Evgenia Medvedeva's Sailor Moon Exhibition

[sailormoon]

That was clearly the best exhibition program in figure skating. Evgenia first unveiled it in a minor exhibition in northern Japan and it has been upgraded for the World Team Trophy. The costume got sexier and there was an added introductory part to interact with the kitten mascot. I need to make 40 more posts to get an avatar from the exhibition.

 

[mrrice]

I saw Sex Bomb in 2001 but, I think this is my new favorite.....https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0TYUVh6_6b8

 

[evangeline]

Repost b/c I accidentally deleted original

In any case, what would you consider to be a 'sell out' program look like then - in Japan?

'Sell out' to me is anyone who sacrifices artistic integrity for the sake of popularity and commercial success. It may be great to shake up things up with fun exhibitions when the skater is obviously making a joke at their own expenses, but they need to have developed the artistic credentials/trust with the audience in the first place, but that clearly does not apply to Evgenia who has yet to shown serious artistic chops or any genuine interest to develop beyond playing juniorish make believe. Unless this is now becoming her particular brand of 'artistry' for the senior ladies :confused2:.

If you really want a meaningful discussion on "artistic integrity" or to denounce "sell outs," it would be more convincing if you weren't doing it in the context of specifically criticizing a teenaged skater for performing a Sailor Moon exhibition during the gala of a cheesefest where other skaters danced silly routines to songs like "Pen Pineapple Apple Pen" and a giant TV Asahi panda mascot skated around doing tricks to make the audience laugh.

 

[beki]

Watching anime is her hobby; she genuinely loves this material. She's following her passions and doing exactly what she wants—that's all I ever ask from a skater. Eventually, I'd love to see some of that same spirit in her competitive programs.

 

[SnowWhite]

No, they prefer Justin Bieber.... :dev2:

Well at least Marie-France does. Apparently she had to talk Scott into that one a fair amount, but she thought the beat would be great to dance to.

Give me a break . . . Tessa and Scott have done their share of fun and silly exhibitions. For example, they did a cute ballerina/hockey player exhibition in 2010 complete with cheesy music and dance moves: https://youtu.be/Si5X7feKxgs

And guess what, Kaliszek/Spodyriev did a fun Dirty Dancing FD that was well-received by the Helsinki audience this year: https://youtu.be/h40mgfYZJ_A

Plus despite what what you said about "titillating sensationalistic Brittany/KatiePerry/Taylor Swift" [sic] exhibitions, plenty of skaters have done these types of programs in the past:

Gracie Gold skating to Taylor Swift: https://youtu.be/t2CvqyTxDdI

Misha Ge skating to Justin Bieber (with silly props too!): https://youtu.be/X3j3VvNRYhE

Javier Fernandez skating to Bruno Mars: https://youtu.be/-1mP2h4jsB0

Kiira Korpii skating to Katy Perry: https://youtu.be/nBFVjrWVnGo

Would you call all these skaters "morbid," "vomit-inducing" and "sell-outs"? Or are those terms just reserved for Evgenia?

I loved that ex Tessa and Scott did. I mean, yes, I tend to like everything they do, but I remember watching that at the Olympics when I had just discovered what ice dance was and finding it so fun.

And I enjoy plenty of these programs because the skaters look like they are having fun. Misha clearly enjoys that program a lot, and it wouldn't surprise me if Gracie likes Taylor Swift music - she's the right age. And Taylor came to see her in SOI that summer and then they hung out again later that year.

I think the one thing we can learn from skater's exhibition pieces is that they and their choreographers have terrible taste in music. :scratch3:

Or they're young people who want to skate to music that happens to be really popular with young people. Singers like Katy Perry, Taylor Swift and Justin Bieber are all extremely popular and most of the singles skaters at least are in the age group of their main fans. I mean obviously you don't have to like it, but it's not like it's just them

 

[HoneyGoldLev]

Please, no Yuzuru doing YOI... That would be totally out of character for him.

But Zhenya can perform Sailor Moon Ex with Yuzuru featuring as Tuxedo Mask.
Now that would be interesting to see

 

[jenm]

Please, no Yuzuru doing YOI... That would be totally out of character for him.

But Zhenya can perform Sailor Moon Ex with Yuzuru featuring as Tuxedo Mask.
Now that would be interesting to see

Yes please. ))

 

[anonymoose_au]

Look at these shameless sellouts! How could they ever be respected again? :shame:...

Mambo No. 5

It's hard to top Plushy in the hilarious gala exhibition stakes, but this is like...amazing AMAZING, I crack up whenever I watch it, how did he even come up with that?! And jump too!

Viktor Petrenko was Plushy's idol...he must have cracked up when he saw this. Maybe that's where he got the idea for Asissai.

I for one always enjoyed Plushy's Pasadena Ex https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zv2M4bCh5m4 no high culture there that's for sure! But I love the fluro!

 

[Krislite]

I can't believe I'm defending Medvedeva here, but she can definitely do a one-time Sailor Moon ex without compromising any "artistic integrity". It's after Worlds, it's the World Team Trophy, it's in Japan and it's only this once. I don't think she has to "earn" her artistic cred before she can do silly stuff like this.

In fact, I'm mildly disappointed she didn't include the most skatable Sailor Moon track of all: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=doZrX8fgcts

 

[tennisguy]

Or they're young people who want to skate to music that happens to be really popular with young people. Singers like Katy Perry, Taylor Swift and Justin Bieber are all extremely popular and most of the singles skaters at least are in the age group of their main fans. I mean obviously you don't have to like it, but it's not like it's just them

Well I don't really think that Scott Moir is a Belieber and that is one of the problems I have with exhibition and show programs is that they tend to skate to music they don't like but they think the audience will. They do the same thin in their competitive programs - just change audience to judges. Obviously, not everyone does this but when you look at the music selections I often feel that they don't reflect the age or taste of the skater and I wish they would be more engaged in that part of the sport.

 

[moriel]

I think skaters should skate to stuff they really like, thats all.
Whatever this stuff is, very artsy and classy, or silly and pop. Like Medvedeva did in her Ex.
Maybe she gets a YOI program next year, would be amazing to see someone win Olympic games with an anime program =D

 

[icejo]

I really enjoyed this program because you can see her passion for the theme shining through in the performance. I loved how she started by pretending to be asleep, and those boot covers...! Great touches.

 

[OS]

If you really want a meaningful discussion on "artistic integrity" or to denounce "sell outs," it would be more convincing if you weren't doing it in the context of specifically criticizing a teenaged skater for performing a Sailor Moon exhibition during the gala of a cheesefest where other skaters danced silly routines to songs like "Pen Pineapple Apple Pen" and a giant TV Asahi panda mascot skated around doing tricks to make the audience laugh.

Oh pls... if I want a meaningful discussion of artistic integrity I wouldn't have bothered commenting on an Evgenia gala program. In fact do feel free to embellish just how spectacular her artistic endeavours has been, to warrant those 98+ PCS.

You haven't answered my question either, just what would be a 'sell out' program look like to you in Japan? If not this?

Sure galas can be a cheese fest, but cheese would never be half as delicious without the lettuce, the tomatoes, the Angus beef, the genuine flame grilled process with the right sort of brioche bun to harness the flavours with a bit more substance, thoughtfulness to balance everything. You can't (or shouldn't) have a career just full of cheese... it will be a pile of gooey goo that leads to heart attack. Only ever topping it up with ketchup and mayo wouldn't be too healthy either. [in my defence, this is close to dinner time.. am hungry for burger right now]

By the way my comment would have just been as valid and applicable if say Ashley or Gracie or Mirai did the same Sailor Moon program in Japan, same choreography, same outfit, same interpretation. Or let's say Irina Slutskaya (or anyone) doing an all-American cheer leader tribute program complete with full 'Bring it on' pompoms in the US - covered head to toe in Star Spangled banner. It would still be a 'Sell out!' Popular!? Fun!? Sure... if you like that sort of thing. I was entertained, but probably not for the right reason. As for Plushy's all time greatest hit Sex Bomb.. it works because he has the bigger than life personality and frankly he earned his stripes as far as I am concerned, suited his bravado and it is age appropriate. If he only ever do sex bomb type of programs, my respect for him will totally bomb. See... it is about balance. You have to earn it to win it.

 

[silverfoxes]

What the hell does Evgenia have to "earn" when she's already won everything except Olys? Nothing at all. Who made you judge and jury?

 

[OS]

What the hell does Evgenia have to "earn" when she's already won everything except Olys? Nothing at all. Who made you judge and jury?

Apparently, you did.

Why are you so upset and take my comments so personally. Not everyone is going to be enamoured with everything that is popular. It is okay to have different opinions.

 

[Tulipstar]

Viktor Petrenko was Plushy's idol...he must have cracked up when he saw this. Maybe that's where he got the idea for Asissai.

I for one always enjoyed Plushy's Pasadena Ex https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zv2M4bCh5m4 no high culture there that's for sure! But I love the fluro!

Hahaha, that's so much fun.

I love these skaters using the EX to enjoy themselves and show something beyond what they can do for competition programs.
Glad that so many people enjoyed it as well

 

[Krislite]

Evgenia needs to do a "classicalized" track of sailor moon: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q3XBUQYbIuY

 

[evangeline]

Oh pls... if I want a meaningful discussion of artistic integrity I wouldn't have bothered commenting on an Evgenia gala program. In fact do feel free to embellish just how spectacular her artistic endeavours has been, to warrant those 98+ PCS.

You haven't answered my question either, just what would be a 'sell out' program look like to you in Japan? If not this?

Sure galas can be a cheese fest, but cheese would never be half as delicious without the lettuce, the tomatoes, the Angus beef, the genuine flame grilled process with the right sort of brioche bun to harness the flavours with a bit more substance, thoughtfulness to balance everything. You can't (or shouldn't) have a career just full of cheese... it will be a pile of gooey goo that leads to heart attack. Only ever topping it up with ketchup and mayo wouldn't be too healthy either. [in my defence, this is close to dinner time.. am hungry for burger right now]

By the way my comment would have just been as valid and applicable if say Ashley or Gracie or Mirai did the same Sailor Moon program in Japan, same choreography, same outfit, same interpretation. Or let's say Irina Slutskaya (or anyone) doing an all-American cheer leader tribute program complete with full 'Bring it on' pompoms in the US - covered head to toe in Star Spangled banner. It would still be a 'Sell out!' Popular!? Fun!? Sure... if you like that sort of thing. I was entertained, but probably not for the right reason. As for Plushy's all time greatest hit Sex Bomb.. it works because he has the bigger than life personality and frankly he earned his stripes as far as I am concerned, suited his bravado and it is age appropriate. If he only ever do sex bomb type of programs, my respect for him will totally bomb. See... it is about balance. You have to earn it to win it.

Wow, way to miss the point.

What I was trying to say, and why I didn't bother answering your question about what constitutes a "sell out" program in Japan, is that the whole concept of “selling out” is meaningless in the context of a skating gala program. How can you “sell out” of something you never bought into in the first place? Skating crowd-pleasing routines in a gala isn’t selling out, because the whole point of a skating gala is to sell lots of tickets, entertain an audience and have skaters let their hair down and relax after a competition. Skating galas aren’t art exhibitions, they’re very clearly meant to be commercial entertainment (and not to mention, popularity contests—hence why popular skaters like Misha Ge with their “fun” routines are often invited to galas). It’s great if skaters choose to skate programs with “artistic integrity” at galas, but that’s just not the point of the average figure skating gala. Anyway, to use another example, denouncing skaters for being “sell outs” in their gala programs is like denouncing the average mercenary teeny bopper boy band for being “sell outs” when said boy band has never pretended to be anything more than cute boys singing slickly Autotuned songs about puppy love to make lots of cash from teenaged girls…what’s there to sell out?

Also, I’m amused that you’re implying I’m like some sort of Evgenia fan or that I agree with her sky-high PCS in any way. I don’t think I’ve ever said a nice thing about any of Evgenia’s competition programs, but that doesn’t mean I agree with bizarre criticisms of her for daring to skate to a silly Sailor Moon exhibition at a WTT gala where plenty of other skaters have skated to equally silly routines without opprobrium.

By the way, Plushenko first skated to Sex Bomb in 2001, when he was around Evgenia’s age at 18 years old. He also did other thoroughly silly exhibitions when he was an even younger teenager, like “Crazy Bird” at age 16. Did Plushenko "earn his stripes" to perform silly exhibitions at age 16? What about age 18? Come to think of it, Plushenko's competition programs at that point weren’t any more or less “artistic” than Evgenia’s are now. Guess Plushenko was a “sell out” too...:shame:

 

[moriel]

Also, I dont see how skating to something fun and popular makes one a "sell out".
Dunno, i´m all into making figure skating more popular, and big part of it is actually making it more "pop". Less classical music, more pop music, more soundtracks. More crowd pleasers.

In all the statistics i found, the "good" figure skating music is not anywhere close to being popular around the world. So yeah, part of lack of interest in FS may be actually the overall "classical" and "artistic" style, which have no appeal for general public.

 

[silverfoxes]

Also, I dont see how skating to something fun and popular makes one a "sell out".
Dunno, i´m all into making figure skating more popular, and big part of it is actually making it more "pop". Less classical music, more pop music, more soundtracks. More crowd pleasers.

It doesn't. Someone is just grasping at straws for excuses to bash Evgenia again. Any excuse will do.

Commercial ice shows and galas are 95% pure cheesefests and they always have been. And it's perfectly understandable - you have to sell some tickets & appeal to the general public. They have never presented themselves as a highbrow experience and they never will. There are niche places where you can find more experimental performances, like the Ice Theatre of New York, but they aren't going to be shown on TV and they aren't going to have enough crossover appeal to non-skating fans to fill an arena.