Skaters with great basics plus musicality

gkelly

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Is versatility important? Or is it good enough to excel in interpreting one style of music?
 

Vash01

Fan of Yuzuru, T&M, P&C
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Berezhnaya Sikharulidze had great basic skating skills and they were very lyrical skaters. I am away from the computer, so I cant post videos right now.
.

I finally got around to copying many of their programs. Here are some:


Impossible Dream -99 worlds Ex (includes an encore which I had never seen)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wejrWTq6raQ


Elegy - 98 worlds Ex
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vOKy2SppTxM


2001 COR LP – Citylights
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eLpXj6PD9HE


2002 Oly LP – Lady Caliph
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sqOd-Lx-xhQ


Radetzky March 2000 SP
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Qaz4vGpmyI

99 worlds SP: Happy Valley
 
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Vash01

Fan of Yuzuru, T&M, P&C
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Vash01

Fan of Yuzuru, T&M, P&C
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55,383
I have not seen Klimova Ponomarenko mentioned yet. They had great basic skating skills and they were very musical. I will post link(s) later, but their FD from the 92 Olympics speaks for itself.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kl-niom1jc8

Pro number- skated to Tchaikovsky

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hXxkLJ7omA0



ETA- I am loving this thread. I stayed awake till 4 am to watch many of my favorite programs by my favorite skaters. I probably posted too many yt links. :)

I didn't post G&G, Kwan and Wylie because others have already posted about them.
 
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Vash01

Fan of Yuzuru, T&M, P&C
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Deleted.

My apologies for too many posts. I got carried away while watching the performances.
 

LilJen

Reaching out with my hand sensitively
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Johnny Weir in his prime, the exit edge on his jumps used to be spectacular in programs like Dr. Zhivago. Unfortunately he got distracted by celebrity and didn’t maintain his training or fitness.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=dIkfE30GPWU
Yeah, he interpreted music beautifully, and such good basics. It's a shame he never quite had the work ethic to maximize on his incredible natural ability.
 

Marco

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15,262
Sure. Most people here cite champsions. Of course most of them have great basics and musicality.

I am going to say Nana Takeda instead. She moved around incredibly well and was very musical when she was competing, but she only had triples up to the loop, hence wasn't more successful.

A current equivalent is Emmy Ma.
 

IceAlisa

discriminating and persnickety ballet aficionado
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Rika Kihira besides those already mentioned i.e. Miyahara, Ota, Chan, Kolyada.

Gordeeva’s SS are unreal. Watching her just stroke around the rink is a pleasure.

And yes, Johnny’s runouts were the prettiest :swoon:

Late career Caro was also incredibly musical with killer basics
 

antmanb

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12,639
Is versatility important? Or is it good enough to excel in interpreting one style of music?

IMO versatility is over-rated is figure skating. I think its an enormous ask of competitive skaters who have to fit all the required technical elements into their competitive programmes to not just be able to interpret music and emote but demand that they be able to tackle different types of music too.

If a truly versatile performer comes along I think it should be praised, but insisting that skaters be versatile I think is too far a step.

I think James/Cipres have found their musical niche and style and they do it so well, i'd rather see them continue with programmes in the same style rather than attempt and not quite succeed at different styles.

Equally Tarasova/Morosov seem to be trying every kind of style there is, to very little success except with the classical programmes. Their LP this season that is trying to be more contemporary dance style is working better than some of their other programmes but I still don't think its as good as their full on classical programmes.
 

millyskate

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Equally Tarasova/Morosov seem to be trying every kind of style there is, to very little success except with the classical programmes. Their LP this season that is trying to be more contemporary dance style is working better than some of their other programmes but I still don't think its as good as their full on classical programmes.
I think their classical music programs are not great because they can interpret it, but because the quality of the music stands on its own :shuffle:
It takes a great skater to elevate empty music.

Musical skaters are ones who for me, feel and breathe the phrasing, sense the pain points in the music - which is different to those who can hit clear or intricate dance positions.
I used to find Lipnitskaya really musical :shuffle: she felt the climaxes and musical tension in her body. What others saw as rushing I felt as fighting against the tension in the music. Currently, apart from the obvious Papadakis / Cizeron and Hanyu, Shoma is really sensitive and musical IMO. Some of Kostner's exhibitions are very musical.
 
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coppertop1

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kwanatic

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She floats across the ice.

She reminds of Mao Asada. :love: Mao seemed to just float across the ice in the most graceful and ethereal way... Marin has that similar quality. It's going to sound weird, but I also love Marin's hands. She performs her movement all the way through to her fingertips and it's so beautiful to me.

I'd love to see her breakthrough this year as well...or at least find some consistency and have strong competitions.
 

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