General Yuzuru Chat

[4Nessie]

38 minutes ago, rockstaryuzu said:

Kazuki Tomono is doing a Riverdance program this year. I watched it and it's not bad, and I don't find it culturally inappropriate, but it's a difficult piece of music and he's struggling just to keep up with it. I actually don't mind at all when other cultures try Irish pieces because the Irish are everywhere spreading their culture anyway.

 

On the other hand, when it comes to very culturally specific music, using it can come off as awkward or exploitative if the skater doing it isn't very careful. For example, European skaters doing Indigenous First Nations inspired pieces would look culturally tone deaf. 

 

But honestly it comes down to picking music that suits the skater. A lot of athletes just get this wrong.

 

 

 

 

 

Oh, you're right! That Riverdance is not bad at all. I didn't know about it. And now that I've seen that one, I know for sure that Yuzu would do it perfectly. 

 

The only thing is the ability to express certain cultural nuances. It is very hard even when you belong to that culture. And I've surely seen some very bad spanish flamenco performed by Spaniards before, so that ability would be an individual thing. Imo though, many people don't see this and judge very blindly based on their own experience and imagination.  

 

Edit:

But then again, I saw quite many Japanese music programs performed by European skaters and no one complained...

[Moria Polonius]

 ^^ Oh, you mean European folk music? 

 

Well, Rika Hongo did Riverdance and she was universally praised for it, and Junhwan did the Gypsy Dance and everybody liked it.

[Sombreuil]

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

 

[SparkleSalad]

18 minutes ago, Frenchkiss70 said:

Come on!!! You had to say that...

Lurker zu, she didn’t mean it, it’s a joke, right?

 

When have I ever been kidding about anything?

 

I can’t imagine Zu doing Riverdance at all, though my favourite Riverdance program that I felt expressed the music most sensitively was choreographed by a Swiss man and performed by a Japanese man, so I think it’s absolutely a matter of individual personality and talent. 

[Frenchkiss70]

42 minutes ago, SparkleSalad said:

He said he was a cat. Let him express himself!

He can be a cute kitty but not some weird creepy cat 

On the other hand I wouldn’t mind a Lambiel tribute to “slave to the music” 

*fans herself*

[4Nessie]

6 minutes ago, Moria Polonius said:

 ^^ Oh, you mean European folk music? 

 

Well, Rika Hongo did Riverdance and she was universally praised for it, and Junhwan did the Gypsy Dance and everybody liked it.

 

Okay, I've watched those. I don't think that skating good program to that particular music is the same as to properly express the culture characteristics though...

[WinForPooh]

4 minutes ago, SparkleSalad said:

 

When have I ever been kidding about anything?

 

I can’t imagine Zu doing Riverdance at all, though my favourite Riverdance program that I felt expressed the music most sensitively was choreographed by a Swiss man and performed by a Japanese man, so I think it’s absolutely a matter of individual personality and talent. 

 

Nobunari Oda fan club, here and ready! 

 

2 minutes ago, Frenchkiss70 said:

He can be a cute kitty but not some weird creepy cat 

On the other hand I wouldn’t mind a Lambiel tribute to “slave to the music” 

*fans herself*

 

Yuzu needs a good seven to eight years before he can pull that off. That. That... I've gotta go watch that about a million times more, brb. Send help if I don't brb.

[SparkleSalad]

1 minute ago, WinForPooh said:

Yuzu needs a good seven to eight years before he can pull that off. That. That... I've gotta go watch that about a million times more, brb. Send help if I don't brb.

 

There’s no escaping the glitter tornado. You’re a lost cause. I’ll make sure to enjoy 30+ year old Yuzu’s Lambiel tribute in your honour when it definitely happens don’t you tell me it won’t happen!  

[WinForPooh]

2 minutes ago, SparkleSalad said:

 

There’s no escaping the glitter tornado. You’re a lost cause. I’ll make sure to enjoy 30+ year old Yuzu’s Lambiel tribute in your honour when it definitely happens don’t you tell me it won’t happen!  

I'll fight anybody who tells me it won't happen!

[sallycinnamon]

48 minutes ago, rockstaryuzu said:

Kazuki Tomono is doing a Riverdance program this year. I watched it and it's not bad, and I don't find it culturally inappropriate, but it's a difficult piece of music and he's struggling just to keep up with it. I actually don't mind at all when other cultures try Irish pieces because the Irish are everywhere spreading their culture anyway.

 

Kazuki's Riverdance has great potential, and while I agree that it's difficult music but it was just his first competition and he'll improve in that program as the season goes.

 

re Yuzu and Zigeunerweisen - that was a difficult music too, not latin but csardas which has rhapsodic rhythms, and Yuzu did well with that program and music. I think it was a good choice for his first senior season at age 15/16. Not everyone can pull that music off at such a young age but he feels any type of music, he's really unique in that aspect as well.

[Gaby]

4 hours ago, Paskud said:

Yuzuru, do Javi/Stephane tribute 2019/2020

Poeta!  This is  so Stephane !

It  would  be  cool !

[Sombreuil]

6 minutes ago, 4Nessie said:

 

Okay, I've watched those. I don't think that skating good program to that particular music is the same as to properly express the culture characteristics though...

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.

[WinForPooh]

39 minutes ago, Moria Polonius said:

 ^^ Oh, you mean European folk music? 

 

Well, Rika Hongo did Riverdance and she was universally praised for it, and Junhwan did the Gypsy Dance and everybody liked it.

 

Wakaba's SP last season! It wasn't as iconic as Skyfall but it was still very good.

 

OT But she is such an excellent performer, and she takes risks, I love how her team is developing her range. I try not to see parallels because people are people and people's lives are not tropes, but... you know, Boston 2012, Milan 2018, the performance ability, stepping outside all the boxes by choosing different kinds of programmes, having serious trouble with the Flip edge, really nice axels. Of course I know there are plenty of differences, too, and it's a lot of confirmation bias because I really love Wakaba too, but my brain keeps seeing similar steps taken by Wakaba and Yuzu at around that age. 

[4Nessie]

31 minutes ago, Sombreuil said:

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.

 

I agree to some extend. But my opinion on music choices is a bit different maybe. I think that a skater should choose his music for some reason. To show something through that music. If you choose Irish music, than you should show something that is specific for it, otherwise you could choose anything and skate the same program to it. That's the main problem imo. Many skaters choose music that they like for some reason, but they are not able to express it fully.

[SparkleSalad]

15 minutes ago, WinForPooh said:

 

Wakaba's SP last season! It wasn't as iconic as Skyfall but it was still very good.

 

OT But she is such an excellent performer, and she takes risks, I love how her team is developing her range. I try not to see parallels because people are people and people's lives are not tropes, but... you know, Boston 2012, Milan 2018, the performance ability, stepping outside all the boxes by choosing different kinds of programmes, having serious trouble with the Flip edge, really nice axels. Of course I know there are plenty of differences, too, and it's a lot of confirmation bias because I really love Wakaba too, but my brain keeps seeing similar steps taken by Wakaba and Yuzu at around that age. 

 

I'll go way OT if I start gushing about Waka but she's my lady Yuzu and the one and only Gypsy Dancer. She's much more mature than he was at her age but they're both so gosh darn dynamic, I can't help but feel a connection, too. When will Waka land 4A poll?