The Friday Thread

[Kitten]

Ahhhh, as it's the 'lympics this year, I've been watching this. One of my favourite pieces of music ever, makes me blub like a baby when I hear it and this is why:

If you've never watched it, give it a go. If you have seen it, you'll probably want to watch it again



Story is that there are two lovers, in the Romeo and Juliet stylee, who cannot be together, so decide to die rather than be parted. The dance symbolises their climb up the side of a volcano before chucking themselves so that they can be together in Paradise and earthly factions cannot separate them.

Interesting(? ) factoid is that this music is 17 minutes long. To be eligible for the Olympic Free Skate section it had to be 4 minutes long. The guy making a 'skateable' version for T&D said that he couldn't make it less than 4:17. So, they looked into the rules and discovered that the 4 minutes only begins when the skaters' begin to skate - defined as 'when their blades touch the ice'. So, they spend the first part of the dance on their knees, showing the start of the courtship.


Got the highest ever score in Olympic Free Skate Icedancing and got Torvil & Dean & GBR the gold medal.


Happy, happy memories. Amazing stuff. *blubs*

[Dee]

Ah, lovely watch

Was surprised at the lack of big jumps/airtime, is that not part of the criteria?

[Kitten]

Originally Posted by Dee

Ah, lovely watch

Was surprised at the lack of big jumps/airtime, is that not part of the criteria?

They do several lifts, and some very complicated movements that had never been seen at the time (like the twisty bit at the end). It was just after the new rules had been introduced, so I guess that technical merit was a different focus than it is now, less showy and more fluid.

Edit:

Originally, figure skating competitions consisted of compulsory figures and free skating only, and free skating was "free" in the sense that it was completely free from requirements; skaters could perform whatever combination of elements best suited their individual skills. However, the International Skating Union adopted requirements for a "well-balanced program" in pair skating in 1982 to counter the trend at that time for skaters to pack their programs with purely athletic elements such as jumps at the expense of spins and other movements demonstrating mastery of skating technique. For example, for many years the well-balanced program guidelines for singles required a minimum of 4 spins, and pairs were allowed to do 3 to 5 lifts.

Didn't know this either!

Ice dancing does not allow the introduction of such singles elements as jumps and intricate spins or such pairs moves as overhead lifts and throw jumps because they are thought to be inconsistent with the character of dance. Dance lifts, often done in the free dance, are legal, but moves that take the woman over the man’s shoulder are not allowed. Dancers instead perform moves low to the ice, such as pull-throughs (the man drawing the woman between his legs) and drapes (laying the woman over the man’s knee with a skate on the ice), to show their dexterity. Another common lift is the hand-to-hand hold lift, where the man primarily uses his hands to lift his partner.

*spends the rest of the afternoon researching ice-dance rules

[Dymetrie]

Originally Posted by Kitten

Stitch!

[Kitten]

Ratatouille The Snowboarding Opossum:

[Justsomebloke]

Originally Posted by Kitten

/mentalist!

I'm 6ft5 but scared of heights. Just watching that vid freaks me out then I got to the 5.27 where he just slings that Big hook over that tiny step At this point I retired to the little boys room.

[Jonny69]

^^^ I'm not watching that again. Last time I watched it my hands were sweating

[Joe 90]

Originally Posted by Pheebs

This entertained me

That is brilliant!

[Toby]

Originally Posted by Pheebs

This entertained me

Haha, missed this - total genius

[Jonny69]