I'll start at the beginning. This exhibition was a series of solo numbers on Nutcracker music. It was organized as some kind of replacement to the beloved annual "Nutcracker on Ice" production that this rink puts on each year, for 45 years! The production follows closely the actual ballet, with a huge number of skaters, and this year, because of covid situation, it was not possible to be put together.
I've told you how difficult my preparation was in the last few posts. As rinks, including this rink, have recently closed because of new covid restrictions, I thought that the exhibition will be canceled. I found out it will go on just two weeks before the show. I scrambled to fit my old Freestyle program on the Nutcracker music and to revive Freestyle elements that I don't regularly train. This was also, only the second time I ever performed a solo program, the first time being when I tested for Pre-Bronze Freestyle, the same program on different music. I just added some intro steps because the Nutcracker music was a bit longer than my previous music.
I had two worries. One, to hold the performance together, don't fall, don't be totally awkward... Two, and maybe even more important, I was worried that I won't be able to enjoy, being that the program was prepared in such a short time and it was not muscle memory and I knew I'll have to think a lot during the performance. But, while it wasn't perfect, I've done it better in practice, but I've also done it worse, I think the performance was a fair display of my current abilities. And I did enjoy it!
And here is the video
And here are the thoughts running in my head during each step...
It was the first and only time I had the music played on the rink's speakers, I've only trained the program with music playing in one earbud, from my cell phone. I prepared to be overwhelmed, but I was perfectly happy, maybe the fact that I love the music a lot, helped.
I started a little after the music started, just as I usually did in practice, that made me have to rush a little to keep the first swing roll on 3 or even 2 counts, while allowing 4 counts for the next one. Then, I did a dropped 3-turn into a back 3-turn. When I practiced without music I held those edges a little shorter, but I had no problems in following the music and waiting to turn it, then holding the exit edge to put the next edge on music. There is a little lean forward after the 3-turn, that's just my current technical ability, no surprise there.
On the next two inside edges and the inside edge spread eagle I was able to let loose and really enjoy. I'm very happy to see in the video the improvement I made in the arm movement. The arms and especially the hands are way more fluid then in the old program.
I may have been so loose, that I've forgotten I have to slow down the 3-turns series. In the old program those were more toe picks turns, not 3-turns, they were done on a line, in front of the judges for the test, building to the hand pointing towards them (that was suppose to show confidence by interacting with the judges). On the Nutcracker waltzy music, I had to hold those turns longer, and being 3-turns they needed to go on a curve, that I actually liked. But... then, I had to be sure to control to finish facing towards the spectators. The first 3-turn was rushed, I had to adjust on the second one, to the point that I felt that the third one was late. That made my arm gesture towards the spectators rushed, it looks like I'm dismissing something, but I haven't realized that during the performance. I feel if I would have worked with a coach, or at least filmed a practice, I could have made more out of this hand movement, and the next gliding element. The gliding element felt better then it looks. The skating knee should be more bent, so it would be clear it is not spiral (bad spiral), or more stretched... and the free leg should be more stretched...
Next are a series of steps leading to a salcow jump and I had to control myself to do them slower than I would have enjoyed ( where the music was taking me). I had a hesitation on the first mohawk, is the "bad side", the harder one to control, but you cannot really see in in the video. Then, at some point I'm not on music... that was on purpose, as I learned from practice that if I let myself go on music there, I catch to much speed and excitement and I cannot do the salcow...
Ok... slacow was tiny, as the other two jumps yet to come. But, I'm training the jumps, basically... never. So I'm happy I was able to do it. Next is a matching 3-turn as with the one before the salcow and a gliding on a back edge, with extension, after which I've change the arm movement, from pushing away (that was originally choreographed), to a more balletic gesture. I've decided to do that just before the show, I've never trained it. And I'm mentioning it, so I can share the extent of how many thoughts I had to control for this performance. With more time to train, the majority of these thought become automatic gestures, body memory. I'm thinking now, that that dismissive arm movement could have been changed into a presenting one. I'll know better for the future...
Then, I have a chasse into a swing roll and two dropped 3-turns. When I practice I've tried different arm movements, both up, the inside up, the outside up... I haven't really had a plan for the show... I just didn't feel I had enough place in my mind to think about this too. But, I'm actually so very happy how they've turned out, they came from the inside, feeling and living the music.
The Waltz jump is immediately after one of this 3-turns (counting as a difficult entrance)... it was ok. Immediately after it is a Forward spin from an inside 3-turn. That is not my regular entrance, and I'm happy that it felt way more comfortable then when I tested the program on the other piece of music.
A chasse goes into the more difficult direction crossovers and into the spiral. I decided just before the performance, when I saw where the video camera is, to change the placement of the spiral, initially should have started exactly near the camera, going away from the camera...
Then I had a half flip, oh, how tiny... and entrance into the scratch spin. The plan was to hear the music while I spin and if there is extra time to continue the spin with a back pivot. I didn't expect the spin to happen, as I couldn't make it happen in the warm up. I expected that I'll bail out of the spin and I was prepared to have to improvise. But... the spin happened! Unfortunately I forgot about the back pivot... I change the weight to the other leg, and did some kind of pose... I'm quite sure I would never ever be able to repeat that end thingy I did.
So, there is was, done and done.
I ended up enjoying for the most part both the performance and the preparation... and I am so happy that it also brought joy to my family and friends. We are all ballet and Nutcracker lovers... and my performance was a nod to that...
And here is the video filmed from a little higher, through plexiglass, so not so clear, but this perspective catches the flow a little better.
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