It'll be a different rink from last year, though, a more modern one with presumably better ice conditions and temperature control.
It's the same rink which hosted 2008 4CC & 2008-2009 GPF.
It'll be a different rink from last year, though, a more modern one with presumably better ice conditions and temperature control.
Which version is Yuna's? There are so many but I liked this one on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VTPec8z5vdY
I did have a better perception with the Sochi performance. It was a little jazzy, but I don't bother as long as it goes along well. The music & choreo settled in better with me too.The shoulda-won talk aside, I was curious what everyone thought of the Sochi version of Adios Nonino. Did it finally have more of the feel of a tango, greater unity? Did Ven at last experience the catharsis he/she was hoping for? Have all your hopes and wishes been fulfilled?
Les Mis and Scherezade are actually my least favorite of Yuna's programs. I thought Adios Nonio was dazzling, and the footwork especially was sumptuous.I love it and can't stop watching it. I like it better than les mis and concerto but slightly less than homage. It doesn't scream Olympic program like les mis and scherezade but that might be why I like it so much. She wasn't skating for the crowd but to test her artistic boundary. And that circular foot work sequence was perfection!
I did have a better perception with the Sochi performance. It was a little jazzy, but I don't bother as long as it goes along well. The music & choreo settled in better with me too.
Looking back, I think the reason I didn't want this program was because it wasn't a statement program; that's where all the rant developed. I still don't think it's a statement program; meaning, it doesn't have the impact that grabs first-time spectator's attention. There's a reason Transformers and Frozen were all the rage, while serious ones are less popular; they have instantaneous spectacles that easily translate into mass appeal. Yuna also had many blockbuster programs; I was disappointed because I was so used to that and expected something out of the ordinary yet universally comprehensive. Grandeur, lights, orchestra, bangs. (I even arranged different versions of the music myself ahead of time!) Same with the costumes - they weren't BADLY bad, but it's Yuna, a constant best dresser. Like Yuna said: "the bigger the expectation, the bigger the disappointment." Although, I believe I was reasonably entitled to such expectation.
At the Sochi, she refined details to the point where people could feel the quality, whether the casual impact was there or not. (I recommend NBC no-commentary version) Objectively, I was able to get positive feedback from non-fans for the Sochi one whereas they slept over the Nationals one.
I suspect I would've been happier if it was one of her show pieces; I'm an occasional attention seeker in a way that I go around, share things I'm inspired by, and feel fulfillment by mutual happiness. I ranted because it wasn't easy; thankfully Yuna pulled it this much.
+ I already had had concerns when I heard the choices; neither music was easy to have a great impact, so they worried me. Oh well.
I shared similar concerns that you had. It was beautiful but maybe too artistic to capture the hearts of "wider" audience, I suppose, because in a big event like the Olympics, you probably have better chance of wowing the crowd if you use a bit more arousing, dramatic music rather than inward-looking piece. I hoped she could have used this for the worlds last year and "Les Mis" for the Olympics...
But I can't stop watching Adios Nonino over and over again. It's so subtle, sophisticated, and just gorgeous, I get to appreciate it more and more as I watch. I can notice so much intricate movements and arrangement in the program.
It is a big statement from a skating master, and it is something that will be much appreciated by serious skating fans, but for the big audience who probably watch figure skating only at the Olympics every four years, I think it would have been more strategic to choose an outward-looking piece of music to stir up the crowd.
The shoulda-won talk aside, I was curious what everyone thought of the Sochi version of Adios Nonino. Did it finally have more of the feel of a tango, greater unity? Did Ven at last experience the catharsis he/she was hoping for? Have all your hopes and wishes been fulfilled?
To be honest, I personally don't find the choreography of Adios Nonino all too compelling nor attention grabbing. Yu-Na skates it fine (she could do to project a bit more but it's not too big a deal if the choreo is great), but the program itself is a bit bland?
Might be a fun exhibition piece, but to get an edge in a competitive field - it would need more snap and and edge, something extra to really BRING it, and showcase the best of the skater's abilities.
This might sound controversial, but I think that David Wilson's choreos for Yu-Na started to look too similar to one another after 2011's programs. Kiss of the Vampire was quite ugh, Les Miz is great when I first saw it at 2013 Worlds, though I personally thought Yu-Na had started to look a bit 'rehearsed' by then. When you look back in her best competitive days back in 2009-2010 season she had this spark and genuine joy that's just amazing, and it wasn't quite there in her comeback performances - though her skills are still stellar! But even then the choice of music (Les Miz) and the choreo works well enough (along with her excellent skating), though I think the emotional music carries the program through more than the choreography itself.
What I feel she should skate to in Sochi 2014 instead of Adios Nonino, is really Homage to Korea, which didn't have much time to flourish properly in the competitive field. She'd done it only once during Worlds, I think? Which is a pity because it's an AMAZING program, set to gorgeous unique music, beautifully choreographed to really push Yu-Na's best qualities forward, and even make her weak elements look better! For example, her arabesque's spiral which doesn't have the best extension - actually looks good when timed to the soaring, climatic music in Homage to Korea, right after a gorgeous step sequence. It's too bad this program didn't get to go around the competitive circuit long enough to realize its full potential.
I rather think it's her best long program ever after Gershwin. Or could be even better, because even with Yu-Na's imperfect execution of it in 2011 Worlds, you can still see what an amazing program it is!
And what better send- off music is there than to return to her roots - show the world and the Russian crowd - this is WHO I AM, my people, my culture.