From: htr@cbnewsl.cb.att.com (helena.t.robinson)
Subject: Re: Skating as Art (was: Petrenko as Pro)
Organization: AT&T
Date: Tue, 14 Apr 1992 11:43:54 GMT
Summary: More on the inexact art/science of judging

In article <1992Apr13.172258.127505@ns1.cc.lehigh.edu> fc03@ns1.cc.lehigh.edu (Frederick W. Chapman) writes (in part):
>Here is an example of how art strikes different people differently!  I
>thought that Scott Hamilton's artistic program was good, but Robin Cousins'
>artistic program did a lot more for me.  I find Cousins to be unique for his
>grace and polish on ice... the perfectly even rotations of his double jumps,
>his skating line, the positions of his spins, the attention to artistic
>detail (such as his timing and finger position when he took his hands out of
>his pockets in the early part of his program) make his skating a delight to
>watch.  Cousin's artistry reminds me of John Curry's (sp?) skating.

Yes, you got John Curry right...  Don't get me wrong - I usually love to watch 
Robin, and for all the reasons you cite and more.  I just didn't think his 
performance was as good as others I've seen - it seemed to lack that 
undefinable "spark."

>Perhaps I did not like Hamilton's program as well because I generally feel
>wary of attempts to appeal to my emotions on religious grounds (e.g., Battle
>Hymn of the Republic, dedication to the 1961 team).  I feel that calling on
>the intense emotions that most religious people already associate with
>various religious concepts is "cheating" artistically; i.e., it is like
>starting 500m ahead of the starting line in a 1000m race.  (I do like Karen
>Kadavy's "Amazing Grace" program, though; she is a fine artistic skater.)

Well, skaters tend to be an emotional lot - and the memory of the '61 team 
still strikes a well of feeling in many (and Cincy skating audiences have a 
reputation for being quite knowledgeable).  For more emotional appeal, consider 
Brian Orser's tribute to ice dancer Rob MacCall (Tracy Wilson's former partner) 
as shown in the Pro Championships in Maryland this past December (and recently 
shown on NBC).

You may recall that one of the elements being judged in this competition - 
whether written or not is beyond me - is how well a skater can create a 
particular mood or appeal to emotion.  Call it a step up from the amateurs 
"selling" a program in competition.  This can help overcome a less than perfect 
performance - and could explain some of the differences between places in this 
event.

>For those who might have missed it, Katarina Witt spent most of her program
>slinking around the ice in a tight bodysuit, gushing oodles of sex appeal the
>whole time.  By strange coincidence, most people associate intense emotions
>with sex.  (Go figure. :-)  Consequently, I also consider Witt's relying
>on sex appeal, posing, tight clothing, and her  s h a p e l y   b o d y
>(which I didn't even notice, by the way) -- instead of pure skating -- to be
>"cheating" artistically.
>
>Apparently the judges were rewarding raw emotional appeal more than art in the
>abstract this time around.

Perhaps.  However, I will note that this was one of her numbers from 
"Skating '92" - as was Wagenhoffer's technical and Underhill/Martini's last 
performance - and this performance was much more intense, and appealing, than 
what I saw in the show.

Helena Robinson
AT&T
Basking Ridge, NJ
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