Will the Real Masterpiece Please Stand Up?

GGFan · Aug 15, 2018

The idea for this thread is completely stolen from Off My Rocker's post below. We all know what it's like when a favorite skater has a program that they become SO well known for that it overshadows others. Let's remedy that:

Off My Rocker said:
Actually yes, T&D's Barnum did have comedic elements to it. I am probably one of the few who preferred their Barnum FD to Bolero. Although I did enjoy Bolero, too! 1983 was my favourite T&D year: I still go back and watch their iconic Rock & Roll OSP.

The thread is a mix of unpopular opinions with a sense of humor. I offer three examples of my own. Note that you must love all of the programs involved.

1. Staying with Torvill and Dean I actually preferred their Paso Doble in 1984 to Bolero. Dean is everything in this program! I mean, he completely commands the ice.The attitude! :love:

And Torvill low-key steals the show as the cape :bow:

2. I think Michelle Kwan's Lamento d'Ariane is a better, more well constructed program than more popular ones like Tosca, Lyra Angelica, or East of Eden. She takes you on a journey and the music is neither sweet nor powerful in the way some of her other choices were. :points:

Love Sandra Bezic's commentary for this particular performance as well.

3. I think Davis and White's Die Fledermaus is their classic long program over Phantom, Notre Dame de Paris, Samson & Delilah. It perfectly suits their personalities and represents something that they did better than others. The speed, lifts, and their energy perfectly suit the music. Crazy that they got a gold for the tango the previous year when I think this is miles better. :biggrin:

:dev2:

BillNeal · Aug 15, 2018

Does it count that I enjoyed V/M's 2011 Latin FD that got them silver more than their 2012 Latin SD and their 2018 SD that won them gold? The free dance allowed a greater amount of creativity in movement (love the opening in-place choreography) and elements, giving enough time to express both the samba and rumba rhythms.

GGFan · Aug 15, 2018

BillNeal said:
Does it count that I enjoyed V/M's 2011 Latin FD that got them silver more than their 2012 Latin SD and their 2018 SD that won them gold? The free dance allowed a greater amount of creativity in movement (love the opening in-place choreography) and elements, giving enough time to express both the samba and rumba rhythms.

That's a good one. Because of Tessa's injury they didn't get to perform it very much. I wonder what it would have been like if the judges had been exposed to it more.

Off My Rocker · Aug 15, 2018

GGFan said:
The idea for this thread is completely stolen from Off My Rocker's post below.

Wow, thanks GGFan - I’m flattered. :eek:

: Nice segue into this thread…

I am fond of pretty much all of Klimova & Ponomarenko’s dance programs but my personal favourite was not their brilliantly dramatic ’92 Olympic FD but the total whimsy displayed in their My Fair Lady FD at 1990 Worlds. I think I wore out that VCR tape replaying it.

Kelly · Aug 15, 2018

GGFan said:
The thread is a mix of unpopular opinions with a sense of humor. I offer three examples of my own. Note that you must love all of the programs involved.

2. I think Michelle Kwan's Lamento d'Ariane is a better, more well constructed program than more popular ones like Tosca, Lyra Angelica, or East of Eden. She takes you on a journey and the music is neither sweet not powerful in the way some of her other choices were. Love Sandra Bezic's commentary for this particular performance as well.

:2thumbs::agree2: This is what I have always thought. Too bad Michelle didn't skate it flawlessly at 1999 US Nationals or Worlds.

ladyjane · Aug 15, 2018

This is great. I'm also a Paso Dablo fan as far as Torvill and Dean are concerned...especially the cape. But my favourite Pairs programme is Lighthouse by my beloved Pairs duo Savchenko/Massot. Obviously, I just love their Le terre vue du Ciel, but Lighthouse made me a fan girl. Yay!

draqq · Aug 16, 2018

I actually prefer Javier Fernandez's Black Betty program more than Malaguena. The nuances and timing in the transitions and footwork makes what could have easily been just a rock'n'roll crowd-pleaser into a masterpiece.

ribbit · Aug 16, 2018

I'm going to go off at what I hope is not too much of a tangent to the terrific OP. I love Brian Boitano's 1988 Olympic LP, and I'm not going to claim that his SP was a better program. But as a segment, I think the "Battle of the Brians" SPs surpassed the LPs. (This is partly because while I love Brian Orser too, I didn't love the music chosen for the 1988 LP, and I wish he had been able to give the flawless performance of the program that he deserved to have on home ice.)

In Brian Boitano's SP, the highlights for me include the amazing arm variations (not only the 'tano) in the single jumps, the gesture of flinging the ice from his blade over his shoulder after the 3A-2Lo combo...and, of course, Dick Button's commentary.

In Brian Orser's SP, it's the style rather than the elements that really stand out to me: the slightly hard-edged, expressionist quality of the opening section, the syncopation in the step sequence to match the syncopation of "Sing, Sing, Sing", the perfect synchronization of changes of position and of speed in the final combination spin. Many skaters would have done what Dick Button calls "a soft-shoe extravaganza" as a slick, charming number, but Orser's choices are so much more interesting to me.

Lester · Aug 17, 2018

GGFan said:
1. Staying with Torvill and Dean I actually preferred their Paso Doble in 1984 to Bolero. Dean is everything in this program! I mean, he completely commands the ice.The attitude! And Torvill low-key steals the show as the cape

My favourite program of theirs is actually the 1994 rumba. But really with T&D almost any program is a masterpiece, so

blue_idealist · Aug 17, 2018

Although Riverdance (1998) is considered their iconic program, I prefer Bourne & Kraatz's Michael Jackson FD from 2002, even over Adagio (2003) that they won the World Championships with.

I like V&M's 2011 and 2013 FDs better than 2010's Mahler and about the same as 2018's Roxanne.

GGFan · Aug 17, 2018

blue_idealist said:
Although Riverdance (1998) is considered their iconic program, I prefer Bourne & Kraatz's Michael Jackson FD from 2002, even over Adagio (2003) that they won the World Championships with.

I like V&M's 2011 and 2013 FDs better than 2010's Mahler and about the same as 2018's Roxanne.

So Roxanne > Mahler? You're killing me but I guess I asked for it since I started the thread

For me 2011 and 2013 were two programs with untapped potential because of Tessa's injuries. The first third of Carmen and the last minute is some of the best work they've ever done but for some reason Marina couldn't make everything mesh. Now I wonder what they could have done with a Marie France Carmen in 2018 :think:

rikaquegira · Aug 17, 2018

blue_idealist said:
Although Riverdance (1998) is considered their iconic program, I prefer Bourne & Kraatz's Michael Jackson FD from 2002, even over Adagio (2003) that they won the World Championships with.

I like V&M's 2011 and 2013 FDs better than 2010's Mahler and about the same as 2018's Roxanne.

The hype now is all on Moulin Rouge but I’d rank their Mahler above anything they’ve ever done. To me it goes like this:
Mahler 1st, Carmen 2nd, Moulin Rouge 3rd.
And that’s really saying something because I’ve watched their 2018 FD 1737289288383728 times. [emoji23]

blue_idealist · Aug 17, 2018

GGFan said:
So Roxanne > Mahler? You're killing me but I guess I asked for it since I started the thread

For me 2011 and 2013 were two programs with untapped potential because of Tessa's injuries. The first third of Carmen and the last minute is some of the best work they've ever done but for some reason Marina couldn't make everything mesh. Now I wonder what they could have done with a Marie France Carmen in 2018 :think:

Yes, I like Roxanne better than Mahler LOL.

Step Sequence4 · Aug 17, 2018

This is probably a really unpopular opinion here buut... Roxanne > Temptation (2011 Latin FD) > Mahler for V/M FD’s....

GGFan · Aug 18, 2018

Step Sequence4 said:
This is probably a really unpopular opinion here buut... Roxanne > Temptation (2011 Latin FD) > Mahler for V/M FD’s....

Now you're just trying to drive a stake through my heart! :rofl:

I guess I can understand people preferring them spicier. They also were different/better skaters in 2018.

StephenGfan · Aug 18, 2018

For me its Umbrellas>Roxanne>Mahler

mrrice · Aug 18, 2018

Kelly said:
:2thumbs::agree2: This is what I have always thought. Too bad Michelle didn't skate it flawlessly at 1999 US Nationals or Worlds.

This is where I place Maria Butyrskaya's glorious Otonol LP from 1999. She Won Nationals, Europeans, and Worlds and remains the odlest female World Champion in Ladies Singles.

Worlds 1999. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tCGjYhxGkf4

StephenGfan · Aug 18, 2018

for me:
V/M: Umbrellas of Cherbourg vastly underrated and slightly better compared to their popular/well liked Mahler and Moulin rogue FD's
V/M: Dream a little dream underrated overlooked and better than their most popular/well liked SD prince

mrrice · Aug 18, 2018

Patrick Chan's Take 5 is still IMO, The greatest SP I had ever seen. It remained there until Nathan's double quad Nemesis. For it's time it was simply amazing. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rli8z8Yv78Y

Spinning · Aug 18, 2018

DAISUKE: Cyber Swan and Blues for Klook.

So iconic nothing could touch its level.

Will the Real Masterpiece Please Stand Up?

GGFan

BillNeal

You Know I'm a FS Fan...

GGFan

Off My Rocker

Kelly

ladyjane

draqq

FigureSkatingPhenom

ribbit

Lester

Piper and Paul are made of magic dust and unicorns

blue_idealist

GGFan

rikaquegira

blue_idealist

Step Sequence4

JULLLIEEEEETTTT!

GGFan

StephenGfan

mrrice

StephenGfan

mrrice

Spinning

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