Video Blog about Mao

Hi everyone,

I just wanted to share this video blog:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nu7TQfAx844&feature=player_embedded

original source:
http://emtalkery.blogspot.com/2010_02_21_archive.html

She is a previous ballerina, and she shares her thoughts about why she thought Mao should have won the Olympics hehe. Even though we all accept that another skater won, I think that the points that this woman brings up are great, that the best dancer and ballerina was Mao, and her comments are very similar to those from Batsuchan's blog.

This was also posted in a reply post on Batsuchan's blog by Aoi88.

But...she pronounces Mao's name as "Ma-yo" lol...
And she also complains about Sandra! Yes!

Wonderful. It's great to hear from an expert that Mao is the real dancer. Unfortunately, nowadays all the hype goes to sexy ppl, and not to actual artists.

Thanks for sharing, sapphiresky. It's kinda amazing how so much of what we've discussed over the forum is given voice by Emily Frankel (the lady in the video).

Thank you Emily for speaking up for Mao and dedicating a video blog to it! See, it's not just "biased" Mao fans who think she's the better overall skater on the ice!

sapphiresky wrote:

Hi everyone,

I just wanted to share this video blog:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nu7TQfAx844&feature=player_embedded

original source:
http://emtalkery.blogspot.com/2010_02_21_archive.html

She is a previous ballerina, and she shares her thoughts about why she thought Mao should have won the Olympics hehe. Even though we all accept that another skater won, I think that the points that this woman brings up are great, that the best dancer and ballerina was Mao, and her comments are very similar to those from Batsuchan's blog.

This was also posted in a reply post on Batsuchan's blog by Aoi88.

But...she pronounces Mao's name as "Ma-yo" lol...
And she also complains about Sandra! Yes!

Thank you so much for posting this! I really enjoyed that clip. I teared up a bit while watching. I do not know why. Sometimes I get emotional over the silliest things. Mao-chan is our lovely dancing artist!

Thank you!

I read about this at GS and of course lots of people were quick to get their claws out... It's like they can't put things in perspective. She said she wished, "from her perspective as a dancer", that Mao had won. Obviously, Mao made mistakes and she didn't win but she's simply pointing out what we all know... That they're different and that one kind of "artistry" or "interpretation" should not be worth so much more than the other in the eyes of the judges or of the audiences. Her point of view is that ballet is better... someone else's point of view might like Yu-Na's style better (I can't find a word in English for her style of presentation). But overall, the judges should not have that kind of bias. They're both obviously very good at interpreting in their own style. They're just different.

Thanks for sharing. If the olympics were judged as a dancing competition then Mao would have won. But she made mistakes and that is the past. I thought her interpretation was incredible and has really improved. Now if Emily Frankel can only see Mao doing Claire de Lune or Nocturne

sapphiresky, thanks for the link! This was really interesting since the lady in the vid;Emily is from the ballet field. Also, opinions from the elderly...with more experience in everything, means alot.

The greatest part was when Emily stated Mao to be an artist, and Yuna more of a performer. Ironically, some people in Japan say Mao is figure skating while Yuna is 'only dancing'...which I think is one of the most stupid analysis ever made on them. Firstly, they make it sound as though dancing isn't worth anything, whereas you can never eliminate the essence of dancing from figure skating. Secondly, Yuna I do not think is much of a dancer. I think she's rather posing more than dancing during her performances. But as Emily says, the way she poses...with alot of charisma like an actress, does make her programs more attracting. In that sense she is a good performer. Probabaly even better than Mao, since Mao is still unaware of her charismatic charms, tending to focus more on her skills rather than artistry, most likely misunderstanding that she lacks the latter.

But actually, I agree with Emily that Mao is the artistic one, not Yuna. Yuna is more of an entertainer than an artisan. She knows how to show herself well, she knows what people like, and has the ability to include all that in her performances. That's exactly what makes a great performer. But Mao doesn't care that much about what the audience wants when it comes to skating in competitions. Yes, I mean what I said...she does not care about those who are watching her. Mao is totally into her own world when she's skating. All that matters to her at that time is to blend with the music and let her body flow accordingly. And IMO, that may not be the best attitude for a performer, but that is what's required for an artist.

I've written about all this on several occasions in my Japanese blog. Entertainment and art are not the same thing. They have similarities, but they are not the same. So, as I've always said...I respect Yuna as a fine entertaining skater. Her programs are fun to watch, they're created in ways never to bore anyone, but still, that doesn't make them art. But Mao is trying to reach the depth where figure skating can become an art. I wouldn't say she's accomplished that totally yet. But she is in Emily's words 'struggling' to do so. That's why I appreciated her 'Bells' even though alot of her other fans seem to want her to return to softer music. It wasn't the most suitable music for her, of course. But it was important for her to try something different to broaden her abilities. If she went on skating to the same soft music she was used to, she could only become a fine soft music performer on ice. But she chose to be a struggling artist instead...

Sorry guys, I could go on talking about this issue forever! I was just so happy to hear what Emily had to say in the video, cause it was so much like what I've been always thinking. Anyway, I also think that if ISU acknowledges FS as a sport combined with art...they should get some real artists into judging I think. For techs, the judges they already have are fine. But they should also include people like Emily who have experience in ballet or some kind of dancing and musicians, too. I don't think art can really be scored fairly. But if anyone were to hand out scores for art, they should be artists.

Great post Pochi... ITA. You hit that nail right on the head!

hello everyone.

i just signed up, so i am new to the forum and to the figure skating world. i didn't follow the sport until i watched the olympics. i happened to watch mao's sp and enjoyed it very much. then i forgot about it and watched the rest of the olympics. later though, i found i couldn't forget the masquerade sp. it just got caught in my head, and i fell in love with it and mao. since then i've tracked down all her performances on youtube and i've been watching them devotedly. she's great.

i just want to say, about this video blog, that i agree wholeheartedly. "bell's" was a much more personal, idiosyncratic, and artistically bold choice. i feel that yuna's choice of gershwin and the bond girl routine was much more calculatedly crowd pleasing, more impersonal. it was not an artistic statement the way that mao's is.

when i watch mao, i feel that she is doing something very personal. her performances feel much more intimate to me. in comparison, yuna's mugging for the audience is a little cheap and a little easy. mao is always so emotional too. her performances are very passionate and very innocent, at least when they're good. yuna is cooler, less involved.

i don't want to seem like i'm badmouthing yuna. actually, i respect her as a great performer and athlete. but my heart and my admiration go to mao, because she's a much purer artist, much more selfless.

i want to be clear. i'm not even much a figure skating fan. i dont' watch other skaters all that much. mao is special.

Welcome Steve!

☆Genie wrote:

Now if Emily Frankel can only see Mao doing Claire de Lune or Nocturne

She did see Mao's Clair de Lune and Yu-Na's Danse Macabre. Since she mentioned in the video that she wrote about them on Valentine's Day, I looked it up and I found her post.

http://emtalkery.blogspot.com/2010/02/who-will-be-winner.html

She chose Mao over Yu-Na before their Olympic performances.

Pochi and SpecialK it is nice to see you guys around again!

steve welcome to the forum! I think Mao is special too!

Thank you sapphiresky for the link! Watching that video made me so proud to be a Mao fan. To hear a veteran performer praising our Mao so much made me happy. I just can't get over the fact that she calls Mao "Mayo." It reminds me of mayonnaise.

And I agree with Pochi's post entirely. I can go and say more, but I think our potato had already summed up my feelings about Mao and Yuna's sense of artistry.

Also, welcome to the forums steve! It's always so nice to have new members here at our forums. And I was touched by your story. Like you, I never really followed figure skating. But then I saw Mao and I saw her innocence and fortitude on ice. It's not hard to a be a fan of her.

Great replies everyone! I'm so glad a lot of people watched the video now haha- it went from about less than 1000 views to over 9000!

I agree with you Pochi! Entertainment and art are different. I really do love Bells because it has so much depth to it. That also comes from the composers as well- Rachmaninoff vs. Gershwin- I pick Rachmaninoff for so many reasons. Mao is the one skater who can do it well!

PochinkoPotanko wrote:

But actually, I agree with Emily that Mao is the artistic one, not Yuna. Yuna is more of an entertainer than an artisan. She knows how to show herself well, she knows what people like, and has the ability to include all that in her performances. That's exactly what makes a great performer.

I know right?

That's why I was a bit bothered when I saw on Yuna's wiki page that she had "superior artistry." She's a great figure skater and no one can argue with that but using the word "superior" is... Um, a bit too much IMHO.

thank you for welcoming me to the forum, everyone. it's nice to be able to talk about mao's skating with people.

i must say, that i never thought of taking figure skating seriously as an art. not, that is, until i saw mao. i'm sort of having trouble getting the people around me to take it seriously as well, so i never really get a chance to talk about it at all.

anyway, i wanted to point out what the difference is between mao and yuna is. yuna chose gershwin and the bond music to cater to american and canadian taste. to my mind, that means she went with the safe route, the one she knew would be popular. by contrast, mao took a course that turned out to be very difficult and that was practically inviting criticism. i don't think she really got a handle on either of her programs until relatively late in the season.

this choice fascinates me, that she would choose to turn away from doing another claire de lune or nocturne program, something the everyone knew that she could do beautifully, and instead went with powerful, epic sounding music. and she chose to take this risk, set out to expand herself in AN OLYMPIC YEAR. i don't think most of the commentators had enough respect for that. it just goes to show you why people who are successful in their chosen field become risk averse and stop taking chances as they get older. the problem is that mao is ahead of her audience. she wants to use her skating as a medium to express more different kinds of emotions and feelings than much of her audience, many of whom just want a pretty girl putting on a show.

i think this is what makes mao an artist and yuna a performer. yuna is more other directed. she concentrates on getting the approval of commentators and the media, and fans. mao is inner directed. she has some place she wants to go, and she wants to bring the audience and the fans and everyone else with her, but leading them and not letting them lead her. i think that that makes an artist.

steve wrote:

mao is inner directed. she has some place she wants to go, and she wants to bring the audience and the fans and everyone else with her, but leading them and not letting them lead her. i think that that makes an artist.

Wow! Beautiful and really well said!

Welcome Steve!

Spacey wrote:

Pochi and SpecialK it is nice to see you guys around again

Thank you Spacey - I have been around and reading all the posts, but I have been very busy lately and have not had a chance to post for a while... Glad to have a moment to join in the discussions again

And steve, welcome to the forum!

sapphiresky wrote:

steve wrote:

mao is inner directed. she has some place she wants to go, and she wants to bring the audience and the fans and everyone else with her, but leading them and not letting them lead her. i think that that makes an artist.

Wow! Beautiful and really well said!

ITA - I always feel that Mao seems to be pursuing something and reaching in deep inside for it when she skates. Her passion really comes through and it truly is beautiful

I agreed with everything in the video. I feel like I have so much to add, but I think everyone speaks my mind better than I could have already...

Everytime I watched the olympics performances again or commentaries about Mao and Yuna (whether it is for or against Mao), my heart keeps aching... don't even know why

sapphiresky wrote:

steve wrote:

mao is inner directed. she has some place she wants to go, and she wants to bring the audience and the fans and everyone else with her, but leading them and not letting them lead her. i think that that makes an artist.

Wow! Beautiful and really well said!

Welcome Steve!

well said indeed! Of course, Yuna being outer directed is not of her own making- her coach, Brian Orser.. also plays a big part of the performance staged in the Yuna theater. Honestly, rejecting most media requests except for an interview on the New York Times (which, btw, is a very biased paper IMHO) before the Olympics?... The numerous strategical arrangements made Yuna a great skater..................................

I want to say so much about this video but it's late where I am so I'll just say one thing for now =P.

I loved the part at 3:00 when she is talking about Mao's front extension and just says, "And it was beautiful." I feel that so many people don't appreciate Mao's amazing extension and positions.

Thanks for posting this here Sapphiresky!
Btw, you guys should also read Batsuchan's post on artistry, which is great. She and Emily shares similar views.

Thank you so much for posting this blog.

I love hearing from a dancer's perspective, just because dancers pay attention to things in skating that others might not- for example, lines, turnout, and extension; it's wonderful to hear Mao being praised for those things from an expert. I especially love that she mentioned Mao's fan spiral, because honestly, the amount of flexibility and strength that goes into keeping her leg up in the air unassisted (not to mention the wonderful turnout and extension in the position itself) NEVER gets enough credit.
What I agree with most, though, is what she said about Yu-Na being a performer and Mao being an artist. For me, Yu-Na's programs are fun, they're exciting, and they make me feel excited for a little bit afterwards. But when Mao skates, her elegance, balletic qualities, ethereal flow across the ice, and ARTISTRY all come together and transport me to somewhere else. Time stops, I get wrapped up in how much beauty there is in her performances, and I'm always left feeling moved, feeling inspired, and feeling like I was somewhere else entirely during those 4 (or 2.5!) minutes. And that's why I'm a Mao fan. Say all you want about her triple axels (which, of course, ARE fabulous) and her technical prowess, but it's her ability to bring the audience to an exquisitely beautiful place that no one else has, or can even match up to.

Frankel is already being bashed. Why can't these guys accept other ppl's opinions? They talk as if she offended Yuna.

alyssa wrote:

Frankel is already being bashed. Why can't these guys accept other ppl's opinions? They talk as if she offended Yuna.

She is?
Why?
She praised Yuna and gave her enough credit already. I don't understand.