Sombreuil

From my experience among my friends if the mother is the person who is living in a foreign environment the children will be bi lingual- if it’s the dad it’s not happened among my acquaintance ( French, Spanish, Maltese) - and those examples are a lot less difficult in terms of the gulf between the languages than an English/ Japanese interface.

I’m reserving judgement til I see it full length and in action- there are a number of costumes that look great in a still photo and terrible once there’s movement involved. I do like the colours - still not sure about the graduated colour on the pants until we get a full length photo.

No - I know it’s hard to admit it, but that one was abysmal - no one could have made that monstrosity acceptable.

Given Xylitols track record be very grateful....remember the white bodysuit with gold lace which even he couldn’t carry off?

Done mine using a pin and a blindfold for ice dance and pairs ( apart from T&M) I dont recognise a lot of the names - it will be interesting to see some new faces, though I won’t see much of SA at the weekend.

I know, I know

I agree with you - have a look at this 🤣 http://www.globetrottingbyphiliphersh.com/home/2017/3/24/nathan-chen-nureyev-ballet-figure-skating-world-championships

Usually they have a particular axe to grind for another skater that has some ballet training- the young Yuzuru’s ‘noodly’ posture kept being referred to some time after he remedied it, whereas the likes of Zagitova and Nathan Chen were anointed with the ‘balletic’ title by the media as soon as they hit seniors, and as someone who has recently been binge watching Fonteyn/Makarova/ Guillem not to mention Bruhn/Nureyev/ Mukhamedov they really aren’t, even to the extent that it is possible on ice skates. I don’t blame the skaters - to me their ex choices seem to indicate that it’s not a claim they would make for themselves, but the media sees ballet training , hears/sees ballet music/costuming and its a convenient way to give artistic credit where it isn’t really due- look X isn’t just a technician, see how balletic he/she is!

Don’t you think they can enjoy the music in isolation from the culture that produced it and perhaps take from it something that is different? I get fed up with the Piaf Vie en Rose - I’d like someone with a bit of vim to use Grace Jones version which is radically different - but it’s the same basic music.

It’s figure skating, not Irish dancing or ballet or martial arts or stage musicals or any other sort of musical reference that’s been used over the years on ice. It will probably reference the original to a greater or lesser extent, but it’s quite a different sort of movement, faster, with different technical requirements. It’s one of the reasons that criticism of skaters for not being ‘balletic’ annoys me.

White cat pas de deux from Sleeping Beauty as a SP or ex - there’s a sinuousness to the music that he could pull off brilliantly https://youtu.be/omIZgkAPsPU

I think the important thing when using culturally distinct music is probably respect- if it is treated respectfully and not belittled then it should be ok to use any music. European classical is the default choice but it’s good to see new genres. Whether or not it suits the skater in question is an entirely different matter. I could never really understand S/M using ‘Candyman’ - they skated it well technically but it didn’t suit their style - if Marchei/ Hotarek had used it I could imagine them carrying it off much better, they do jokey and lighthearted very well. The tango thing is difficult to judge - I’m feeling I’ve had a surfeit of Latin American what with last season and this seasons short dance choices and the ubiquitous Roxanne so I don’t know whether I don’t like the idea or I just want a couple of seasons break from that particular genre.

The moment in GPF 2014 FP where he picks himself up smiling after falling on the lutz - he knew he’d won and it was the high point of that season sandwiched between the collision at CoC (and the subsequent problems at NHK) and the surgery he was to need immediately after Nationals, the fall out from which affected the rest of the season. True champion.

All happening in the same week!!! (Frantically clearing diary as far as possible)

He’s a bit like JK Rowling - too much success too early- badly needed a coach/ editor for the later versions to curb the self indulgence and crack the whip on jump training and music choices/ wield the blue pen on the later scripts to really show themselves at their best.

I like the blue - grew up in a seaside place where you get those chillier autumn days with bright blue skies reflected by the water- autumn isn’t just about orange leaves. Also he’s acknowledging Johnny’s choice.

This face - slightly manic laser eyes and set jaw - same as post SP in Helsinki 2017...

I had the same problem with posting.

It got laggier the closer it came to Yuzuru’s SP and crashed as he was getting on the ice. I got distracted by the skating and then losing the stream just as he took up the ending pose - by the time I had that back and was trying to find out from the planet what the score had been it was very slow for a bit while everyone reacted. The FP was also very slow and I stopped trying to join in the chat because I was constantly lagging 5/10 posts behind, even with Hydros chatroom taking some of the pressure off.

Meh - who cares? I love the detail in Origin - the purple accents in the design when you see a close up, the feather shapes, it’s like Phantom 2 with meaningful squiggles and I love the colours. A Phantom 2 collar would have been perfect but maybe too much of a hark back to a previous design. Shoma wears what the designer gives him, but we know that Yuzuru will have had a lot of input, and there are Plushenkos and indeed Nijinskys costumes on the threads to show where it’s coming from. Same for Otonal - the cross hatching referencing but not copying Johnny- same with the blue. The three make quite a trilogy - pink, blue and gold.

It’s possibly my all time favourite

His jump coach Ghislain Briand

I was in the Helsinki camp, but his gasping for breath at the end of Origin makes me think it will be later rather than sooner unless there was a reason for it - asthma attack? If it was we won’t find out until ages after the event.

I think it might be a cross between the two. I like the cross hatching on the back - references JWs costume without copying it with the pink ex and the pale blue ruffles SP I’m hoping for a sharper edged black and gold Origins with a collar like PotO2.

This is probably the best place to say how much I liked Juns ‘Cinderella’. Prokofievs ballet is one of my favourites and I enjoyed what they did with it, and he skated beautifully.