A perfect program

[sandraskates]

Kristy Yamaguchi - 1992 Albertville Olympic Games - Original Program to the Blue Danube Waltz
Skated perfectly to the music with not one extraneous movement. High jumps and beautiful spins - especially the laybacks.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KplWMCsgx2Q

 

[readernick]

The perfect SP should have a perfect BV.
The best possible ladies SP should include 3Ax/3Lo//3Lz3F combo.
I believe only Trusova may think to try...

I don't think anyone is going to do 3lz3F combo because they would be doing the second jump incorrectly and should get low GOE. I think both Rika and Sasha might try 3A 3F 3Lz3Lo this year. It would be interesting to see who could land it cleanly. Rika obviously has a better more consistent 3A, but Sasha's 3Lz3Lo is a beauty. (Rika's too but I have only seen it in practice). I want someone to do this program layout cleanly. It is the highest possible BV ladies SP possible at the moment.

 

[lilshorty]

My favorite is Savchenko and Szolkowy 2010 Skate Canada FS to “Out of Africa”.

 

[CanadianSkaterGuy]

4 free skates come to mind:
Kim - 2010 Olympics LP
Hanyu - 2015 NHK LP
Chen - 2019 GPF FS
Chan - 2016 4CC FS

 

[crazydreamer]

This one from Sasha Cohen.

 

[Oreo]

Gordeeva and Grinkov FS Lillehammer Olympics

 

[mrrice]

This one from Sasha Cohen.

YAS!!!!!! I think this was her best performance ever!

 

[4everchan]

I know I sound like a broken record however, Maria Butyrskaya's 7 Triple LP in 1999 still holds up as one of the best programs ever.

you are not alone to sound like a broken record Chan had several perfect programs... surprised to see he is not mentioned here

 

[mrrice]

you are not alone to sound like a broken record Chan had several perfect programs... surprised to see he is not mentioned here

He's next. I still consider his Take 5 SP to the best SP program I have ever seen. Way ahead of it's time and brilliantly choreographed. Plus......You know, He's.....

 

[TontoK]

I have a different personal measure of perfection. I've been a fan of skating for nearly 50 years.

I've seen different styles of skating come and go. I've seen the rules change. I've seen the difficulty increase. I've seen long-lasting icons and flash-in-the-pans. I'm not easily impressed at this point.

So, to get my attention, technical difficulty isn't enough, although I'd say a reasonable amount is necessary, taking into account the standards of the era. To be perfect, a skating performance has to have something extra... exceedingly beautiful, or joyful, or charming, or emotional. It has to have something to make you believe you're seeing something special... either a rising star exploding on the scene, or the culmination of years of effort, or a tearful good-bye. And it's even better at really big competitions where the skater is under the most pressure.

I rewatch very few programs. So if I do, I think they're pretty good. I watch even fewer on the regular - those are more likely to approach perfection, in my mind, at least. Here are some favorites, not all inclusive... just off the top of my head... all from Olympic Games:

Toller Cranston, 1976 SP
John Curry, 1976 Olympic LP
Dorothy Hamill, 1976 LP
Robin Cousins, 1980 SP
Torville and Dean, 1984 FD
Gordeeva and Grinkov, 1988 SP and LP
Brian Boitano, 1988 LP
Midori Ito, 1988 LP
Kristi Yamaguchi 1992 SP
Alexi Yagudin 2002 LP

Here are some non-Olympic programs from American skaters that I have rewatched fairly frequently... the list of current skaters is pretty small...

Davis and White SD to Giselle at the WC. Absolutely stunning.
Jason Brown LP to Riverdance at US Nats
Nathan Chen LP to Land of All at US Nats

 

[Imagine]

This one from Sasha Cohen.

This. This is the correct answer.

 

[mrrice]

I'm going to add Michelle Kwan's 2001 LP at Worlds. She had been losing to Irina all season and had lost the SP as well. Similar to the year before, she came back from the brink to win back to back World Titles in 2000 and 2001.

 

[ribbit]

I'm slightly surprised that no one has yet mentioned Torvill and Dean's Barnum or Bolero. Barnum received straight 5.9s for technical merit and straight 6.0s for artistic impression at the 1983 Worlds; at the 1984 Olympics, Bolero received three 6.0s and six 5.9s for technical merit and nine 6.0s for artistic impression. At Worlds a month later, they beat their own record, receiving 4 6.0s and 5 5.9s for technical merit and, again, straight 6.0s for artistic impression. (Heck, at the Olympics T/D even received 3 6.0s for their compulsory dances, which was the first time a perfect six had ever been given for a compulsory at Europeans, Worlds, or the Olympics.) Under the old 6.0 judging system, I don't think anyone in any discipline ever came close to those marks.

Wikipedia tells me that Michelle Kwan holds the singles record for total 6.0s across her career, with 57. I haven't had time to do more than a quick search, but I haven't found stats for pairs or ice dance.

 

[NAOTMAA]

This one from Sasha Cohen.

Officially the chorography is credited to TAT but if I recall correctly (and its been so long that I might be rewriting history here) by the time they got to worlds Robin Wagner made so many changes to it that the magic displayed in this performance was pretty much gone. The program became a shell of its former self. People were jokingly calling it "Robin's puddle"

I'm going to add Michelle Kwan's 2001 LP at Worlds. She had been losing to Irina all season and had lost the SP as well. Similar to the year before, she came back from the brink to win back to back World Titles in 2000 and 2001.

I still remember in 2001 the total relief she displayed (she and Frank were watching the TV screens backstage) when Irina's marks came up and she realized she was still on top. Like she was holding her breath for so long and could finally exhale

 

[anonymoose_au]

I'm slightly surprised that no one has yet mentioned Torvill and Dean's Barnum or Bolero

They haven't?! Quite the oversight indeed! Their Bolero was amazing! I was born in 1984 so didn't see it at the time, but later on when I was trying to understand ice dance I saw it and was amazed! Truly out of this world.

Wikipedia tells me that Michelle Kwan holds the singles record for total 6.0s across her career, with 57.

Apparently Plushy managed 75, but that probably includes Russian Nats,and they can be generous

 

[Brianne627]

No Michelle Kwan programs listed yet!
2004 Nats - Tosca
2002 Nats - Scherezade (excuse the spelling)
1998 Nats - Lyra Angelica
2001 Worlds - East of Eden
Exhibition but it counts - 2002 Olympics Fields of Gold

edit:
1984 Olympics T&D Bolero
2018 Olympics V&M Moulin Rouge
2014 Nats Jason Brown Riverdance
2020 Nats Mariah Bell Hallelujah

 

[saturdaysun]

Definitely Sui/Han's Blues for Klook. Makes me sad they never skated Bridge Over Troubled Water clean because that would have been an all-time iconic set of perfect programs.

 

[Ballade88]

Michelle Kwan had so many amazing skates but I think her Rach short program at 1998 Nationals was perfection.

Although not a competitive program, G & G's skate to Debussy's Reverie at the 1994 Olympic gala was mesmerizing. The most perfect pairs program.

 

[ali0125]

They touch my soul, a league of their own -

Grishuk/Platov - Memorial Requiem - 1998 Olympics
Kostornaia - Stella's Theme - 2018 Russian Nationals
Sui/Han - Rain In Your Black Eyes - 2019 Worlds

 

[frida80]

No one has said it yet, so i’ll add Gracie Gold’s 2016 National FS. She was on fire that night.

Jason Brown Nationals 2020
Shoma Uno GPF 2017 FS
Satako Miyahara World 2018 FS
Kaetlyn Osmond World 2018 FS

ALSo some junior performances.

Alena Kostanaia SP GPF 2018
Marin Honda FS 2018 Jr. Worlds

Denis Ten FS 2013 Worlds