together with their skate, who are "artistic and connect to the audience" in an obvious way. And they ONLY want to see that. They close themselves off for anything different. So when Yulia comes along and connects with the music and the audience in a different way, a deeper one and is successful despite the fact that she doesn't fit their image of "great skater", it messes up their system and ego. .... so Yulia becomes the enemy

- and for some reason many people have the image in their minds that a skater needs to "earn" the right to medal or to be praised- but not by skating amazingly but by being around for a long time, by being a grown woman :scratch:
And it messes with their heads that a 'little girl' just pops up and comes out on top at such an early stage in her career, because normally skaters need several years to be as successful and especially to draw as much awe as Yulia does.
So there's sth new, a change in the scenery, sth they don't understand? Needs to be trashed.

I feel sorry for these people. They simply miss out on this amazing skating and feeling Yulia has to offer.

Good, thoughtful post. I think the second paragraph expresses what is the greatest danger to her continued success. But it is also possible that she will change the system, with all that charisma she can do just about anything. One thing for sure, she won't compromise. I look forward to the outcome and fear it at the same time.

 

[cebi26]

Can't wait for the return of my favorite sonogram

 

[Isabel_O'Reilly]

Agreed!
I think the reason why these people think like that is either

- they are kinda agry about the fact that a 15(now 16) year old somehow places higher than 'more polished' skaters or their favorites. And because she is such a good skater and it's hard to find a really big weakness to push her down, they turn to the
"She is an immature child/she doesn't understand the music/ only does what she is told to/this is just a marketing thing to give her SL/she has no musicality....etc" ....notice sth? These are all things that cannot be proven or proven wrong by pointing at them. You can't see them, so they just state that it's like that and from then on it is a fact. ..

- or she just isn't the type of skater they like! Some people want to watch Carolinas (and I love Caro as well), skaters who obviously deliver a show together with their skate, who are "artistic and connect to the audience" in an obvious way. And they ONLY want to see that. They close themselves off for anything different. So when Yulia comes along and connects with the music and the audience in a different way, a deeper one and is successful despite the fact that she doesn't fit their image of "great skater", it messes up their system and ego. .... so Yulia becomes the enemy

- and for some reason many people have the image in their minds that a skater needs to "earn" the right to medal or to be praised- but not by skating amazingly but by being around for a long time, by being a grown woman :scratch:
And it messes with their heads that a 'little girl' just pops up and comes out on top at such an early stage in her career, because normally skaters need several years to be as successful and especially to draw as much awe as Yulia does.
So there's sth new, a change in the scenery, sth they don't understand? Needs to be trashed.

I feel sorry for these people. They simply miss out on this amazing skating and feeling Yulia has to offer.

What an insightful comment. I agree completely and it really is too bad that they can't appreciate it because they are missing the point of such incredible talent.

While I was reading the threads for SC I came across Ashley's newest strange comment about how she's competing against sonograms and I thought that was definitely not a good comment to make. There's forthrightness and then's there's going too far. It's not enough that armchair critics (fans) are being so dismissive, but the coaches (F.C.) and skaters are being critical and dismissive.

When I pointed out again that I though many of the comments on the SC threads were getting away from contributing in any meaningful way and instead were simply mean-spirited towards all the skaters another poster accused me of being passive-aggressive and only saying it towards those who disagree with me. I think that is patently unfair. The vitriol directed towards all the Russian skater especially the ladies is getting out of control. Also even on the SA threads the disrespect directed towards Jeremy, Mirai, Elena, etc is way too much.

Some of the comments I read yesterday:

(towards Meagan) "Her skating is ugly." Is there any benefit in a comment such as this, no reasons, no insight, just hatred.
(Anna) A bunch of derogatory comments about her skating, her costumes (someone even had the audacity to compare her looks to swine) Almost none of these posters had anything positive to say their only concern seems to be trying to tear a talented young woman down.

I could go on but this isn't really the place for it and it's just making me feel bad. Why do people have to be so cruel? It hit me even harder than normal because I was having a great time watching the skating and when the Ladies FS was almost over someone who was really creepy came into Subway (I was done work and had been watching for the last to hours on the TV) started bothering me, and when a coworker told him to leave after he continued to bother me, he started following me around the restaurant and when I ignored him he threatened my life before leaving. I know being critical of someone on a forum they are likely never to read is not remotely the same thing however any level of disrespect or dismissive behaviour is a dangerous thing.

On a brighter note it is now 6 days, 10 hours and 46 minutes until the Ladies SP starts

 

[Fayruza]

Oh dear, why do they have to bash Julia out there in the SC thread?
I have to say Ladies threads tend to be the most heated. I wonder why.

 

[Meoima]

Oh dear, why do they have to bash Julia out there in the SC thread?
I have to say Ladies threads tend to be the most heated. I wonder why.

We have to accept that there will always some people like that. I have just reported a poster in Yuzuru's thread because it's so obvious she went there just to distribute negativity.
I mean seriously this place is fan thread, if you dislike any skater don't go to their thread, simple as that.

And what happened at SC ladies FS makes me just . I mean seriously they dragged Yulia's scores from the last season to a competition of new season which she doesn't even complete at all. and at all the negativity about Anna's looks. Well it's okay they don't have to like her but give the credit to where the credit is due please.

 

[Sandpiper]

I have to say Ladies threads tend to be the most heated. I wonder why.

Because the ladies are generally so good. They go out there week after week, and deliver solid performances. That gives us a vehicle to compare musicality, choreography, performance... With the men, it generally deteriorates into "Well, Skater X had three step-outs and Skater Y fell on his butt..." I mean, the only clean performances at Skate Canada came from someone doing Carmen and POTO! (Sorry, Mura...) There's no shortage of arguing there, but often it doesn't make for a very good debate.

Personally, I love so many of these ladies, and I appreciate them for almost always putting on a good show.

 

[Alba]

@Isabel:

IMO when you spend time bashing someone is because this someone evidently is importante to you, or is doing something good that is making you eat your heart out.

There are many skaters, in all disciplines, which I do not like at all. There are many not so good and beautiful things I could say about them, but I honestly think is pathetic to spend time in criticising, or even worse, bashing skaters I don't like or are indifferent to me.
Unless - and I think this is the main reason some people do spend so much time in bashing skaters - I love playing the little judge (take out the judges from this sport and these people will die), or I hate the fact that they are winning. :sarcasm:

I personally like to talk more about skaters which I like and I'm interested. Mura, for example, left me completely emotionless and I didn't care in the end about his win. Good for him. I do not agree with some of his PCS and I said it, once, but that's it. Spending time and energy to bash him because I don't like him, and I disagree with some of the judging, I think is a sad thing to do.
I was more interested to talk and know about a skater like Javier instead, and why he didn't perform the way he can.

Anyway, I suggest to stay away from these topics, or just partecipate by saying what you have to say and ignore the rest.
There is no point in arguing with negative and petty people. They will only drive you crazy and disbelieve your opinions.

 

[Alba]

Personally, I love so many of these ladies, and I appreciate them for almost always putting on a good show.

You my dear are a jewel.

 

[Isabel_O'Reilly]

I guess I just hope in vain that I will be able to persuade them to at least keep an open mind. I generally don't appreciate other skaters than my favorites (because I want them to do the best) I am still able to root for them sometimes when comments on here make me feel for them. For example, Gracie Gold at US Nationals and Mao Asada in the SP at 2014 Worlds or Yuzuru in the LP after he fell behind Machida. I was as happy as many of their fans to see them do so well.

 

[NaVi]

There are many skaters, in all disciplines, which I do not like at all. There are many not so good and beautiful things I could say about them, but I honestly think is pathetic to spend time in criticising, or even worse, bashing skaters I don't like or are indifferent to me.

I have the exact same attitude... for performances I don't like I prefer to just say "they should work on x a bit more". People should focus more on individual performances rather than skaters tbh. I feel like there can be so much toxic criticism in the figure skating community that is not based off of anything objective.