Melodie

I've just rewatched a couple of Hana's programs. It bothers me that in a lot of occasions she seems to rush through her movements. It does get better as she grows up but that part is still there. It's not apparent when she skates to uptempo songs, but for slower ones? Not good. Here's hoping she will get programs that help her to sort that out (also help her to broaden her range of expressions).

Shae Lynn is very much a hit-or-miss kind of choreographer. When she hits, her programs are your definition of masterpieces. When she doesn't, they are all either "meh" or "a big mess". I will give his new SP the benefit of doubt since it is a fairly new program, but for now? The judgement is "this is not it". A shame since Malaguena is such a warhorse, we've had so many (better) programs already to compare it to. Say, Sasha Cohen's, Javier Fernandez's or Yuhana Yokoi's.

That kid Minsol Kwon (who has a lovely Cats FS program last year) has some of the worst toe hammer on a (F)Lutz I have ever seen. In the video below, pause at 5.51 and you will see what I mean. Her picking leg comes almost to her shoulder height before it strikes. I'm annoyed already if the picking leg is higher than the knee level or even coming close to the buttock or hip level and yet. My lord. She is still a kid. There is still time to fix that so I hope her coaches can help her (also get her that much needed outside edge). Interestingly, her Flip is both more correct edge-wise and has the toe picking much lower.

Ilia's new short is ... not good at this point 😐 Also he might do a 4A in the short? What's all that talk about focusing more on skating qualities??? Shae does not do him any favor giving him that program.

Kao Miura SP: This place was a shelter by Ólafur Arnalds. Choreo: Benoit Richaud (My note: Tricky number. Easy to fall flat)

Update about Rino Matsuike and Mana Kawabe's programs this season Rino SP - One Day I'll Fly Away (Moulin Rouge) FS - Adios Nonino Mana SP - Haunted by Dillstone (PS: Mana, her coach, and the tendency to choose "how does this even make a good FS program" kind of music these days 😶) FS - Bolero by Ravel (My reaction goes from "Not another Bolero" to "Wait, mayhaps this works for Mana?" LOL) Bonus: New costumes

I'm not him or in his team but I do think having to choose between Korea and Canada is not an easy choice, especially when there are other obligations aside from skating that necessitates stationing at his home country. Whatever the reasons are, I do think he has thought this through. All the best for him. On a side note, aside from Jason Brown, Rika Kihira and Boyang Jin, does Brian have any other notable international students under his wing at the moment?

Much thanks! Now if anyone here can tell me how to get out of the Twitter purge I would be eternally grateful (without paying that extra 8 bucks of course)

I got into Twitter purge for exceeding the rate limitation something so I can't exactly use it for a while. May I know where this photo comes from?

Mone Chiba's Les Yeux Noirs SP choreo'ed by Misha Ge, performed at Dream on Ice I'm not convinced yet about this SP. We'll see when she gets more comfortable with it but for now the verdict is "this ain't it"

Some new programs for Team JPN Mai Mihara SP: To love you more. Choreo: Jeffrey Buttle (I'm honestly disappointed in Jeff. Can't he just give Mai something less North American and out of her usual zone???) https://m.weibo.cn/status/N7TqatVIt#&video FS: Jupiter (I Vow to Thee, My Country) by Gustav Holst. Choreo: David Wilson Rinka Watanabe SP: Avatar - The way of water. Choreo: Kenji Miyamoto https://m.weibo.cn/status/N7UcUdgbT#&video Mao Shimada SP: Americano. Choreo: Kaitlyn Weaver https://m.weibo.cn/status/N7TYz45Bb#&video FP: Benedictus. Choreo: Lori Nichol Shun Sato SP: Libertango https://m.weibo.cn/status/N7Upw4xhT#&video FP: Four season. Choreo: Guillaume Cizeron Ami Nakai SP: Baby, God bless you. Choreo: Akiko Suzuki (Note: The program suits her as it should be. I wouldn't call her music cuts good, they're just less butchered than the other two Baby, God bless you programs *sigh*). FP: Only hope. Choreo: David Wilson (Mandy Moore's version?) Sota Yamamoto SP: Chameleon by Maynard Ferguson. Choreo: David Wilson FP: Exogenesis. Choreo: Kenji Miyamoto Hana Yoshida SP: Koo koo fun. Choreo: Kaitlyn Weaver https://weibo.com/tv/show/1034:4918832448339975?from=old_pc_videoshow Kaori Sakamoto FP: Wild is the wind/Feeling good. Choreo: Marie-France Dubreil https://m.weibo.cn/status/N7T9nsPr1#&video

Well said. To me that's what separates him from other skaters: Music flows out of him, he and music are one. In a way, I'm glad he has less formal/in-class training (like dancing and expression training and stuff) that most skaters go through since young. That abandonment of his comes from somewhere deep within himself, even though it is also built on years of hard work.

Saigo no performance. So no encore for real. Just you wait, Makabe 🤬

It's the way he always stands out in the crowd, no matter where he is. Group or individual number, the program is his.

No encore for Yuzu? Makabe, you suck big time.

I'm gonna say it. If is much better than Glamorous Sky. Perhaps because I'm not a fan of the song to begin with. I just don't really feel it.

Yuki no hana is such a good song for Mai; it pushes her to show a different type of interpretation: vulnerable, nostalgic, emotional. And yet, at the core of it, a pure, gentle soul. A snow flower, she is.

Dean Fujioka is something else, isn't he? Fluent in Japanese, English, Cantonese, Standard Mandarin, and Indonesian, majored in IT, debuted as a model in China before turning to be a singer, and loves all things from martial art and kickboxing to chess and photography. Oh and he raps (and has a good look LOL)

Satton reviving Steph's Slave to the music is A choice LOL

Oh yes, and let us recall how he butchered that hop hip dance class He has come so far, truly...

For someone who has very few dance classes of all kinds he is so much above and ahead of a good bunch of skaters with lots of formal dance training LOL

For as long as I can remember Russian media usually has the nicest things to say about him (yes, there are stabbers, but even so) in the same way that Chinese media does, even more so than Japanese media (lots of stabbers) and US media (even more stabbers and jabbers)

One month max if we recall that training he had many moons ago at TCC LOL

Different audience, different producer, different goal. You can't possibly compare a pharmaceutical company to fashion magazine now can you?