sunjoy
07-08-2007, 05:19 AM
I was lucky enough last night to have *on ice* tix to Miki Ando and friends.
"and friends" was the best part, because they (personally) moved me more than Ando did, although I have a lot of respect for Ando, and that's understating it; *the world champion* was close enough to spray me with her ice if she'd done a stop in the lutz corner... And she didn't do a lutz on our end of the rink, but she didn't miss any of her triples or her double axel... "BFD?" well, no, cuz I have yet to see Sasha do that for me live, so like I said, I respect that a lot.
Who else? Silvia Fontana: lots of energy, real "show" skater, very very very tight and impressive choreorgaphy for the fast guitar solo part of LeAnn Rimes' "Summertime". I mean *tight*. Not just energetic footwork, but stuff that moved in rhythm to the guitar solo, instead of the cheezy air-guitar or generic dynamic movement that a lot of skaters would do. Otherwise not particularly impressive for someone who's watched competitive skating.
Alexander Abt. Apparently he *won* Russian Nationals once, which means he either beat Plushenko or Plushy was hurt/injured. When asked "what do your miss about competitive skating" he answered "nothing. I skate for the fans". And no doubt. He was the consumate SHOW skater. HUGE, HUGE flying camels or death drops or butterflies (im' not entirely sure which, possibly all threee, but HUGE). Like Micheal Jordan huge. Over my head huge. HUGE. Very involved with the crowd, very showy. His first number was Bryan Adams, (whatever) and his second was "Gasolina", the regaeton song, and he worked the hip-hop dance *really* well. Well enough for a dancer on dry land. Good stuff.
Tatiana Zoloszha & Stanislav Morozov (pairs). First number to "Adagio Albinoni" was really good. Really cool pair spins (not *paired* spins, but spins together where they switch through innovative positions) Second number (total eclipse of the heart -- french version) repeated too much of the moves from the first one. Both times she fell on the throw-triple, but kudos for trying it both times in a show. Their twists went without incident.
Naomi Lang & Peter Tchernishev. Made my heart skip beats, the way only pairs or pas de deux in dance can. Yeah, they are ice-dancers, but this *felt* more like pairs skating without twists or jumps. He even did an overhead (two handed) lift, which I think is against the rules of ice-dance? Major, major problem though, was that their second number was Barber's "Adagio for Strings", one of my *favorite* pieces of music, and yet the version they used had some cheesy poetry/talking over the top of it. SUPER distracting, both from the music and from their skating. It *would* have been amazing, but their cut of music absolutely ruined it for me. I'm going to write to them and tell 'em to use the instrumental PUHLEEEEZE!.
Kyoko Ino & John Zimmerma. Pairs. Good skating. No mistakes, but no throw jumps or twists. *Moved* me. Beautiful. Made me want to skate, made me feel proud to be a skater.
Elene Gedevanishvili. Didn't even know she was going to be in the program. Slow start, doubled a jump, and then got her energy back and skated well. Not quite 10th place in the Olympics caliber, but, well.
Adam Rippon. I believe he just moved up to Junior. Skated really well his first number, (Toccata & Fugue, JS Bach) and then TORE UP THE ICE for his second ("Because we believe" Andrea Bocelli). It was one of those skates where he ended with his fist up in the air and you just *knew* it wasn't just a pose. Hello, *just moved to junior this year* and stole the show from a bunch of ex-olympians. Sure it wasn't COP, but ya gotta feel good for the kid! Hope to see him in Jr. Nats. He does a cool camel->donut->sit spin. He did a cool Ina Baur too, his back almost parallel to the ice. Rest of his stuff was very masculine and strong, but also (to me) graceful in a way that some *cough*evan*cough* skaters who try to hard to be masculine can miss.
Miki Ando. Meh. Technically, I can't find fault of course, but IHMO was lacking feeling, choreography that most of the others had. First skate was to "La Boheme". Great, solid, confident triples, not much else that impressed me. Second skate "hurt", Aguilera ahem, *cough cough*, where have I seen that only five months or so ago?? Some of the begining choreography was right out of Sasha's too. Sorry, Miki, but if you're going to use Sasha's music, and then do a COE spiral with your leg up at 45 degrees, I'm not going to be impressed. Second half won me over because she nailed her jumps, and because she didn't do a Russian Split. But, you know, Sasha's missed sal during "hurt" was more than made up for by the fact that I could *feel her skating the music* from around 10th row or so. I mean *really* feel it, the way I would if I were, I don't know, 15 and crushing on someone, and listening to the song late some lonely night. Some of the other skaters in the show emoted the same way. Miki Ando didn't. But she can jump, and she's world champion, and I respect that. She's got a ways to go before she she can steal my heart the way Sasha and Johnny have though.
BUT. She's world champion, and therefore I *refuse* to disrespect her. She, and Mao, and perhaps Kimmie too, could be so much more, but for now she is "just" world champion.
umm, oh yeah: overall.... I'm still THRILLED. *ON ICE* seats, and I saw Olympians skate nearly in my lap. I could see their facial expressions. I was reminded of the *other kind of beauty* of skating; not the one I feel in my muscles and bones when I muddle through my own elements on the ice, but the indescribable perfection and achievement of senior level skaters that inspired me to get out on the ice myself in the first place. I wish my heart was twice as big as it is so it could contain more of the beauty i felt out there tonight!
Thank you, Miki Ando and Friends! :)
"and friends" was the best part, because they (personally) moved me more than Ando did, although I have a lot of respect for Ando, and that's understating it; *the world champion* was close enough to spray me with her ice if she'd done a stop in the lutz corner... And she didn't do a lutz on our end of the rink, but she didn't miss any of her triples or her double axel... "BFD?" well, no, cuz I have yet to see Sasha do that for me live, so like I said, I respect that a lot.
Who else? Silvia Fontana: lots of energy, real "show" skater, very very very tight and impressive choreorgaphy for the fast guitar solo part of LeAnn Rimes' "Summertime". I mean *tight*. Not just energetic footwork, but stuff that moved in rhythm to the guitar solo, instead of the cheezy air-guitar or generic dynamic movement that a lot of skaters would do. Otherwise not particularly impressive for someone who's watched competitive skating.
Alexander Abt. Apparently he *won* Russian Nationals once, which means he either beat Plushenko or Plushy was hurt/injured. When asked "what do your miss about competitive skating" he answered "nothing. I skate for the fans". And no doubt. He was the consumate SHOW skater. HUGE, HUGE flying camels or death drops or butterflies (im' not entirely sure which, possibly all threee, but HUGE). Like Micheal Jordan huge. Over my head huge. HUGE. Very involved with the crowd, very showy. His first number was Bryan Adams, (whatever) and his second was "Gasolina", the regaeton song, and he worked the hip-hop dance *really* well. Well enough for a dancer on dry land. Good stuff.
Tatiana Zoloszha & Stanislav Morozov (pairs). First number to "Adagio Albinoni" was really good. Really cool pair spins (not *paired* spins, but spins together where they switch through innovative positions) Second number (total eclipse of the heart -- french version) repeated too much of the moves from the first one. Both times she fell on the throw-triple, but kudos for trying it both times in a show. Their twists went without incident.
Naomi Lang & Peter Tchernishev. Made my heart skip beats, the way only pairs or pas de deux in dance can. Yeah, they are ice-dancers, but this *felt* more like pairs skating without twists or jumps. He even did an overhead (two handed) lift, which I think is against the rules of ice-dance? Major, major problem though, was that their second number was Barber's "Adagio for Strings", one of my *favorite* pieces of music, and yet the version they used had some cheesy poetry/talking over the top of it. SUPER distracting, both from the music and from their skating. It *would* have been amazing, but their cut of music absolutely ruined it for me. I'm going to write to them and tell 'em to use the instrumental PUHLEEEEZE!.
Kyoko Ino & John Zimmerma. Pairs. Good skating. No mistakes, but no throw jumps or twists. *Moved* me. Beautiful. Made me want to skate, made me feel proud to be a skater.
Elene Gedevanishvili. Didn't even know she was going to be in the program. Slow start, doubled a jump, and then got her energy back and skated well. Not quite 10th place in the Olympics caliber, but, well.
Adam Rippon. I believe he just moved up to Junior. Skated really well his first number, (Toccata & Fugue, JS Bach) and then TORE UP THE ICE for his second ("Because we believe" Andrea Bocelli). It was one of those skates where he ended with his fist up in the air and you just *knew* it wasn't just a pose. Hello, *just moved to junior this year* and stole the show from a bunch of ex-olympians. Sure it wasn't COP, but ya gotta feel good for the kid! Hope to see him in Jr. Nats. He does a cool camel->donut->sit spin. He did a cool Ina Baur too, his back almost parallel to the ice. Rest of his stuff was very masculine and strong, but also (to me) graceful in a way that some *cough*evan*cough* skaters who try to hard to be masculine can miss.
Miki Ando. Meh. Technically, I can't find fault of course, but IHMO was lacking feeling, choreography that most of the others had. First skate was to "La Boheme". Great, solid, confident triples, not much else that impressed me. Second skate "hurt", Aguilera ahem, *cough cough*, where have I seen that only five months or so ago?? Some of the begining choreography was right out of Sasha's too. Sorry, Miki, but if you're going to use Sasha's music, and then do a COE spiral with your leg up at 45 degrees, I'm not going to be impressed. Second half won me over because she nailed her jumps, and because she didn't do a Russian Split. But, you know, Sasha's missed sal during "hurt" was more than made up for by the fact that I could *feel her skating the music* from around 10th row or so. I mean *really* feel it, the way I would if I were, I don't know, 15 and crushing on someone, and listening to the song late some lonely night. Some of the other skaters in the show emoted the same way. Miki Ando didn't. But she can jump, and she's world champion, and I respect that. She's got a ways to go before she she can steal my heart the way Sasha and Johnny have though.
BUT. She's world champion, and therefore I *refuse* to disrespect her. She, and Mao, and perhaps Kimmie too, could be so much more, but for now she is "just" world champion.
umm, oh yeah: overall.... I'm still THRILLED. *ON ICE* seats, and I saw Olympians skate nearly in my lap. I could see their facial expressions. I was reminded of the *other kind of beauty* of skating; not the one I feel in my muscles and bones when I muddle through my own elements on the ice, but the indescribable perfection and achievement of senior level skaters that inspired me to get out on the ice myself in the first place. I wish my heart was twice as big as it is so it could contain more of the beauty i felt out there tonight!
Thank you, Miki Ando and Friends! :)