2019-2020 Programs by Discipline | Page 13 | Golden Skate

2019-2020 Programs by Discipline

el henry

Go have some cake. And come back with jollity.
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If you want an idea, watch Anthony Pomerenko and Christina Cairrera’s FD from last season to the same music.

I vaguely remember that, okey dokey then, not full on hip hop (not that I would really know what that was);).
 

Tavi...

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:laugh:

I’m a big fan of my Andrew T., but he could have given us some further hint:) Then again, he at least had the grace to say he wanted to mature a little before trying it. Andrew loves his warhorses, so I would have to guess E lucevan le stelle.

Evidently “Bloodstream” is a hip hop Clair de Lune?:eek: in honor of Andrew, I will withhold judgment:biggrin:

Yeah just being snarky, it’s undoubtedly E lucevan.... Which I absolutely love, though I maybe love recondita armonia even more. Oh well. Here’s one of my favorite live recordings of Luciano singing - and actually making a creditable attempt at acting - E lucevan:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OR-3jUWP6e8

Wait, wait, I have to geek out! Here is another recording of E Lucevan. Well, actually this is part of Act III, which includes E Lucevan. Tenor: Placido Domingo. Soprano: Renata Scotto. Reason for my geek out: the first voice you hear, a beautiful bass voice, is the jailer, sung by... Itzhak Perlman. I had no idea! But now I love him even more. Conductor: James Levine.

https://youtu.be/ZCFpD6Azwrc
 

Tavi...

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I'm going to pull this snippet out and shift the conversation just a tad.

Is it possible to skate to something like Romeo and Juliet without portraying a character? I think it is. The music is beautiful, and it could stand on its own outside of the storyline.

In the case of the two most memorable recent Schindler's List programs...

Yulia skated in the red dress, drawing a direct visual link to the story.

Joshua skated a beautiful emotional program to the music, but I think the program would have been just as beautiful if the music had come from any other source. If the music had come from a Disney film, for example, would it have been viewed as positively?

So, in these cases - same inspiration, but different approaches and interpretation.

Sorry to have taken so long to respond, but I literally couldn’t think last night by the time I saw your post.

I think, theoretically, that it’s possible to skate to any music without knowing anything about it or telling a specific story, with a couple of caveats.

First, if it’s well-known music, you may run into criticism from people who have very strong associations with it if they think what you’re doing doesn’t match the tone or the intent or the story as they see it. So for example, I am bored or disappointed with almost all programs I’ve seen using Madama Butterfly, because I know that role and that score like the back of my hand and I’ve got a lot of “shoulds” in my head. :)

Second, some music is intended to tell a story or evoke images, and it may be jarring if you ignore what seem to be obvious musical cues. So in the Prokofiev Romeo & Juliet, there are parts which for me evoke swaggering male posturing or fighting. Similarly, in Puccini’s Suor Angelica she drinks poison and the music tells you that. Slightly closer to home, think about Jason’s 2015 FS to Tristan et Iseult, which came complete with sound effects (remember Jason miming drinking water) and fight music (to which Jason did all kinds of kicks and other martial arts / fighting moves). Think about Peter and the Wolf, where the instruments are associated with different animals. Or Peer Gynt. To the extent the music evokes specific images for someone, they may feel like something’s missing if it’s not acknowledged in the choreo (or in the case of Jason’s sound effects, they may just find it tacky and wish it wasn’t there).

With more cerebral music - say a Bach partita - you probably won’t have people whining that the choreo isn’t telling a story, but they may whine that the skater is missing phrases or not using pure enough movement or whatever.

Regarding whether the source of music influences our opinion of it - I don’t know. This may differ from person to person. I tend to react viscerally and emotionally to music, so if it strikes me, that’s all that matters. With respect to Disney specifically, I actually think they do a lot of good work and have great people working with them - I love Idina Menzel, and despite not being 5 years old I actually like Let it Go, and I like For Good from Wicked, so there you have it.

With respect to Julia’s Schindler’s List in particular, I’m sure some people will hate me for saying this but my own opinion is that except for the opening few seconds, where her expression was pretty perfect, she herself wasn’t very moving. I think she was a bit young to give it much depth and the program was designed to disguise that and help her win - it was effective because it drew on people’s associations with the character in the film.

With respect to Josh, he did have a strong emotional connection with the music, and the circular step sequence in the first iteration was lovely. I personally found the program really nice but not...stunning in the way that some people do.

By the way, Perlman said two very interesting things about SL.

First, it is hands down his most requested music - everywhere in the world. So I think there’s something about the music itself that speaks to people who may not even have seen the film.

Second, when he recorded the score, he knew the story but had not yet seen the film. He actually saw it for the first time while he was recording it, because the conductor (the composer John Williams) had to conduct him so that the music and film would be in synch. So what we hear in his playing is in part his reaction to the film itself. Which may be why it speaks to so many.
 

surimi

Onward and forward, Sota!
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I hope that Chris Knierim linking a Phantom video on twitter has a different meaning than what comes to my mind first...
 

Tavi...

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Feb 10, 2014
I am so sorry to hear that this is part of your personal history. Human beings can be very cruel sometimes. People react differently to tragedy. Many of Jewish decent want others to Never Forget and never repeat and Schindler's List was created as an achingly beautiful way to remind us of the tragedy. I can respect this reason for a choice but don't want an entire field of such choices. It would be a downer of an event for us regular folk, and induce a form of PTSD for those with a recent, personal connection to a tragedy.

I am always a bit suspicious when skaters choose music to send a message that I am serious this year, I deserve a higher ranking in the same way an actor/actress chooses a serious theme as a bid for an Oscar. Some of these tributes are deeply felt and others are very shallow. I give the skater the benefit of the doubt as to their motivation, but am annoyed when they do not treat this material respectfully. As a judge, I would expect far more from such a skater to compensate for such a choice that makes others uncomfortable as some may be playing on the sympathy of the audience and judges. Judge, how could you not rate Schindler higher than Strauss, Chaplin, Moulin Rouge,etc...

Except how do you know when a skater chooses music to send a message that they’re serious?
 

el henry

Go have some cake. And come back with jollity.
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....
I can respect this reason for a choice but don't want an entire field of such choices. It would be a downer of an event for us regular folk, and induce a form of PTSD for those with a recent, personal connection to a tragedy.

I am always a bit suspicious when skaters choose music to send a message that I am serious this year, I deserve a higher ranking in the same way an actor/actress chooses a serious theme as a bid for an Oscar. Some of these tributes are deeply felt and others are very shallow. I give the skater the benefit of the doubt as to their motivation, but am annoyed when they do not treat this material respectfully. ...

A few points:

1. Particularly with Schindler's List, how would any of us know whether the *skater* has a recent, personal connection to the tragedy? Particularly a skater who is Jewish? They should be the ones to decide.

2. I have not seen one skater use Schindler's List as a "Look at me I'm serious" program. Some SL programs have touched me more than others, but the ones I have seen have been respectful.

I will admit, given that Jason is Jewish, I expect to be even more touched by his program. I think that is human nature, at least mine.

3. At least for Jason, he has had soooooo many serious, thoughtful LPs in the past four years, that although I think Schindler's List is a great choice for him, I am ready in 2020-21 for a "cheerful" LP. The last thing Jason needs right now is to prove he's serious:drama:

But I can wait.:)
 

elektra blue

mother of skaters
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Andrew Torgashev
SP- "Bloodstream" by Tokio Myers
FP- Giacomo Puccini's "Tosca" performed by Luciano Pavarotti
http://figureskatersonline.com/andrewtorgashev/my-2019-2020-season-programs-are/

E Lucevan le Stelle at table one, please, neat :laugh:

:laugh:

I’m a big fan of my Andrew T., but he could have given us some further hint:) Then again, he at least had the grace to say he wanted to mature a little before trying it. Andrew loves his warhorses, so I would have to guess E lucevan le stelle.

Evidently “Bloodstream” is a hip hop Clair de Lune?:eek: in honor of Andrew, I will withhold judgment:biggrin:
isn't the piece Dima Aliev skated on last season?

Tomoki Hiwatashi
FP Petrushka by Igor Stravinsky choreographed by Tom Dickson
https://www.goldenskate.com/2019/05/tomoki-hiwatashi/

now this is something original, finally :clapper:
 

Arriba627

TWO-TIME WORLD CHAMPION 🔥
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Ice dancers Team Koko from Japan (Komatsubara / Koleto) announced their SD is selections from Dream Girls and FD is Michael Flatley's Lord of the Dance.
 

DSQ

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Out of the box choices for them (I won’t comment on the Motown one lol) but I do love Flatley! And they announced on Eurovision weekend, great timing.
 

Arriba627

TWO-TIME WORLD CHAMPION 🔥
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Sota Yamamoto announced his programs for 2019-2020 season: SP -- East of Eden and FS -- In This Shirt. Choreo by Pasquale Camerlengo
 

TontoK

Hot Tonto
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Sorry to have taken so long to respond, but I literally couldn’t think last night by the time I saw your post.

And... I have been crazy busy, and haven't been checking the board very often, so I'm late in replying.

Thank you so much for the time and effort you put into responding to my question. It was more than I could have hoped for, and given your very broad knowledge of music - far superior to mine, there is plenty for me to ponder.
 
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