As I ventured over to Youtube to watch Mikahil Kolyada's The White Crow LP for about the 19301484th time during this famine of a figure skating season, a thought struck my mind like an ice pick to the skull: is Ilia Averbukh actually one of the best figure skating choreographers working today?
I know, to even suggest such a thing would undoubtedly condemn me as an unwashed neophyte among certain of the figure skating cognoscenti. After all, Mr. Averbukh is often remembered for his wacky interviews when not being denigrated for representing the worst excesses of early-2000s ice dance before the penitent wave of fresh, squeaky-clean Marina Zoueva teams cleansed ice dance of its sins. I for one am not going to defend Jesus Christ Superstar or Fever. Nor can I explain Mr. Averbukh's inexplicable decision to dump the legendary Marina Anissina for Irina Lobacheva.
But judge a man by his deeds, not his choice of ice dance partner/wife. So let's take a look at the evidence at hand here:
YES:
Mikhail Kolyada, The White Crow LP
The venerable Alexei Mishin is getting a considerable amount of credit for Mikhail Kolyada's career renaissance this season--and deservedly so!--but Mr. Averbukh arguably deserves some praise as well. The White Crow LP is Mr. Averbukh's first piece of choreography for Mr. Kolyada, and it is, as the Irish would say, a corker. After years of Russian kitsch and muzak with the occasional flashes of brilliance, Mr. Kolyada is finally given a program that infuses his skating with a real sense of pathos and grandeur, and it is sublime.
Julia Lipnitskaya, Schindler's List LP
I know I've said this before, but it bears repeating: this Schindler's List LP is just brilliant in terms of packaging, and the choreography is quite solid as well.
Julia Lipnitskaya, Megapolis SP
OK, I wouldn't characterize this as a masterpiece, but I have a soft spot for it . . .
Ksenia Makarova's Maria and the Violin's String SP
An old favorite.
Elena Radionova, Pepe Romero/JLo SP
This lighthearted, undemanding Pepe Romero/Jennifer Lopez mashup makes the most of Elena Radionova's somewhat chaotic style. Put down your pen, ye discerning critic, and unfurrow your brow: it's time to BOP.
Nelli Zhiganshina/Alexander Gazsi, Zombie FD
An antidote to the all the Zoueva schmaltz dominating in 2013.
NO:
All of Mr. Averbukh's programs for Evgenia Medvedeva. There are plenty of reasons for ironic love, but let's face it: these programs are pretentious claptrap.
So, what is your verdict here?
Hmmm... I do admire Averbukh's ability to choose programs that "suit" a skater surprisingly well. Sofia Samodurova's Burlesque comes to mind also. Were Medvedeva's programs extremely contrived and pretentious? Yes. But did they fit her like a glove? I think also yes.
ReplyDeleteSide note: he looks like Lin Manuel Miranda's twin
To be honest I blame the skaters more for the "bad" choreography than I do Averbukh. I like most of your "yes" programs and I also loved Aliev's short-lived 2018-2019 FS. So as the other anonymous commenter says, if I dislike Medvedeva's Averbukh programs (which I do), it's because I dislike Medvedeva's style and Averbukh is catering to it. I also find it telling that I actually enjoyed what little we saw of Medvedeva's "The Leftovers" but then she ditched it! She and I are just incompatible.
ReplyDeletePerhaps we should send all skaters who have trouble finding their style to Mr. Averbukh, not a bad idea really.
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