Programs that jumped the shark?

[emason]

I must be the only person alive who liked that program.

I said it then, when I saw it live at Skate Canada, and I’ll say it now: It was the height of tastelessness to co-opt another country’s national tragedy and skate around in a sparkly skating dress to those voiceovers. That sealed the deal for my intense dislike of Medvedeva.

 

[PRlady]

So all those Gentiles skating to Schindler’s List are co-opting someone else’s tragedy? I think that means only Jason is in the clear for using that music. Forget Lipniskaia and especially Kat Witt.

Everyone loved Green/Parsons’ Dance Me to the End of Love which is about Auschwitz. Tons of white skaters have used music from Porgy and Bess.

I just don’t see how 9/11 is more sacred than those examples, and I’m American.

 

[On My Own]

I said it then, when I saw it live at Skate Canada, and I’ll say it now: It was the height of tastelessness to co-opt another country’s national tragedy and skate around in a sparkly skating dress to those voiceovers. That sealed the deal for my intense dislike of Medvedeva.

It was tasteless because it is simply not possible to fit the requirements of the tech content AND the artistic development the theme requires within the span of 4 minutes. The most obvious example of it is that step sequence - literally the same one as her previous season's one (or maybe a gala), I believe, and somehow that was supposed to be artistic. I guess.

I'm sure one day someone will do a Rape in the Congo program and many will tear up, and it will still be shit, because the requirements are shit and the skaters have zero musicality and performance ability. Get that onto a stage, and we will see.

 

[Sarrie]

So all those Gentiles skating to Schindler’s List are co-opting someone else’s tragedy? I think that means only Jason is in the clear for using that music. Forget Lipniskaia and especially Kat Witt.

Everyone loved Green/Parsons’ Dance Me to the End of Love which is about Auschwitz. Tons of white skaters have used music from Porgy and Bess.

I just don’t see how 9/11 is more sacred than those examples, and I’m American.

Reminds me of the remark a commentator made about Elvis Stojko switching free skates in the 95-96 season. He said Stojko started the season with a program using the Last of the Mohicans soundtrack but didn't like skating to a tragedy. So what program did he switch to? Why his previous years program, 1492: Conquest of Paradise. Ya know a movie about an actual tragedy not based on a fictional book full of misinformation (although I do love, love the 90's film version of Last of the Mohicans and it's soundtrack).

 

[Private Citizen]

Putting aside different opinions on Columbus, the 1492 soundtrack is uplifting and triumphant, while the Last of Mohicans soundtrack is decidedly more somber. Stojko's description makes sense to me.

I liked Stojko's 1492 program and his "Dragon: Bruce Lee Story" program. Also his "Frogs in Space" short program. Uschi Keszler did a great job of working with Stojko's natural body limitations to give him interesting, memorable, effective programs.