- Joined
- Mar 23, 2014
One of the common themes that crops up in discussing and comparing the individual programs of skaters is whether or not there is a lot of choreography versus a little, or whether the choreography is complex versus simple. It's obvious that IJS rewards complex choreography over simple - the Transitions and Choreography components really emphasize it, and even the Skating Skills category wants to see a variety of skating moves used to prove your skills.
This is obviously a pretty good thing. Complex choreography is more difficult to do, more transitions are more difficult to do, so if you're able to do all this complicated stuff while also executing your technical elements, you deserve to be rewarded.
These two performances are great examples from last year's GPF: Hanyu's LP and Evgenia's LP. For those of you who hate Evgenia, I've also included a performance from Gubanova here. All of these programs are pretty packed with choreography and transitions, and pretty effectively do so.
Then we have programs like Ashley Wagner's SP and Adam Rippon's SP, where the performance and interpretation are excellent, but transitions and choreography are simple. Not bad or badly executed, but definitely less difficult and complicated than that performed in the programs above.
But - sometimes programs can appear TOO busy, according to many comments I've seen (and observations I have had). I and other fans frequently wish we might see a pose or move held for longer, like a long spiral, or spread eagle, or anything involving a pretty pose on an edge, really. But skaters and coaches want to have as many transitions/steps/choreographic difficult as possible, so we sometimes lose those kinds of movements. Zagitova's LP is certainly difficult, complicated, and well-performed, but seems too choreographically complex - it doesn't feel natural, or have a particular flow that fits the music naturally. It feels rushed.
Since the institution of IJS, programs have become more and more choreographically complex. Skaters get better, the sport progresses, and athletes become capable of doing more while still getting the technical stuff done. Just compare Shizuka's winning LP in 2006, Yuna's winning LP in 2010, and Evgenia's LP from last year that I linked above. (Note: this is not an invitation to evaluate whether or not you think their choreography or their programs are good or to say that one skater is better than the other; focus on what's happening between elements, the transitions, the choreographic complexity.) IMO, it's clear that, over time, choreographic complexity has increased. But is there a such thing as too much complexity, as in Zagitova's LP above? Will we continue progressing until programs become so jam-packed that all top skaters seem to rush through the movements?
And how about we just take a moment of appreciation for skaters who were able to do so much in a relatively choreographically simple program: Michelle Kwan, Alexei Yagudin, Maria Butyrskaya, Rudy Galindo.
Their programs are so much easier than anything anyone is doing now, but are they less enjoyable? Are there ways their programs are superior to what we see now?
How do we as fans view the difference between choreographic simplicity/complexity and bad/good choreography? Any examples of bad choreography that still ticks all the boxes of being complex and difficult (maybe Elena's Titanic) or simple choreography that is excellent and moving? In a perfect world, what do we want to see, and how do we want judges to evaluate it?
This is obviously a pretty good thing. Complex choreography is more difficult to do, more transitions are more difficult to do, so if you're able to do all this complicated stuff while also executing your technical elements, you deserve to be rewarded.
These two performances are great examples from last year's GPF: Hanyu's LP and Evgenia's LP. For those of you who hate Evgenia, I've also included a performance from Gubanova here. All of these programs are pretty packed with choreography and transitions, and pretty effectively do so.
Then we have programs like Ashley Wagner's SP and Adam Rippon's SP, where the performance and interpretation are excellent, but transitions and choreography are simple. Not bad or badly executed, but definitely less difficult and complicated than that performed in the programs above.
But - sometimes programs can appear TOO busy, according to many comments I've seen (and observations I have had). I and other fans frequently wish we might see a pose or move held for longer, like a long spiral, or spread eagle, or anything involving a pretty pose on an edge, really. But skaters and coaches want to have as many transitions/steps/choreographic difficult as possible, so we sometimes lose those kinds of movements. Zagitova's LP is certainly difficult, complicated, and well-performed, but seems too choreographically complex - it doesn't feel natural, or have a particular flow that fits the music naturally. It feels rushed.
Since the institution of IJS, programs have become more and more choreographically complex. Skaters get better, the sport progresses, and athletes become capable of doing more while still getting the technical stuff done. Just compare Shizuka's winning LP in 2006, Yuna's winning LP in 2010, and Evgenia's LP from last year that I linked above. (Note: this is not an invitation to evaluate whether or not you think their choreography or their programs are good or to say that one skater is better than the other; focus on what's happening between elements, the transitions, the choreographic complexity.) IMO, it's clear that, over time, choreographic complexity has increased. But is there a such thing as too much complexity, as in Zagitova's LP above? Will we continue progressing until programs become so jam-packed that all top skaters seem to rush through the movements?
And how about we just take a moment of appreciation for skaters who were able to do so much in a relatively choreographically simple program: Michelle Kwan, Alexei Yagudin, Maria Butyrskaya, Rudy Galindo.
Their programs are so much easier than anything anyone is doing now, but are they less enjoyable? Are there ways their programs are superior to what we see now?
How do we as fans view the difference between choreographic simplicity/complexity and bad/good choreography? Any examples of bad choreography that still ticks all the boxes of being complex and difficult (maybe Elena's Titanic) or simple choreography that is excellent and moving? In a perfect world, what do we want to see, and how do we want judges to evaluate it?
In so far as figure skating is a sport, the more complex the choreography, the more IJS points the skater deserves. Art? I like a simpler program better. (Just my opinion, of course.)
-- No offense to Sasha fans. 
)
