Who is more artistic, Aliona Kostornaia or Anna Shcherbakova?

silveruskate said:

If you gave the impression people say she lacks artistry and musicality compared to Trusova then I don't blame her!

Click to expand...

No, she nearly threw things about people claiming Trusova lacks artistry and musicality a few months ago when I first told her.

SkatingWithEdges said:

For me , Absolutely not!!!! I don't feel anna "Better Artistic" than Alena

Her skate look soft and beauty but she is so introvert skater while Alena at least she could connect her feelings with the crowd (even her expression is so child ,no maturity)

Alena better speed , more secure jumps layout , she feel the music better

Click to expand...

Have you seen Anna SP? Look at the expression she makes here just before her step seq as well as her musicality of her arm movements. That wave of sadness that spreads from her face to her fingers. https://youtu.be/jOmxQDaKDts?t=136 The expression at the start and end of the program is so much more expressive than Alena's even though her skating is amazing. Maybe you are confusing maturity and childishness with one's appearance and instead you need to focus on the actual skating.

I'd say that artistically they're about equal, it all comes down to personal preference. I have noticed that Western audiences like Aliona more, while Russians (and maybe the Japanese from what I have noticed) seem to really adore Anna.

I like to separate skaters into two artistic types: the ones who skate like nobody's watching and the ones that are clearly aware of the audience around them. It looks like Anna is the latter, she clearly loves to perform to the viewers and connects to them while Aliona makes you forget that there is someone else at the rink (in most of her programs; in the last part of this year's free skate she plays with the audience as well).

Obviously those two types are completely my sorting and there are some skaters that fit both descriptions, but for now, I separate these two girls like that.

Each girls has her style ...but I think kostornaia can skate to everything and make everything look beautifull ... I don't think anna have that capacity ... for rxample... Kostornaia FS the music choice is far from perfect but she makes that work ... anna SP has a music that is her style but doesn't transmit anything ... so I think that's why kostornaia is a little bit better ...

Alyona is the best of all from the current generation - the best in everything.
As someone on youtube said "She is a delicate skater like Sasha Cohen and Carolina Kostner, but she jumps like Midori Ito and Tonya Harding. Never seen such a combination in another skater."

Anna is wonderful, and she is definitely one of the best artists currently on the ice, but Alena Kostornaia is simply on another level. She is a once in a generation talent, the likes of which have not been seen since Sasha Cohen.

I’m very picky about artistry. And I don’t think Aliona is on another level. Yes her programs are versatile, I think her movement quality may be more aesthetic than Anna’s, but she doesn’t have the natural ability to perform and interpret and connect with all types of music and the audience as Anna does, at least not that much more to make her ethereal * Idek she just doesn’t make me feel anything, although she is nice to watch. Maybe it’s her lack of facial expression. But I don’t get the hype. For me Anna’s skating brings me to another world. She tells the story, becomes the music, without being over the top or anything, and she has been like that since she was young. There’s versatility too. She is delicate and mysterious in the beginning of her FS this season, but then she becomes fiery and expressive when the music changes

IndiaP12 said:

I’m very picky about artistry. And I don’t think Aliona is on another level. Yes her programs are versatile, I think her movement quality may be more aesthetic than Anna’s, but she doesn’t have the natural ability to perform and interpret and connect with all types of music and the audience as Anna does, at least not that much more to make her ethereal * Idek she just doesn’t make me feel anything, although she is nice to watch. Maybe it’s her lack of facial expression. But I don’t get the hype. For me Anna’s skating brings me to another world. She tells the story, becomes the music, without being over the top or anything, and she has been like that since she was young. There’s versatility too. She is delicate and mysterious in the beginning of her FS this season, but then she becomes fiery and expressive when the music changes

Click to expand...

I agree with you that Anna is the more musical one of the two and has better facial expressions, and that Anna is massively underrated in this department. But, I wouldn't say that Alena doesn't have a natural ability to interpret, I think she does. In Stella's theme, or her Adios Noninos, or Romeo and Juliet, she'll move her hand or her head on the subtlest accent of the music, and she generally does things in a musical way. And about the facial expressions, while I see what you're talking about and Anna is definitely better in that regard, I think a lot of that has to do with the fact that Alena's first four programs were all "sad"/"intense" programs where you could get away with a serious/concentrating face. But if you look at her during Supermassive Black Hole, she's clearly performing with her face. Or even look at the end of Romeo and Juliet, she is definitely giving the sad/romantic feeling there. So while I still agree that Anna has the better facial expressions and musicality, Alena still has a good deal herself, and I'd say she's way more than "nice to watch". But I do think that Anna is one of the best ever in terms of musicality, her famous tango program when she was little and all of the off-ice routines prove that, along with her more recent programs of course.

Happy Skates said:

I agree with you that Anna is the more musical one of the two and has better facial expressions, and that Anna is massively underrated in this department. But, I wouldn't say that Alena doesn't have a natural ability to interpret, I think she does. In Stella's theme, or her Adios Noninos, or Romeo and Juliet, she'll move her hand or her head on the subtlest accent of the music, and she generally does things in a musical way. And about the facial expressions, while I see what you're talking about and Anna is definitely better in that regard, I think a lot of that has to do with the fact that Alena's first four programs were all "sad"/"intense" programs where you could get away with a serious/concentrating face. But if you look at her during Supermassive Black Hole, she's clearly performing with her face. Or even look at the end of Romeo and Juliet, she is definitely giving the sad/romantic feeling there. So while I still agree that Anna has the better facial expressions and musicality, Alena still has a good deal herself, and I'd say she's way more than "nice to watch". But I do think that Anna is one of the best ever in terms of musicality, her famous tango program when she was little and all of the off-ice routines prove that, along with her more recent programs of course.

Click to expand...

Yes, anyone would perform to music like Supermassive black hole, but she’s not really doing it with eyes on fire. I agree her first two Daniil programs were the best. She suits those styles. I don’t really see her moving her hand on the subtlest way on the music, or it more as the choreography. But that’s just my opinion *

vincerooo said:

Could you link the video? I’m curious to see it.

Click to expand...

Here's the 1 where Anna and Kostornaia are doing the same choreography and I think the 1 Mirruna is talking about

Here's a video of just Anna and the instructor doing the full choreography

Different strokes for different folks. I prefer Aliona’s artistry but I appreciate Anna’s as well! Both have completely different artistic styles and strengths and I actually think their programs emphasize this for each of them. I know it’s only halfway through the season but I can’t wait to see what kind of programs they choose for next season - hopefully something new and different to help them grow.

Imagine said:

Anna is wonderful, and she is definitely one of the best artists currently on the ice, but Alena Kostornaia is simply on another level. She is a once in a generation talent, the likes of which have not been seen since Sasha Cohen.

Click to expand...

More talented than Cohen. Closer to Kwan level.

Kostornaia skates like she's been in the senior leagues for a few seasons while Scherbokova still has a juniorish quality to her skating.

Amei said:

Here's the 1 where Anna and Kostornaia are doing the same choreography and I think the 1 Mirruna is talking about

Here's a video of just Anna and the instructor doing the full choreography

Click to expand...

Oh wow, I see what you're saying. You might have a point.

Amei said:

Here's the 1 where Anna and Kostornaia are doing the same choreography and I think the 1 Mirruna is talking about

Here's a video of just Anna and the instructor doing the full choreography

Click to expand...

To be fair, that is not only hip hop but of the roboting variety. Anna's lanky form is natural for that. Looks like she may also be a quicker study in terms of choreography. Hip hop is definitely art, but I think when most people talk about "artistry" they are talking about it in a traditional sense, which means balletic-like grace. Alena has that in spades, where as Anna will likely have to mature into her body a little more and work on lines and aesthetics to catch up.

They're both very artistic, no doubt about that. Like others said, Alena is great at riding along with the music and matching her movements beautifully, while Anna is more of the emotional type and has more expression in her skating - both styles are interesting. When talking about musicality though, I personally prefer the latter, because it makes a skater's connection to the music more evident. Alena still needs a lot of work in her expression and projection capabilities, but she has improved somewhat, and it also helps that her overall skating looks prettier anyways because of those strong skating skills and high-quality transitions. Anna, on the other hand, is only good in the expression and musicality, as her skating skills leave a lot to be desired, and despite having a lot of transitions they are not done as well as Alena does hers. So I say Alena has the edge in PCS.

Despite needing better programs, it's clear that both skaters are stronger than a majority of the current field in terms of artistry. Neither of them are the best though.

I think Anna is by far the most musical Russian skater, ever. Her artistry is incredible not just for her age, but for any age. That musicality is also extremely versatile. Most people know her for her interpretation of classical pieces in her international career. I haven't seen anyone respond to all the nuances like she does; not many people can skate to her music choices. But she has also done a variety of styles like her lyrical Dream Catcher where she began to gain a huge following in Russia for her artistry. And of course, one of my favourites, a sassy number when she was just 10 years old: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tdzxpAGprHQ&feature=youtu.be where the jumps were nothing spectacular but the performance and interpretation were incredible.

The highlight of her artistry was at her worse skate internationally: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aOU-gAZUqgM where where technical (jumping) part was a disaster. However, the errors didn't disrupt her performance at all, and she never missed a beat of the music. I've also seen her make errors in other competitions where she then slightly alters the choreography and steps to hit the next note instead of playing catch up like every other skater when they fall. I remember her first JGP skate where Ted was in awe of her artistry, then he asked her how she feels the music in his interview later. He seems like someone who always sees her talent; he comments on her PE/IN in every skate.

The dancing clips on the floor really highlight Anna's musicality vs. Sasha and Alena. In the clips others have posted, you can see Anna really hits every beat of the music, even more than the choreographer/instructor. In dance we argue about technique vs. musicality a lot. Alena is someone who has very good technique: she has these amazing skating skills and pointed toes so she skates very "big". This is her strength and Anna doesn't have this (although Anna does have beautiful arms, movements, and posture, skating skills are the main technical part of skating). But I don't see Alena as particularly musical - her skating skills helps hide this. What Anna has is something that cannot be taught, a feeling for music. She's the only one who has ever reminded me of Sasha Cohen's musicality and coincidently, Cohen didn't have the best SS either.

I think Anna has an inner musicality. She feels the music and interprets it in a more natural way. Her skating skills tho feels a bit juniorish and her legs look flail-y at times.
Whereas Alyona's talent is her sublime skating skills that let her perform with more quality and power. Although I'm a big fan of Alyona, I'd say her performances feels more choreographed and calculated?

Overall, they're tied to me.
A skater I'd put in the middle is Rika. She has inner musicality (although not so much in the face), and athleticism and smooth skating skills. IMO

Kostornaia. Next thread!

Alena is absolutely more artistic. No shade but I could start a similar thread about who’s more artistic, Kwan or Bonaly, and it would waste everyone’s time. (And I say this as a huuuuge Surya fan arguably even more than Michelle.)

CanadianSkaterGuy said:

Kostornaia. Next thread!

Alena is absolutely more artistic. No shade but I could start a similar thread about who’s more artistic, Kwan or Bonaly, and it would waste everyone’s time. (And I say this as a huuuuge Surya fan arguably even more than Michelle.)

Click to expand...

Ok but are you kidding? Is this like nust because Anna has quads?