U.S. Ladies [#29]: Skating with Adjusted Vision

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New interview with Mariah.

***

Bell knew she wanted a medley of songs for her free skate and Bourne proposed ABBA. Bell turned it down, then listened to it while on the ice and fell in love. The program includes four of the Swedish pop band's hits: "Dancing Queen," "Mamma Mia," "Thank You for the Music" and "The Winner Takes It All."

"It's turning out to be one of my most favorite programs I've ever done," Bell said. "It's super interesting and I like it because it pushes me out of my comfort zone to be a little more creative. It's also a great time to do that – we have this season and then the next one is the Olympic season, so I can choose if I keep these or what kind of style in the last three years worked well for me and choose programs based on that for the Olympic season."

***

usfigureskatingfanzone.com

CEO Of Her Career, Mariah Bell Explains Her Mentality and the New Programs She Hopes Lead to Even More Success - U.S. Figure Skating Fan Zone

At 24 years old, Mariah Bell has established that she is the CEO of her figure skating career. World-renowned technician Rafael Arutunian is head coach and technical
usfigureskatingfanzone.com usfigureskatingfanzone.com
 
Wyliefan said:
New interview with Mariah.

***

Bell knew she wanted a medley of songs for her free skate and Bourne proposed ABBA. Bell turned it down, then listened to it while on the ice and fell in love. The program includes four of the Swedish pop band's hits: "Dancing Queen," "Mamma Mia," "Thank You for the Music" and "The Winner Takes It All."

"It's turning out to be one of my most favorite programs I've ever done," Bell said. "It's super interesting and I like it because it pushes me out of my comfort zone to be a little more creative. It's also a great time to do that – we have this season and then the next one is the Olympic season, so I can choose if I keep these or what kind of style in the last three years worked well for me and choose programs based on that for the Olympic season."

***

usfigureskatingfanzone.com

CEO Of Her Career, Mariah Bell Explains Her Mentality and the New Programs She Hopes Lead to Even More Success - U.S. Figure Skating Fan Zone

At 24 years old, Mariah Bell has established that she is the CEO of her figure skating career. World-renowned technician Rafael Arutunian is head coach and technical
usfigureskatingfanzone.com usfigureskatingfanzone.com
Click to expand...

I like Mariah and LOVE ABBA, but cynical old me can't help but comment that the scheduled location of Worlds just happens to be in the city that hosts ABBA the Museum.

abbathemuseum.com

Frontpage

ABBA The Museum is an interactive museum where you can become the fifth member of ABBA by performing on our large stage. Get your tickets now!
abbathemuseum.com abbathemuseum.com

en.wikipedia.org

ABBA The Museum - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org en.wikipedia.org
 
I must watch Bechke and Petrov's short program skated to 'Money, Money, Money' again from the 1991 World Championships.

With her choice of ABBA, Adam has basically turned Mariah into the female version of him. Not that there is anything wrong with that.
 
essence_of_soy said:
With her choice of ABBA, Adam has basically turned Mariah into the female version of him.
Click to expand...
Shae-Lynn Bourne choreographed Mariah's FS (again). Relevant excerpt from the Fan Zone article:
... short program to P!nk's "Glitter in the Air," choreographed by Rippon and Molly Oberstar, and an ABBA medley free skate devised by Shae-Lynn Bourne. Maintaining what works among her team throughout the Olympic quadrennium, this is the third year in a row Rippon has choreographed her short and Bourne her free.
"Molly and I grew up working with a lot of the same choreographers and she's a brilliant skater," Rippon said of bringing in his friend and former competitive skater. "As soon as I told Molly we had to start brainstorming music, Molly brought up 'Glitter in the Air' as her first suggestion back in January. We asked Mariah what she thought, Mariah liked it and that was it."
Click to expand...

ETA:

Good Morning America Digital did a video interview with Starr Andrews - link to watch is posted here:
https://www.fsuniverse.net/forum/th...ersity-in-figure-skating.107470/#post-5852345
 
Wyliefan said:
Bourne proposed ABBA
Click to expand...

Wayyyy too safe (and boring) of a choice for ANL

Surprised SLB chose that. She’s one of the people I like for innovation for choreography and music, not warhorse 101

If she was going to go down that route I’m surprised she didn’t choose selections that aren’t the ones done the most and that her fellow one-time competitor didn’t also use for her free programs.

Last season she also did hallelujah another warhorse. Would like to see Mariah step into her own and choose people in her inner circle that aren’t her Besties or long times! Mix it up! But that’s just me.

Right now I’m more excited for Alysa and Bradie because they did drastic steps so I am looking forward to what will be new for them.

And Amber’s never ending parade of triple axels!!!!
 
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AngieNikodinovLove said:
Wayyyy too safe (and boring) of a choice for ANL

Surprised SLB chose that. She’s one of the people I like for innovation for choreography and music, not warhorse 101

If she was going to go down that route I’m surprised she didn’t choose selections that aren’t the ones done the most and that her fellow one-time competitor didn’t also use for her free programs.

Last season she also did hallelujah another warhorse.
Click to expand...
Eh. Speaking for myself... if a skater can perform a "warhorse" like Mariah did at Nationals and bring me and most of the audience in Greensboro to their feet, who cares? :D
 
Sylvia said:
Eh. Speaking for myself... if a skater can perform a "warhorse" like Mariah did at Nationals and bring me and most of the audience in Greensboro to their feet, who cares? :D
Click to expand...

LOL I did write originally although she performed that warhorse beautifully but I accidentally erased it. I’ve been on my phone writing posts lately instead of the laptop. I’m not used to the difference in screen
 
My fear for Mariah is the program could fall flat with no audience or a limited audience.
 
Wyliefan said:
"It's turning out to be one of my most favorite programs I've ever done," Bell said. "It's super interesting and I like it because it pushes me out of my comfort zone to be a little more creative.
Click to expand...
At the risk of throwing cold water (because I really do like Mariah), ABBA has been done to death. I'm not sure how skating to "The Winner Takes it All," etc., pushes her out of her comfort zone.

But I'm sure she'll skate beautifully, she always does.
 
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skateboy said:
At the risk of throwing cold water (because I really do like Mariah), ABBA has been done to death. I'm not sure how skating to "The Winner Takes it All," etc., pushes her out of her comfort zone.
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Mirai Nagasu said the same thing about her LP to "The Winner Takes it All" in the 2016-17 season, but I think Mariah has the ability to really sell it with or without an audience.
 
AngieNikodinovLove said:
Wayyyy too safe (and boring) of a choice for ANL

Surprised SLB chose that. She’s one of the people I like for innovation for choreography and music, not warhorse 101
Click to expand...

I don't think ABBA music has been overused in competitive programs at all. I can only recall Jenny Kirk's unfortunate muzak version.
I think it'll at least be fun for the audience. Love me some 'Dancing Queen'.
 
skateboy said:
At the risk of throwing cold water (because I really do like Mariah), ABBA has been done to death. I'm not sure how skating to "The Winner Takes it All," etc., pushes her out of her comfort zone.

But I'm sure she'll skate beautifully, she always does.
Click to expand...
What in the world is she thinking? I don't think anyone could make that music relevant or interesting.
 
Some ABBA trivia:

"The Winner Takes It All" is a ballad reflecting the end of a romance.

The story (rumor) goes something like this:

"The Winner Takes It All," originally titled "The Story of My Life," was written by both Björn Ulvaeus and Benny Andersson, with Fältskog singing the lead vocal. The lyrics to the song were thought to mirror the divorce between Ulvaeus and Fältskog in 1979. However, Ulvaeus himself denies this, saying the basis of the song "is the experience of a divorce, but it's fiction. There wasn't a winner or a loser in our case. A lot of people think it's straight out of reality, but it's not." According to "The Winner Takes It All" song facts, Ulvaeus has said that while he usually didn't use drugs or alcohol while writing, he had a bottle of brandy next to him while writing the lyrics for this song. It was very personal to him.

However, it still circulates to this day that infidelity actually did cause the marriage to end in divorce, and Agnetha is the scorned woman singing about the mistress that won over her husband and lured him away. Fact, not fiction according to those back in the day, and with the knowledge.

Regardless, the song has a much darker, more profound, personal implication than merely winning or having lost to a rival in competition.
 
Weve3 said:
Some ABBA trivia:

"The Winner Takes It All" is a ballad reflecting the end of a romance.

The story (rumor) goes something like this:

"The Winner Takes It All," originally titled "The Story of My Life," was written by both Björn Ulvaeus and Benny Andersson, with Fältskog singing the lead vocal. The lyrics to the song were thought to mirror the divorce between Ulvaeus and Fältskog in 1979. However, Ulvaeus himself denies this, saying the basis of the song "is the experience of a divorce, but it's fiction. There wasn't a winner or a loser in our case. A lot of people think it's straight out of reality, but it's not." According to "The Winner Takes It All" song facts, Ulvaeus has said that while he usually didn't use drugs or alcohol while writing, he had a bottle of brandy next to him while writing the lyrics for this song. It was very personal to him.

However, it still circulates to this day that infidelity actually did cause the marriage to end in divorce, and Agnetha is the scorned woman singing about the mistress that won over her husband and lured him away. Fact, not fiction according to those back in the day, and with the knowledge.

Regardless, the song has a much darker, more profound, personal implication than merely winning or having lost to a rival in competition.
Click to expand...
Wow. Dark and immoral. Sounds right up Mariah's alley.
 
orbitz said:
I don't think ABBA music has been overused in competitive programs at all. I can only recall Jenny Kirk's unfortunate muzak version.
I think it'll at least be fun for the audience. Love me some 'Dancing Queen'.
Click to expand...
Once with ABBA could be considered overused.
 
Mariah is skating to a medley of ABBA, her entire program isn't TWTIA. I think we should all be grateful to see any skating, warhorses or not.

And ANL - I love you like I love cupcakes, but Mariah doesn't always skate to overused music - she gives us a 50/50 smix, with one program being 'safe' and the other being somewhat edgy. If last season's short to Work B!itch isn't mixing it up, I'm not sure what is? Her 18-19 programs were great on her too - Celine for the short and Experience by Einaudi were fresh. I think the Einaudi piece was popular with several pairs teams in the season after she did it.
 
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