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.

 

[withwings]

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.

I have to admit that I never ever liked Medvedeva' s skating- empty, exaggerated, no feeling, only theatre. That particular skate was no different.
Somebody else might love her skating or personality, not me. Oh, and that video of hers with Russian flag in secret jacket compartment when Russians skated under neutral banner- no sense of shame at all, Russian arrogance in highest.

 

[tony]

Medvedeva started the season with the 9/11 program as a 16 year old, and it was in part choreographed by Averbukh who lived through 9/11 and had a tribute program himself, full with dust or ash in the hair or whatever the story was. eta- one judge away from becoming the Olympic-winning program.

Anyways, I have a really hard time figuring out when we are supposed to treat skaters as adults or as 'children'. Some of you will insist a skater is 'still a child' into their early 20s and now we have someone finding their intense dislike of a skater for a program she was given as a 16 year old. Okay.

 

[On My Own]

Oh, and that video of hers with Russian flag in secret jacket compartment when Russians skated under neutral banner- no sense of shame at all, Russian arrogance in highest.

I find it amazing that you have nothing new to say on either website.

Far less resistance to this bs on here though.

 

[On My Own]

Everyone loved Green/Parsons’ Dance Me to the End of Love which is about Auschwitz.

I don't remember if I even watched this anymore, but tbh, I won't be shocked if most didn't know it was about Auschwitz.

Obviously, when someone uses first responder sounds in their program, people are going to have opinions, unless Green/Parsons said 'we are skating to music about Auschwitz' I guess and included - well goodness even knows what they could have, and I don't want to speculate.

As they will, when they see Medvedeva picking the phone up at the end of her program. Summary is, it was tacky garbage, and therefore there's a difference.

 

[Jarrett]

Also… the Russian judge gave her a 5.9/5.9 for that performance

Hell, the Russian judge at 1999 Skate America gave "a day in the life" a 6.0.

 

[Private Citizen]

Medvedeva started the season with the 9/11 program as a 16 year old, and it was in part choreographed by Averbukh who lived through 9/11 and had a tribute program himself, full with dust or ash in the hair or whatever the story was. eta- one judge away from becoming the Olympic-winning program.

Averbukh "lived through" 9/11 the same way anyone who was alive at the time did. I loved the program but thought the theme was in poor taste.

All of the ice dancers that season pandered to the American audience: Anissina with MLK (woke before there was woke ), Lobacheva with ash in her hair supposedly related to 9/11, Fusar-Poli with Gloria Gaynor, Bourne and Kraatz with Michael Jackson. A bad year all-around. I'd have given L&A the win, despite the ash.

 

[nuge]

Denkova Staviskis Bach to Africa FD where they dropped to fifth after their amazing Handel the year before

 

[barbk]

A program that does not seem up to par with the skaters previous programs.

Like my example is Michelle Kwan’s Beatles short program that seems so off signature for her and I disliked it I was so glad she dropped it.

Other than the one-armed costume, I really like A Day in the Life at Skate America. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BahdzcmS6S0. The spiral sequence was great, spins were lovely, and the footwork was also good.

 

[AngieNikodinovLove (ANL)]

Other than the one-armed costume, I really like A Day in the Life at Skate America. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BahdzcmS6S0. The spiral sequence was great, spins were lovely, and the footwork was also good.

It’s so funny I thought the program was such a miss and off brand. The only thing redeemable for me was the one armed costume for at least that was interesting.