2017-2018 Program Music and Choreographers

You beat me to it! :rofl: I freaking love Adam Rippon, what. a. diva. :glamor: that is the gayest thing I have ever heard of, and he is a :rockstar: only Adam can do something so self absorbed and it's awesome. :respec: I'm also really looking forward to seeing his beautiful LP again.

Katarina Witt also did it, but she just hummed some notes. You just know she would've done a full-out disco pop star theatre production if they'd allowed vocals back then! :cheer:

I like Adam a lot. One of my favourite post competition interviews ever:

https://youtu.be/6Vy7KBC4yXA?t=33

LOL
 
@samchouin15 posted on instagram a FD excerpt of Olivia Smart & Adria Diaz skating to "You make me feel like a natural woman":
https://www.instagram.com/p/BXbOl8gAJ9r/?taken-by=samchouin15

I assume this means Samuel Chouinard is the choreographer or at least involved in the choreo?

Would not it be great if the competitions were recorded like this from time to time? I know it is not realistic and would bother the attendees a lot but that lets you see many details.
 
Is "Get Busy" by Sean Paul Latin? I don't think that it is, but I guess these things don't matter anymore.
Both the Sean Paul and Pitbull songs have a "Latin/Caribbean" beat, but mixed with a more contemporary style (e.g., hip hop). I like the fact that H/W have selected music with a modern twist. Whether the judges will like it or not is another story. H/W are charismatic performers, so it could be fun. I am most looking forward to seeing this in competition along with Shibs short dance, which I hope will bring out all their playfulness and fun. Let everybody else do the slow, sultry Latin.:slinkaway
 
Don't get me wrong, I love Sean Paul and love the song. I can see it's similar to a lot of modern Latin dance songs with the heavy beats, but I think the reggae dancehall beats from Jamaica isn't what the ISU had in mind with the Latin rhythm. But who knows?
 
Don't get me wrong, I love Sean Paul and love the song. I can see it's similar to a lot of modern Latin dance songs with the heavy beats, but I think the reggae dancehall beats from Jamaica isn't what the ISU had in mind with the Latin rhythm. But who knows?
I think the definitions of all musical genres are fluid, especially with our worldwide access to other cultures. I can understand the ISU requiring a certain beat for a pattern dance, but beyond that, I say bring it on to all types of interpretations. I am not a big fan of the Latin dances on ice; I just don't think they translate as well as other dance styles (waltz, tango, etc.), so I am excited to see a different take on the genre.
 
Don't get me wrong, I love Sean Paul and love the song. I can see it's similar to a lot of modern Latin dance songs with the heavy beats, but I think the reggae dancehall beats from Jamaica isn't what the ISU had in mind with the Latin rhythm. But who knows?

The OD rhythm seems like it's been more of a suggestion than a requirement for years now. Judges don't seem to care.
 
The OD rhythm seems like it's been more of a suggestion than a requirement for years now. Judges don't seem to care.

At least I can take solace in the fact that at least some fans still care and haven't lowered their standards. Remember how much criticism Bourne/Kraatz got back in the day when they originally used Beatles for their jive OD and were pressured to change it to make it adhere to an actual jive? Or how they used the "Cell Block Tango" from the musical Chicago for the Spanish tango for the Spanish OD in 2002?
 
I can't imagine skating to my own singing. I think it'd freak me out. But if he can, more power to him!

I agree. Out of curiosity, has anyone here ever heard Adam sing?

ETA: after catching up on comments, it seems the answer is no.
 
Last edited:
The OD rhythm seems like it's been more of a suggestion than a requirement for years now. Judges don't seem to care.

They cared two years ago when Chock & Bates, Weaver & Poje, and several other teams had to change their SDs after their Challenger Series debuts, either because the waltz, the secondary rhythm, or both were questionable.

Last year, the rhythm requirements were very open.

This season, it feels like it could be in between. Personally, I don't see why Jamaican reggae wouldn't be as Latin as the rhumba, which combines big band music with the Cuban rumba; but I would have no idea about the timing restrictions/beat, etc. In any case, it has to be better than the SD program that debuted at Lake Placid using Love Story with an applied Latin beat. (No, just no).
 
They cared two years ago when Chock & Bates, Weaver & Poje, and several other teams had to change their SDs after their Challenger Series debuts, either because the waltz, the secondary rhythm, or both were questionable.

Last year, the rhythm requirements were very open.

This season, it feels like it could be in between. Personally, I don't see why Jamaican reggae wouldn't be as Latin as the rhumba, which combines big band music with the Cuban rumba; but I would have no idea about the timing restrictions/beat, etc. In any case, it has to be better than the SD program that debuted at Lake Placid using Love Story with an applied Latin beat. (No, just no).

Because Jamaica isn't a part of Latin America and Sean Paul doesn't do Spanish reggae while Cuba is a part of Latin America. But this all doesn't matter and his music does sound like it has some similarities to the Latin club songs played on American radio.
 
This season, it feels like it could be in between. Personally, I don't see why Jamaican reggae wouldn't be as Latin as the rhumba, which combines big band music with the Cuban rumba; but I would have no idea about the timing restrictions/beat, etc.
There is a mix of Reggae and Latin called "Reggaeton" but the predominant theme/beat either "Roots Reggae" or one of the better known Latin styles.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jr0hzb-iV-Y

And "Get Busy" is "dance-hall"/"two-drop" style/beat, and if danced correctly/authentically has very little to do with "Latin Dance steps".

Examples of Dance-hall.
Basic steps start with Creeper/Waver/Billybump/etc: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jJ1Mz0itsec
Variation steps, like Twister https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PYm9VJg8jcI
Some Fancy step/Row the boat: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KO7DMEbObDw

Carribean dance beat is its own category and covers: Reggae, SKA, Calypso.
 
Just as a reminder, here is the rhythm description for this year's SD:

Any number of the following Latin American Rhythms: Cha Cha, Rhumba, Samba, Mambo, Meringue, Salsa, Bachata and any closely related Latin American Rhythms.

https://www.usfigureskating.org/content/2017-18 ID SD Chart.pdf

Just for some anecdotes, I just asked a bunch of my colleagues and friends who are of Latin American descent and they all said they don't consider Sean Paul to be Latin American music under any circumstance. That doesn't mean it isn't, and like I said it probably doesn't matter, but I thought it was interesting to provide that perspective.
 

Users who are viewing this thread

Back
Top
Do Not Sell My Personal Information