What's your all time favorite Michelle Kwan long program?

[Eeyora1]

Salome and Aranjuez

 

[CoolGuy]

Ariane (World Pro) followed by The Red Violin (Worlds); I just find Michelle to be much more mature post 98 (for me, 99 was like a second transformation).

 

[bardtoob]

I liked Scheherezade from 2002 Worlds.

 

[Rock2]

Many to choose from but it's a shame that 1997 was more of a down year for her because both her short and long were among her best.

 

[Vagabond]

Prelude in C Sharp Major.

 

[Miki89]

Lyra Angelica, because it's the program that made me fall in love with figure skating.

Salome is a close second.

 

[Marco]

Many to choose from but it's a shame that 1997 was more of a down year for her because both her short and long were among her best.

Come to think of it, she has skated all her long programs clean (enough) at least once for us to appreciate how magical they were, with the clear exception of Bolero (falling on footwork during the pro-am version with 6 triples).

 

[MrMystery]

Kwan programs are always tough because she had that magical ability to skate a program with so much emotion and impact, that even if it wasn't a extensively complicated program, choreographically (a la later in her career), when skated clean, it was still so impressive.

Lyra Angelica at '98 Nationals, Aranjuez at '03 Worlds, and Tosca at '04 Nationals are some of my favorite LP performances. Had the hip injury not come to a head leading up to the 2006 Olympics, I think her Tarasova choreographed LP that season would have become a trademark. Based on all of my inside sources, it was a real stunner.

 

[Rock2]

I haven't read all posts in this thread, but I'm seeing many mentions of 2003 Aranjuez Worlds.

Like Lyrica Angelica, I think the most emotional skate of the long that year happened at Nationals. And it was clean with 6 triples. Just my opinion.

 

[zigzig]

Her Taj Mahal program was genius, not least for the insane music editing job that Lenore Kay did. The way she tamed that meandering, 15 minute mess of a tone poem and turned into that tight, dramatic 4 minute program was brilliant and the choreography didn't miss a beat.

Salome was pretty fab too and again with that super sharp music cut blending the King of Kings score and the Richard Strauss piece.

I thought Lyra was a nice departure from her previous two programs and she really inhabited that program in a way that made her skating feel so free, as others have mentioned.

Her long program choreography went down hill from there. She was still an amazing performer but the creative juices thinned after that point (Ariane and Red Violin were still pretty solid though).

 

[sp555]

The Red Violin at 2000 Worlds.

 

[blue_idealist]

Am I the only one who really liked Bolero? LOL

 

[Marco]

Am I the only one who really liked Bolero? LOL

Every time I watch Bolero (and Tosca and Aranjuez), I keep imagining what other TR or CH I would put in in place of some of the excessive crossovers. And I don't mean it in a COP sense - these programs are just way too empty.

At least Bolero had some interesting spins.

 

[AngieNikodinovLove (ANL)]

Am I the only one who really liked Bolero? LOL

I forgot about that blip on the radar.

When it comes to signature pieces of music I feel like 99% of the time leave them alone... Torvil & Dean performance will be remembered and referenced for a centennial...so I always feel like since their are Billions of pieces of music if you're not gonna blow T&D's performance outta the water let that be remembered for them and find your own piece of music and create your own magic that will always be associated with you.

Kinda like now when someone wants to go do "East Of Eden". Im always like Child, you know you cant compete with Michelle Kwan so why dont you dig deeper for your music and program. LOL

Keep in mind ANL is anti-warhorse. I think many people will disagree with me.. but thats just me.. I would probably also want to do my own choreography as well.

 

[blue_idealist]

I forgot about that blip on the radar.

When it comes to signature pieces of music I feel like 99% of the time leave them alone... Torvil & Dean performance will be remembered and referenced for a centennial...so I always feel like since their are Billions of pieces of music if you're not gonna blow T&D's performance outta the water let that be remembered for them and find your own piece of music and create your own magic that will always be associated with you.

Kinda like now when someone wants to go do "East Of Eden". Im always like Child, you know you cant compete with Michelle Kwan so why dont you dig deeper for your music and program. LOL

Keep in mind ANL is anti-warhorse. I think many people will disagree with me.. but thats just me.. I would probably also want to do my own choreography as well.

I know that is T/D's iconic piece, but I have to say, I really enjoyed Khokhlova/Novitski's Bolero too. Maybe I just like the piece of music LOL.

 

[skatesindreams]

I know that is T/D's iconic piece,

Christopher Dean choreographed it for Michelle.
We'll never know what she could have done, had injury not altered what they intended for the program.

 

[MrMystery]

Am I the only one who really liked Bolero? LOL

I really liked Bolero, unfortunately she just never really was able to skate it to full potential. It was in this season the the injuries really began to catch up to Kwan, and her ability to grit through and still turn out clean programs started to wane.

 

[GREGORY]

Were they different ?

 

[Marco]

I believe Chris Dean said somewhere that what she put out there was quite different to what they had put together. It really was the injury plus those COP spins and spirals/steps that threw her off.

 

[Limonite]

The Salome program from the 1996 World Championships. I've seen her performance dozens of times. A new Michelle, all grown up: beautiful music, coreography, costume and hairstyle.

 

[DannyCurry]

I forgot about that blip on the radar.

A painfully long blip then (save the opening Campbells version) !